Unit 7 - Editorial Cartoon & Comics

TASK THREE: COMIC RELIEF





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This is my Unit 7 cartoon; It is supposed to dipict the competition between Apple and PC. Apple uses these television commercials to make themselves seem superior to the other computer companies. They use these series of commercials to degrade the competition and society has fallen for the entertainment value of the company. Although Apple's products are state of the art, other companies are not as bad as Apple portrays them to be...

Reporters Without Borders; For Press Freedom

Press Freedom in 2006 Article

I was atonished with all the statistics that were presented in the article. I could not believe all of the reporters and journalists that had been killed while doing their job, and it was hard to imagine the things that they probably had to endure while following up on stories. They are entailed to find the truth and to report it to the public because they deserve to know what is going on in the world that they live in. Unfortunately, there are some people out there that do not want their serets to be revealed, and will go through any means necessary, to make sure they aren't exposed. It is unfair to these reporters and journalists, and I feel for them because they are just innocent people whose job is to write the truth.

As mentioned in the article, 2006 has been the deadliest year for journalists since 1994. There were 81 journalists that were killed this year (103 died in 1994). Most of them came from Iraq, as they accounted for 64 of the deaths. Iraq is a difficult country to report on because it is so dangerous, and that is why the world is so uncertain about what is actually going on there. And while journalist are trying to get to the bottom of it, their lives are on the line. The government also makes it hard because they have to protect themselves as well. From many of the stories in the article, there was a unclear constant with each; many of the cases were dropped or uninvestigated for an unknown reason.

Everyone has the right to express themselves and to express their opinions, and the people that take violent measures should be brought to justice. The only way that journalists and reporters can be protected is if they can come together and fight for their safety. This has started with the Reporters Without Borders group. Although it is still a small group, they only way they can be effective is if they continue to grow and speak out.

Fraud, Lies & Photoshop

In photojournalism, when is it appropriate to use PhotoShop? When is it not appropriate? Does altering the photograph mean altering the truth?

Adobe Photoshop is a powerful tool that can alter the images that have been previously developed at a particular time and place. The program's dynamics is endless considering one can manipulate an image in any way they please. Photoshop can be used in a variety of ways and people have now mastered the "craft" of Photoshop enabling them to let their imagination run freely. Users of the program can easily bend the truth of a photo/image so precisely, that they can influence the viewers to believe that what they see. Viewers then become mislead and the truth of the photo is questioned.

Journalism, in particular Photojouralism, is capturing a moment at one snap of a picture. It is defined as a dicipline of collecting, analysing, verifying, and presenting the news regarding current events, trends, issues, and people (according to Wikipedia.com). So when you incorporate photo, the news should be more precise and exact because you capture a moment while it is occurring. People should not be changing the photo whatsoever because that would imply modifying the truth.

Some may argue that there is no negative way in using Photoshop, but there is no doubt that the truth is influenced when alterations occur on an image. Adobe Photoshop can also have a positive affect on images too, in that it can improve the quality for the viewers. Photoshop can be used to make a picture brighter, sharper, and detailed, so there are some positive ways to use the Photoshop program. It is certainly appropriate to use it if the photo/image comes out different than you intended to and all you want to do is make the picture more detailed and enhanced. I believe if the focus of the pictures (i.e. person, buildings, surroundings, objects) is being changed, then that is going to far, but what i'm basically trying to say, is that Adobe Photoshop should be only used to enhance pictures in photojournalism.

"Putting out a zine, any zine, is a political act. Whether it's the high school kid who does a zine about Sloan, or the collective's newsletter advocating environmental awareness, both are reclaiming what was essentially theirs to begin with."

A zine is a unique outlook in which one can apply their thoughts on paper in such a way that it makes it difficult for readers to ignore what they write and express. Zines allow someone to be creative about what they are trying to articulate and the possibilities are endless.There aren't any limitations to zines, in that anyone can assemble them in any way that they wish and this makes every zine made a sole representation of one's self.

They are meant to be straight from the mind, straight from the heart and meant to make an effect on a reader to any degree, being it humourous, disheartening, anything. I had the chance to make my first zine quite some time ago. I honestly didn't know what to expect coming into 'zine day', considering I didn't exactly know what a zine was, but once we got under way, there was no looking back. We were given the challenge of making a zine within the 5 period (period), and there was no time to be indecisive. I enjoyed it because we got to do anything that we wanted, and my group decided to go with my idea with movies and such.

It gave us the opportunity to talk about our favourite movies and things that we had on our mind about particular films we've seen. We each had a lot to say on the subject, so we had more than enough information to squeeze into the zine. Surprisingly (sarcastically speaking), we didn't finish our zine in time. Yeah, I wanted to get it done by the end of the day, but at the same time I didn't really want to. I wanted it to be just perfect, and I was somewhat relieved that we had the chance to work on it somemore--Basically, I just wanted to talk about my experiences with this zine after reading the quote above. It reminded me of this experience., as it definitely relates to the quote.

The Taste of Success

On Nov. 16th , Journalism will be hosting 2 guest speakers from the Globe and Mail. Attend the J-talks and listen to their stories. Using their experiences as examples, think and write about what is needed to "make it big" in journalism professions.

Journalism is everywhere in today's world. There are newspapers everywhere, and there are many different types of articles for everyone. It may seem like an easy job; sitting around drinking coffee, writing about the news people are itching to know about, but it is way more than that. The ability to tell the readers a story and making it as detailed and powerful as possible is a skill that these journalist have developed over an extensive period of time writing.

When i went to the J-Talk, I didn't know what to expect. I was pretty much there to pick up my signatures from Ms. Largo and getting the heck out of there. Well actually, the only thing that I was expecting from my two periods there, was to catch up on some sleep. But little did I know, i was going to come out of that J-Talk with something significant. (yeah, yeah, yeah.. this all might sound like a load of crap, but it's really true) I think the graphic designer guy caught my attention with all the crazy things he was showing (he had a sick accent too).

But in all seriousness, the quality I think one would need to "make it big" in the journalism profession, is to be curious. The second guy made it clear that if you are curious about what is going on around you, you can discover some pretty cool things. I also remember him saying that you should always ask questions, and that is so true. The only way that you're going to get to the bottom of a compelling story, is to ask questions and see what is really there before making assumptions.

The second dude was pretty good at what he does; I would know because I was there for my power-nap and he kept me up with all the stories he had to tell us. (He kinda reminded me of Parlato too... maybe it was just me). Anyway, i'm off to bed. I think i should make this a daily habit. You know, writing something in my blog before I sleep - 'cause this one seemed like a breeze. I guess I had enough things to say about the Globe and Mail guys. Props to Ms. Largo for that J-Talk! (woooo!!)

Are Wii the Children of the Revolution?

There has been quite a bit of hype surrounding the new Ninetendo Wii gaming system. Some say that the Wii's ability to "democratize" gaming for people of all ages and abilities is revolutionary. Do you think this is a true technological revolution or just hype? Please defend your opinion.

About two weeks ago, I had my first experience with the Nintendo Wii in my hands (literally). From what I heard about the Wii, I came to a personal consensus that the "revolutionary" gaming system was nothing particularly special, so I wasn't expecting much from it. I thought I'd give it a whack since I was at my friends house, and we do nothing else except play with these senseless video gaming systems. (Yes, I said it... senseless. I'm not a big fan and i'm not a total gamehead, but I'll tolerate a game or two from time to time.) My initial impression after taking a few swings was that 'this thing was actually pretty fun'. Obviously the graphics and all the gameplay was nowhere up to par with the current systems (PS3, XBOX360), but it was certainly something different.

It was easy to get a hang of all the little tools and gadgets, and everything about it was certainly stylish. Today, it seems as though these gaming consoles are not just for the games, but it also attempts to make a fashion statement; White is the colour that seems to be in nowadays, considering all the high end technological toys are indeed white--iPod (most Apple products, in fact), XBOX360) Evidently, Nintendo isn't just trying to reach their apparent target market, but the entire world as well.

So to say that the Wii has the ability to "democratize" gaming for people of all ages and abilities is revolutionary, it could be somewhat valid. We have come to a point where, it is not just about the gaming, but it is a time where status is everything. What I'm trying to say is that, there is a majority of people that may purchase a Nintendo Wii, or any other system, just to say that they have one. And while the hype is being built about the Wii's unique capabilities, it exposes itself to those people who are unaware of the Wii's existence. Consequently, it can possibly democratize gaming for everyone, but then again, this will probably be said about the next generation of gaming systems... Hype it is!

Unit 16 - J-Excursion to CBC

This experience was one to remember... It was the first time that I had been to a taping of a show, and it was beneficial for me because television broadcast may be something I want to get into in the future. I am still uncertain about what school I want to go to next year and what I want to do for the rest of my life, so it was good for me to see first-hand what it is like on a real set. Television broadcast is an area of media that somewhat interests me, so I was astonished by all the behind the scenes processes and equipment.

Honestly, I had never seen the show 'The Hour' until that taping, and I got to say, it's a pretty interesting and informative show. George Stroumboulopoulos was a very down-to-earth person, and he made all of us feel like we were part of the show. He constantly came to us and asked if we had any questions for him. George is someone that makes the show appealing to the younger audience because of his interviewing techniques, but more importantly, he, himself, appeals to the youth. He is not the typical journalist who is usually formal and conservative, but he is rather blunt and straight-forward.

George also explained to us that he often has guests on the show who are interesting and have an intriguing story to tell, and I think this is an important factor that makes The Hour and great show. While, the questions he asks are vital in the interview, it is the guest on the show that makes or brakes the interview.