Comment Culture HW

I commented on three different online stories/videos. My first two were on youtube videos, specifically the Christina Aguilera super bowl mistake video recording and a random vlog that someone had created. The third was on the Red Sox Spring training and the future season predictions. When I commented on the youtube videos I felt that my language could be more relaxed and if I wanted to pass judgment on the videos I could because my name wasn't going to be associated with my comment. I found that what we discussed in last weeks class held true. I was more relaxed about what I said in my comments because I didn't have to worry about being held responsible for them. However, when I commented on the Red Sox predictions story I was more careful with what I said. Maybe it is because I genuinely care about the Red Sox and I wanted to voice my opinion on the upcoming season. Even though I didn't choose to use my real name for this comment, I still wanted to sound educated and not ignorant on the topic, regardless of whether or not my name was on the comment. I looked back on these comments and none of them really started conversations. I think that for the Red Sox comment it was because people were doing what I was doing and were posting their own opinions based off of the story, and not about what other people wrote. The youtube videos were the same way, especially the Christina Aguilera video because people were just preoccupied with bashing her in their own words. When I commented on the three facebook posts I had a different mentality than when I was commenting on the other stories. These comments were between my friends and I and that made the commenting much more casual and relaxed than the other stories. The comments that I left on the facebook posts did spark conversations but they usually came from my other friends who were commenting. Commenting on the facebook posts came more naturally and felt less pressured than the comments I left on the youtube and Red Sox stories because I am more accustomed to commenting on facebook than I am on other news and youtube stories/vlogs.

Why I Think My Letters Could be Chosen

Firstly, I chose to write my letters on topics that I know people are interested or invested in. I came across the Boston Sunday Globe article in my apartment and I knew that the topic of job economy would be a good article to write a letter to the editor. I also chose this article because as a college student who will be graduating soon and looking for a job, I am able to write this letter to the editor with a passion and first hand experience dealing with the job market. I did not want to take this letter to the editor too seriously, in terms of language. I wanted to take a different approach, using upbeat language and sayings in order to possibly catch the eye of a Boston Sunday Globe publisher. I also think that my letter could be chosen because I am a college student, who goes to school in Massachusetts. This is a large demographic that the Boston Globe tries to reach with their articles.
In my other letter to the editor about the protesting taking place in Egypt, I wanted to take a more serious tone with the letter. Partly because this was being sent to the New York Times and another that this is a more exposed and current topic. I think that I could be chosen to be published because what I said in my letter is agreed upon by many other students and adults that I have talked to about the topic. Another reason why I wanted to write a letter in response to this article, is because I wanted to voice my opinion in that we should take our time in dealing with the friction taking place in Egypt.

Letter to the Editor #2

Boston Sunday Globe
January 9, 2011

After reading the article, "After a grim year, employers are once again optimistic about hiring," written by Megan Woolhouse, all I can say is FINALLY! As a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst all I have been thinking about or talking about since freshman year has been jobs, jobs, jobs. One month it seems the job market is improving and than the market plummets. The yo-yo of the job market can cause stress on anyone, but as a college student who will be emerging into the workforce with no jobs available it can be especially difficult. Although, the article cautions that it will take years before the job market is back to where it was before the recession, at least it is improving. I am thankful that these article are being published and are giving reliable facts and figures. I realize that my expectations of getting my dream job straight after graduation are naive and unrealistic, however with articles like thisI am starting to feel hopeful again.

Letter to the Editor #1

New York Times
In the article, "Allies Press U.S. to go Slow on Egypt," by Mark Landler and Helene Cooper, the countries surrounding Egypt are saying that they want the U.S. to take caution when dealing with the controversy of political leadership in Egypt. As a reader and a U.S citizen, I have to agree with this. Although, we might feel that as a powerful country it is time to step up and take drastic measures, the affects of our actions will not be felt on our home front. However, if the U.S. intervention were to be too harsh or abrupt it will be the surrounding countries and the citizens of Egypt that will be feeling the ultimate pressure. Considering that the the current pressure that is being placed on Egyptian officials seems to be paying off, I think that the United States government should allow for this issue to run its course. The last thing we should want as a country is for the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan to repeat itself with Egypt.  Hilary Clinton says that, "the best way for Arab countries to protect themselves was to begin addressing the grievances of their people." I fully agree with this statement, a country will eventually face problems if the people of that country don't take the problems of the people seriously. Overall, I feel that the United States should take their future actions with caution. If they choose to take drastic measures and disregard the request of the countries surrounding Egypt then the United States could end up facing scrutiny that we could have avoided.

Impressive Letters to the Editor

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/opinion/l02egypt.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I chose the first letter to the editor which was written by Michel Barsoum. His letter caught my eye because he was originally from Egypt and he was providing the readers with a first hand response about the environment there. He wrote this letter the way that I feel is most effective in getting a point across. He was short and concise, yet the message he was trying to show is apparent. The reader of this letter doesn't read it and wonder what point he was trying to make, instead it is very clear. The set-up of his letter is also something that caught my attention. He starts by saying something personal, for example his personal connection to this story. Then he leads into telling a few facts  and figures about the situation that is going on in Egypt. Then he says what he believes is the wanted solution to the problem, and that is will be a difficult project for whoever gets it. Lastly, he ends with something inspirational for the reader to hold on to and continue to give support to the people of Egypt.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-110124biladeau_briefs,0,6594186.story

This is a letter to the editor from the Chicago Tribune, about health care reform written by Arthur Biladeau. This letter first caught my eye because it was more of an annoyed reader responding to an article that he disagreed with. Although the letter comes across as the reader being annoyed they still offer points within their letter that they use to back themselves up. I think that this is important in an opinionated letter to the editor if you want to come across as knowing what you're talking about, instead of just writing on emotion. If a writer simply rants in their letter to the editor than readers will just see them as venting and annoying and disregard what they have to say. Therefore, the message that the writer is trying to share will be forgotten. However, I liked this letter because he combined a sense of emotion with facts and it made the letter more viable.

Feb. 2 HW Reaction

I think that this quote is a quote that all editors should follow when considering the letters to the editor. I agree that in order to have a flowing and accurate conversation between people about a story or issue there can be no intervening on the part of the publishers or the newspaper. However, they need to be able to ensure that letters which have no relevance are not published, so there needs to be some weeding of stories in order to provide the public a letter worth reading and sharing. This is demonstrated when the quote says, "they are also eager to show that ethical aims of fairness, accuracy, and balance underpin the letters page." I fully agree with this statement, because I think that a newspaper wants to attract more letters and comments and in order to attract readers they need to have an intelligent and informed conversation via letters to the editor.

January 26th HW Reaction

I think that the first quotation is the view point that older journalists held when reporting their stories to the public. Before newspaper articles were posted on the Internet, and before the public were able to comment on the stories people would write letters to the editor. The newspaper was able to choose which letters would be printed, but today anyone could comment on a story. This means that in the past, journalists would guide rather than engage the public in conversation. However, I think that the public should have a right to voice their opinions on a story without limitations, and they should be able to have a say in what news they find relevant to their lives. I find that the second quotation is also a reporting style that journalists should not follow or consider when reporting their stories. An advertiser should not be the controller in what news stories are published. I think that a newspaper should print the stories that they feel relate to their overall goal in sharing the news with the public, and an advertiser who connects with that newspapers production will then want to share their ads with them. It should not be the other way around. Overall, I feel that the public should have the right to share their feedback and comment on a story. The act of journalism should be an interactive experience, instead of one source leading the other. In addition, I think that newspapers should not edit their content in order to please or gain advertisers. A paper should stay true to the content that they determine is news and an advertiser should mold to the paper.