Monthly Archives: December 2013

Dealing with the public on social media

Posted on by
Reply

By MATIAS WODNER

The tragic news of actor Paul Walker’s death in a violent car accident did not arise without some controversy, shockingly. TMZ first reported that Walker was killed in the car accident, but because of their reputation of reporting false stories in the past, some began to refute the story. Other news outlets disputed the story, saying that Walker was not confirmed as one of the victims.

Local Miami reporter for NBC 6, Courtney Fallon, linked to the TMZ story on her Twitter account. Some followers of hers, probably shocked and saddened by the story, immediately attacked her for doing so, citing the other sources that could not confirm Walker’s identity. These unruly people bashed her wholeheartedly, and it was rather unfortunate to see.

An hour later, the story was confirmed by her news outlet and the situation had subsided. Other news media members took to her defense, calling her situation ridiculous and calling for those who attacked her to apologize.

This circumstance might be a learning tool for myself and for other news reporters. Not only because you should be careful about what you put out on social media, but you should be careful about how you handle the public that is following you. You need to handle Twitter and other social media followers in a professional manner and can’t let your emotions get the best of you. I applaud Courtney Fallon for handling the situation in a professional manner and I hope I will have the same mental fortitude.

Print journalism Is dead?

Posted on by
Reply

By ALEXANDRA SILVER

A professor at the University of Miami School of Communication recently stated that “print journalism is dead.’

Is print journalism, in fact, ‘dead’? Or is it evolving into an online experience? Although television news is becoming increasingly popular, online reporting is crucial, therefore print media are not dead, but are simply changing.

As a student who is passionate about writing and reporting the most up to date and factual news, I firmly believe that many will continue to rely on written reports as opposed to television news.

Many articles are headlined “The Dire State of the Newspaper” and “Death of the Newspaper,” which is scary for many print journalism majors at colleges and universities, but online journalism is booming. Blogs, online magazines, and popular television stations are in need of talented writers. Although the newspaper itself might be on the decline, there is hope left for talented writers.

The revenue that newspapers make is dropping steadily year after year, from 48 billion to 44 an then to a staggering 28 billion. This is a 44% drop in revenue, which seems particularly scary to some, but once again this drop is due to the evolution of print.

So do not fret, print majors, you will be more than able to showcase your talent in some form or another.