My first Slideshow

Economic recession leads students to an unwanted lifestyle

* Some of the real names were not disclosed in this article due to the request of confidentiality.

America has now officially seen one of the longest periods of economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. As it entered into the 17th month of economic loss on April 1, 2009, it is no wonder people are beginning to really start to worry about their well-being.
Considering it would take pages and pages to write about the economy and its effects on the whole country. I chose to pick a community in which I currently reside and go to school in - Towson, Maryland.
I looked at changes in substance abuse and illegal drug sales among students/teens due to the economic recession. Most often than not, people who abuse illegal drugs are using them as a way to escape. The most common factor in causing substance abuse is stress. The drugs offer the abuser a medium of relaxation.
“Out of all my friends, just here at school, I think it’s safe to say that about 95% use some sort of illegal drug. It is actually pretty sad, but you know, like experts say, it is a way of escaping the truth, says Zack Morrison, junior at Towson University. “We all have massive amounts of school work, we have jobs that we can’t find because no one is hiring, and we have bills that we have to pay. It’s hard.”
For students at Towson University, marijuana is the number two “abused” drug, right behind alcohol. According to Bill Toohey, spokesman for the Baltimore County Police Department and adjunct professor at Towson University, amazingly enough there has been no severe change in the percentage of students abusing drugs or students participating in the illegal sale of drugs so far this year.
“That’s funny. I could sit here and name several people who have turned to distributing drugs, me being one of them,” says an anonymous source, a student of Towson University. “I have bills and loans to pay off, books, food, insurance - you name it, I am paying for it. A lot of students are, and the stress of not finding a legitimate job and having a bundle of other things to worry about like school, it’s the quickest way of making money. I don’t like that I do it, and I can’t wait until I graduate. Hopefully then finding a job will be easier and this whole recession thing will start to diminish. But I can’t just sit here in the mean time and watch my bills pile up the ceiling, you know.”
According to the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore Committee, Maryland is in the top 5 best positioned to emerge out of the recession, claiming Baltimore County as one of the best places to “ride out the storm.”
“That’s a load of crap,” said Kate Wysocki, student of Towson University. “I don’t know about for older people who have been in the work field for awhile, but for me, a student, I spent months trying to find not just a job, but an internship, and an un-paid one at that! No one is hiring. As a college student, I thought it would have been a little bit easier finding a job, considering I will practically work for nothing, but there is nothing. Employers would tell me ‘I’m sorry we just aren’t looking for extra help right now;’ or ‘we can’t afford to have you intern here, our work is moving slow enough as it is for our paid employees.’ It is insane.”
Baltimore County Police Department is currently the second largest in the state of Maryland, falling right under Baltimore City. Although there has been no increase in officers on duty, there has also been no furloughs or layoffs either.
One would think that due to the economic defect we as a nation are facing, crime rates would increase sufficiently. However, surprisingly enough on paper, this is not the case. “Since last year, our overall crime rate in Towson (Precinct 6) has decreased by about 2.1%. Honestly, the only increase we have seen in crimes committed are interestingly enough, not burglaries, which actually decreased 8.1%, but property crimes overall, which went up 4.1%,” Toohey said. “Other than that, we usually just get a ton of phone calls from residents of the community who are not students, complaining about noise, destruction, etc.”
Considering the information I obtained from students almost completely contrasted the information I obtained from the Baltimore Police Department, it made me wonder – is it a) students are becoming smarter at illegally selling drugs and abusing them to deal with the stress of the economic recession? And are they becoming smarter at “beating the system” and not being caught by law enforcement?; or is it b) the police department has just finally gotten into students heads that they will be caught and they will pay the price for participating in these acts of crime? Either way the economic recession is affecting us all here in the Towson Community. Let’s just hope what they say is true and the state of Maryland can rise above this major defect.

Photo Trip

Summary Leads

4. The U.S. Department of Justice names identity theft the top crime of the 21st century. Estimated dollar loss was in the billions, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

5. The state Commission on Crime and Delinquency identifies Towson school district as a leader in the effort to help at-risk youths.

Chapter 5 questions

 

The Inverted Pyramid

            The primary format followed by writers of “hard news” is the inverted pyramid. The idea behind this format is to introduce the most important information first and work down to the least important information towards the end of the article.

 

Delayed Leads

            Also known as feature or soft leads, information that’s found to be interesting or unusual is placed first in the lead. Using either the contrast technique or the mystery technique, the idea is to place more important information later in the story while also creatively drawing in reader’s attention. Delayed leads are usually between two and four paragraphs, depending on the length of the story.

 

Nut Graf

            Nut graf’s follow immediately after the lead of a story, mostly delayed leads. Usually one paragraph in length, the nut graf tells the reader what the story is about, and gives clear focus on the main information of the story.  It provides important information about the story that could not fit in the lead.

           

The “When” Element

            The “when” element always comes in the lead of the story, unless using a delayed lead. The correct way for a hard news story is who did what when, said whom.

 

Summary/Chronology Story

            Event that are best told chronologically, that is in the order they occur, usually follow a summary lead and sometimes a nut graf.

 

Naming Suspects in Crime Stories

            The first rule is to never mention ay names of anyone involoved in a crime story until the person is formally charged. Another issue with crime stories is the use of the word allegedly. Allegedly means that someone has made an accusation without proof. However, only an action can be alleged.

 

Multiple Element Story

            A multiple element story is one in which two or three elements are equally important to go in the lead. The writer will feature each element in the lead, which is usually two paragraphs. As the story progresses, the writer elaborates on each of the elements; the trick is to finish all thoughts about one element before moving onto the next element.

 

 

 

Second Day Story

            Although following a summary lead format, that lead of each following story since the first will change. In other words, the lead of each sub-story must continue from where the last story left off.

 

Correlation vs. Causation

            Correlation means many events happening at the same time, whereas causation is one event that causes others. With causation, a writer much be careful and fact-check before publishing.

 

Double Checking

            All double check the following, at the least:

                                    ~ Names

                                    ~ Dates

                                    ~ Places

                                    ~ Corporate Names

                                    ~ Titles

                                    ~ Numbers

                                    ~Graphics

 

Working with Quotes

            In order to make sure whether a quote is workth using or not, follow these guidelines:

                        ~ Make sure the quote adds to the story

                        ~ Make sure the quoted material are the persons exact words

                        ~ Paraphrase only when necessary

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEDE REVISIONS

1. Roger Datolli, husband of mayor Datolli, was injusred Thursday afternoon, as a result of a vehicle accident.

2. Two members of the city council raise the issue of creating a local board to oversee any building changes within the historic district downtown.

3. The Senate's approval of the new nuclear waste storage plan, will provide a safe haven for more than 77,000 tons of radioactive waste, says the head of the Department of Energy.

Commas (extra credit)

RULE 1: Use commas in compound sentences when clauses are separated by a conjunction such as “but,” “for,” “nor,” or “yet.”

         EX) Mary wanted neither the cookie, nor the brownie.

 EX) She wanted to see the romantic movie, but he wanted to watch the scary movie.

 

RULE 2: Use commas to separate elements in a series.

            EX) The suspect was described as having brown hair, being short and thin.

            EX) Some of my favorite foods are stove top popcorn, ice cream, kiwi and chocolate.

 

RULE 3: Use commas when attributing from quoted material or with a greeting.

            EX) She said, “Hello.”

            EX) “This steak is delicious,” said Jon.

 

RULE 4: Commas follow introductory matter, such as after an introductory adverbial clause. Commas also follow two or more introductory prepositional phrases. Use a comma with a phrase that contains a verb used as a modifier.

            EX) In my opinion, milk chocolate taste better than dark chocolate.

            EX) When the teacher graded the papers, she was sure to use a red pin.

 

RULE 5: Commas follow a salutation.

            EX) Dear Ms. Smith,

            EX) Respectfully, Nicole Novy

 

RULE 6: Commas follow all items in a date or full address.

            EX) December 14, 1987, is Mark’s birthday.

            EX) Zach has lived in San Diego, Ca.; Vancouver, B.C.; and currently Annapolis, Md.

 

RULE 7: Commas surround nonessential words or phrases. Commas also set off appositives.

            EX) Unfortunately, Mark failed the class.

            EX) Mike Curley, my uncle, recently retired as a NARC officer.

 

RULE 8: Commas surround words of direct address.

            EX) Dave, throw out the trash.

            EX) Sarah, can you please pay attention.

 

RULE 9: Commas indicate omitted verbs.

            EX) Kim’s daughter won the soccer game; Kim’s son, did not.

            EX) The steak was cooked perfectly; the chicken however, was not.

"GRAMMAR SLAMER"

When it comes to writing, there are five common grammatical errors people almost always make.

 Problem One: Punctuation.

According to the book Reaching Audiences is the most common problem many writers have. The most important thing to remember with punctuation is to NOT PUNCTUATE UNLESS YOU KNOW THE RULE – if you can’t justify the punctuation then you probably don’t need it. “When in doubt, leave the comma out.” One other minor note, if you find yourself with more than about three punctuation marks then it’s probably safe to say the sentence needs to be re-written.

EXAMPLE) Matt Murray had said about the film, “The tragedy does come out; he was living life to the fullest, and that’s what he wanted to do. But I can’t help to think there was something more.”

 Problem Two: Subject and Verb Agreement.

Most of the time people only make errors when it comes to collective subjects, nouns that only appear to be plural, yet are singular. Some collective subjects, however, have Latinate endings, in which they remain plural.

            EXAMPLE) The Girl Scouts is a fine organization.

            EXAMPLE) The alumni are returning for a 10yr. reunion.

It is also important to always remember that pronouns, such as “each,” “either,” “neither,” “anyone,” “everyone,” and “anybody” are singular; fractions and percentages are always singular as well. One last thing to remember is “either” is always paired with “or” and “neither” is always paired with “nor.”

EXAMPLE) A person could answer by saying either three-fourths of the pie is gone, or one-fourth of the pie is left.

 Problem Three: Using Pronouns.

Pronouns are little words that represent proper nouns, or antecedents. The purpose for using pronouns is to avoid tedious, and unnecessary repetition. Reflexive pronouns should only be used when a subject is acting upon himself, herself, or themselves. As far as “who” and “whom” are concerned, “who” replaces “he,” “she,” “we,” or “she”; “whom” replaces “him,” “her,” “them.”

EXAMPLE) Bob Marley was a very talented musician, who had such a positive outlook towards everything.

EXAMPLE) Bob Marley was always true to himself and his music.

 Problem Four: Sentence Structure.

Other than fragments and run-on sentences, writers also have issues with faulty parallelism, such as listing phrases, and modifier placements.

EXAMPLE) Instead of “She enjoys playing the guitar, and to go surfing,” say, “She enjoys playing the guitar and surfing.”

EXAMPLE) Instead of “After diner, he went swimming,” say, “He went swimming after diner.”

 Problem Five: Word Usage.

The misuse of a word is probably the second biggest problem in grammar. So often writers use words such as “effect” and “affect” without the understanding that each, although similar, has a different underlying meaning depending on the spelling.

            EXAMPLE) The humidity affected Sara’s hair.

             EXAMPLE) The effect of 9/11 was heart breaking.

           

           

 

 

Summary Leads

 

DEFINITION OF A SUMMARY LEAD:

           

            A summary lead usually is shorter in length and is always at the beginning of a news article. It quickly covers only the important aspects of the story, such as the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of an event/issues. Usually, the lead will explain to the reader, the “ending result” of a new event/issue. Sometimes though, the purpose of a lead is to introduce the newest updated information on an event/issue that is already ongoing and in the public eye. When writing a summary lead, one must always remember to be as specific as possible in order to get to the point, and always try to introduce the subject right away in order to avoid backing in. Always use an active voice, making the reader understand that the subject of the story is performing or causing the action that is taking place.

 

 

EXAMPLES OF A SUMMARY LEAD:

 

a.     “Ty Wigginton doesn't care where he ends up on the baseball diamond, he just wants to be out there - and that attitude and flexibility is what persuaded the Orioles to make Wigginton their newest acquisition in an increasingly busy offseason”. – The Baltimore Sun, Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec, 4-Feb, 2009.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.orioles04feb04,0,6371034.story

 

I chose this story for two reasons, one because there is a huge following for the Baltimore Orioles Baseball team and it’s nice to see professional sports figures play a game because they love it, not because of the money involved…although $6M is a huge “chunk of change.” Connolly and Zrebiec do a great job of pointing out the subject of the story immediately (Ty Wigginton), they also got straight to the point, and let us (the reader) know exactly what is going on, or what is going to happen; they did it using an active voice, which draws the readers attention in right away.

 

 

 

b.     “Some 60 million years ago, well after the demise of the dinosaurs, a giant relative of today’s boa constrictors, weighing more than a ton and measuring 42 feet long, hunted crocodiles in rain-washed tropical forests in northern South America, according to a new fossil discovery”. – New York Times, Andrew Revkin, 4-Feb, 2009.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/science/earth/05snake.html?_r=1&ref=science

 

This article drew in my attention mainly because I love learning about new discoveries and science and nature. This isn’t the best lead in my opinion, and not my favorite example of a lead, which bring me to the next reason why I chose this article. Although the author does make it so the reader knows the subject (snakes), he does not do a great job of getting straight to the point and showing us (the reader) what the focus of the story will be (new found fossil), he also does not use an active voice in this lead, meaning he (the author) doesn’t make me fell when I’m reading it as if this action just occurred.

 

 

 

c.      “With U.S. auto sales falling near a 27-year low, the Senate gave its approval yesterday to a proposal by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski to provide tax breaks to purchasers of new cars and light trucks”. – The Baltimore Sun, Paul West, 4-Feb, 2009

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.autos04feb04,0,1452177.story

 

Personally, this article is not too interesting to me but I chose it because the economic downfall of our country is a huge concern right now…for all of us. This article again is clear in who the subject is (Sen. Barbara Mikulski), and what action she is accomplishing or performing. The way the start the lead is also interesting to me, just within those first couple words, “falling near a 27-year low”, I was immediately drawn to it.

 

 

 

CHAPTER 14 QUESTIONS

1.     OBJECTIVITY – as a journalist one must always eliminate bias and judgment while interviewing and writing their story. This involves:

a.     Interviewing and including information from all sides of the story.

b.     Having an un-attached interest in the story; writing stories on events not actually involved in.

 

2.     THOROUGHNESS – as a journalist one must always be sure their research and writing is complete with correct spellings, grammer, dates, times, places, facts, etc. This involves:

a.     Re-reading stories several times before being printed.

b.     Checking and re-checking with sources to make sure information and spelling of names are correct.

c.      Making sure all the research obtained came from reliable and valid sources.

 

3.     ACCURACY – as a journalist one must always be certain (accurate) that any names, dates, times, places, photos, etc are truthful depictions of the actual event in the story. This involves:

a.     Checking and re-checking with sources.

b.     Making sure all the research obtained came from valid and reliable sources.

 

4.     FAIRNESS – as a journalist one must always be fair and truthful in their depictions of the events in their stories. This involves:

a.     Always depicting the events as they actually occurred.

b.     Always reporting multiple sides of the story, never just one.

 

5.     TRANSPARENCY – as a journalist one must always consider their audience, more recently, those in the audience want to be apart of the news. As a journalist one should always try and make that involvement happen. This includes:

a.     Setting up places where people can comment or give more information on an issue or event, if done online.

b.     Give a mailing address or “hot line” number where people can comment or give more information.

c.      Papers can set up blog links on their sites for people to write their own version of the events, from which journalist can draw information from (only after information has been cleared true).

All About Me

Hello. My name is Nicole Novy, I am currently a 21 year old junior at Towson University, majoring in Photojournalism. I was born and raised in Annapolis, MD where my parents still reside. I have two younger sisters, both of which are phenomenal soccer players. Samantha (18 yrs. old) attends Stevenson University so we are able to see each other a lot which is great. Amanda is the youngest of us three, she is 16 yrs. old and attends SP High School. 

I went to Baltimore School for The Arts in High School, where I majored in Dance. I love to dance and sing, I have been doing both since I can remember. Currently though, I have not practiced either. Between school and work, free time is very scarce; any free time I do get, I spend snowboarding...try to at least. I have been snowboarding since I was around 10 yrs. old, it's something my whole family does together, and I will never give it up. I've tryed surfing a few times, I love it and would like to get better.

Being that my major is Photojournalism, I enjoy photography very, very much, and I hope to one day be able to obtain a career where I can use my photo skills, as well as gain much more. I take a lot of photo's of nature, I think our world has so much to offer and it's so beautiful, many people just don't ever notice it, and take it for granted. As far as what I want to do with my life, I have NO CLUE...National Geographic would be nice, it is a huge stretch, but I can dream...right?