The Future of Journalism

This is going to be broken up into parts.

Sure, people talk badly about the gossip magazines and say how unreliable the magazines are, but some of them have never read the magazine. Someone has to read it to be able to analyze if it is truly good or bad - so "Trashy Tabloid Analysis" will be the theme of the next few Future of Journalism & Zennie62 Media blog posts. (First posted on NikkyRaney.com & then Zennie62.com).

This may become a series in some way.
There will be a short (3 minute max) video to go along with the post where examples of good/bad journalism will be pointed out within the magazine - so that there are examples of either so that there is an example to base the opinion off of. Someone who thinks the magazines are awesome might like it without ever reading it either - just say, "Oh, I love reading that magazine." So, it's not good to judge something or form an opinion unless you fully understand it and have analyzed it (like when I did my 20+ page research paper on Fox News' Conservative Bias where I spent over a month watching Fox News and analyzing the web page and then comparing Fox to other news sources. So, I can truly say that I have a reason behind why I judge Fox - not just saying it or believing it based on hearsay or influence of those around me).

The only question is whether or not to include which magazine - because could there be a consequence in a legal aspect if I take photos of the magazine? I'm probably over thinking it.

This can be done without being bias.
This is going to be a journalistic analysis (with a bit of blog mixed in) of "trashy tabloids." Sure a lot of people call them "trashy tabloids" because of hearing what the publications report about, but most of those have never even touched the magazine. Like the way someone says they dislike something without ever actually understanding it.

An objective analysis of a magazine considered "trashy tabloid." The ones that are usually all about celebrities & scandals. (OK!, Life & Style, STAR, etc.)

So, that will start up tomorrow. The video aspect will show certain spots that have been circled with pen, etc & be able to show that I really do have a physical copy of the magazine and have done all the research first hand based on that magazine alone in regards to journalistic standards and principles (as well as which version of AP Stylebook is used; if there even is one used.)

Then the blog post accompanying will explain WHY that the publication did was GOOD or BAD. It's like a movie review, but a magazine review - without personal bias. Like pointing out a trend that the magazine may have like ALLOWING ALL INTERVIEWEES TO BE CONFIDENTIAL AND REFERRED TO AS "SOURCE" or "AN INSIDER." And then writing in a paragraph to explain WHY it's not okay for a magazine's only interviews in an article to be with an "anonymous source." These trashy tabloids need to stop only using anonymous sources within their publications - and that's something I will go into more detail about.

Hopefully if anyone that works on the staff at one of these magazines or is in affiliation with one of these magazines sees my posts the person won't take it as negative criticism or whatnot, but could possibly take my posts into consideration: I would love to interview the Editor-in-Chief at any one of the "trashy tabloids" just to find out what the manual & guidebook entails and what the Managing Editor deals with and why/how they consider themselves to be credible sources worth obtaining knowledge & news from when the sources that they are using to obtain this knowledge and news may not be credible.. and if the only source you can get for a story is an anonymous source -- then go out and try to get another interview or interview someone that WILL go on the record. "anonymous" sources are okay under certain circumstances in VERY SPECIFIC situations where there is a good need for confidentiality, but an article should NEVER only include the anonymous source. There needs to be some sort of PROOF not just a bunch of evidence (it's an analogy).

So, that will start tomorrow.
Now, it's time to go read a "trashy tabloid" while holding a pen so that I can pretend that it's the end of the print cycle and I am giving the publication a quick look-through to see if there's anything that should be fixed before it goes to print -- or if there's something very notable that should be complimented upon.

How sad, I am officially on winter break (no more school for a month), and I am basically doing all this research and work. Wow, I love journalism ; I'm a workaholic.


“To sit in judgment of those things which you perceive to be wrong or imperfect is to be one more person who is part of judgment, evil or imperfection.” -- Wayne Dyer


IASBRN

-- Nikky Raney 12/20/2010 1:11 AM (EST)


also posted on Zennie62 Media

After some thinking I have decided to allow comments to be posted beneath my blog entries.
I am sure I won't get many comments, but feel free to comment.
I am still not done with my interviews post.
I have created a video to go alongside that.
Thanks very much.
Have fun commenting if you feel like it.

Criticize me, compliment me, but truly read my blog entries.
The entires I do here are much different that for Zennie.
Zennie is getting my foot in the door so that I can further my career and gain the publicity and persona so that people will be comfortable working with me. Celebrity media coverage sells, and I have to do that before I can do the hard-hitting news. I am sure he'll hook me up with interviews I'd like.
Being on TMZ's blog roll helps and hurts.

I am not sure you understand Zennie accomplishments:

Zennie Abraham - Sports Business Simulations' CEO

City Brights Blogger for the San Francisco Chronicle

Runs the Blog Report: Zennie62.com

Huffington Post Blogger

Youtube Blogger with a widely viewed show

MAYOR of Oakland

NFL BUSINESS blogger

Editor-in-Chief ofSBSON.com, 


YouTube and CNN discovered his video-blogging work, and he's now a frequent video contributor to CNN. He regularly travels between California and Georgia.'


Here are his other websites:
http://www.zennie62.com
http://www.sportsbusinesssims.com
http://buffithegymgirl.com
http://nflbiz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/zennie62
http://www.youtube.com/zennie62




He is a big deal, and he is helping me out so much.
I am so excited.
THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME ZENNIE!!!!!!

I am so grateful this man believes in me. He is going to help my career so much, I cannot thank you enough Zennie. You have made me so happy.



So yeah, I have enabled commenting.
P.S. I did the graphics, but John Draper created this AMAZING layout.
SO professional and amazing. THANK YOU.

I am the future of journalism, and I will rise to the top.


"Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive." Donald Rumsfeld

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Keep up with my exposure of Tila Tequila's lies.
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It's funny that I have ads on my page and I get paid for them, but Tila doesn't.
I am on blogrolls and Tila isn't. ahaha.

Got concerns? E-MAIL ME.. OR LEAVE COMMENTS.
I bet I'll get zero comments and be disappointed.

I recently received an e-mail from a Professor of Communications from a University in Oregon. I do not feel that it is important to name him or to name the university he represents. Anyway, he found my blog and thought it would be good to interview me for a book he is writing about "Social Media and Journalism."

Objectivity and Bias.

I have a strong belief that when writing a hard news story or a feature story it should be written objectively. That means getting interviews from both sides, secondary research that supports both sides, and not inserting your opinion.

News articles should not address the reader. There should never be an "I" or a "you" or "US" or "WE." Every sentence should be attributed and justified using sources.

At the end of the article the reader should not be able to tell from the article what stance the reporter has on the issue. And I think that is a big deal. I love reading an article and wondering at the end, "Which side does he/she support?"

With hard news stories there shouldn't be a need to insert an opinion. Just report the facts. If you really want your opinion in there then interview someone (a CREDIBLE source) that you know will supply a quote that will say what you wish you could say, but then make sure to get a quote of opposition. You can also do secondary research and cite a source that shows your opinion.

When it's straight hard news it shouldn't be an issue. Let's say there was a car crash, you really don't need to say, "Oh my gosh that driver was SOOoO stupid." No, you don't need to even say an opinion. Just write the who what where when, get quotes if you can from the sources there, interview the police at the scene. If you don't feel like you have enough you can always do a follow up story and elude to that at the end of the article.

If it's a controversial hard news story, say a gay-marriage protest. Interview the protesters, but make sure to interview those that oppose the protest. Interview as many people as you can so you get a variety of quotes and then pick which ones best support the article; this goes for any story written.

Features may make it harder to show your objectivity, but it still should be done. There's more room in Features (800 words or more), and since they are IN-DEPTH stories they take longer than a few days to do. That means you definitely have enough time to get interviews from both sides of the story.

I think that the future of journalism will rely on objectivity within the hard news, and it needs to. I think it is much easier to be objective through print and web reporting, because no one can see your face. Your tone of voice is not heard.

I think that the future of journalism will allow journalists to show opinions within BLOGS. My thoughts on blogging has completely changed since 6 months ago. But I do believe that opinions should be left in blogs, columns, and editorials. I will include reviews in that, but i am a bit iffy.

Now, news sources in the media have gained reputations for being "bias" to the right or left, but even so - that doesn't mean that it's okay to show that within reporting the news.

I am focusing more on print/web journalism within this post, because that is what I am passionate for. I will write more about broadcast journalism later on, because I do have experience with that. I worked at a television station and was in a radio news reporting course. I own the stylebook for broadcast, and the college I attend has a radio station that is listened to throughout the region. (It's an alternative rock station, I love that).

I have finally allowed myself to "let loose" and show some of my opinion. I have strong opinions, but as a journalist I try to hide it and stay objective. As a blogger, I am allowing myself little by little. I will definitely NOT let that slip into my writing.

The future of journalism is going to rely on drawing a line between BLOGS and ARTICLES. Blogs can be personal, blogs don't need to be objective, but there are rules for blogging that coincide with those of a journalist.

I don't know whether to focus on credible sources, credibility, or more so bias.

This one was definitely more about objectivity, but I will go more in-depth to bias later.

I did a 20+ page paper for my English Composition class on the conservative bias of Fox News. I did that paper extremely objectively, but then allowed my opinions to show because the professor asked us to have our opinions in it. I researched my tail off. I WATCHED Fox News, I read transcripts, I read and examined articles, I compared the headlines of Fox News to the headlines of other news sources.

I compared side by side a story written/broadcasted/covered by Fox News vs. the same story covered by another station.

I gained lots of insight.

I really dislike sensationalism.

Now, I am writing for a blog that is on TMZ's blogroll - Zennie62.com.

That website has me focusing on the guilty pleasure celebrity news blogging.

This blog is my serious journalist blog, BUT I will post links and posts I do for that site so that I will be able to show what I wrote for the other blog, but this blog is dedicated and will remain dedicated to the future of journalism.

I am into serious journalism, and I think that I have shown that

But I was given an amazing opportunity to blog and to get a lot more people to read my work, and I think that if people read the "juicy celebrity gossip," then maybe they will go to "nikkyraney.com" to see what else I have written -- and they will see that even though I am a celebrity blogger - I am also a serious journalist.

I want to be able to do both.

And I want to still be thought of as a credible, trustworthy, serious journalist.

My favorite news to cover includes politics, crime, etc. but I am not able to get the interviews at the time, but I can aggregate links to other news sources within the blog posts I write for Zennie62.com. It is a way for me to basically "relax" and not feel as much pressure.

I take Zennie62.com seriously, though.

I try to never be directly critical, and when I do state an opinion I show a link/article that supports my opinion.

So, that's what I have to say about Objectivity and bias for now.

I will be posting my "WORD OF THE WEEK" in a few hours.(I work on each blog entry for at least half an hour, but usually longer).

Oh my favorite moment of the week is trading direct messages back and forth with Steve Tuttle from Newsweek (via Twitter). He read the blog entry I wrote about Newsweek and he liked it.

I am surprised that my twitter got so popular. I love following, but I never expected that I would be followed. My numbers have been going up day by day. I don't ask for followers and I hate the spam "GET MORE FOLLOWERS" crap.

But, here's my twitter.

I post a lot of re-tweeting to news articles.

I post a LOT of news articles.

I post a lot of sarcastic/funny posts.

And I am highly critical of Tila Tequila, but I'll do an entire thing on her later.

I will be doing a blog entry on "CELEBRITY GOSSIP BLOGS" and the good, the bad, and the tila tequila. Don't get me started.

Cheers :)

Thanks for all the support.

To comment, contact, suggest, etc. please e-mail me :)

If you want to be a blogger for Zennie62.com e-mail me!

(p.s. I refuse to link to Fox News, because I am BIAS.)

(p.p.s) John Draper is helping to re-design the layout of my blog. EXCITING.

The mainstream media has its own agenda. They do not want to print the facts. They have an agenda, they have a slant, they have a bias. It is outrageous to me. --Curt Weldon

It is outrageous to me too. I'll fix it, promise. And yes, I did quote a Republican politician.

"Although I love reporting about the future of journalism, and my reporting interests are mainly hard news, political, justice, etc. I do enjoy the guilty pleasure celebrity/entertainment blogging that I do for this site.

I would just like it to be known that although I am being critical, I always try to stay as objective as possible. I would like to keep my credibility as a journalist and blogger, so let it be known I always cite the source that I obtained my information from & will make sure to let it be known when it's my opinion...."

Read the blog entry about Tila here

"I am not involved at all with the casting but checked with VH1and apparently production for CR4 is on track... rumors inaccurate." -- DR. DREW

"The influence of blogging is overall a very positive force in the media." --Garrett M. Graff