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Aerik
New Member

USA
18 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2006 :  17:13:17  Show Profile  Visit Aerik's Homepage Send Aerik a Private Message
Know what I hate about alot of stories in the tv news and in the newspaper? I hate it when a reporter can not figure out if a story should be a report or a narrative. Is it too much to ask that I should be able to easily pick out the who's, what's, when's, and where's in a story? Beware when a reporter frames these elements with emotional discharge, especially when he/she thinks the writing is cinematic, and especially if those emotional discharges are part of the same damn quote, with its author stuck minutely in the center. For example,

quote:
"It was a tragedy and a crime that will continue to spread fear in our community," said Davis. "All our hopes and prayers are with the family.
Little does the reader know, while absorbed with trying to feel empathy for the family like a good 'community' zealot,
it was a bogus law enacted by Mayor Davis that led to the tragedy. It was essentially his crime.

How many times can a reporter trick you into buying into that sappy crap when it was the politician stuck in the middle of the quote that had a part in the failure to prevent a tragedy? Such as when Bush acted like the New Orleans leevees were not foreseen as breakable by a hurricane?

It is in these kinds of stories -- accidents and tragedies that could have been prevented by city ordinances or simple architectural maintenance -- that we should be able to tell Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Telling boo-hoo narratives about people's rehearsed reactions is bad journalism.

Aerik
New Member

USA
18 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2006 :  17:14:40   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Aerik's Homepage Send Aerik a Private Message
oops. I meant to change that title when I changed the content of my post.
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Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26022 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2006 :  17:21:39   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message
Click the little "pad of paper and pencil" button above your original post (OP), and you should be able to edit the title.

How about sticking in a link to a news story incorporating that quote, too? Just a suggestion.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
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Aerik
New Member

USA
18 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2006 :  20:03:30   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Aerik's Homepage Send Aerik a Private Message
Hmph. I may be adblocking that thing. NO wonder I couldn't find the Edit option when I went back. Ok I'll work on that now. and I'll get a real newspaper quote when I have a newspaper in my hand. tomorrow morning....
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Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26022 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2006 :  20:21:45   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message
You should see the edit button as the fourth button to the right of "Posted - 05/11/2006 : 17:13:17" which is just to the right of your user name on the OP. The edit button is between the button to go to your homepage (to the left of the edit button) and the button to send you an AOL IM (to the right).

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
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