HD LOG

Fark.com

If you have ever visited Fark.com, you would understand just how hilarious this website can be (maybe it is just me because I find humor in dumb things). They have a section called "Not News" in which where they post articles from other news websites. Today's "Not News" were some of the following:

 From NBC.com: Some of the nation's most powerful attorneys say they will represent undocumented for free if their "consitutional" rights are violated by federal agents. (marked as interesting)

From KXLY.com: "Mall parking lots prime location for car prowlers." Oh, stop. ( marked as obvious)

From CBSnews.com: Judge to decide if honking your car horn is considered free speech. (marked as stupid)

As you can probably tell from my previous blogs, dumb news just makes me laugh. What makes it even better, is that I actually read some of these articles on the websites. I am only a sophomore in college, and even I know articles like this make think that whoever decided this was news must not have been in the right state of mind. So what's wrong with the news when a whole website is dedicated to making fun of them? You be the judge.

Posted at 10:12PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Content  |  Comments[0]

You Decide 2008

So I will have to admit I am not an avid follower of the 2008 Presidential Election. I just find it hard to follow because there are so many candidates and so many views on different controversial subjects. Fox News just made it a little easier for me. 

"You Decide 2008" is an interactive part of Fox News that allows you to browse around the candidates and get a feel for what they support and oppose. With eight democratic candidates and eight candidates, you can click on a candidate or a controversial subject and Fox News gives you a whole list to check out. This is fantastic! I spent about an hour navigating around "You Decide 2008" just catching up on who I would like to vote for.

 This is a fantastic idea for Fox News. Especially for college students like myself who are too busy to sit down and read page long articles about the presidential election, this website gave me all the information I needed in a a format that made it quick and simple.

Posted at 08:52PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Concepts and Events  |  Comments[0]

The lighter side of CNN News

Sick of hearing about what celebrity got picked up for drunk driving? What foreign country could be harboring terrorists? How about the social problems the world is facing?

 Take a look at the lighter side of news that can be found on CNN! (yes, CNN has a lighter side of news) Every week they update fun photos from around the world. This week you can see Santa Scuba Dive, a robot making music, and even a dog walking another dog in the Dog Olympics in Japan.

 On another lighter note, CNN also informed me today that a bad kissers don't get to second base. 59% of men, and 66% of women to be exact. They let me know how to improve my kissing skills, even giving me names of different types of kisses to try out. And the most important factor to remember about kissing? "Accidental kisses are the best kisses." Last time I checked, no kissing is really an accident.

Thanks for the relationship advice CNN.

Posted at 03:57PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in General  |  Comments[0]

Darfur Sudan

Darfur, Sudan has been under the watchful eye of the world for the past few years, but recently has gained more attention to the United States. (click here for the history of the situation in Darfur). I personally have known about the atrocities taking place in Darfur since my senior year of high school, and proudly wear my "SAVE DARFUR" shirt around the BVU campus. Finally, people are taking a stand to help the people of Darfur.

About five months ago, the band Green Day dedicated their music video to the song "Working Class Hero" to raise awareness about Darfur, Sudan.

The music video is outstanding. Everytime I watch it I get goosebumps. It is funny how music can speak to our souls. The lyrics are amazing, but the video footage is what makes "Working Class Hero" so powerful. Without the visual imagery of the people of Darfur or the audio of their experiences this video would not have grabbed my attention like it did. The use of multiple channels of media forms that were used to make this video, MADE this video what it was. Because Green Day to the step to produce this video, many more people know about the situation in Darfur, Sudan.

 If you would like to learn what you can do to help the people of Darfur, Sudan, check out the 5 Things You Can Do!
 

Posted at 03:21PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Content  |  Comments[0]

People's Choice Awards

The People's Choice Awards has been honoring fan favorites for 34 years. Be a part of history by casting your votes for the stars, shows, movies and music you love!

The People's Choice Awards will be airing January 8th, 2008 at 9pm EST on CBS.

 I came across this website because I love music awards. I don't really watch them for the awards, but more for the performances by all the big stars. Country Music Awards are alright...MTV Music Awards are alright...but nothing beats the People's Choice Awards! We pick the winners! It is OUR choice!

This website is full of multimedia content. All you have to do is become a member and start casting your votes. You can check out the polls, vote, see highlights from last year's show, comment on buzz polls, and search to see how your favorites are doing on the charts! This website is well organized and very interactive, which is important. It is not cluttered and it is easy to navigate around.

Show voting ends in 2 days, 8 hours, and 55 minutes (as the website tells me very clearing in the upper right hand corner!) so get logged on and start voting at http://www.pcavote.com/pca

Posted at 02:53PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Site  |  Comments[0]

The Undercurrent

Buena Vista University has a new form of media on campus this year. "The Undercurrent" is combining all forms of multimedia to bring together media groups on campus. With categories of entertainment, news, features, sports, and opinion, the Undercurrent is creating there own little FoxNews or CNN specially directed towards Buena Vista University students, faculty, staff, and alumni. 

As a media student myself, I find the creation of The Undercurrent to be fascinating. Even as a sophomore, I really only got involved with 97.5 KBVU radio station and just stuck to one form of media. The Undercurrent is working to bring UCN, The Tack, and KBVU all together. Convergence journalism is the future of media...so why not get started with the college generation? As a Media Studies major, I know I will be better off coming out of college with the knowledge of convergence. Looks like BVU is on the right track...

 Check out The Undercurrent!

Posted at 01:28PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Site  |  Comments[0]

What are we not hearing?

After watching the movie "The Perfect Stranger" my mind was sent into a tailspin. The plot line is as follows:

In New York, the investigative reporter Rowena Price sees her scoop about a gay senator spiked by her editor. She quits her job in the newspaper and meets with her childhood friend Grace by chance in the subway. Grace tells Ro that she had just been dumped by the powerful and wealthy owner of the greatest New Yorker advertising agency, Harrison Hill, and she was threatening to tell his wife about their affair. When Grace is found dead, Harrison becomes Rowena's prime suspect. With the support of her hacker friend and former colleague Miles Haley, Ro is hired for a temporary work in Harrison's agency to get close to the executive and investigate his life (courtesy of imdb.com)

The clip that really got me thinking is when Price (played by Hallie Berry) breaks the story of a senator having relations with his interns. When she is out celebrating with her coworkers, her editor broke the news that the story would not be printed. The senator had large financial ties to the newspaper, and had pretty much paid them off not to publish the story. Rowena Price quit her job.

Today we think that since news is 24/7, and yes, controversial stories do get published, that we find out everything. But how much do politics, money, and power play into what is published? Media is just as corrupt as Wallstreet and politics...it is all a dirty game.



 

Posted at 01:11PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Concepts and Events  |  Comments[0]

Montel Williams slips up

Montel Williams threatens reporters and photographers at a hotel after he got upset and terminated his interview promoting his campaign to give free prescriptions to low income people.

 The victims of his threats, a high school intern for the paper was approached him at the hotel. She had no interest in the previous incident at his interview, and was there on a completely different story.

Williams kept pointing at her and said, 'Don't look at me like that. Do you know who I am? I'm a big star, and I can look you up, find where you live and blow you up,"' said Joseph Cosey, a web content producer for the newspaper.

After finding out that the reporter was not there to discuss his earlier comments at the interview, Williams apologized.

 Woops Montel. You just made yourself look like a bad guy...I'm sure that is good promotion for your campaign to give free prescriptions to low income people. Big mistake.

 

Posted at 12:41PM Dec 03, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Content  |  Comments[0]

Foreign News

Today I visited Aljazerra.net to see how foreign news differs from American news.

 Compared to what I have viewed as American news, foreign news appears to be more universal. No where on CNN or Fox News do I ever find a button that let's me read stories in Spanish, French, etc. Aljazerra had places to click where you could get stories translated into various languages. This is such an important thing that America news should be looking towards. Our country is full of different languages and we as media should be catering to all readers.

Aljazerra also does not seem to be as overrun by celebrity gossip as our nation's news is. The stories were all very informative about important things we should know. Never on their website did I see them running a story on a celebrity heading to rehab or an actor getting picked up for a DUI. Their news appears to be hard-hitting news.
 

Posted at 04:44PM Nov 27, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Site  |  Comments[1]

The Convergence of Journalism

Convergence is a important issue that is facing media today. You cannot read the newspaper or listen to the radio without being told to go to a website for more information. Everything online has a link to something else. All this is great considering we live in a society that is very fast paced and wanting more...but is there such thing as too much?

 Today I was online checking out the HuffingtonPost and got a little overwhelmed. Stories had links to absolutely everything you could imagine. Every name in the story had a link to more information. There was almost so much going on that I could not even focus. Links are an addiction. I could not even tell you where I started my news browsing because I probably made about eight clicks to something else.

 I can assume we never again will be able to read just ONE article online...without the temptation to link to something else.

Posted at 07:07PM Nov 12, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Site  |  Comments[0]

Facebook is for stalkers

I will have to admit, I am a Facebook addict. If I am bored, I'm usually working my way around Facebook checking out new photos, and seeing whose relationships went down the drain. Probably the most unhealthy form of a past time on college campuses, Facebook has taken over the cyber world. Reported today on FoxNews, there is a group on Facebook called, "30 Reasons a Girl Should Call it a Night." Posted are 2,800 pictures of women hanging over toliets, prancing around bars, and some photos are a little on the vulgar side, with panties shown and just a little too much skin. 

 This Facebook group has 160,000 members.

Although online groups like Facebook and MySpace are great for networking and blogging, they are also a double-edged sword. Employers are starting to "stalk" their employees to see what they are like outside of the workplace. Facebook can ruin an image, get you fired from a job, create jealousy among lovers, and so much more. The media coverage is even getting into Facebook by reporting stories of all-star athletes getting suspended for photos posted on Facebook.

 So...will I cancel my Facebook account? Probably not...but is important to watch what is posted on it? Of course! The media coverage of Facebook should force any college student to rethink the dangers of the cyberspace.

Posted at 11:15PM Nov 08, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in General  |  Comments[1]

Colbert for President!

Steven Colbert is not joking. Sources say that he will be filing papers to have his name put on the Democratic ballot of South Carolina either late Wednesday or early Thursday.

In case you are not aware, Steven Colbert is the host of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. Known for his witty character, Colbert announced on his show on October 16th that he was going to run on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. To check out some of Colbert's recent videos on Comedy Central click the following link: Steven Colbert

So what are Colbert's chances? A comedian possibly being able to hold the whole United States in his hands? I feel like I have seen this before. Oh yes...I have. "Man of the Year," the movie.

Straight from the movie's website: 

"In the film, Robin Williams portrays Tom Dobbs, the host of a comedy/political talk show, based loosely on the real-life personas Bill Maher and Jon Stewart. With an offhand remark, he prompts 4 million people to e-mail their support, then he decides to campaign for president. To nearly everyone's surprise, he is declared winner of the election."

So what is really going on here? Will Colbert throw off the whole election just like in Man of the Year? This outrageous idea probably is not that far fetched. It is proven that people between 18-25 do not turn out at the voting booth nearly as much as they should. So Colbert targets the younger generation as a comedian, they run out and vote for him, and BAM! Steven Colbert is president.  I guess we will just have to wait and see.
 

Posted at 07:54PM Oct 31, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Concepts and Events  |  Comments[0]

The McCann Family

Never leaving the news, the McCann family who have been searching for their missing daughter are being accused of using funds that were donations from the public to help pay off their mortgage. You can check out the full story here.

Although Fox News uses words like "accused", and "was reported", I find the story to be more of a "he said, she said" situation. Publishing stories like this will slander the McCann family's image whether it is true or not. When something hits the news headlines, people make up their decision right then. It goes with the whole first impressions idea. Now that news is a 24/7 thing, media publishers have to find stories to fill up space. A story like this would have been much better to leave until the FACTS were there. A situation as sad and disturbing as a little girl missing for months and months is not a story you report in a gossip style.

Posted at 12:14PM Oct 30, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in General  |  Comments[0]

HA! You got me!

Have you ever read a headline for a story and have been deceived about what the real story is? This week I have fallen victim to this devastating situation.

In my "news browsing"...I came across a headline:  TRAILER PARK A PARADISE FOR SEX OFFENDERS

I don't know about you, but when I read this headline I was expecting that this trailer park has a high amount of sexual crime associated with sex offenders living there. I figured the story covered something along that line. I assumed that when they refer to "paradise." Clicking into the story, I found out that it is covering that many sex offenders have lived in this trailer park located in Florida. 95 of the 200 residents now are registered sex offenders. The story had nothing to do with crime, but the fact that this trailer park was a place where no children were allowed and it was far enough away from schools, parks, etc. that the sex offenders felt they could gain back their life away from all the drama that comes with being a sex offender.

Come on CNN, watch those headlines. I could think of a few better headlines that are much less misleading.

"FLORDIA TRAILER PARK, A SAFE HAVEN FOR SEX OFFENDERS"

"TRAILER PARK GIVES SEX OFFENDERS SECOND CHANCE"

"TRAILER PARK GIVES SEX OFFENDERS A PLACE TO REGAIN A NORMAL LIFE"

Posted at 02:34PM Oct 22, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in General  |  Comments[1]

Fox News

This is not a new thing for me.

Do you ever look at headlines on your favorite news site and wonder why this is news? Fox News is my favorite. Maybe because I am a liberal person, or maybe because I find the site more entertaining than informative sometimes.

As of 2 PM on this lovely Monday afernoon. The most read stories were as follows:

Posted at 02:10PM Oct 15, 2007 by Hilary L Dunn in News Site  |  Comments[1]