Abstract:
Christopher Smith, the author of “So many headlines, so few zingers,” shows how different publications worded the title of a story on Bush’s budget cuts. Depending upon the politics of the paper, newspapers worded the headline to show the budget cuts as both positive and negative. Portraying the budget cut as positive or negative gives a slant to the story that might not even be present in the copy.
Some papers used imagery, “Bush wields budget knife.” The most effective headlines were the ones that localized the story, mentioning the state in the title. These headlines told how the budget cut directly affected the reader and made the story relevant to the reader of the area.
In “Pardon the puns: E-N headline writers told to play it straight,” Bob Richter addresses the issue of puns making a newspaper look unprofessional. On April 20, 2006, Express-News Editor Robert Rivard set a ban on the use of puns. I can understand why many headlines with puns would be offensive to the reader, but the story mentions one headline I didn’t find offensive, “Mumps outbreak swells.”
Puns often draw readers into a less exciting story, and the use of the word “swells” is subtle. Readers might not even think about the pun. I don’t agree with putting a ban on puns, but Rivard could have asked copy editors to think about sensitivity when using puns. Also, in the fifth paragraph from the top, the author writes, “pardon the pun—broke the camel’s back.” That isn’t an example of a pun. It would only work in a few instances, such as if the editor’s name was Camel.
“Pardon the puns” includes a paragraph in which copy editors are described as having small egos, preferring the “solitude of the newsroom to the limelight of chasing news.” Basically, this article is calling copy editors shut-ins. The next article I read, “Ignore copy editors at your own peril,” basically gives tips on how copy editors can better present their job so that it doesn’t appear to be the occupation of a lonely, shut-in. One of the tips is, “Have regular content discussions with copy editors.” This seems to be instructing editors to treat copy editors as worthy members of the publication.
Case study:
I had ethical issues with the Diversity Game. I chose to play level 1 just to test out the game. On question 2, the game presents the problem that the player is the editor of a newspaper, and he or she has the opportunity to make an important hire because there are no managers of color on staff. There is a person in line for the job, a white male, who has worked his way up and has “demonstrated commitment to diversity.”
The game asks what the best option is, and then says that it was to do a nationwide search until you find a person of color. I think this is wrong, it’s a reverse racism. If a person proves his or herself worthy and has worked up in the company, I think he or she should be rewarded regardless of color. Also, the game seems inherently racist, assuming that the player is white and that only minorities should be hired, not whites.
In “Grandfather charged in blaze that killed 3” it seems that through the title the authors Gerry Smith and Tina Shah gave their stance on the debate of whether unborn babies are considered people or not. The article mentions that Subhash Chander, the grandfather, was charged with one account of intentional homicide of an unborn child, which would count as a fourth person even though the title only mentions the death of three people.
On the ACES Web site, I read the thread entitled, “When not married: “Girlfriend”? “Lover”? The thread began with Neil Holdway, the ACES treasurer, posting an article called “Perplexing matter of how to identify couples who aren’t married,” which addressed the issue of what to call someone’s significant other when the two people are not married. It was unclear if the article was referring to a homosexual relationship, but that’s what the message board discussion veered toward.
Some of the issues that were brought up include figuring out what to call someone’s significant other of the same sex. “Lover” carried negative, scandalous connotations, and one person mentioned “partner,” although others thought the word pertained more to business. Some participants of the discussion questioned how a reporter should classify a homosexual relationship in the specific case of two women living together who loved each other but did not engage in sexual activity. Do you classify a homosexual couple based on sexual activity or sexual orientation? Another person questioned if the classification was even relevant or necessary.
Tips for writing a resume:
I found this on Poynter Online. The second half of the article is a conversation between the author of the article Colleen Eddy, who is the director of the Poynter Career Center, and Joe Grimm, the recruiting and development editor at the Detroit Free Press.
Consider what you are dealing with: human nature. We want things to be easy:
- Make your resume easy to understand and easy to read.
- Make it easy to contact you.
- Tell people why they want to hire you by listing your skills and strengths.
What you put on paper makes a statement about you. Ask yourself what image you want to create through your fonts, use of white space, and most importantly, with clear, accurate, straightforward language. People perceive all these things just as though you were speaking.
Don’t worry about that rule you’ve heard about keeping your resume to one page, but don’t stretch it out, either. A resume doesn’t have to say it all, just enough to get them to call you for an interview. Above all, it must be honest and accurate.
Here’s what Joe Grimm has to say about resumes, followed by some of my own comments:
Joe: Generally an “objective” line is not helpful. However if you are changing directions in your career, a good objective line can help the reader look at your work experience from your point of view.
Colleen: I agree. Objectives can limit the hiring manager’s view of you. If they don’t have an opening that matches your objective, they may not read further. Instead of an objective, use a summary heading that makes a statement about why you’re worth hiring.
Joe: Use verbs that show action, such as: founded, directed, initiated, created, led or advocated.
Colleen: Action verbs show performance — you actually did or are doing something. That’s what we need to achieve goals.
Joe: Use concrete nouns. They can help your resume show up in database searches. Useful nouns include software programs, languages, job titles and fields of study.
Colleen: What’s important here is “concrete.” Such nouns anchor to reality the actions described in the resume.
Joe: A resume works on multiple levels. It is not just a professional summary; it is also a sample of your work. Make it a persuasive piece of evidence that you are professional and competent.
Colleen: Amen. Like the attire you wear to the interview, the resume is your first impression — on paper.
Joe: A well-organized resume is built in a grid format with two or three columns. Use the left margin, an indented column and a right column. Use one for employers and schools, another for dates, and the center area for longer descriptions.
Always have a good editor — not your best friend — edit your resume before you submit it.
Colleen: The pain of a typo on a resume cuts deep. It may cut you right out of the picture.
And we both agree that there is never any need to write “references available upon request.” Instead, when you are asked for your references –- which will happen if the company is interested in hiring you –- then submit a list of references with contact information.
Story Idea:
The University of Florida Responsible Endowment Coalition has gathered enough signatures to put a referendum on the Student Government elections ballot. The REC proposes putting together a group of faculty, students, and alumni representatives to oversee the university’s spending, making sure UF’s $1.2 billion endowment is spent on companies that would ensure socially and environmentally sound plans.
According to the Facebook event, which encourages students to vote, the referendum question says: “Should UF facilitate the creation of an independent committee of student, faculty, and alumni representatives to advise the board of trustees on the socially responsible investment of UF’s endowments?”
I would first talk to Skeet Surrency, the student who created the REC group on Facebook.
Skeet Surrency
FloridaREC@gmail.com
I would ask what drove him to start up this group, and why he suggests that the university has little transparency in its spending as he suggests on the Facebook group.
Then I would see if I could talk to President Bernie Machen about this referendum. Would he be willing to allow a group to advice the university on its spending? I would be interested to know what he thinks about the accusations that spending isn’t transparent enough to the students.
For visual interest, I would include a photo of Surrency approaching a student with a petition, or of him near the voting, possibly trying to influence a student to vote yes on the referendum. Of course I would not set up a posed shot. I am just trying to brainstorm some possible picture ideas and images to watch out for. I would run the print story at 15-17 inches.
The online version could explain more in depth about REC, which is a national organization that aids students in forming their own campus chapters. I would also include video clips of my interview with Surrency, and Machen’s response.