What I've Learned in JN 536

I have learned that there is a lot more that goes into high school journalism than you think. There is a lot on the business end of things that you have to be your toes about. I also learned that Indesign is hard to navigate. I needed more time to work with the program. I learned that I could not work at a newspaper because emu front page really sucked.

This video is from MSNBC.com. The story covers tornado chaser.I found this story interesting because I am absolutely terrified of tornadoes. I have been ever since I was in first grad and a tornado hit my elementary school. My anxiety has only gotten worse as I have gotten older. I can't really explain it, but I am just so scared of tornadoes. The video shows a lot of damage and just how powerful and destructive a tornado can be. It's devastating.

I think my level of knowledge regarding Adobe photo shop, from a scale of 1-10 ( 1 being the lowest level and 10 being the highest), is around a 6 or 7. I knew some elements of photo shop before the class, but I missed the day that we went over how to use photo shop. So I am not that familiar with it.
I feel that my level of knowledge about CS3 Indesign on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest) would have to be about a 6.5-7. I know more than I did before I started the class, because when I started the class I knew nothing, but Indesign is very difficult for me to get use to. I think with some more practice, I can improve.

The most exciting thing about laying out a news paper is is choosing the photos and headlines. I like being creative with photos. The least exciting thing about laying out a newspaper is trying to line up everything to make sure that it looks OK.

Newspaper Front Page Layout

I was attracted to the layout in The Scottsdale Tribune. This layout caught my eye because of the large picture. the main photo takes up half of the paper. I am very visual, so this type of layout appeals to me. If there is mostly text, I tend to be not as interested in reading because I am naturally drawn to the pictures and like to read the most important details instead of a long, drawn-out story. I also like the fact that the main story is a local story, as well as a positive story. I feel that people are more interested in what goes on locally, and this story also relates to sports which is another high point of interest with readers.

News Stories

The most important story in The Birmingham News for today, June 19, 2008, is The story about the tanker deal. It is placed high on the page above the fold, and the headline is written very large and in all caps. Another important story is about the new robotic sculpture at the McWane Center. The picture for that story is very large, and like the tanker story, it is positioned high on the page.

These stories are important because they are stories that deal with issues in Alabama.

The news values that were most influential in the selection of the stories relate to making the news interesting and relevant, reporting the truth, and monitoring power.

You could put the story about Robert Huffman on the front page because the story is about a local man and might be of high interest to the Birmingham readers.

Mark Lent's Photography

The one thing that really stood out to me about Mark Lent's presentation on visual journalism was his ability to capture so much emotion and action in his shots. The shot of the woman who just complete a jump with the dirt flying around her and the expression on her face was priceless. The picture of the magician where he got a perfect shot of the flame was amazing, also. Many of his photos were filled with emotion and they had great stories behind them, as well.

In Lent's article, "Four Light Portrait How To" found on popphoto.com, he discusses the magician photo saying that it only took him six shots to get the flame to look exactly right. He says that the only thing he dislikes is the fact that he had to cut off the guys elbows. I agree with him on that. I think it would look better if the shot could have included the elbows, but the flame is perfect and he swears it's not photo shopped.

News Story

In South West Cedar Rapids, workers rush from house to house trying to shut off gas valves. Mid American Emergency Employee Lon Clouse works frantically to get the valves turned off. Clause trudges through need deep water to secure the gas valves for Cedar Rapid citizens.





Three things I have learned about photo journalism is how to edit a picture in photoshop, how to choose a photo that is important to the story, and that it is a difficult process.