News Page

Hatchet News Page 2

Hatchet Cover

Hatchet Cover

Page Critique

 In the December 2009 issue of the Hatchet featured an articled called “Students bond while decorating”. This was a properly formatted article because the vertical picture was placed above the cutline and allowing the headline is touching the text. The order that should be memorized when a photo is being used is photo, cutline, headline, and then text. To mix up this order in anyway would cause confusion for the reader making them frustrated and no longer interested in what the article had to say. However text shape in the article is a rectangle shape which is overused in general and very safe and boring according to the Harrower. There could be a different technique to make the shape more appealing for the reader while at the same time keeping the text within the pictures frames and remaining symmetry because this is a strong point in this article’s format. In the 2010 January edition of the Hatchet, the Sports Section on page seven has a good use of the L-shape wrap, which refers to the text being in an L-shape. The fact that the photo is used to fill in the otherwise blank space was a good use of covering the empty space. The format is still appropriate because the headline and text are touching.

Leads

“The ritual of casual carpooling, in which thousands of East Bay commuters join up with strangers each weekday for swifter trips across the Bay Bridge, thrives thanks to its essential quid pro quo.”

This is an example of a summary lead. In the quote above, that’s in the Bay Bridge carpool toll promises shift in ride-sharing economy article, summarizes the fact the article is going to be about how people commute this people they hardly talk to so they can get across the Bay Bridge with out money. It then it explains later in the article how all of those people who commute will have to pay for their bridge toll like everyone else. It answers the who, where, and why they carpool.

An example of a feature lead is in the Glitch Games article. It says, “VANCOUVER, British Columbia — In one important sense, these Winter Olympics never had a chance.” This statements makes the reader extremely curious about what the author has to say next making them read more of the article so see why the winter olympics didn’t have the chance that the writer speaks of. The snapshot in the cover of the article and bold headline attracts the eye of the reader as well. In the head line is answers the where, when, and what but is otherwise unanswered to leave the reader at a cliffhanger.

Infographic

 

This infographic is simplistic and easier to understand. It’s not confusing to the reader and doesn’t overwhelm them with unnecessary color or designs. It keeps to the information basic, only giving the reader small statistics instead of cramming a lot of statistics in a tiny space. We can use the fundamental idea by drawing straightforward shapes that pertains to the topic with a bit of the information that goes along with it. Not too much that will bore the reader, but enough so that we can keep their attention long enough so that we can tell them what we want them to know by luring them in with a picture.

Beat Report

On October 1st and November 9th I contacted Trapper Byrne, the Deputy Metro Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, and we discussed multiple topics. He mentioned that during our conversation that if I had or found any stories that interest me that he would direct me to someone who I can talk to find out more about the story.

One thing that we did discuss was the fact that newspapers are printing less and going onto the internet now and because of that there are a lot of cutbacks happening causing a lot of good journalists being laid off, but he says that a lot of people in the industry are trying to find out a way to get readers to pay to read the Chronicle online even though they don’t know how.

Photography Assignment

Video News Casts

Video news casts are suppose to be entertaining and invigorating, but usually they turn out bland with anxious anchors who are too nervous to make their words flow like they do in normal conversations and it makes the video usually look a little awkward in comparison to the real deal.

For Albany High School’s videos they flowed easily. It actually seemed like something you’d see on YouTube for recreational reasons because it’s entertaining while at the same time, whether or not the viewer is aware of it, they address whatever topic they’re meant to in a fun instructive way that doesn’t come off as overly cheesy. The level of goofiness is well-balanced in their videos, mainly to keep their viewers interested or to get viewers because no one is going to watch a boring instructional video.

To watch their videos click here.

Attribution and Interviewing

In order to get information for an article a person needs to interview the people involved. The article about a man who inhaled a plastic utensil from Wendy’s is no exception. John Manley, the person who inadvertently inhaled the foreign object, was interviewed about his unique experience; Mrs. Manley, his wife, was briefly interviewed as well probably to get more details and part of her perspective about the whole situation; and the man who performed the surgery, Doctor Momen Wahidi—a pulmonologist director at Duke.

 

The questions that the reporter would have asked Manley probably involved his condition. For example how he felt, what did it feel like to have something inside his lungs, when did he first notice something was wrong, various dates, how he tried to get medical attention, how he felt after the procedure was performed, and who performed the surgery. The reporter probably asked his wife similar questions along with how she felt during the whole thing and how she reacted when she learned what was inside her husband’s lungs for several years. Dr. Wahidi on the other hand was probably asked his reaction as well as the rest of his staff’s about the moment they pulled out a fragment of a Wendy’s appliance in his lung, his job history, details about the procedure he conducted, and what he’s extracted beforehand.

 

Other questions that could have been asked and included in the article could have been asking a staff member or too other than Dr. Wahidi about their personal reaction when the item was removed. Specifics about John Manley’s condition before the surgery could have been asked as well as details about how often inhaling objects occur and if it’s typical for a person to inhale items and have them in their lungs.

For more information about the article or to read it click here.

Lead and Inverse Pyramid Summaries

Leads answer the main questions for their low-attention spanned readers and the San Francisco Chronicle’s article about TechCrunch conference is a good example for a lead. They answered the questions what and when in their article, but the answers they gave were a little vague. Aside from the being slightly hazy about the details in the beginning, what the article was generally was explained—the fact that a bunch of companies came together and discussed news and recent achievements their companies made.

 As the article progresses, it starts off taking about one of the more well-known company’s news and then slowly mentioning other companies that didn’t have as exciting news like Google’s or Microsoft’s. The article contained the more statistical information that the readers don’t find as interesting at the end of the article, demonstrating an inverse pyramid.

For more information or to read the article click here.