Facebook helps man prove innocence

Brian Banks a former high school prep star, served a five year jail sentence. He served time for kidnapping, and rape charges. He spent five years in jail, because he took a plea deal, rather than going to trial and potentially face a forty-one year prison sentence. Banks played high school football at Long Beach Poly High School, and was recruited by the University of Southern California.

Once, Brian Banks completed his time in Jail, he was contacted by his accuser on facebook. Originally, his accuser requested him as a friend, and naturally he refused. Later they would agree to meet each other, along with Brian Banks private investigator. Wanetta Gibson(the accuser) agreed to have the meeting recorded. During the meeting, Wanetta confessed that Brian Banks did not rape, or kidnap her. Through this meeting, Brian Banks was able to be acquitted for any wrong doing. He plans to receive payment for his time he served, by the state of California.

Brian Banks crying after being acquitted.

Banks claims that he has forgiven Wanetta Gibson. He is hoping to tryout for an NFL team at sometime. Had I been in Brian Banks shoes, I would have tried to sue the State of California  for no less than ten million dollars. Because, Brian Banks very well could have signed lucrative contracts in the NFL, had he not went to jail. Looks like facebook has helped cleared Banks's name.

Fans taking it too far on Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Blake, went from hero to goat in a five day span. He helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a close seven game series against the Denver Nuggets, in the first round playoff series. In game seven of the best of seven game series, Steve Blake had a sensational game. He scored nineteen needed points for the desperate Los Angeles Lakers. That game made Steve Blake become the talk of the town. He was celebrated in Los Angeles for his big performance in game seven.

Oh, how quickly do we forget. The Los Angeles Lakers moved into the second round to take on Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma Thunder. In game one the Lakers were blown out. But, the Los Angeles Lakers played an impressive game, and lost by two points only. They lost with Steve Blake missing an uncontested three point shot. It was controversial, since the Lakers best player Kobe Bryant did not take the last shot. Following the game Steve Blake, and his wife were harassed over twitter. Yes, twitter. The oh so friendly giant media outlet twitter that helps peoples promote businesses, have celebrities interact with their fans, and just to have interactions among friends. 

One tweet directed to Steve Blake, and his wife Kristen Blake, "I hope your family gets murdered." From this tweet Kristen Blake responded with one word, "Wow." Kristen Blake would later block a few hundred people from her twitter account. She would later tweet, "Pray for those who abuse you." She reference this tweet from a passage from the Bible. Steve Blake responded to the media after practice with the Los Angeles Lakers, "It's pretty disappointing that there are a lot of hateful people out there, but you move on. I just don't appreciate it when it's toward my family. You can come at me all you want but when you say things about my wife and kids, that makes me upset." Click here to read more of Steve Blake's comments.So this question needs to be posed. Should twitter be monitored? 

All you need to know about sports.

When I was looking for news on blogging, I ran into a website that is very interesting and may be useful to all the sports fan out there. The website is called Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report is a news website that covers all the major sports such as NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, UFC and other sports that are widely watched around the globe. According to the website, "Bleacher Report delivers digital media's most engaging content experience to sports fans all over the world."

Founded in 2006, the website already has as much as 30 million viewers a month. The website not only covers comprehensive reporting about all the sports and teams but also entertaining insights about what is going on in sports. The website features news articles and also blogs.

The awesome thing about Bleacher Report is that it is connected to major social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Readers are able directly comment on the articles and follow the website for direct access to the newest updates. Articles constantly feature the "Tweets of the Night" where the voice of fans are spotlighted.

Perhaps the most interesting part about this website is live blogs. Professional columnists will blog live as the game goes on. Here is an example of live blog of the NHL playoff between LA Kings and Phoenix Coyotes.  The columnist blogs about the game every few minutes with interesting comments about the game. Is this the next generation of game commentator?

Although I'm not a big sports fan, this website does seem to be very interesting and perhaps helpful in being updated about the top stories in sports. The website is a demonstration of how blogging is evolving and how influential social media had become in our lives- hopefully for the better.

Oh, and don't forget. Bleacher Report is also available as an app on Iphone and Ipad.

Happy Sports Streaming!


Reported by Ashley Huang

Twitter causing problems between NFL players

Osi Umenyiora star defensive player for the super bowl champion New York Giants. He has a long history of problems with Philadelphia Eagles star running back LeSean McCoy. After all, both respective teams they play for are division rivals. Osi Umenyiora main problem was with LeSean McCoy on the football field. But, last year LeSean McCoy famously tweeted on twitter about Osi Umenyiora, "Overrated," and he also said Umenyiora was "soft." Osi Umenyiora lashed out to the media regarding LeSean McCoy. He called McCoy, "Lady Gaga," and a "girl." Now Osi Umenyiora recently created a twitter account, and he tweeted about LeSean McCoy, "Happy Mothers Day LeSean McCoy! Enjoy your special day!!" Clearly, LeSean McCoy is not a woman. But, certainly this rivalry is starting to really heat up. Thank you twitter. Check the article out at ESPN.

Advice from "old-timer" Tim Sullivan

Last night, the Undergraduate Communication Society of UCSD hosted a panel event for college students, “Print Journalism in a Digital Age.” On the panel sat four very esteemed guests, all with different experiences and success stories in the media industry. It consisted of Tim Sullivan, one of the Sports Columnists for the Union Tribune, along with Lauren Steussy, Chris Cantore, and Jessica Kline, all of them respected in various sectors of the media industry. Sitting side by side up there, the expressions of the four ranged on a spectrum from pleasantly enthusiastic to jaded, which would also be an adequate summary of their attitudes toward the future of print journalism. It was a touchy subject, as it involved critically analyzing their own work in a field which many predict will be rendered obsolete in the next few years. Tim, the eldest of the bunch, made his cynical disposition for himself and his niche clear, yet ultimately voiced a hopeful vision for the next generation’s take on his beloved trade.

Image source: Union Tribune

            During the panel, Tim gave a testimonial of his fantastic run with print journalism as well as his deeply fond affinity toward the traditional roots of reporting. He had taken a very old-school approach to his career, attending an established and highly esteemed journalism program at the University of Missouri. From there, he worked for 25 years as a sports news reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer, until finally landing his current columnist position in San Diego through a friend’s connection. Throughout his career, he had received numerous accolades in his field, and his passion for it was undoubtedly voiced throughout the panel. However, he made sure to constantly mention how he was from a completely “different era,” even beginning his spiel with a joke about his personal ties to the Gutenberg printing press. Tim’s account took a notably dramatic shift when he began talking about the present state of journalism, revealing that funding and circulation of the Union Tribune had moved to “where the eyeballs are moving.”

            “Radio was killed by TV, and the internet completely smothered that,” Sullivan stated indignantly, “Pretty soon the internet will kill all media.”

            Joined by another considered journalistic old-timer on the panel, Chris Cantore, he too had been embittered by what he called the “destruction of an industry.”  Tim’s resentment for how the internet had swooped in and completely changed what he was accustomed to was undeniable, yet both had ultimately realized that there was little to nothing they could do to stop it.

            “I’m trying to hang on for a few more years until retirement,” said Sullivan, “It’s either adapt, or get out. And I’m at an age where I am too old to adapt, so I’m hoping to get out when I can.”

            However, just because Sullivan accepted his situation, did not mean that he did not understand the language current times and how to use it. In our generation, where social media trafficking is the new forefront to news circulation, he would be the first to acknowledge the usefulness of platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and popular blog sites. In fact, it was he who encouraged and advised his own daughter a way to gain revenue from her rather specific Tumblr blog consisting of reblogged “pictures of cute babies.” By finding a way to monetize her influence in a small niche market on the internet, he was able to earn her $100 dollars in ten days, and gain her over 320 Twitter followers practically over night, proving his savvyness still remains in a technological age.

            Not only this, but Sullivan still had hopes that the roots of journalism, from the creative process to the public’s wish to stay connected, will always have a place in society. He referenced how the 24-year old reporter, Sarah Ganim, just recently won a Pulitzer Prize using classic investigative reporting techniques, and considered it as evidence that there is still room for those who have the same passion that he did so many years ago. He understood that his job, as well as others in his position, will not be safe from the internet-takeover and is just a matter of time before the web will push everything out. But he does not see this as the end of journalism itself, simply an old way of thinking about it.

            “I know that everyone is forecasting that the sky is falling, but there is still a need for good reporting and good storytelling,” Tim advised in his final words to the student audience, “You may have to create things yourself now, but don’t be discouraged.”

AP-Google Scholarship Program for Journalism Students

When you're a college student sometimes choosing a major is based on how much money you're going to make outside of college, not on what kind of difference you can make in the world. Student Journalists are disappearing along with print media. Digital Journalism is the new form of media consumers are reaching out to for the latest and greatest. But how are students suppose to survive as digital journalists?

The outlook for surviving as a digital journalist is a bit discouraging, according to the Daily Beast, Journalism is one of the most useless majors. The pay rate sucks,there is no job security and who knows if there's any benefits; however, there is hope for students who are eager to begin a career as a digital journalist with AP-Google's Journalism and Technology Scholarship Program, students are pushed to contribute new methods to digital journalism. Scholarship winners receive $20,000  towards the following academic year.

This years winners come from all over the U.S with some unique ideas on ways to change how digital media is presented.

 Graduate student, John Osborn, is proposing a news game aiming to simulate Political candidates in order to inform players about how the political system works.

We spoke about news games in class, this student example may be a successful tool for generating interest for gamers who may not be updated on all the political news stories.

Another student, undergraduate Kate Zhu, proposed an application, LedeHub.


"LedeHub pushes the trends of digital journalism forward by fostering collaborative, continuous and open journalism while incorporating elements of crowdsourcing to allow readers, reporters and new organizations to come together in unprecedented ways. " 


The student stories are motivating and great examples on how we can take digital journalism to the next level. The website also provides the winners video proposals which may be helpful with our individual video projects.  


The AP-Google scholarship program is accepting applications for next year and is open to undergraduate students as well as Graduate students. Who knows maybe this film project can lead to bigger things... 

The Digital World: Moving from Society into the Classroom

In Vineet Monahan’s article “The Digital Transformation of Education: A 21st Century Imperative,” Monahan discusses Apple’s partnership with McGraw-Hill, one of the major suppliers of educational material, to introduce textbooks especially designed for the iPad. There are many pros and cons to this notion and whether it will help students in grades K-12 to learn material. Critics to the collaboration examine the monetary problems affecting many school districts across the United States, as well as how this new technology will change students learning habits and whether students will take learning seriously if they are being taught through this new medium. On the other hand, supporters of this new partnership recognize that today’s children have been introduced to technology from a very young age; therefore, bringing technology into the classroom only reflects this exposure.

Monahan is in support for bringing technology into the classroom, and I agree. Over the past fifty years, society has made a dramatic transformation, yet our school systems continue to rely on outdated teaching strategies. If we want our younger generations to develop and society to expand, it is important that our nation changes the classroom dynamics by introducing aspects of modern day life. Monahan states that “One thing I’ve learned throughout my career in education is that students thirst for connections between what they’re learning in the classroom (and how) and what they see happening in the real world. Bringing technology into the classroom helps them draw these parallels and keeps them interested in what they’re learning.”

If the future of our country is in the hands of the youth, the cost for integrating new technological advances in the classrooms shouldn’t be an issue. As a society, we need to exhaust every possible solution to the dwindling education system that is failing our country. 

Mike Wallace dies at 93

Although this is some what old news, it is important to note the face of 60 minutes, Mike Wallace had deceased earlier this month.  He was notorious for his relentless lust for the truth, especially in revealing controversies and scandals. He was also famous for his work in Vietnam during the 1960's as a war correspondent.
The advent of Wallace's career reminded me of our guest speaker James Kotecki where his initial career path was not necessarily a straight journalist. He worked as a radio news writer which has some similarities with his late career, but nonetheless began his career without a traditional journalist background. His popularity came with his ability to "speak for the people" when interviewing individuals (CNN.Com). The foundations of democracy and our right as citizens of the United States is somewhat voiced vicariously through Wallace. Wallace's work is able to stand the test of time even with the large shift to digital journalism and his legacy in investigative journalism stands as a stepping stone for many other aspiring journalists.

CNN's Article on Mike Wallace

Twitters effect on sports

Twitter has changed the world of sports media. Athletes from major sports are twitting. Yes, high paid athletes are tweeting, and sharing their thoughts to the media world. The scary part of professional/collegiate athletes twitting, no supervision. All franchises in sports have a PR department. The PR department helps keep a positive image of players from their respective team. But, with twitter athletes are able to convey their thoughts to the public. They are able to address their political views, contract disputes, and whatever they feel like. Twitting may cause professional athletes to receive heavy backlash for comments they make. However, twitter does allow professional athletes to communicate with fans, and help economically as well. This article that I  came across is quite interesting. It discusses the negatives of twitter, and gives examples of incidents where it cause harm to their sports. One example the articles mentions that NBA owner Mark Cuban criticizing the officials during a basketball game. So the question is asked, should twitter be regulated, and should professional athletes be banned from using it? Check the article out.
 
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/199735-the-twitter-effect-on-sports

-mansoor paghmani

Social Media Transforms the World of Sports

You can spot the effects of social media integration in journalism everywhere these days. One news division that social media outlets affect significantly lies within the realm of sports. Not surprisingly, sports fans now prefer to obtain their sports news from social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook, rather than national news websites. In the event that a fan reads about the field goal percentage of his/her favorite football star, that player's Twitter handle will appear on the bottom of the article, just for kicks. 

An infographic(which can be found here: Sports Social Media) from the sports medicine company KT Tape details the specific ways in which social media has changed the sports world during the last four years. 

"Box scores and game recaps can still be found in the newspaper and on TV, but fans are looking for more than that now. They want live updates, active participation, and behind-the-scene looks at their favorite sports teams and players. Social media has given sports fans virtual box seats." 

"To engage sports superstars, fans used to have to write letters or hang around after the game to try to get their ball or card signed. Now, social media allows fans to reach the players. Some professional athletes specifically go out of their way to engage their fans, which can pay off for the athletes in some cases." 

The above infographic shows that as Twitter and Facebook continues to revolutionize, change and personalize consumer culture, news outlets have to welcome social media to "the game" in order to sustain their operations. 

I used to read and now I skim

When I was in high school reading was one of my favorite past times, in fact it was my only past time. I grew up in a household that had no accessible television or internet. My father had a computer in his office that I was not allowed to use and my mother had a TV that she used to watch terrible VHS movies that I didn't want to watch anyways. My parents always told me that if I was bored then I should pick up a book, study, or go play sports. When I went to school my friends would always talk about the latest show or internet phenomenon and I had no clue what anyone was talking about. But, when a reading assignment or book report was due, I was the first one to have it read and completed. Also, I didn't just read books, I ingested them. I read every word and could interpret meaning even in the most complicated Shakespearean plays. This intense reading was coupled with an incredible ability to concentrate and focus on words, meaning, and subtext.
This all changed when I went away to college and bought a laptop. With this new, modern tool I discovered how to do slacker reading and research. Any information that I wanted was all of a sudden a click away. Instead of having to do hours of reading and research for a project or report I simply had to Google it. My projects took half as long and I began to search for the most expedient way to complete each educational task. I had became, what I called a skimmer. Since the information became more and more expedient I became more and more obsessed with getting it faster. Nothing was fast enough for me, not even reading the articles that were made readily available. No instead of reading it, I simply extracted the quote or passage that I needed for my project and dumpted the rest. I love this new way of doing work. I takes me no time at all and I don't have to do all of that pesky reading. My mother noticed my new lifestyle and she told me it was very bad and that I should read the old fashioned way. But this new way is much better, now i have the time to do what i want.                

Skype guests

It was interesting to notice the difference between the two special guests we had this past week, David Folkenflik and James Kotecki. Both are polar opposites when it comes to digital journalism. Folkenflik had to adjust to new digital technology during his career. He established himself as a journalist with his career at NPR and his groundbreaking stories. Kotecki made a name for himself through his online vlog. He grew up using this digital technology to his advantage and has turned his vlogging into a career. Folkenflik is more of the traditional form of journalism and news reporting, very straightforward that focuses on important corporate, international, and economic affairs. Kotecki is able to use more of his personality within his vlog, even making fun of the subjects he’s talking about. He is able to use satire in his work to attract a different kind of audience; a youthful fan following that is internet-savvy. These men take different approaches in their reporting, but coming from my generation, I think that Kotecki’s style of reporting is not only more interesting but will also soon replace other forms of journalism and breaking news. It’s not as simple now to just report the facts. Journalists and reporters have now merged together. There is no hiding behind the printed page anymore because these news reporters need to put in extra effort to keep their audience engaged and interested in the information, whether they agree with it or not. Along with this engagement, there is a relationship that is formed between the reporter and the audience, each side is now able to give their own opinion, which creates a more dynamic form of journalism.