Daredevil Nik Wallenda

Cassandra Gray
February 25, 2013
Professor Leake
Writing

Daredevil Nik Wallenda

I first came across this image by Googling “Best news photos of 2012.” On the USAToday news site, this picture was ranked one of the best photos. After finding it interesting, I decided to look up the new stories that went with it.

On June 15, 2012, 33 year old Nik Wallenda became the first person tightrope walker to walk “1,800 feet across the mist-fogged brink of the roaring falls separating the U.S. and Canada” (Fox news).  Other tightrope walkers have walked across Niagara Falls, but it has not been attempted since 1896 and it was more downstream. Various news sites documented this amazing story and used many different pictures.

Fox News took a simple approach to the event. It properly explained who, what, when, and why. Wallenda is the seventh-generation member of wild performers to have a dream of attempting a stunt that has never been attempted before. It was estimated that about 125,000 viewers on the Canadian side and 4,000 viewers on the American side watched. ABC sponsored the daredevil $1.3 million to help his make his dream come true. In return, ABC televised the walk. The walk was completed on a two-inch wire. In order for the wire to not swing, Pendulum anchors were designed by his mother. To give some background history, Nik comes from a family full of acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, animal trainers, and trapeze artists. In 1978, the family was touched by a tragedy. Karl Wallenda, Nik’s great grandfather and hero, fell to his death during a tightrope walk in Puerto Rico. It took Nik two years to be able to persuade the U.S. and Canadian authorities to allow the act. Finally, the authorities were convinced because they thought it could boost the region’s economy. Fox News used the picture above and a picture of the visitors at the Niagara Falls . The picture of Nik walking across Niagara Falls gives the reader a face to put with the name of the article. The picture is also beautiful, which gives the reader a sense of how it must have been walking across the roaring falls.

By providing a picture of the amount of visitors, it gave the reader a sense of how many people came out and watched this event in history. The cable is also seen and how large the Falls are. The distance from the cable and the water can be described through this picture.

Daily Mail, a British news site, gave a different account about what happened at this event. The news story focused more on what he was doing and what instruments he used. Nik Wallenda only took 25 minutes to walk across the Niagara Falls. The water 200 ft beneath his feet roared at 65 mph. To help his balance, Wallenda carried a 40 ft pole attached to a brace around his neck. He also wore a safety harness attached to the cable. The website gave several pictures of his journey across the lake. An interesting point that was brought up in the article was that he looked at his feet instead of looking straight ahead.

The images on this website helped visualize the event more than Fox News and USA Today. The images brought the event to life because Wallenda’s expressions were easily visible and the water conditions were noticeable.

The images allow the news story to come alive.  Emotions spur within the reader once they view the images. A person may feel fear, anxiety, or hope towards the tightrope walker. Without the images the event would just be another story. With pictures, the story is easily believed and presented as fact.

Works Cited

http://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/2012/12/18/best-news-photos-of-2012/1760717/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/15/wallenda-begins-walks-across-niagara-falls-wire/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160143/Niagara-Falls-tightrope-walk-2012-Walker-Nik-Wallenda-person-cross.html

Review Questions:

#1 Reviewer’s Name: Julia Chun
1. Is the image analyzed in relationship to a larger story, and what is that story?

The story is about Nik Wallenda and how he journeyed on a tightrope across the Niagara Falls. She compares the story told by three different news sites with three different images.

2. How is the image analyzed?

The images are analyzed by purposes each serves.

3. What do you find most interesting about the analysis?

It is interesting how each picture is so different and taken from different points of view. I like how you mentioned one source said he looked at his feet.

4. What is most confusing or in need of great attention or explanation?

I think more attention should be placed on the image rather than the story. Maybe the emotion it spurs in you and potentially in other readers.

5. Other comments and suggestions for revision?

I think all the images are very interesting, but more of your essay was summarizing each story rather than analyzing the image in relation to the story. I think you gave a very elaborate description for the Fox news image and should try to make the other description about the same amount by either lessening Fox or lengthening the other.

#2        Reviewer’s Name: Jerrod R.

1. Is the image analyzed in relationship to a larger story, and what is that story?

            The image is analyzed in relationship to the story of Nik Walenda and his crossing of Niagara Falls.

2. How is the image analyzed?

            The image was analyzed by using three different news agencies rather than just one to fill in the gaps that each story leaves out.

3. What do you find most interesting about the analysis?

            I personally find the multiple news agencies to be very intriguing and added more to the story than what would have just been left out if the author just stuck with the Fox News story or otherwise.

4. What is most confusing or in need of great attention or explanation?

            I think that the paper could be bolstered through the use of quotations from the articles in conjunction with the pictures.

5. Other comments and suggestions for revision?

            I think that this was a rather good piece and a rather interesting story to cover.

You're So Out of Style

“In taking an approach, you rewrite no passages or ideas from a text but another writer’s mode or style of working” (Harris 95).  In Joseph Harris’ chapter “Taking an Approach,” he focuses on more of the style and influences of a writer. There is a strong and weak way to take an approach. A weak way would be in...”which one assumes the role of a disciple, adopting (rather than adapting) the moves and interest of another thinker”(74). In other words, one who just adopts an idea from a writer (kind of like what I did just now). Using quotes is a way of a weak approach. A way to have a strong approach is to transform a piece of writing and use the writer as an influence. A few examples of this are movies and covers. Movie producers that use books as an idea for a movie is a way of taking a strong approach. In order to produce a book into a movie, the director has to be creative and use the book as an influence. The movie cannot simply be only the details in the book. The movie would never sell. Another example Harris used is when he was writing one of his books. He adopted the style of another writer. The influencing author used a style where he analyzed words. Harris did not just steal this man’s style, he also cited in his interests section of his book. I found it interesting that although he was not using a direct part of the author's writing, the man still needed to be recognized. Taking an approach can be described in three categories: acknowledging influences, turning an approach on itself, and reflexivity.

The New York Times uses more of a weak approach and has an interviewing style.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/business/energy-environment/obamas-keystone-pipeline-decision-risks-new-problems-either-way.html?hp&_r=0
The New York Times generally uses a lot of quotes in their articles. 

“It’s rare that a president has such a singular voice on such a major policy decision,” Mr. Brune said. 

They also receive these quotes from interviews and attending the events. A more diverse view is gained by having quotes but it also loses impact. It is more of a block form of writing rather than a good solid flow.

I have been reading the blog The Everywhereist. (http://www.everywhereist.com). This blog does not have weak approach, but I would also say it does not have a strong approach either. This blog is more of a free flow of thoughts. She does put in links whenever she finds something interesting. But she does have an original style. However, the style is not adopted from anywhere else. Her personality shines through her blog. By having her own style, she receives a lot more viewers on her website. But by having her own style, she cannot be used as a legit information source.  

Undeserved accolades:

TIME magazine’s Top 25 Blogs of 2011. (Proof that god occasionally gets drunk.)

Does Security have a Price tag? (Rewrite of news article with reviews)

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22124757/denver-police-spent-500k-du-debate-but-city
Denver police spent $500K on DU debate, but city got good PR
by Jeremy P. Meyer
12/04/2012

I rewrote this article to a college audience, specifically DU students. The newspaper wrote it more to the general public about the financial issue of the DU Debate. I believe that it should be towards college students, especially students who attend DU. I did not know that $500,000 was spent on just security alone for the debate.

Does Security have a Price tag?

SWAT cars with armed soldiers on all sides, police barricades, limited walking access around campus, and snipers on the roof of Centennial Halls is what I woke up to on October 3, 2012. A question you might ask would be, “Why is there so much security?” On October 3, University of Denver became a part of election history. My college hosted the first presidential debate of 2012. I am a University of Denver student and also became a part of this history. However, there were factors about the debate that I did not realize or was aware of.

On October 3, the Denver police spent nearly $500,000 to provide security for the presidential debate at the University of Denver. According to Denver Police Chief Robert White, nearly $90,000 was in overtime costs and about $400,000 was on-duty costs. All of this money was going towards the safety of our president and candidate. With this much security on campus, I had mixed feelings. I felt safer because I could see the SWAT cars driving around my school. However, I felt more uneasy due to the fact that there is no a reason for someone with bad intentions to come onto my campus. One thing to ask as a new resident in Denver, Colorado is, “Where is this money coming from?” The city would like to believe that the Democrats and Republicans will help repay the hefty cost of holding the debate. The city has been concerned about where this money will actually come from, and they have the right to be. The Denver police spent over budget.

The Denver Police were in charge of the full-time security for the candidates, security around hotels, crowd management, and on the perimeter of the D.U. Campus. To protect the candidates, the campus was blocked off by several fences. Students noticed there was going to be a change on campus. The preparation for the debate started a few weeks prior. While the gates were being set up, students were allowed to walk through them to class. But on the day of the debate, classes were canceled and the official change began. News reporters would question the students on their political views and about holding the debate on campus. Was having the debate in Denver worth the trouble? I would say yes. Although the Denver police spent a hefty about of money on the presidential debate, the benefits of hosting it outweighed the cost. The city of Denver received international recognition. News reporters, students, teachers, upper class, middle class, lower class, and the international world tuned into Denver for the 2012 presidential election. Denver was allowed to shine through the media. The University of Denver estimated that the city of Denver would receive $10 million to $15 million bonus from the debate that brought in thousands of journalists, crews, and campaign staffers. Everyone wanted to be a part of this history.  DU also estimated to receive about $55.7million worth of media expose to the school. The media reviews will likely increase the attendance at the school and increase their reputation nationally and internationally. It was estimated that 67.2 million television views, in just the United States, tuned into the debate. This will boost tourism in Denver, grow the economy, create more jobs, and generate more tax dollars over the years. Although the $500,000 police security bill seems like a lot, it won’t after time. The media boost does not stop here though. 15 police officers will be sent to the presidential inauguration to assist the Metro-politan Police Department of Washington D.C.  Don’t worry, City of Denver. The city will be reimbursed by the cost of the holding the presidential debate at the University of Denver. With growing press and a growing international reputation, Denver will make its money back in time and more.

Reviews:

Bill Schaff Review

1)The original article was written the general public. It was about how the police department over spent for security at the debate. She rewrote this article to appeal to students at the University of Denver. To explain to DU students what it really took to out on this event and how it will help our school and the city

2)The change of the audience is shown by how she simply explains what it took to put on the event to college kids and what this will bring to The University of Denver and to the city of Denver.

3)There are 2 things that could help her introduction. First off is to write it more towards college kids. It felt like you were just summarizing the first part of the article and didn’t really change the article in this paragraph. Also, I would add something to grab the attention of your audience.

4)A way to make this paper target your audience better is to change the style of writing. To me it felt like it was very similar to the style of the article. Maybe write more as a blog style where you add in your own opinion, the opinion of a DU student.

5)I really liked how you are writing this to DU students because it happened here. I found it very interesting because I personally did not know most of this information.

Review by Julia Chun -

1)      The original story is about the costs of police protection during the debate and how the police department wants the political parties to pay them back for the high costs. The audience is the general public (residents of Denver –denverpost). The purpose was to inform Denver citizens of the costs of the debate on the city of Denver.

a.      The new audience is University of Denver students. The purpose is to inform the students of the costs police spent on the debate that took place in October.

2)      The change in audience is reflected in the slightly different diction. More focus is placed on how we are in the city of Denver.

3)      I think introduction could be made into more of an attention-grabber.

4)      The piece might better target the DU student audience if you told it from your point of view (also a DU student). Maybe make it more personable, or make it more about how the debate took place at our school, how you remember the barricade the police made, etc. J Think about maybe rewriting in a more informal setting, or as if you are writing in the DU Clarion.

5)      It was really similar to the original, so try to change more of the diction or the tone. 

Memory believes being knowing remembers

“Maybe because photographs tamper with the glue that holds life and memory together.” 

Wow. Wow is the only thing that came to mind when I finished this article. I loved Errol Morris’ article “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire” form the New York Times. I found it fabulous for a couple of reasons. Probably the main reason I liked it is because I love to take pictures. On my Facebook, I have almost 8,000 pictures. The 8,000 pictures are from my freshman year onward.  Of course, I have a lot more on my computer and on hard drives from previous years. I also loved the way he brought up the issue between images and beliefs. Morris was right. When I look at a picture, I believe that the picture is what the caption says. I automatically believe that it is true. This belief made me wonder where it originated for me. It probably started with family pictures, school textbooks, and maybe television. When I was younger, I took everything as a true fact. For example, what little kid does not believe in Santa Clause and Cinderella? Morris stated, “I might imagine things about the people and places in the photographs but know nothing about them. Nothing.” I do not know my family very well. I have met my grandparents five times in my life and my aunts and uncles less than that on my mom’s side (since she moved to the United States from England when she was in her 20s). When I look at pictures of my family, I just assume that they are who the caption or tag says they are. I have met my sister only a few times in my life. I have a picture of us when I am about two years old. But, of course, I do not remember. I take the picture as a fact. 

I also don't remember being scared of military men. haha

http://www.cbsnews.com/8334-201_162-57407221/15-best-april-fools-day-hoaxes/

Every year, newspapers do funny news stories for April Fool’s day. Some people actually believe the ridiculous pictures that they see. This reminds me of Morris’ post about how we just assume that pictures are true. But, today Photoshop is available to the public. You cannot always trust the pictures you see.

Yes/Maybe/No

In Joseph Harris’ book “Rewriting”, he describes the concept of countering. Countering is a way to respond to a piece of writing the reader may or may not agree with. Countering is kind of similar to forwarding. Forwarding is where the discussion is lead to a new light. Countering is the discussion that is taking place. “Countering looks at other views and texts not as wrong but as partial – in the sense of being both interested and incomplete. In countering you bring a different set of interest to bear upon a subject, look to notice what others have not” (Harris 56). When countering an argument, the writer has to focus on the little details. An argument is found when looking at the piece of writing line by line, rather than the whole thing. The writer does not have to disagree with all of it.  Harris discusses three ways of creating a counter argument: arguing the other side, uncovering values, and dissenting.  Arguing the other side is when an author looks at the details and makes a solid argument against it. Uncovering values is to “notice what a text leaves unasked” (Harris 64). By examining details that are not fully explained, a writer is able to expand their ideas and bring the discussion to a new light. Dissenting is where the writer shares a few ideas with the author, but also has some new issues to bring up. (I just did a little bit of dissenting with that sentence haha).

Here is an example I found of countering:

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_22551565/devil-is-gun-checks-details

The gun issue has been a very countering argument issue. There are both pros and cons on the subject. Depending on the article being read, the author may argue for and against it. But there are a lot of gray areas on the subject. When it comes to countering, the unbiased view of the subject is usually lost. Knowledge of a certain side of the argument is usually gained and the issue is altered for their purpose.

The Circle of Life

The idea of forwarding that Joseph Harris describes in his book “Rewriting” has been around for a long time. It has just been in disguised. The chapter “Forwarding "made realize how much I actually forward and what type of information I pass along. To start out, I would like to present this definition of forwarding. “It suggests that the goal of such writing is not to have the final word on a subject, to bring the discussion to a close, but to push it forward, to say something new, something that seems to call further talk and writing” (Harris 35-36). Forwarding is when someone is presenting new information about the topic, while also spreading the current information. The writer also uses the information for his or her’s purpose.  “In forwarding a text, you test the strength of its insights and the range and flexibility of its phrasing.” Why would you use a text that did not expand your thought process? I used forwarding when writing academically, blogging, Facebook, and in conversations. Academically and blogging, I use forwarding in the illustration way to expand my thought process. I would quote books, people, magazines, or online material.  When it comes to Facebook, I use forwarding a little differently. I use more of the borrowing approach. By sharing pictures and statuses, an idea is being passed. Although it might not expand the idea, unless the person commented on the post, the idea is being spread. 

When I thought of examples of forwarding, the Article “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother” came to mind. This article was a powerful article written by a woman that has a child that is special needs. She talks about her struggle she deals with and the love she has for her child. She relates to herself to the mother of Adam Lanza, the shooter in the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre.

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html

The article was forward through Facebook, newspapers, and blogs. Writers began to write about this article and the impact it caused.

The product:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2012/12/18/after-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

http://writerhughes.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/forwarding-the-blog-post-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/12/18/furor-over-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-viral-blog-post-rages-but-is-the-mommy-blogger-right-about-guns-mental-health/

The full article is lost, but the original idea of it remains. By expanding the idea, more depth is added to the issue. The article is altered and some is remained the same depending on the writer’s purpose. 

Press-Sphere

In Jeff Jarvis’ article “The Press Becomes the Press-Sphere”, he describes two different ways to retrieve information. There is the press sphere and the me-sphere. I could relate more to the me-sphere because it is how I receive my news. As I have discussed in my last two blogs, my main two information sources are Facebook and through friends. When I was looking at the me-sphere picture, a few of the bubbles stuck out to me. The peers bubble was the largest. This would make sense to me because out of all the bubbles, my peers are where I get the most information. There were a few bubbles that were the same size: companies, media, and search. These bubbles related to one another. From media, such as Facebook, radio, and television, companies would put advertisements on these media sources. By searching on the internet, I would also run into advertisements. This is a way for me to receive news from companies, about their products and what they have been working on.  Jarvis also talked about what a press sphere was. A press sphere is where the press receives their information. They receive their information from many sources, such as the government, witnesses, data, and observes. Most of the bubbles are the same size, so they receive their information almost equally from all the sources. The biggest bubble, however, is the witness bubble. This would also make sense when comparing the me-sphere with the press sphere. In the me-sphere the biggest bubble is peers, which is word of mouth communication. Witnesses are also word of mouth communication. Jarvis’ article is a little confusing to understand. His descriptions of his figures were not very clear. By reading New York Times, I have noticed that the press receives a lot of their news by interviewing witnesses. The press has to do a lot of work in order to have a good story. 

Convenience

 Convenience

Jimmy Wales once said, “If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist.” To a point, that is a very true statement. Today’s society relies on Google for many things such as the weather, research, and browsing. It is the most popular and growing web search engine. Google has even become a verb. Google has transformed its image as just a search engine to many other uses. Google Plus is a way for people to connect with one another. Along with Google Plus, there is Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Tumblr. These websites also allow people to connect with each other all over the world. They are able to share ideas, pictures, conversations, and laughs through a single click. Some will argue that our generation is becoming illiterate. One of their arguments is that my generation has lost the ability to socially interact with one another. But, I would disagree with them. Generations communicate differently. New technology actually has increased the ability to connect and allowed society to become more sociable. Time has proven that not all change is bad.

            “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”  George Bernard Shaw couldn’t have said it better. This is how I feel about people who are not open to the idea of new technology and the use of today’s advancements. In the article, “Is Google making us stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, Carr brings out many valid points in his article with this question. One of them being that Google is convenient. Why would a person want to plough through textbooks to find a few bits of information for a research paper when you could find it quickly and easily on the internet? Even Carr admits that “I’m just seeking convenience” (Carr 2). Within a few seconds, Google can bring up over a million results on just about any topic. Although it is not the old fashion way, it is the most efficient way of finding information.

            Although my generation tries to go for the most efficient way of doing things, we are a little bit on the lazy side. One of the most popular ways of getting thoughts out is through blogs. Blogging is a forum for free speech. It is an informal way of writing that does not go through an editing process and, therefore, represents a true and honest voice. Anything and anyone can be a part of a blog. A blog is longer than a text message, but shorter than a newspaper. In Carr’s article he states, “[A] blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it” (Carr 2). People want convenience, but that does not mean that we cannot read a decent sized piece of writing. Sure, whenever I do not want to read something, I skim it. But when I do skim, I always go back to make sure that I understood what the passage had to say. Convenience does not mean we can get away with laziness.

            Andrea Lunsford had a nice take on social media in her article, “Our Semi-literate Youth?  Not So Fast”. She conducted a study by collecting different pieces of writing throughout a student’s college career. Lunsford does not think that our generation is becoming illiterate. Activities such as blogging and texting, “seemed to help them develop a range or repertoire of writing styles, tones, and formats along with a range of abilities” (Lunsford 1). She believes that students know when it is the appropriate time to do formal writing and when it is appropriate not to. For example, it would be considered unusual if someone sent an essay sized piece of writing in a text message. Text message are designed for short and sweet communication.

            There are many people who believe that America is becoming illiterate. One of these individuals is Chris Hedges. In his article “America the Illiterate”, Hedges separates America into two different worlds. The literate section knows what truth is. The illiterate section cannot tell the difference between truth and the lies. He believes that Americans who still use print material are the literate section. Hedges observes the change from a print to an image based society. One example of this transition is fast food restaurants. “Many eat at fast food restaurants not only because it is cheap but because they can order from pictures rather than menus. And those who serve them, also semi-literate or illiterate, punch in orders on cash registers whose keys are marked with symbols and pictures”( Hedges 1-2). Hedges has a strong opinion against the illiterate. Although it may be true that we have converted to images, it does not mean we are “dumbing down.” It all comes down to speed, convenience, and accuracy.  By looking at pictures, it is faster than reading a whole menu. Customers expect quick service, especially when ordering at a fast food restaurant.  Hedges also brings up political debates. One of his claims is that America is becoming illiterate due to progressively decreasing candidate speaking levels. During the Lincoln-Douglas debate, Abraham Lincoln spoke around an 11.2 level and Stephen A. Douglas spoke around 12.0 level. Bill Clinton spoke at a 7.6 level and George H.W. Bush spoke at a 6.8 level (Hedges 2). Until 1850, white males who owned property were the only people allowed to vote. These men were well educated and wealthy. In 1850, almost all adult white males could vote. Still, the candidates were very well educated and directed their debate toward the highest educated white males ("Infoplease").These white males had power. Today, an American citizen 18 and older can vote. When considering the widespread criteria of age, population, and gender, there is a huge difference. Candidates are talking to everyone in the United States. Children in high school and middle school are now tuning into the debates.  Candidates in the past were talking to the highly educated, wealthy property owners. They were not giving their attention to children and poor families, hence the strategic reduction in speaking levels.

            Let’s shift our view to some forms of advanced technology. Skype is another useful and extraordinary piece of technology. It allows people from all over the world to visually contact one another in a convenient, cheap fashion. It could be someone down the street, the next city, or even another country. Some may argue that Skype takes away social interaction, I would disagree. Skype allows a person to witness events from which they would normally be excluded.  Plane tickets and car fuel are very expensive and it may not be possible to travel. Skype allows a person to have a face-to-face interaction without actually being physically present. Anyone is able to see a newborn child, talk to family, or an old friend that they have not seen for a while. Social interaction is still possible with the internet. Before Skype, people tried to use earlier versions of video chat to connect with another. Some of these earlier versions were AIM and MSN. They had chat sites that had webcam ability. The texting style of writing originated from chat sites.  Social media does not take away from an experience, but it can enhance it.

            Cell phones are a competitive market. Although cell phones are fairly new, they have become a necessity for success in the working world. Without one, a person is unable to keep up with the ever-changing world and its demands. Cell phones have changed in styles over the years. They began as a bulky block shaped object, to a sleeker flip phone, to a slide phone, back to a compact block phone. Although they evolved from and back to a block phone, the technology has changed drastically.  The original phone made simple calls. Today, a cell phone is a mini computer. A cell phone is able to connect to the internet, make phone calls, and has use of an array of applications. Let’s bring this back to our original question, “Is Google making us stupid?” Google is never far away anymore. Google is easily accessed from a device that sits in our pockets. With that much information at our finger tips, would you say that my generation is done with learning? Or are we just adaptable enough to be able to use our resources? It all comes down to the question of what is considered knowledge.

Albert Einstein once said, “Information is not knowledge.” By this definition, Google-ing would not be considered a way to gain knowledge. However, I would argue that Google is a door to knowledge. By researching a topic, Google brings up many documents. By reading books online and research documents, a person is able to attain knowledge. But, knowledge is only  gained if sufficient time is invested in reading, digesting, and arriving at conclusions from the material available. Any type of reading material can be an avenue to knowledge. Knowledge comes from experience and investing time into the action. Hedges would agree with this statement. “One America, now the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world” (Hedges 1). Although the print-based material is not on paper, online material is just the same. He just wants the world to be educated to the best level possible. Not by skimming, like Carr mentioned.  America needs to learn the difference between what actual knowledge is and what it is not and identify when we see it.

Social media and new technology have added convenience, efficiency, and visual enhancement to today’s generation.  Not all change is bad. So far, technology has allowed people to communicate all over the world. We have gone from having pen pals, to emails and from emails to text messages.. Where will we be going next?   The possibilities are endless.

             

           

Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?."Alantic. (2008): n. page. Web. 4 Feb. 2013. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/>.

Hedges, Chris. "America the Illiterate." Truthdig. (2008): n. page. Web. 4 Feb. 2013. <http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081110_america_the_illiterate/>.

Lunsford, Andrea. "Our Semi-literate Youth? Not So Fast." Standford. n. page. Web. 4 Feb. 2013. <http://www.stanford.edu/group/ssw/cgi-bin/materials/OPED_Our_Semi-Literate_Youth.pdf>.

"U.S. Voting Rights." Infoplease. Pearson Education, n.d. Web. 4 Feb 2013. <http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html>. 

The Big Apple: New York

Reading New York Times for class still seems like a chore for me. I do not like to take time out of my day to read the newspaper. I am a very busy person and it’s hard to take time for something I do not enjoy doing. I also have a hard time viewing reading New York Times as homework. I have noticed I am drawn to crime and murder articles. I do not know why I find them interesting. It could be because I was addicted to the show Cold Case for a while. I find them a lot more interesting than political issues. I try to avoid political issues as much as I can. They are long and usually I get lost trying to understand them. I probably get lost because I don’t actually want to read them. This is terrible of me since I am a voter now. I have probably missed a lot of important debatable topics such as the gun law issue. I was not very interested in that debate, so I did not engage myself. By reading New York Times, I am able to engage in more conversations. As I have stated in another blog post, I love to grab coffee with friends and world issues usually come up. It is a lot easier to involve yourself in a conversation when you know something about the subject. I would much rather read Denver Post because I am in Denver and I like the style better. I had to a newspaper project for my media college class where I had to read 5 different newspapers for a week and compare them. Denver Post ended up being my overall favorite. The New York Times was second, but not a close second. My hometown newspaper was my least favorite because it was not updated frequently and did not have a good online format. 

Dude, it was on Facebook

While reading through some of my classmate’s blog posts, I have noticed quite a few trends. Most of them receive news the way I do, through friends and Facebook. I found it interesting how many people viewed receiving news from Facebook in a negative light. However, Facebook should not be embarrassing news source. Although I will admit that I said it was embarrassing in my blog. It is a fast and efficient way to keep people updated. If they receive the news, does it really matter how they found out? Facebook is a way to connect. If a person does not have a Facebook, they are cut out from events and news. Instead of inviting a friend to a party face to face, a Facebook event is usually made. This is how people spread news. Hedges would be disappointed that our generation receives a lot of news from Facebook. Facebook is not a legit reading source, but it is a way to connect. Carr, however, might bring up his point about convenience. While on Facebook, it is a way to skim news. Another source people commonly agreed with is through people. The word of mouth is still very popular. My generation loves to grab coffee and gossip. Gossip is not a bad way to receive news. However, the gossip should always be checked with a valid source. I found it funny that no one really read The New York Times before this class. They receive news by just doing their everyday activities. The news comes to them through passing. While on Facebook, a person is not usually looking for world changing news. In high school, I was a member of the Speech and Debate team. One of the events I competed in was Congress. I was made the Congress captain because I was quite good at the event. This means that I had to do a lot of research, all the time. Reading The New York Times reminds me of Congress research. It is not my favorite thing to do, but I know what stories I should be knowledgeable about. I like how some people had the same opinion as me about reading the news. Regarding civic literacy, this is not a negative way to receive news, just different.