I absolutely detest the fact that punctuation is so complicated yet so extremely crucial. I wish that there weren't so many rules about where to place a comma or the best place for a hyphen versus a dash. But that comma could potentially determine the wa the reader reads my story or the number of red marks with which my editor will decorate my draft! This lesson in punctuation was a refresher (if that's a word) but it is still a lot to remember. Hopefully by the end of the semester I will have most of it memorized.
"The best obtainable version of the truth." - Bob Woodward.
Woodward said that journalist should work towards obtaining the best possible version of the truth, I believe that a journalist should make the best possible effort to obtain the plain truth. I do not know if the two statements imply the same ideal, but it seems like the path to the truth has now become easier yet more difficult. Easier because of the advancement in technology, and difficult because of the busy nature of our lives. Interviewees do not have time, and some times they spend time covering up what they did (The Valerie Plame case). But regardless, the first chapter discussed the definition of news and other important aspects of journalism today. For me the two most important things that determine the news are the impact, prominence and the truth of the event. And as Kovach and Rosenthal say, the first obligation is to the truth, and then the citizens. And in today's world of convergence, it is become increasingly easy to get the news, but it is important that the news presented is accurate and truthful.
Convergence is scary. It is also extremely fascinating. I know that convergence is going to play abig role in my career. I want to be a print journalist, but like I mentioned earlier, I think I might switch to being an online print journalist. But then again there are so many online websites like they said at the chapters end, that it might be smarter for me to switch. The one statement that intrigued me in chapter two was when the authors said that the journalists will not be the gatekeepers anymore because the public will have the ability to choose what is newsworthy to them and what is not. As of right now, I do not know if that is good or bad. I have never ever been presented with a chart of a newspaper staff. Since I started, I have just been concrened about who is going to look at my story, and that's it. Hmmm.
Chapter three is a staple in ever journalism book that I have read so far. How to interview. I believe that by reading such chapters, I might get some tips but ultimately the way I interview someone depends on the moment. Anyway, the chapter essentially talked about how ti get the interview started: making the interviewee feel comfortable. But what I liked about this chapter was that the authors focused on interview skills for the different kinds of story. But the basics still remain the same. Ask open ended questions, and ALWAYS seem interested in what the person is saying. The "mhms" and the "aha"s can never be more important!
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Our punctuation rules are so complicated that seasoned copy editors can have long discussions over the finer points. I went to England this summer, and reading stories published with the British punctuation rules made reading kind of like driving on the left side of the road.
The plain truth/versions of the truth: I know what you mean. Sometimes there really is a plain truth.
I like your distinctions between the news values.
Interviewing: Yes! A lot of it depends on the moment and the personality you're interviewing. Open-ended questions can be useful, but they still should reach for specifics, and sometimes closed-end questions are exactly what to ask. Example: How do you spell your name?
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