Your Style...Blog #6

Some people say that a consistent style restricts creativity; others say that it enhances creativity. What are the arguments for both sides of this question?

Journalstic Style is very important when it comes to journalism. Many agree that style should be something that changes over time or something that should stay the same. Style is not grammar but the way that a journalist expresses their creativity without being objective about their topic. There are two types of style according to Writing For the Mass Media by James Glen Stovall. He says there are “professional conventions" and "rules of usage.” The arguments for using various styles is that it will keep your audience more interested if each time they read something you have written it’s different. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand it is good to change things up so that people don’t get bored with the same type of writing style. Also it allows for all the different people to read your column. Everyone is different and when it comes to writing prefers different types of authors. People chose authors because of their writing style. So if one changes their writing style often then all varieties of people will be drawn to your writing. On the other hand using the same style continuous throughout writing is good because then you will get fans who specifically follow you because of the way that you write. If you are consistent in your style then you might lose readers if you decide to keep changing your style. If you declare a certain style of writing as your own then it becomes you and therefore you don’t have to worry about which way you are going to write. I think that having your own style is the best way to go. If you jump around from style people won’t know if you are reliable because you keep changing things.

Blog #5...The Importance of Being Accurate

This chapter ends with a short discussion of accuracy, but this is not the first time that accuracy has been mentioned in this book. Go through the first four chapters and find references to it. Why is so much made of the concept of accuracy? List the reasons given in the book and ones that you can think of on your own.
At the end chapter 5, of Writing for the Media Stovall says, “Accuracy forms the core of the writing process.” I agree with the point Stovall is making because if you are reading an article from a reputable source it is assumed that you can trust the writers. When writing an article about an event that is going to happen the author has to use the correct information or the readers are going to get upset if they have been given the wrong information. Stovall says that accuracy isn’t just something that has to be done it is also “a state of mind that the journalist foster.” Stovall mentions accuracy for the first time on page 44 of Writing for the Media. He If your readers don’t trust you then you will never have an audience and no job. For example, people trust the weather person on television to tell them the correct weather temperature. If a weather person were to lie and say its 80 degrees when it’s really 20 degrees would make people very angry and the news station would lose a lot of viewers and money. Stovall states that the writers as well want to accurate. If your writing is accurate then people will take you seriously. A good way to be accurate is to be flexible when it comes to ideas and not just say this is the something is.

Blog #4...SNEAKY ROMAN NUMERALS

I thought the entry on Numerals was very interesting. The AP Stylebook discussed how to use roman numerals appropriately. Over the years I found that roman numerals can get a little confusing and sometimes can be mixed up. Also when to use numbers and when to spell them out can also be confusing. This entry helped clarify how and where to use roman numerals. For example, it says “Use roman numerals for wards and to show personal sequence for animals and people.” This entry also explained that if using numbers in the beginning of a sentence to begin by spelling it out. There are so many different ways that numbers are used and I found it really helpful to finally understand where I put the numbers and how to write them correctly.

When using numbers “casually” the entry says to spell out all the numbers being used in that sentence. It other words if you’re not writing about a specific event that took place a certain year. This entry describes Cardinal and Ordinal numbers. The entry shows how to use them correctly. Cardinal numbers are numbers that are spelled out and which correspond with regular numbers. Ordinal numbers are used when talking about the order for example 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Journalists often put statistics in their articles when dealing with a subject where there is an issue with opposing sides. For example, when there is an election or a bill was passed. Before reading this entry I had no idea that there were so many different ways for numbers to be presented. I knew there were a lot but I didn’t know how many. I didn’t fully understand when to write a number a certain way, but now I can use the AP Stylebook as a reference.

My Mass Media

What parts of mass media do you read? Do you consider yourself well informed?

The parts of mass media I am interested in are television, magazines, movies, the news, and the internet. I like television because no two television programs are the same. Television can be entertaining or educational. I watch Gossip Girl for entertainment purposes and Animal Planet for education on animals and the various things going on with our planet. I like magazines as well for their educational and entertainment purposes. Magazines such as Teen Vogue are good for fashion ideas and to know what various celebrities are up to. Then there are magazines such as Time and Newsweek where I read about politics, economics and learn what is going on in my country and in other countries as well. I love to watch movies. Like television movies are good for their educational and entertainment purposes. For example, I might watch the movie “21” for its entertainment purposes and “The Boy in Striped Pajamas” for its educational purposes on the holocaust. I mostly watch movies for their entertainment value. For me watching the news is very important because I have friends that live around the world in various countries. A lot of those countries are having major issues right now so I like to stay updated. If I am too busy to watch the news I will often learn what is going on from the little news clips, stories and headlines given on Yahoo when I check my email. I consider myself well informed because I am always interested in the media and the various ways it can be helpful and important. Without the media there are many things we wouldn’t be able to enjoy and accomplish today.

Blog # 2...The Almost Plane CRASH!

My mother and I had just spent a week on a windjammer cruise. A windjammer is a very large sail boat with hotel sized rooms inside. We had been sitting in the St. Martin airport for about 5 hrs. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime we boarded. I was expecting a normal sized airplane but instead it was a small propeller plane. I had been in one before but for some reason this one made me nervous. While flying I felt a sudden change in the airplane. I wasn’t sure what happened so I ignored it. Later I could see the run way and hear the landing gear descending. As we started landing I could tell something was wrong because I had never felt a landing like that before. It was harsh and unusual. We finally stopped and everyone in the plane looked panicked. I looked out of the window flashing lights of police cars, fire trucks, and emergency airport vehicles all rushing towards the plane. They quickly got us out of the plane and into a bus to the airport. I had overheard one of the passengers say to another that the right engine of the plane had shut off in mid air. Apparently some had seen it happen. We had been flying with only one engine. I am glad I didn’t know that at time. After safely in the airport we discovered that we missed our plane home to New York. After such a bad day it finally got better because the airline gave us free vouchers for food. No coach seats were available on the next flight to New York so we were forced to sit in first class, eat first class food, and with no extra charge. It was great ending to a terrible day.

About Me...Blog #1

My name is Kayla Rosin. I live in Nyack, NY. I have a huge interest in television and film. When I was younger my mother would tell me not to watch too much television. The problem was couldn’t stay away. I remember nights when I was in child waiting for my mom to go to sleep so I could watch more television. I am interested in the process in which television and movies are made. I went to a boarding school called The Marvelwood School in Kent, Connecticut two years where I started doing photography for the first time. After my sophomore year in boarding school I attended Tappan Zee high school in Orangeburg, NY. During the summer after my junior year in high school I was accepted into a program at Wesleyan University in Connecticut called Center for Creative Youth for my photography. While I was there producing my own photographs I also made a movie. The movie was on stereotypes. I went around interviewing people when and if they had been in situations concerning stereotypes. The people I interviewed discussed what their personal situations where and how they had been affected. I am very interested in making films and how the process works. I also have an interest in writing. I have never done the type of writing we are going to learn about in Writing for the Media. I decided to take this course to see whether I have a future in this medium. In the future I hope to work on a television show or movies. I am not exactly sure what job I would like to do. That is why I chose to be a communications major so that I can explore in depth my options of what communication medium I would like work in.