Dr. Arnold

I think Dr. Arnold is my hero. The handouts I just read by him expressing his desire to rid the world of grammatical errors, along with his book, show his passion for being grammatically correct. While I know I have a long way to go in the area of AP Style, grammar in general has been my passion since I was a little girl. I am a nerd...

Comma Crusaders

The Comma Crusaders joined forces Tuesday in an effort to make the world a safer (or at least more AP style-correct) place. The group consists of Shea Anderson, Amanda White, Shannon Miller, Justin Hawthorne, Whitney Johnson, and myself. The assignment is to edit the articles written by JMC 201 students about United Way agencies. We will edit them and give them headlines. In Tuesday's meeting, we decided on our team name as well as a logo for the United Way project.

Journalism math - ugh!

In this assignment, we were instructed to do some basic journalism math, along with knowing some basic editorial duties. Journalism students do not have to take many math classes, which is a good thing for most of us. My first attempt in class went well. I felt like it was all coming back to me. Then the professor gave the second assignment, and it might as well have been written in Japanese. The percentages gave me the most trouble. If this is incorrect and I am way off, I would love some feedback!

1. The most important factor in the relationship between media and consumers is credibility.
2. Skipped
3. Explain the flow of copy from the reporter through the copy-desk chief.
Reporters gaters facts, write the story, verify accuracy, then forward to the city editor.
City editors then edit the story, return it to the reporter for changes, and then forward to the copy-desk chief.
Copy-desk chiefs then decide on story placement, prepare page dummy, then forward to copy editor.
Copy editors polish writing of story, check for errors, write headline, and return to copy-desk chiefs.
Copy-desk chief verifies story is trimmed as necessary and that the correct headline is written, and then transfmits the page to output device.
4. List the 3-step editing process.
Read the story, edit the story, reread the story.
5. What are the 3 Rs of copy editing?
Reader-centered, readable, and right.
6. Difference between proofreading and copy editing.
Proofing is for any large mistakes, not minute details.
7. Difference between macro editing and micro editing.
Macro editing is more about the big story, facts, newsworthiness, etc. Micro editing is more for grammar and punctuation kinds of editing.
8. Huntington City Council on Monday approved $435,000 for road repairs in the central city. The city's 2008 budget for repairs was $410,000.
A. Did the budget for repairs increase or decrease? increase
B. What was the percentage increase or decrease? 6% increase
I divided 25,000 by 410,000.
C. Last year's budget was what percentage of this year's? 94%
I divided 410,000 by 435,000.
D. This year's budget is what percentage of last years? 106%
I divided 435,000 by 410,000.
9. Mayor Bart Jones announced more bad news. The city plans to spend $5.25 million on bridge repairs, a cut of 35 percent from its $6.5-million budget. Correct calculations?
Not correct. $5.25 million is a 20% cut from $6.5 million. $5.25 million is 80% of $6.5 million.
10. These were the scores on a test in JMC 305: 100, 98, 95, 93, 93, 90, 88, 87, 87, 86, 85, 85, 84, 70. What is the mean score? 88.6 - I added all the numbers and divided by total number of numbers. What is the median? 87.5 - I lined numbers in numeric order and counted to find center one. Because it was an even number of numbers, I added the two (88 and 87) and divided by two, getting 87.5.
11. These were teh scores on a test in JMC 360: 100, 98, 95, 93, 93, 90, 88, 87, 87, 86, 85, 85, 84. What is the mean score? 90 - I added the numbers together and divided the sum by the number of numbers. What is the median? I lined the numbers in numeric order and counted to find the center one, getting 90.
12. What would the sales tax be on a purchase of $7.80 if the state charges a 6 percent sales tax? 47 cents - I got this by multiplying $7.80 by 0.06.

Now I pose the question, is math necessary in the world of journalism? Absolutely. As much as we might hate it, we need math skills. It is important to be able to figure out statistics and to check facts we have recieved.

Good News for Copy Editors

Looking over this article, it was a good feeling to see that the skills of the copy editor are preferred over that of the print reporter when it comes to online journalism. The skills required in online journalism are what we as copy editors will learn by our own experience. Making the transition will be less complicated for those with this experience. All in all, the future for print journalism isn't as bad as it seems. The skills we are learning each day in our professions will pay off as the online reporting seeks out the copy editors for the job.

Editing

Editing this article was a great experience. Editing is my career goal, so to be able to practice and try it out is something I really enjoyed doing.
____________________________
The Marshall University baseball team possess something that can possibly help the program stay successful for years to come.
Thundering Herd head basketball coach Jeff Waggoner said what he believes to be the key to the team’s future success is simply freshman talent. “We have some good, young players that will continue to get better and better,” Waggoner said. “As a freshman, to get playing time is so valuable. We have a lot of young guys that are playing right now and that will help us be a great program for a long time.”
Last season Waggoner utilized the skills of Victor Gomez as the team’s designated hitter. As a freshman, Gomez recorded a .358 batting average, 34 runs, 77 hits, 11 home runs and had 47 RBIs in 215 plate appearances.
Because Gomez has continued to show significant improvement at the plate and has also been able to contribute defensively during his sophomore season, Waggoner has inserted another freshman into the designated hitter role Gomez previously occupied. That player has been Thor Meeks, a freshman slugger from Hurricane, WV.
So far this season Meeks has recorded a .248 batting average, 18 runs, 28 hits, seven home runs and has 24 RBIs in 113 plate appearances. Meeks’ numbers have declined slightly over the past few games, but Waggoner said it’s fairly common among freshmen.
“Gomez went through the same thing last year where he went through some tough times and he fought through it. They’re both great players and great hitters. I look for great things out of both of them and I think their work ethics will get them there.”
Not only are the two comparable statistically, but their physical characteristics also bear an eerie resemblance. Both have dark hair and stand 6 feet 1 inch tall. Gomez weighs in at 230 pounds, while Meeks trails slightly at 226.
“Well, I’m a better hitter than (Meeks) is, but he has more power,” Gomez said with a laugh. “I can see how he reminds everyone of me last year because we pretty much had the same role on the team. We have the same approach at the plate and we both try to do things to help the team win.”
Meeks said he welcoms the comparison. Gomez said it is always good when a freshman comes in and has a big impact. “He’s been a solid part of the middle of the lineup and he’s been there all year,” Gomez said. “He’s been helping me and Nate (Lape) get good pitches to hit, and that’s an important thing. He has a lot of upside and that’s what you look for in a freshman.”
The Herd will take on conference opponent Houston in a three-game series at Appalachian Power Park this weekend. First pitch is scheduled for Friday at 7p.m.
Jonas Swecker can be contacted at jswecker@marshall.edu.

Writer about "Mad Men" are mad men

While reading about Mad Men and it's review, it was hard to judge the writing outside of the content. However, I think I did okay. I felt like the article itself was very relaxed and casual, almost to the point that it was hard to follow. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/mad-men-reefer-madness/. Having said that, though, it was not poorly written, and didn't use pretentious wording. It was just a little hard to follow along with it you are not a fan of the show.

Foreign traveling

International travel is something that people are growing more and more concerned about, and in light of recent imprisonment of American travelers, it is understandable. On August 4 of this year, Euna Lee and Laura Ling were released from their detainment after approximately 5 months in captivity. The two journalists were reportedly working on a story in China and entered North Korea without knowing it. Former President Bill Clinton was enlisted to plead for their release and was successful. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081801273.html Another instance when this happened was in October of 2008 when journalist Roxana Seberi, an American journalist, was reporting in Iran, and she was accused of spying and detained. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040801504.html These examples are obviously not common, but the news of them can cause people to be apprehensive about international travel. Whether these were just instances of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or illegal reporting and spying, remains to be seen. It can, however, cause you to rethink your next years vacation plans, and make you a little more aware of your actions and surroundings when you do travel.

The power of editing

The saying, "With great power comes great responsibility," is very true when it comes to editing. Being the person who decides the final version of a piece of work is a powerful position. It is one I embrace. There are few things I am confident enough in to enjoy authority, but editing is one of them. The writer is lucky to be able to convey information to the public, and as an editor of that work, I am luckier. I am able to make changes, to make the writing fit the format I think is best. I enjoy being able to be the decider.

Is the Herd thundering again?

Marshall University's Thundering Herd football team seems to be getting some good reactions, and filling fans with hope for a brighter season. After several years of disappointment, it looks like the Herd might have the right combination of good players and teamwork. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1562580284/So-far-so-good-for-MU-football-in-2009 . Preseason football camp went well for Brian Anderson, Jamal Wilson, Antavious Wilson, and Courtney Edomson, with freshman Quanthony Fletcher getting some serious attention. http://www.herald-dipatch.com/sports/x1562580290/Freshman-linebacker-looking-for-playing-time-in-first-year. Many others were reported to have had a great preseason camp. Fletcher notes that the coaches and other players are very helpful with each other.