Exercise 4.1 Paraphrasing

1. Martin Goldsmith, general manager of the local public radio station would like to raise $100,000 towards programming efforts which is 15% more than was raised last year. With rising costs and spending of $130,000 last year the station needs money to provide the audience with their wants and he hopes this plan will achieve that goal.

3. The response of the audience to last night’s performance was gratifying as stated by Marsha Moss, director of the local symphony orchestra. She feels it is always more fun than playing for critics and the audience’s response is greatly appreciated after all the hard work that went towards the show.

5. Anita Keller, president of the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk driving feels legislators have not gotten the message about laws against drunk driving being too lenient after the issue has been brought up numerous times. The alcohol industry is a heavy influence towards legislator’s that contributes to their campaigns to maintain the current laws which is not decreasing the daily death toll.

7. Bruce Hill, organizer of an antique automobile show set for this weekend believes that old cars like his own 1929 Pacard are amazing if well-maintained. Many of the cars featured will be British cars like old Triumphs and Jaguars which will be something folks would be interested in viewing this Saturday and Sunday because of their allure.

Photo courtesy of Flicker user rowenar.

A young, fair-skinned blonde model with dread locks is posing for a photo in a brightly colored top. As she faces the camera, the viewer is drawn to the elaborate background behind her. For the backdrop, there is a red wall with numerous random pictures. The pictures range from postcards of London and Paris, a poster of Barack Obama and other various symbols and pictures.  It is difficult to decipher if the model with her seductive glance at the camera or the pictures behind her are the main focus of the picture. From the model’s body position and facial expression towards the camera, she shows a sense of confidence that she is owning the picture and is not afraid of the camera. Each feature exudes a massive amount of energy from the bright colors. Among most of the post cards and posters on the wall is a white outline that makes them stand out. As bright as the colors are, the model does not get lost in the picture since her clothes are equally as bright and the colors somehow work well together rather than creating a bright blur of loud colors. The picture illustrates a significant energy, which essentially makes this picture powerful.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old luger from Georgia lost his life on the track in a trial run at the Vancouver Winter Olympics on the morning of February 12th, prior to the opening ceremony that evening. This was a tragic public relations event during the Olympics and the main question surrounding the publics was how to deal with the issue. TV stations like NBC decided not only to share the story as part of the news, but also chose to show the clip numerous times throughout their airtime. The US is fascinated by the sensationalism factor which makes viewing Nodar’s death desirable by viewers. However, despite our interest, should the clip of his death been refrained from the air? The media creates a question of whether the story should be aired to fully inform the viewers or to respect the privacy of Nodar and his family by not showing his untimely death on TV for the entertainment factor of the publics. In this instance the media might have actually gone too far.

Page 68 3.11 Using the Stylebook 9

1. compromises
2. A.D. 33
3. czar
4. QE2
5. court-martials
6. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
7. Navy ROTC
8. liberal
9. pour
10. Atlanta, Georgia

“The Storm Before The Storm” is a story in the Washington Post by Joel Achenbach. He published this story on the morning of February 5, 2010. Joel’s post literally described the storm before the storm that occurred across many supermarkets in the mid-atlantic area before the approaching storm that will hit the area this weekend. Markets were crowded with people, but devoid of the essentials such as milk, eggs, fresh meat, and produce. Customers are fighting for items such as the last turnip in order to have enough food for the blizzard that will trap most people in their homes this weekend. It seems as if the markets are more of a war zone than a place to get basic essentials in the supposed calm before the storm. However, from the description of the markets, it seems as if phase one of the storm has already begun.

Joel Achenbach delivered this story in a humorous manner. He is a blogger known for his humility and this trait is evident in “The Storm Before The Storm.” Rather than saying how packed and devoid of food the markets are, he creates a story by depicting the market as a war-zone. This portrayal of fighting for food and the struggle a person has to go through to get a turnip create a comedic atmosphere as well, which engages the reader by making the simple story interesting. The news value was to highlight the frenzy that people are going through to get the basic essentials for the storm when in fact they are creating a new storm in the markets with the rush and chaos to get everything necessary. The story was successful such that I am not interested in reading news that lists facts and doesn’t engage the reader. This story was engaging by turning the news into a story, which therefore lead me to read the whole article and enjoy what was said in the creative way the author illustrated the news.

4.2 News Values 1 pgs.94-96

Good Guy’ Holds Teacher, Students Hostage

1. The media would be interested in this story because the event occured at a local high school. The affected hostages will most likely notify their family and other community members if they are not notified by a media outlet first. This situation puts the whole community on alert from the trauma suffered at school and will make families think about how to prevent a similar event from occuring in the future. Methods such as violence awareness seminars could be held to combat this issue. Also, briefings and counseling could be available for anyone involved that feels the need to talk to someone. This story is valuable to the media and a worthy piece of news about the hostage happenings.

2.
Who-Good guy Eli Dean
What-Held teacher and students hostage
When-Monday
Where-Central High School
Why-Could have been upset from recent suspensions
How-Held hostages at gunpoint with what is believed to be a .44 caliber revolver for about eight hours

3. Personal sources were used

4. Amanda Garr would be a possible source because she believe him to be upset from his recent suspensions. This shows that she could be close with him and from this relationship would be able to speak to reporters about the current issue to give them as much background information Eli as possible.

5. Check psychological history of Eli should be checked privately to better assess potential reasons for his actions and provide a more accurate reason for his cognitive thought process when holding students and faculty members hostage at school.

It is evident that Hannah will become a famous and internationally known jazz singer.

 
Midville has a small town atmosphere that offers a lot of safety and security, especially to those who are raising families with small children.

Erin saw it pointless  continuing to pay tuition to a college where she felt she was not receiving her money’s worth.

 
During most of February, Laura stayed in her room and tried to fight off the effects of a debilitating cold.