The Heart of the Matter

Fragile Information???
Today in class we watched a movie called State of Play in which journalism was portrayed within a fictional lens. In this movie a journalist has a old college roommate who has become entwined in a political scandal. The politician had been having an affair, and his redheaded lover had either been killed, or committed suicide in a subway station. In this movie journalism was taken very lightly and was drenched with the sarcasm of the actor who played the main journalist. The truth in this movie was seen in a very interesting way. The politician had told the truth to only a few people and was continually beaten down with lies from the press that made assumptions about his lover's death. Therefore from this we can assume that truth is very precious. Its fragility should be handled with caution, and approached with gentility. Yet although it is fragile it is the most dangerous weapon of all time.

 The Weapon of Truth
Truth can break peoples hearts, and leave recipients who have received honest information with nightmares of horror and fear.  In a documentary we watched there was a photojournalist who arrived at a crime scene ready  to take pictures of whatever he saw. When he arrived what he experienced was the raw, dangerous truth of the situation. A man had killed an elderly woman and taken his  pregnant wife and two daughters hostage inside the house. The first person to come out after they had cleaned up the elderly  woman's body that was laying outside the house was one of the man's daughters. She was in the single digits of ages and was screaming 'Dont hurt my daddy!' even though he had mutilated her face and arms with a knife that the police expected him to have. The photojournalist saw this little girl, the fear in her eyes, and the scars from her raging father upon her skin and decided not to take a picture. The truth was too much to bear. The truth was frightening and not only did the little girl leave with emotional scars, but so did the police men and photojournalist.

The HEART
In conclusion, truth is a double edged sword. Depending on the situations journalists should be cautious in what they put out into the hands of the people. Journalists should be warriors for the heart, explaining the truth in a way that shows the deep recesses of humanity in a precious and informative way. Especially Christian journalists should be concerned for the heart, because that is the central piece of a person that God looks at.

Web Journalism In Class Assignment

Associated Press

Bin Laden Sons Say U.S. Violated International Law

By Hector Tobar

After months of public meetings attended by residents angry over then-council members' involvement in Bell scandal, new council's first meeting is a show of goodwill.

A Quagmire of Epic Porportions

Slander

In the movie All the President's men there is clear and vivid evidence that the Watergate scandal story written by Woodward and Bernstein undertook some serious scrutiny. Considering the fact that their story made a direct connection between the president and a B-and-E, and also revealed the fact that the entire US intelligence community was involved in a scandal of dishonesty and secrecy the story was destined for slanderous reviews.. 

You ARE going to ANSWER my QUESTIONS!!!!

The persistence of the two young journalists Woodward and Bernstein can be seen as a strength or a weakness. I personally see it as a strength because their persistence made them engrossed in their journalism and investigative reporting. Their so-called-hunger for this story made it happen and it shows most viewers Woodstein's dedication and love for journalism. Because their hearts and minds were intertwined with cracking this scandal they were successful in getting their story out, even though it took mountains of dedication and hard work to investigate. 

Enduring the Phone Calls

Most viewers of this movie can see that Woodstein makes calls, answers calls, puts calls on hold, and it basically seems like for a large percentage of this movie Woodstein is on the phone. The reasons there are so many calls is to further investigate this case. For this time period calls are the most effective way to get answers. Today it might be more effective to text, tweet, facebook, or something of an internet nature, although calls are still relevant, the internet might be more effective depending on the investigation. 

Number Games

In one scene Bernstein is on the phone with a man named Holtz to confirm that President Nixon was directly involved in this scandal. Instead of asking for a direct confirmation Bernstein plays a little 'number game' to get his answer. Bernstein tells the man, to confirm that Nixon was involved he shouldn't  hang up while he counts to the number ten. To say that he was not involved, the man should hang up exactly when he gets to the number ten. Indeed this is deceptive, and it is not an exact verbal confirmation, so this tactic could have been faulty. This and some other tactics that were used in this investigation may be a little questionable, but it got them their story.

The Deep Throat

Throughout the movie Woodward meets with this man named DEEP THROAT, and he gives him hints on sources for the story. In reality the man who was Deep Throat, was Mark Felt, did not come out about his alias until he was on his deathbed in 2008. Also Woodward claimed he would not allow Felt's alias to be broken either, as he said he would take the secret of who Deep Throat was to the grave. Personally I think that Woodward's meetings with Deep Throat were extremely risky, and a little too dangerous for my liking. This is the part of journalism that scares me the most. The fact that someone could be investigating something and put their life in danger. Yet again and again I am stuck asking myself the question, 'What's life without risk?'

Investigative Reporting: Deceptive, or Good Critical Thinking?

 How about a movie?
Good journalism is not only found in newsrooms, and news broadcasting studios, but it can be found weaved into the nuances of everyday life. When we read the paper, watch the television, or even check our social networking sites, journalism is there. One great movie that highlights the aspects of good, fresh, and young journalism is All the President's Men.

All the President's Men: Background of Journalism
The movie All the President's Men gives viewers an in depth look at the intense investigative journalism focused on the Watergate scandal that took place during the presidency of Nixon. The Washington Post at this time was seen as a Communist sympathizer, and was therefore overshadowed by The New York Times. Yet the people who worked for the Post were insistent on getting ahead to be able to compete with the New York Times.

Woodward and Bernstein
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are both two young reporters from the Washington Post that are investigating this scandal. Bob Woodward is new to the Washington Post seeing as he has only worked there for 9 months. Carl Bernstein however, has been working for the Post since he was 16. Both exuberantly young journalists for the Washington Post, they had many refreshing and unique ideas, and investigative tactics to cohesively incorporate into their story on the Watergate scandal of Nixon.

Woodward: Investigative
Bob Woodward is engrossed in investigating this scandal. He is inquisitive, persistent, and poised; hoping to construct an relevant and accurate story. Woodward cracks the aliases of the 5 men involved in the scandal, by going to the hearing for this case and talking to a man who is possibly a lawyer for the 5 guilty men. Woodward's perseverance gets him the answers to his direct, and carefully crafted questions throughout the movie.

Bernstein: Accuracy 
Carl Bernstein on the other hand, first attempts to steal Woodward's story. Their editor sees them in a quarrel, and then decides that with Bernstein's accuracy and Woodward's investigative skills they could be a great team. Sure enough these two were able to search through phone books, checkout cards at the Library of Congress, and make phone calls that got them eventually to make a direct connection between the president and a burglary.

Answer to the Question
Therefore the investigative reporting carried out by Woodward and Bernstein was not necessarily deceptive because of the situation. It should be seen as good critical thinking, and overall good journalism.

The Point

I wrote a paper for my media reflection.

Something about that moment.....

The Moments

"Life is not a matter of milestones, but a matter of moments." -Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

The still quiet moments in which our hearts are drenched in the substance of fear usually take place when we see the inevitable, destructive remnants of the fall of man. Humanity's destructive behavior is continual. Therefore as journalists we have an obligation to record all of the moments in which humanity's behavior is at its worst, and at its best. The moments in which our country, nation, or even our world experiences universal feelings of utopia, awe, sadness, fear, or exuberance is important because the God who created us feels all of those things with us.

THE Ultimate Storyteller

"All directors are storytellers." -Spike Lee


God is the ultimate storyteller. In the book of Job it can be seen that because he created words, he is the only one who can use them at their best. We as humans have an obligation to tell stories, because our lives are stories. God writes our story for us every day that we are here on Earth. He takes us to highs and lows, and gives vivid imagery of when we succeed and even when we fail.




Our Obligation

 "Journalism is the first draft of history." -Benjamin C. Bradlee


Journalists have a great job, because they get to tell these stories that God has hand crafted to the world. Stories can heal, stories can explain the very essence of our humanity. Therefore I feel a great need as a journalist to tell stories through my writing that heal and liberate the world.

WHATEVER I WANT!!!!!!

DANCE
A form of expression that uses the body to either portray a sense of emotion, or tell a story that can relate to the viewer. Dance is my favorite form of expression, and one winter I went with my mother to see Alvin Ailey's Dance Theater perform and my life was forever changed. I saw dance as a possible pastime for myself, so I started to take classes. I studied all kinds of dance, from ballet to modern to hip hop.

EXPRESSIONS
 This ballet theater carries on the tradition of its founder with a  special series that contains a peice called 'Revelations'. This piece is beautiful, engaging the audience from the first movement and carrying them through a stories that demonstrate the different states of humanity.

SHOW
Right now Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is on their North American tour, coming to California in the first week of April. I encourage anyone to go see them perform when they are presenting the 'Revelations' piece. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you stare in awe and wonder at the beauty of the perils of  humanity. Attached is a clip from 'Revelations', watch it and be amazed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce5pQkUZdWI

The Faith Masquerade

The Good the Bad and the Ugly
There are many pros and cons whether Christians should blast to the world about their faith, or just keep it on a relational level.

Releasing Your Inhibitions
First, if you talk constantly about how you are a Christian, there are some good things about that, it shows that you aren't ashamed to believe in something. Yet the problem with that is that  you might experience a lot more persecution, because you are being extremely transparent about your faith, and what you believe.

Masks
I believe it is better not to hide your faith, or keep it to yourself, but keep it personal. It might be easier to share the gospel with someone when you aren't blasting to them about how Christians do this, and Christians do that. I believe that the gospel should be shared on a relational level, and as a Christian you should do whatever your vocation might be for God in truth, and honesty. The gospel should be spread, but on a relational level in which you are loving the person and explaining to them why Christianity is so important to you, and how it might help them in their life.

The Dance
Therefore I see that there is a dance Christians do around this idea of how to let others know that you believe, but also having quality in whatever their vocation. The dance is a careful one, in which people are attempting to make sure they don't stomp on others people feet with their beliefs, but they are making what they do believe known.

The Glass Slipper
So should we as Christians shout our faith to the mountaintops, or masquerade our faith, and focus on building relationships in which we foster and nurture God's love to our own sphere of influence.

The Lovely Lauren Rhodes

A stubborn yet friendly young woman, Lauren Rhodes was trying to notice the promises of God in her everyday. She had dreams and goals to become something lasting, that furthered the kingdom. She used her logical and thoughtful personality to take time to process and think about the things and people that surrounded her. Growing up in a home that was both normal and loving; her parents Mark and Nancy both nurtured their daughter and cultivated her mind to become an thoroughly ambitious young lady who cared for both God and people.

Sadly the lovely Lauren Rhodes died of heart failure on March 24th 2011. Her philosophy for the actions of God to fall from her head to her heart to her hands into her habitat will live forever in the hearts of her friends and family that loved her. She will be greatly missed.

The Death of Tenacious Tonika

*DISCLAIMER: This was an exercise. The death of Tonika Reed has not yet taken place.*

-The peaceful death of Tonika Reed. 

Tonika Reed, a student, writer, daughter, and friend to many died of natural causes in her sleep on March 24th 2011 at the age of 18. Miss Reed was a college freshman at Biola University. She was a writer for her college's newspaper and had dreams of becoming a news reporter someday. While in school she had a heart for the oppressed and was an up and coming leader for her school's Multiethnic Programs Department. She had received the SURGE scholarship and attended all of the events of the Multiethnic Department.  Overall she seemed to be having a great college experience.

-Artistically inclined.

As a child Miss Reed was part of pageants, she also was a budding writer, and played the piano for 4 years in elementary school. Miss Reed was a lover of the arts. As a young child she would create different crafts, and she painted with her fingers, and or paintbrush very often. She also loved attending ballets, reading books, and going to different cultural events such as a Farmer's Market, visiting museums and art exhibits. Although Miss Reed was artistically inclined, she also was a scholar. She attended the Collegebound program beginning in 9th grade where she was prepared for college and her mind was cultivated by a group of people who beleived in her and encouraged her to attend college at Biola University. Miss Reed also attended Boeing Summer Science camp where in 8th grade she won an award for an essay written on quantum physics.

-Faith

Miss Reed was a very diversely educated person. She was very friendly and sweet to everyone she met. She was compassionate, yet self sufficient, and had many friends. Her faith in God was very evident through her love for his creations.

Tonika Tracy Reed was a FASHIONABLE young woman who truly lived her life TENACIOUSLY.

 -Tonika Reed will be donating all of her money to Haiti Relief efforts, Japan Relief efforts and the Multiethnic Department at Biola University.

What Did God Say?

According to many students Missions Conference 2011lit fires, and  set Biola ablaze with a passion for being globally aware. Biola had over 100 missions organizations from around the globe come and set up information booths, talk with students, and overall make sure that here on campus we are doing our part to 'impact the world for Christ'. Although it may be easy to assume that everyone here on campus would take advantage of the frequent free events like Missions Conference, that is not the case. There are some students who decided not to go, and all of their reasons are diverse in number.

"I didn't have to go, so I didn't. I've gone in years past, and I think it makes a positive impact on campus," said Talbot grad student Andrew Sarchet.

Although some students did not attend, most students who did said that on Thursday night at the last main session, their lives were definitely impacted by how God spoke into their lives.

"God worked in many ways on Thursday night for me. God did different things for different people. He built and strengthened friendships and community in my own life; keeping each other accountable and in  prayer on  a daily basis, " said junior Christian Ministries major Alyssa Jacobs.

There is only one way to keep everyone ablaze, and according to Alison Bognda that is to stop living in our sinful past.

"We need to cultivate more a community in which we can continually stay in a place of openness. We constantly need to be open to forgiveness so that we can heal. Its been a struggle on this campus to say 'I'm fine.' when your really hurting. We had a speaker that walked in obedience and out of that obedience he was able to call us out on things that we really needed to hear. He called out lust and unbeleif. These are things we deal with on campus that we need to come to terms with. We need to hear the Lord and speak honestly. It was just the right atmosphere. We need to stop living in the shame of our past.

Pheromones....

Dictionary.com defines Pheromones as, "any chemical substance released by an animal that serves to influence the physiology or behavior of other members of the same species." Its true, guys usually overdo it with cologne. Sometimes that Axe you may have gotten them for Christmas can turn into an household odor, that you may feel the need to kill with Lysol, or any other household air freshener.

Worlds' Most Natural Thing

New York Times: Elissa Gootman
'Breast-Feeding Boutique Battles in Feud with Condo Board'
Background: In short there is a problem with the boutique and its consumers because the store has moved into the Pythian which has no windows, and used to be a historical landmark in which the apartment building was exclusively all male. 

The first few words grasp the reader saying, "For legions of lactating women in one of Manhattan’s most productive precincts, it has become an essential destination:..." The alliteration used here is uncommon, because the word legions is not commonly used in everyday American diction. Therefore it grabs the readers attention. Words like myriad, and emporium are speckled throughout this feature making the reader have to think a little bit more than usual to understand exactly what is taking place. The writer of this introduces quotes in a very unique way. She fits certain short quotes in like "sufficient evidence", and "community facility". The writing style is a little satirical in the sense that the actual facts are sometimes ironic, and a little contradictory. The author also sort of makes a generalizing statement in the beginning saying that breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world. This is too relative, but it provokes the readers to think.

Jarrod's Response

Jarrod agrees that it is detestable for the Supreme court to rule that Freedom  of Speech is acceptable, even when insensitive to people who are mourning. He believes that respect for people who fought for this country should be upheld, even if their lifestyle was an alternative one.

First Amendment Rights Devoid of Compassion for the Mourning

QUESTION: What did the Supreme Court rule about people holding up signs at military funerals, saying things like "God Hates Fags"?

REACTION: American culture is getting out of touch with the idea of compassion. In the New York Times there is a quote by the Chief Justice John G. Roberts saying that "Speech is powerful." If the Supreme Court really believes that, then they should not allow people to hold up signs saying very rude, detestable things at funerals. Yet for people who disagree, and say that things like this are alright are just attempting to grapple onto the idea of Freedom of Speech. They must assume that even if what you are saying hurts someone, its okay, because you are entitled to say what you feel. Yet, exercising your rights, and saying things like"God Hates Fags", when people are already mourning could stir up lots of dissension. It seems that America has become very desensitized to things such as respect for the mourning, and even respect for the dead. What happened to ideas on protection in this country? In lots of cultures, other than American, there are certain traditions set in place for dealing with a mourning family. What is the idea of this in American culture? Has there been anything set in place for  the protection of those who are mourning?

More Q&A

What I learned over the course of writing a story on the SCORR Conference is that you have to get quotes, and get them fast or else, you wont have a backbone to your story. The validity will be compromised and everything will fall apart. Set up interviews ahead of time, and ask the people you talk to for quotes. Make sure to get all of their information though. Also, work on sentence structure. PASSIVE/ACTIVE voice is a big problem for me. So overall, write more, because when you write more, you get better at it, and have more Q&A.

RACIST?

While reporting for the Chimes, and writing an article for class I had a great time interviewing two people I have come to like very much. The SCORR Conference is a conference dedicated to bringing issues of racial reconciliation and diversity to light in a Christian setting here at Biola, and other Christian universities. One of my interviewees said that she could spend her time doing better things than attending this conference. She was quite opposed to my views on this subject, and that startled me. It made me wonder, where are we really with issues of race? Will issues of race and diversity within God's kingdom ever be resolved here on Earth? Will God's Kingdom be more diverse than people believe? What will that look like?

On or Off the Record

5 potential problems of interviewing on or off the record, at Biola University...

1)Interviewees could say something crazy that they might regret...

2)They could go on and on about something that you, the interviewer, may have just wanted a quick answer to...

3)They could curse; "Oh d----!"

4)They could use the Lord's name in vain; OMG!

5)The interviewee may not know what you are asking them about, and you have to repeat it 20 million times.

DISCLAIMER: These are just a few problems with interviewing on and off the record, and are real problems that have been encountered, but  are not subject to Biola University journalists.

Blog?

Today we did not blog.

Gawker/ Congressman Scandal

Congressman Christopher Lee resigned because he was caught in a Craigslist scandal. The New York Representative was caught in his web of flirtatious emails, and photos sent to a woman on Craigslist in Maryland. The woman he was flirting with sent the emails, photos, and also some of her own comments to Gawker.com.  One photo was leaked to the press of the Congressman flexing his right bicep, and it has now become the staple photo of this scandal. The Congressman's coworkers found the story on Gawker, and before he finally decided to resign he proceeded to tell them that his email account was hacked.

LOL. Wow. Really Congressman? You were on Craigslist... Hacked? I dont think so... Creepy...I think yes.

Foundations of Journalism 1

 Hazardous, or Prosperous Construction?

Biola students are not happy with the construction taking place on campus. Some students think that it is dangerous and could give way to possible accidents in the future.

 “Now there are cars driving through the school almost hitting students. Says Caitlin Helms, Freshman.  ”

Although some may see all of Biola's construction as a danger, others see some of the construction, like the new building for Talbot school of Theology, as progress.

 “It will enable Talbot to go forward, and it is the right investment because the people who planned it had God’s vision in mind. Says Prof. Mosqueda.”

Some students beleive that  Biola needs to create clear communication with the students about the dangers and possible hazards of the construction. Most students may not even know what construction is happening, but they believe that clear communication could help with this in the future.

“Yes. Says Dvora Kasdan, Sophmore.  I think it’s important to know about what construction is happening.”

Reporters: Josh Kristianto, Jessie Fike, Hannah Quinn

Writer/Reporter: Tonika Reed