Chapter 24- Local Government and Education

Local government reports cover a wide variety of topics including: actions of municipal agencies and departments, the interplay of citizens, interest groups, local government in making policy, budgets, taxes, bond issues, politics, zoning, planning, and education. They are extremely important in the world of journalism because they check on whether city agencies and departments are following through with their responsibilities in an efficient and effective manner. These reporters have to have a very clear understanding of their cities demographics in order to produce successful, interesting stories.

AP Style Issues

My entire life, I have been taught to use serial commas, which is the final comma in a series of words or phrases. AP Style, on the other hand, tells you to omit the serial comma unless the list is complicated or omission of the serial comma could cause confusion. AP Style also tells you not to use commas before the Jr. or Sr. or Roman numerals in names. It is going to be hard to break these habits, for I have been taught to do otherwise my entire life.

Assignment #7

It is no secret that females heavily dominate the field of public relations. Junior public relations major Sarah Cummings, at first glance, fits this stereotype to a “T”. It wasn’t until further research that her true strengths and assets were revealed. Not only is she a public relations major, Cummings is also majoring in mathematics at Marshall University.

Cummings began her first two years of college as a mathematical economics major at the University of Kentucky. While here, she joined the Delta Zeta sorority to branch out and experience Greek life. Though not for her, Cummings learned a lot from the experience and made countless friendships.

Unsure about her future, Cummings decided to transfer to Marshall University to pursue the field of public relations.  When asked about her transfer Cummings said, “I’m a people person, so I wanted to open up more options for my future.”

Although Cummings is undecided on where her future will go next, she has produced a broad pallet that will undoubtedly benefit her in the future. “My counselor at Marshall University told me that I was the only student she has ever had double major in math and public relations,” Cummings said.

Even more impressive, Cummings graduated high school with very high honors and various scholarships. Some of these scholarships include: Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence Award, Promise Scholar, 2011 MSAC Female Academic winner and 2011 Wendy’s Heisman winner.

Cummings not only exhibits diversity in academics, but many other important aspects as well. In high school, she was a tremendous athlete who won two state tennis championships. In her younger years, Cummings participated in a wide variety of sports such as basketball, soccer, baseball and track.

She has also expanded her knowledge by traveling numerous places. In 2007 and 2009, Cummings journeyed to Nicaragua to partake in two mission trips. Other places she has visited include: Canada, Greece and the Caribbean.

Born Sarah Elizabeth Cummings Jan. 13, 1993 in Huntington, West Virginia, she’s the youngest of 3 with two older brothers. Because of her brothers, she developed a strong personality and keen interest in sports. “Growing up with two older brothers has undoubtedly shaped who I am today,” Cummings continues, “Without them, I would be half the woman I am today.”

From the beginning, Cummings enjoyed being around and meeting new people. It was her comfort with others and outgoing demeanor that led her to public relations. “I realized after two years of being a math economics major that my strongest quality has always been communication,” said Cummings.

Cummings might be unsure of where she will end up in the future, but she is driven to succeed. When asked about her future, Cummings responded, “Whatever path I decide to take in my life, I will do it well and I will be happy.”

Assignment #6

While reading chapters 3, 5, and 6 of Mencher's News Reporting and Writing, I learned a lot of important things about news and the structure of news stories. As discussed in my previous post, chapter 3 touches again on the vital values that guide journalists in determining the a particular story if newsworthy. The eight values listed in this chapter include: timeliness, impact, prominence, proximity, conflict, unusual, currency, and necessity. I cannot stress enough (nor can Mencher) about the importance of each of these elements and their roll in the success of a new story. Also in this chapter, Mencher talks about how modern mass media drastically continues to change. New journalists are taking the spotlight, and new subjects are making front covers. Although today's style of news comes off more pessimistic than in previous years, two guidelines will always be stagnate: news is information about a break from the normal flow of events, an interruption in the expected, a deviation from the norm; news is information people can use to help make sound decisions about their lives.

The next two chapters focused much more on the structure of a news story and the importance of a strong lead. Mencher notes that the lead gives the reader the sense of the story and is broken down into two different types, direct and delayed. Regardless of which you prefer or how well written your story may be, the importance of a strong lead is vital in the success of every news story. The famous New Yorker writer John McPhee says of the lead that, "I've often heard writers say that if you have written your lead you have 90 percent of your story." I found this quote quite powerful in describing the significance of the lead. To sum up my point- one must first focus on grabbing the attention of their readers if they want their voice to be heard.

Assignment #5

When reading Mencher's New Reporting and Writing, I discovered that there are 8 determinants when deciding whether or not something is news worthy. These eight elements include: timeliness, impact, prominence, proximity, conflict, the unusual, currency, necessity. I find these 8 elements extremely important in journalism, especially today. Because of the internet and social media, unlimited access to information is simply assessed at our fingertips. This is why I believe these 8 determinants are more vital than ever, for our generation has much more to choose from. The positives - expansion in the field of journalism and more room for creativity. The downfall - it is much more difficult to grab (and keep) the attention of your audience. The more "news worthy" elements incorporated in your story, the more entertaining it will be.

But finding a story that is news worthy is only the beginning. In chapter 2, Mencher goes even deeper by explaining the components necessary for a successful news story. These components include: accurate, properly attributed, complete, balance and fair, objective, brief and focused, well-written. I cannot express just how important each of these elements are when writing a news story. Not only can a journalist potentially face legal trouble, but the inability to incorporate each of these elements in a news story can be detrimental to your audience as well as your career.

Class #3

When looking through the Morris list of things to improve your writing, I became aware of a lot of rules I was previously unaware of.Although some of the rules I found to be common sense, a lot of them went against everything I have been taught about writing.New writing is a lot more particular about the word choice than I had ever imagined.

The AP stylebook makes it very clear the different between capital and capitol. Capital is always lowercase and is used to describe the city where the seat of government is located or used in a financial sense.Capitol refers to the building in Washington and when referring to state buildings.

Personal Plans- Assignment #2

As time flies by, the pressure to find a stable, enjoyable career drastically increases. For me, the thought of narrowing my focus to just one field of study was something that has haunted me for years. Now a junior at Marshall University, I have decided to pursue a career in the field of pubic relations. This decision did not come easy, for it took many years of uncertainty and careful planning. Although my exact future career plans are still up in the air, I chose the field of public relations for a majority of reasons. For one, technology and social media are rapidly expanding, which is drastically affecting the way we communicate. As technology continues to grow, so does the field of public relations. This is one of the main reasons I decided pursue this field. The job opportunities are endless and always adjusting with society. Despite the social norms, I am no creature of habit. Come on, who truly wants to sit at a desk everyday for the same hours doing the same repetitious tasks? The more irregular and unexpected my day-to-day objectives are, the brighter my future will be. Not only does the field of public relations offer a large variety of different job opportunities, it is continuously changing/advancing as new information and trends are being discovered. What grabs my attention the most about public relations is that there are little to no boundaries in the field. The room for opinion and creativity is always welcome, if not preferred. With graduation just around the corner, the pressure to narrow my interests to match my strengths sometimes seems impossible. But why should students be so coerced to plan their future? Many individuals know their career path from the day they were born, and I applaud them. The problem is that there are also many individuals who do not have the slightest clue as to where their future might take them and feel pressured to pick a career in order to fit societal norms. To touch on this, it is hard to present my exact future career plans, for right now I am continuously changing interests and finding new strengths. I foresee myself finding a keen interest in a particular company, and doing everything imaginable (planning, writing, photographing, designing, etc.) to inform others and provide expansion. If one thing is for sure, happiness will forever be present.