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What is this site about? Click "Edit" to add content to this area.
Plan For Today...
www.teenworldnews.com
I'll post later with an update of my draft, hopefully fixing the grammatical errors that I highlighted yesterday. :)
Reflection
1. Discuss the highlights and lowlights of your process in writing your story. I want to know what you learned from your successes and failures. What did you learn about journalism? What did you learn about the process? What did you learn about yourself? Be specific and thorough.
My big learning experience was that I don't like journalism as much as I thought. Hmm. At the very least, I don't think I'll be writing features that take 9 weeks to research. I'm not saying I'm giving up on that path, but I think taking this class may have made me realize that I'm addicted to the news GETTING rather than the news GIVING. Turns out most of my interest in the news is based around human rights and that kind of thing, so I think that I'm veering (career wise) into that vein. But, as usual, I digress. What I mean to be saying here is that although it was a difficult process for me to get through this article for which no one would return my phone calls, e-mails, etc, I still enjoyed doing it. So I guess that my highlights kind of were the same as my lowlights...that's pretty inconvenient when you think about it. Because now I have half as much to write and I'll look like a slacker, and also my story experience turns out to be pretty mediocre. Very mediocre, considering Journalism I was my faaavorite class ever and I loved everything we did. I suppose my fickle teenage mind just couldn't stick to one thing. But that's not to say I didn't like J2 or that I didn't learn anything. I liked bagel Fridays. I learned that Jess can talk about nothing for longer than anyone else in the world. I liked actually talking to and interviewing "real" people. I learned that using a mentor in NOT a sign of weakness or dependence (I was a very misguided girl at the beginning of this class). I like being able to do things on our own at our own pace. I learned that in order to get things done I have to pretend that I'm NOT doing things on my own and at my own pace. I liked that we talked about everything and nothing at times. I learned that Devin is the complete opposite of me. I learned that I could just keep typing random things that Mr. Richardson has to keep reading. I liked that I have that power. I learned that Mr. Richardson is an important supervisor guy. I liked that I could waste his time and ensure my failure at his class at the same time....
The list goes on. =)
2. Critique your story. What are its strengths and weaknesses? What did you do well? What, given more time and enthusiasm, would have made it better?
Yeesh. My first reaction to this is to just type "my story sucks" and walk away. But I have to think to myself, "Meredith do you really want to fail this class?" and reconsider said story. It still sucks, or at the very least I still strongly, strongly dislike it. Bad concept, bad interviews, bad flow, bad grammar (as always) and bad, bad, bad, bad overall product. I really would have liked to see my interviews be a little more...interesting? Articulate? I don't know. I was so excited at first because it seemed like my interviews were going okay. But then people stopped responding. As in, completely stopped responding. I'm still waiting for answers to my questions from some interviews. *shakes fist angrily, bows head dorkily* Still, I can't blame it all on the interviews. Ultimately it's all my fault (stupid, stupid, stupid). I thought I knew where I was going with this story, I thought I knew who to interview and how, and I was confident that it would at least be OK. But then it wasn't. I've been stressed out this entire class because the quality of what I produced is not on par with the quality of what I like to (and usually do) produce. I blame it on slacking, but in true retrospect I feel like I was working really hard (although I'm sure Mr. Richardson doesn't think so). Sometimes, most times, I just genuinely did not have ANYTHING to blog, to post, to report. I spent hours and hours of fruitless hours just looking for people to interview, for any kind of background information, for anything that would help me. What I ended up with was nothing to show for what I had done. So I guess for next time I need to focus much more on the idea end of the spectrum and less on the concept of writing (at least early on). I guess if I had to pick something I like though, it would be my lead. I think that at the very least it has some decent description, and it certainly gets the point across.
3. What was good and bad about this class? Be honest.
On the positively awesome end of the spectrum is the fact that I felt so independent during this entire class. I really liked having the opportunity to kind of fend for myself, so that made me happy. But I have to say that my most favorite thing about the class was actually discussing the news and having a bit of a dialogue about what we were thinking and all that good stuff. I love to hear other people’s points of view and try to understand where they are coming from, so I guess that aspect of the class spoke to me. Honestly, I actually wish we had done that more. As far as what was bad, I kind of think that maybe there weren’t quite enough deadlines. As much as I loved the freedom to do it all on my own, I lost sight of my timeline and ended up spending to long on some things and not enough time on other things. That, of course, is completely my fault, but it probably would have helped me to have a better idea of where I was compared to everyone else. Nevertheless, I had fun in this class. That’s the best part.
4. What opinions or thoughts do you have about the quality of media and journalism that we get?
I get angry about this. A lot. And often. I don’t claim to know a lot about journalism, but it makes me so sad when even someone like me can see that a lot of reporters in the major media networks don’t question to the best of their abilities. They so often seem to make it easy for their interview to circumvent the question or just completely ignore it. And when the interview does answer the question, the reporter lets them get away with a sucker answer. I wish I saw more evidence of reporters working really hard to get the “tough questions” answered, rather than seeing them trying to appease everyone. I want to see some “All the President’s Men” stuff, really see people get in there deep and find what the public is looking for. I don’t think that the news media really works to serve the public anymore; rather they work to serve the people they can make money off of. It seems to me that those who say the watchdog has fallen asleep are more than right.
5. Write about any other observations about the class or about your experiences here that may be meaningful.
Nothing I say is meaningful, don’t you know that? I figure I’ll babble on for a little while though. I just want to say that I had a great time in this class, and I’ll take some good experiences here. One thing I noticed about our class is that we had pretty good camaraderie (for the most part), and I think that really speaks to the teamwork that seems to be necessary among the staff of a paper. Everyone working together and helping each other out with their stories was really cool, and I’d kind of like to see that in my other classes as well. I think the moral of our J2 class is this: Be nice, work hard, and kick journalistic butt. And even if I don’t end up kicking journalistic butt, I’ll still carry that with me. I guess it just goes to show you that even the simplest message can mean something.
This...is...it. Pray for not failing. FINAL DRAFT!
“[The news] doesn’t really concern me,” says McDonald, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, the world, current events, and the news don’t speak to her. But she's not alone.
In the past few years it has become more and more of an issue that many young people find the news is incredibly boring.
As the teenage apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common. In addition, although much of marketing is often targeted to the teenage demographic, major networks saturate their commercial breaks with advertisements for insurance agencies and expensive vacations meant less for teenagers and more for their parents. Often teens are not drawn to news programs as a result. McDonald is just one example of such a disinterested teen.
“I don’t worry about it,” says McDonald. “I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure boredom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, McDonald says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a common American nerve. Simply, she just wants to be happy, and feels that she must ignore the more depressing news of the world in order to attain this happiness.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
McDonald is not alone in her feelings. According to an article published by the Daily Herald of Chicago a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves and the ills of their lives. The article's author, Ted Cox, says that after the media saturation of the news on 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the world of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape.
"Viewers were noticeably resistant to new shows [after the attacks],” says Cox. “Instead, they turned to old favorites like ‘Law & Order,’ ‘JAG’ and ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’”
In essence, Cox says that this fact makes teenagers no different than adults, who desire the same escapism that the teens do.
Still, there is another component to this issue. In addition to the fact that many ignore the news because they find it depressing, there are still those who feel that it simply doesn’t affect them. Although it is an adult issue as well, certainly it is a primary consideration in the teenage demographic.
Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association, speaks to this idea, saying, "Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they don't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique."
Koroknay-Palicz maintains that teenage interest in current events is inextricably based on the issues clearly affecting them. He sees the news as being targeted towards the older generation, mostly those that are 40 and 50 years old. Koroknay-Palicz cites this as one of the main reasons that the issues often seem foreign to younger people. He feels that the only way to get teens interested in the news is to speak about “issues teens care about a little more.”
McDonald disagrees. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class, and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest. Even when the first attacks of 9/11 occurred, McDonald couldn’t have been less interested. She, who rather changed the channel than subject herself to the saturation of news broadcasts on every station, was more interested into escaping back into her life of friends and family.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course, there are those who are different from McDonald. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, a forum where teens discuss everything from Prom and fashion to politics.
While Bolton could just as easily join the conversation about pop music, she rather chooses to forego this in favor of discussing the happenings of the world in a forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Bolton cares, and although McDonald’s comments disagree, Bolton thinks that her peers are more interested than others may realize.
“A lot of people think, 'Well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care,' but that’s definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
Indeed, the number of news sources specifically targeted to teens have grown recently. In the past few years several publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Times Upfront, countless e-zines as well as shows like Nick news and MTV News have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like McDonald who still simply have no interest. Bolton, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe I'm just trying to grow up too fast, but I'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
Still, both girls assert that ultimately the deciding factor on how teens and all people live their lives seems to come down to their perception of one question – Does it affect me? They agree that unless a person can realize the personal results that will stem from an event, then he is more prone to ignore the event altogether. For Bolton, it is her opinion that all of the happenings in the world will affect her that keeps her interested in the news.
“It’s going to affect me. Who’s the president affects me. Politics, the war, whatever, it all affects me and the world and country I'm growing up in. And in a few years, it will be my responsibility to help run it, but if I know nothing about it, I really don’t think I can be effective in keeping our country going,” says Bolton.
Regardless, McDonald cannot see Bolton’s point. She says that she does not feel that the news affects her, but when she considers the happenings on a more local level, she is much more prone to respond than when dealing with the national news. Indeed, she clearly shows her interest for the things that she thinks directly affect her.
“The only time I watch the news is if something happens in my town. [I want to see] who got hurt, if I knew the person,” she says.
There are many different reasons behind why these two girls think the way that they do and why their opinions are so different. Still, the issue at hand is who is going to run the world if no one cares to find out what’s going on? Realizing that so many teens fall into this category, Bolton responds frankly to their apathy.
“It’s their choice,” she says. “I choose to be interested in the things I am, and they choose Britney Spears. One day they're going to have to step up to the plate and be the leaders and they really aren't going to know how to respond, and it’s the rest of us that will suffer.”
Slooooooooooooooooooooooow Process.
“[The news] doesn’t really concern me,” says McDonald, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, the world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But she's not alone.
In the past few years it has become more and more of an issue that many young people find the news is incredibly boring.
As the teenage apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common. In addition, although much of marketing is often target to the teenage demographic, major networks saturate their commercial breaks with advertisements for insurance agencies and expensive vacations meant less for teenagers and more for their parents. Often teens are not drawn to news programs as a result. McDonald is just one example.
“I don’t worry about it,” says McDonald. “I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure boredom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, McDonald says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a common American nerve. Simply, she just wants to be happy, and feels that she must ignore the more depressing news of the world in order to attain this happiness.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
McDonald is not alone in her feelings. According to an article published by the Daily Herald of Chicago a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves and the ills of their lives. Author Ted Cox says that after the media saturation of the news on 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the world of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape.
"Viewers were noticeably resistant to new shows [after the attacks],” says Cox. “Instead, they turned to old favorites like ‘Law & Order,’ ‘JAG’ and ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’”
In essence, Cox says that this fact makes teenagers no different than adults, who desire the same escapism that the teens do.
Still, there is another component to this issue. In addition to the fact that many ignore the news because they find it depressing, there are still those who feel that it simply doesn’t affect them. Although it may be an adult issue as well, certainly it is a primary consideration in the teenage demographic.
Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association, speaks to this idea, saying, "Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they don't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique."
Koroknay-Palicz maintains that teenage interest in current events is inextricably based on the issues clearly affecting them. He sees the news as being targeted towards the older generation, mostly those that are 40 and 50 years old. Koroknay-Palicz cites this as one of the main reasons that the issues often seem foreign to younger people. He feels that the only way to get teens interested in the news is to speak about “issues teens care about a little more.”
McDonald disagrees. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class, and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest. Even when the first attacks of 9/11 occurred, McDonald couldn’t have been less interested. She, who rather changed the channel than subject herself to the saturation of news broadcasts on every station, was more interested into escaping back into her life of friends and family.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course, there are those who are different from McDonald. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, a forum where teens discuss everything from Prom and fashion to politics.
While Bolton could just as easily join the conversation about pop music, she rather chooses to forego this in favor of discussing the happenings of the world in a forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Bolton cares, and although MacDonald’s comments disagree, Bolton thinks that her peers are more interested than others may realize.
“A lot of people think, “Well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but that’s definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
Indeed, the number of news sources specifically targeted to teens have grown recently. In the past few years several publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Times Upfront, countless e-zines as well as shows like Nick news and MTV News have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like McDonald who still simply have no interest. Bolton, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe I'm just trying to grow up too fast, but I'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
Still, both girls assert that ultimately the deciding factor on how teens and all people live their lives seems to come down to their perception of one question – Does it affect me? They agree that unless a person can realize the personal results that will stem from an event, then he is more prone to ignore the event altogether. For Bolton, it is her opinion that all of the happenings in the world will affect her that keeps her interested in the news.
“It’s going to affect me. Who’s the president affects me. Politics, the war, whatever, it all affects me and the world and country I'm growing up in. And in a few years, it will be my responsibility to help run it, but if I know nothing about it, I really don’t think I can be effective in keeping our country going,” says Bolton.
Regardless, McDonald cannot see Bolton’s point. She says that she does not feel that the news affects her, but when she considers the happenings on a more local level, she is much more prone to respond than when dealing with the national news. Indeed, she clearly shows her interest for the things that she thinks directly affect her.
“The only time I watch the news is if something happens in my town. [I want to see] who got hurt, if I knew the person,” she says.
Clearly, there are many different reasons behind why these two girls think the way that they do and why their opinions are so different. Still, the issue at hand is who is going to run the world if no one cares to find out what’s going on? Realizing that so many teens fall into this category, Bolton responds frankly to their apathy.
“It’s their choice,” she says. “I choose to be interested in the things I am, and they choose Britney Spears. One day they're going to have to step up to the plate and be the leaders and they really aren't going to know how to respond, and it’s the rest of us that will suffer.”
This Week
Tuesday: Interviewing and adding, hopefully.
Wednesday: Word by word, transitions, etc
Thursday: Final drafting
Friday: DONE!
2nd Draft
“[The news] doesn’t really concern me,” says McDonald, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, the world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But she's not alone.
In the past few years it has become more and more of an issue that to many young people the news is incredibley boring.
As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements for insurance agencies and expensive vacations meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common.
“I don’t worry about it,” says McDonald. “I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure boredom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, McDonald says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a common American nerve. McDonald just wants to be happy, and feels that she must ignore the more depressing news of the world in order to attain this.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
McDonald is not alone in her feelings. According to an article published by the Daily Herald a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves or the ills of their lives. After the media saturation of the news on 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the world of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape. Says the Herald, "'Viewers were noticeably resistant to new shows [after the attacks]. Instead, they turned to old favorites like "Law & Order," "JAG" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."" In essence, this makes teenagers no different than adults, who desire the same escapism that the teens do.
According to Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association,"Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they don't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique."
Koroknay-Palicz maintains that teenage interest in current events is inextricably based on the issues clearly affecting them. He sees the news as being targeted towards the older generation, mostly those that are 40 and 50 years old. Koroknay-Palicz cites this as one of the main reasons that the issues often seem foreign to younger people. He feels that the only way to get teens interested in the news is to speak about “issues teens care about a little more.”
McDonald disagrees. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class, and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest. Even when the first attacks of 9/11 occurred, McDonald couldn’t have been less interested. She, who rather changed the channel than subject herself to the saturation of news broadcasts on every station, was more interested into escaping back into her life of friends and family.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course, there are those who are different from McDonald. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, a forum where teens discuss everything from Prom and fashion to politics.
While Bolton could just as easily join the conversation about pop music, she rather chooses to forego this in favor of discussing the happenings of the world in a forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Bolton cares, and although MacDonald’s comments disagree, Bolton thinks that her peers are more interested than others may realize.
“A lot of people think, “Well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but that’s definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
Indeed, the number of news sources specifically targeted to teens have grown recently. In the past few years more than a few publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Upfront, countless e-zines, shows like Nick news and MTV News have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like MacDonald who still simply have no interest. Bolton, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe I'm just trying to grow up too fast, but I'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
Still, both girls assert that ultimately the deciding factor on how teens and all people live their lives seems to come down to their perception of one question – Does it affect me? They agree that unless a person can realize the personal results that will stem from an event, then he is more prone to ignore the event altogether. For Bolton, it is her opinion that all of the happenings in the world will affect her that keeps her interested in the news.
“It’s going to affect me. Who’s the president affects me. Politics, the war, whatever, it all affects me and the world and country I'm growing up in. And in a few years, it will be my responsibility to help run it, but if I know nothing about it, I really don’t think I can be effective in keeping our country going,” says Bolton.
Regardless, MacDonald cannot see Bolton’s point. She says that she does not feel that the news affects her, but when she considers the happenings on a more local level, she is much more prone to respond than when dealing with the national news. Indeed, she clearly shows her interest for the things that she thinks directly affect her.
“The only time I watch the news is if something happens in my town. [I want to see] who got hurt, if I knew the person,” she says.
Clearly, there are many different reasons behind why these two girls think the way that they do and why their opinions are so different. Still, the issue at hand is who is going to run the world if no one cares to find out what’s going on? Realizing that so many teens fall into this category, Bolton responds frankly to their apathy.
“It’s their choice,” she says. “I choose to be interested in the things I am, and they choose Britney Spears. One day they're going to have to step up to the plate and be the leaders and they really aren't going to know how to respond, and it’s the rest of us that will suffer.”
Reflect on Me
As 16-year-old Kym McDonald says, she could care less about the news. A girl more interested in her appetite for “friends, having fun, (and) enjoying life,” McDonald walks the Florida beaches of her native Titusville thinking more about her outfit for the next day than the happenings of the world. But it’s certainly not as if she has any qualms about it.
“[The news] doesn’t really concern me,” says McDonald, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, the world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But she's not alone.
A growing gripe among the generation of adolescents and older is that the news is nothing more than boring for the young. As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common.
“I don’t worry about it,” says McDonald. “I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure boredom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, McDonald says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a nerve that many Americans have. McDonald just wants to be happy, and feels that she must ignore the more depressing news of the world in order to attain this.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
McDonald is not alone in her feelings. According to an article published by the Daily Herald a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves or the ills of their lives. After the media saturation of the news on 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the worlds of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape. Says the Herald, "'Viewers were noticeably resistant to new shows [after the attacks]. Instead, they turned to old favorites like "Law & Order," "JAG" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."" In essence, this makes teenagers no different than adults, who desire the same escapism that the teens do.
According to Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association,"Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique."
Koroknay-Palicz maintains that teenage interest in current events is inextricably based on the issues clearly affecting them. He sees the news as being targeted towards the older generation, those that are 40 and 50 years old, and cites this for one of the main reasons that the issues often seem foreign to younger people. Koroknay-Palicz feels that the only way to get teens interested in the news is to speak about “issues teens care about a little more.”
McDonald disagrees. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest. Even when the first attacks of 9/11 occurred, McDonald couldn’t have been more interested. She, who rather changed the channel than subject herself to the saturation of news broadcasts on every station, was more interested into escaping back into her life of friends and family.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course, there are those who are different from McDonald. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, a forum where teens discuss everything from Prom and fashion to politics. While Bolton could just as easily join the conversation about pop music, she rather chooses to forego this in favor of discussing the happenings of the world in a forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Bolton cares, and although MacDonald’s comments disagree, Bolton thinks that her peers are more interested than others may realize.
“A lot of people think, “Well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but that’s definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
They’re trying. In the past few years more than a few publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Upfront, countless e-zines, shows like Nick news and more have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like MacDonald who still simply have no interest. Bolton, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe I'm just trying to grow up too fast, but I'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
Still, both girls assert that ultimately the deciding factor on how teens and indeed all people live their lives seems to come down to their perception of one question – Does it affect me? They agree that unless a person can realize the personal results that will stem from an event, then he is more prone to ignore the event altogether. For Bolton, it is her opinion that all of the happenings in the world will affect her that keeps her interested in the news.
“It’s going to affect me. Who’s the president affects me. Politics, the war, whatever, it all affects me and the world and country I'm growing up in. And in a few years, it will be my responsibility to help run it, but if I know nothing about it, I really don’t think I can be effective in keeping our country going,” says Bolton.
Regardless, MacDonald cannot see Bolton’s point. She says that she does not feel that the news affects her, but when she considers the happenings on a more local level, she is much more prone to respond than when dealing with the national news. Indeed, she clearly shows her interest for the things that she thinks directly affect her.
“The only time I watch the news is if something happens in my town. [I want to see] who got hurt, if I knew the person,” she says.
Clearly, there are many different reasons behind why these two girls think the way that they do and why their opinions are so different. Still, the issue at hand is who is going to run the world if no one cares to find out what’s going on? Realizing that so many teens fall into this category, Bolton responds frankly to their apathy.
“It’s their choice,” she says. “I choose to be interested in the things I am, and they choose Britney Spears. One day they're going to have to step up to the plate and be the leaders and they really aren't going to know how to respond, and it’s the rest of us that will suffer
Transitions
“[The news] doesn’t really concern me,” says McDonald, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, the world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But she's not alone.
A growing gripe among the generation of adolescents and older is that the news is nothing more than boring for the young. As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common.
“I don’t worry about it,” says McDonald. “I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure boredom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, McDonald says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a nerve that many Americans have. McDonald just wants to be happy, and feels that she must ignore the more depressing news of the world in order to attain this.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
McDonald is not alone in her feelings. According to an article published by the Daily Herald a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves or the ills of their lives. After the media saturation of the news on 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the worlds of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape. Says the Herald, "'Viewers were noticeably resistant to new shows [after the attacks]. Instead, they turned to old favorites like "Law & Order," "JAG" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."" In essence, this makes teenagers no different than adults, who desire the same escapism that the teens do.
According to Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association,"Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique."
Koroknay-Palicz maintains that teenage interest in current events is inextricably based on the issues clearly affecting them. He sees the news as being targeted towards the older generation, those that are 40 and 50 years old, and cites this for one of the main reasons that the issues often seem foreign to younger people. Koroknay-Palicz feels that the only way to get teens interested in the news is to speak about “issues teens care about a little more.”
McDonald disagrees. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest. Even when the first attacks of 9/11 occurred, McDonald couldn’t have been more interested. She, who rather changed the channel than subject herself to the saturation of news broadcasts on every station, was more interested into escaping back into her life of friends and family.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course, there are those who are different from McDonald. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, a forum where teens discuss everything from Prom and fashion to politics. While Bolton could just as easily join the conversation about pop music, she rather chooses to forego this in favor of discussing the happenings of the world in a forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Bolton cares, and although MacDonald’s comments disagree, Bolton thinks that her peers are more interested than others may realize.
“A lot of people think, “Well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but that’s definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
They’re trying. In the past few years more than a few publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Upfront, countless e-zines, shows like Nick news and more have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like MacDonald who still simply have no interest. Bolton, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe I'm just trying to grow up too fast, but I'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
Still, both girls assert that ultimately the deciding factor on how teens and indeed all people live their lives seems to come down to their perception of one question – Does it affect me? They agree that unless a person can realize the personal results that will stem from an event, then he is more prone to ignore the event altogether. For Bolton, it is her opinion that all of the happenings in the world will affect her that keeps her interested in the news.
“It’s going to affect me. Who’s the president affects me. Politics, the war, whatever, it all affects me and the world and country I'm growing up in. And in a few years, it will be my responsibility to help run it, but if I know nothing about it, I really don’t think I can be effective in keeping our country going,” says Bolton.
Regardless, MacDonald cannot see Bolton’s point. She says that she does not feel that the news affects her, but when she considers the happenings on a more local level, she is much more prone to respond than when dealing with the national news. Indeed, she clearly shows her interest for the things that she thinks directly affect her.
“The only time I watch the news is if something happens in my town. [I want to see] who got hurt, if I knew the person,” she says.
Clearly, there are many different reasons behind why these two girls think the way that they do and why their opinions are so different. Still, the issue at hand is who is going to run the world if no one cares to find out what’s going on? Realizing that so many teens fall into this category, Bolton responds frankly to their apathy.
“It’s their choice,” she says. “I choose to be interested in the things I am, and they choose Britney Spears. One day they're going to have to step up to the plate and be the leaders and they really aren't going to know how to respond, and it’s the rest of us that will suffer.”
Try, Try, TRY Again
“[The news] doesn’t really concern me,” says McDonald, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, the world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But she's not alone.
A growing gripe among the generation of adolescents and older is that the news is nothing more than boring for the young. As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common.
“I don’t worry about it,” says McDonald. “I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure boredom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, McDonald says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a nerve that many Americans have. McDonald just wants to be happy, and feels that she must ignore the more depressing news of the world in order to attain this.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
According to an article published by the Daily Herald a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves or the ills of their lives. After the media saturation of the news on 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the worlds of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape. Says the Herald, "'Viewers were noticeably resistant to new shows [after the attacks]. Instead, they turned to old favorites like "Law & Order," "JAG" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."" In essence, this makes teenagers no different than adults, who desire the same escapism that the teens do.
Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association, spoke on this, saying, "Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique."
Koroknay-Palicz maintains that teenage interest in current events is inextricably based on the issues clearly affecting them. He sees the news as being targeted towards the older generation, those that are 40 and 50 years old, and cites this for one of the main reasons that the issues often seem foreign to younger people. Koroknay-Palicz feels that the only way to get teens interested in the news is to speak about “issues teens care about a little more.”
McDonald disagrees. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest. Even when the first attacks of 9/11 occurred, McDonald couldn’t have been more interested. She, who rather changed the channel than subject herself to the saturation of news broadcasts on every station, was more interested into escaping back into her life of friends and family.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course there are those who are different from McDonald. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, a forum where teens discuss everything from Prom and fashion to politics. While Bolton could just as easily join the conversation about pop music, she rather chooses to forego this in favor of discussing the happenings of the world in a forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Bolton cares, and although MacDonald’s comments disagree, Bolton thinks that her peers are more interested than others may realize.
“A lot of people think, “Well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but that’s definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
They’re trying. In the past few years more than a few publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Upfront, countless e-zines, shows like Nick news and more have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like MacDonald who still simply have no interest. Bolton, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe I'm just trying to grow up too fast, but I'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
Still, both girls assert that ultimately the deciding factor on how teens and indeed all people live their lives seems to come down to their perception of one question – Does it affect me? They agree that unless a person can realize the personal results that will stem from an event, then he is more prone to ignore the event altogether. For Bolton, it is her opinion that all of the happenings in the world will affect her that keeps her interested in the news.
“It’s going to affect me. Who’s the president affects me. Politics, the war, whatever, it all affects me and the world and country I'm growing up in. And in a few years, it will be my responsibility to help run it, but if I know nothing about it, I really don’t think I can be effective in keeping our country going,” says Bolton.
Still, MacDonald cannot see Bolton’s point. She says that she does not feel that the news affects her, but when she considers the happenings on a more local level, she is much more prone to respond than when dealing with the national news. Indeed, she clearly shows her interest for the things that she thinks directly affect her.
“The only time I watch the news is if something happens in my town. [I want to see] who got hurt, if I knew the person,” she says.
Clearly, there are many different reasons behind why these two girls think the way that they do and why their opinions are so different. Still, the issue at hand is who is going to run the world if no one cares to find out what’s going on? Realizing that so many teens fall into this category, Bolton responds frankly to their apathy.
“It’s their choice,” she says. “I choose to be interested in the things I am, and they choose Britney Spears. One day they're going to have to step up to the plate and be the leaders and they really aren't going to know how to respond, and it’s the rest of us that will suffer.”
Try, Try Again!
“[The news] doesn’t really concern me,” says McDonald, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, the world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But is she alone among her peers? Certainly not. A growing gripe among the generation of adolescents and older is that the news is nothing more than boring for the young. As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common.
“I don’t worry about it,” says McDonald. “I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure boredom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, McDonald says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a nerve that many Americans have. McDonald just wants to be happy, and feels that she must ignore the more depressing news of the world in order to attain this.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
A common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves or the ills of their lives. After the media saturation of the news about 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the worlds of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape. In essence, this makes teenagers no different than adults. Simply, everyone just wants to get away sometimes.
"Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique," asserts Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association.
Koroknay-Palicz maintains that teenage interest in current events is inextricably based on the issues clearly affecting them. He sees the news as being targeted towards the older generation, those that are 40 and 50 years old, and cites this for one of the main reasons that the issues often seem foreign to younger people. Koroknay-Palicz feels that the only way to get teens interested in the news is to speak about “issues teens care about a little more.”
McDonald disagrees. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest. Even when the first attacks of 9/11 occurred, McDonald couldn’t have been more interested. She, who rather changed the channel than subject herself to the saturation of news broadcasts on every station, was more interested into escaping back into her life of friends and family.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course there are those who are different from McDonald. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, where she discusses politics, the news, and anything else on a teen forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Bolton cares, and although MacDonald’s comments disagree, Kim thinks that her peers are more interested than others may realize.
“A lot of people think, “Well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but that’s definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
They’re trying. In the past few years more than a few publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Upfront, countless e-zines, shows like Nick news and more have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like MacDonald who still simply have no interest. Bolton, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe I'm just trying to grow up too fast, but I'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
Obviously these two girls could not be more different in their ideas about the importance of the news. Ultimately, the deciding factor on how teens and indeed all people live their lives seems to come down to their perception of one questions – Does it affect me?
“It’s going to affect me. Who’s the president affects me. Politics, the war, whatever, it all affects me and the world and country I'm growing up in. And in a few years, it will be my responsibility to help run it, but if I know nothing about it, I really don’t think I can be effective in keeping our country going,” says Bolton.
Still, MacDonald cannot see Bolton’s point. She says that she does not feel that the news affects her, but when she considers the happenings on a more local level, she is much more prone to respond than when dealing with the national news. Indeed, she clearly shows her interest for the things that she thinks directly affect her.
“The only time I watch the news is if something happens in my town. [I want to see] who got hurt, if I knew the person,” she says.
Clearly, there are many different reasons behind why these two girls think the way that they do and why their opinions are so different. Still, the issue at hand is who is going to run the world if no one cares to find out what’s going on? Realizing that so many teens fall into this category, Bolton responds frankly to their apathy.
“It’s their choice,” she says. “I choose to be interested in the things I am, and they choose Britney Spears. One day they're going to have to step up to the plate and be the leaders and they really aren't going to know how to respond, and it’s the rest of us that will suffer.”
Monday, Monday
Still, there's work to be done. Tonight I'm going to get in contact with Kym and Kim as well as interviewing a few more people I searched out. Now that I know exactly what I need, I'm really excited to interview the people I found today. This whole process is soooo much easier when you know exactly what you need from someone. So now it's just a matter of the actual writing.
Which brings us to...
Scrapping what I wrote. I reaaaaally don't like it. At all. I definitely think I'm going to go for the idea of contrasting the two Kims, although after reading through my "draft" I decided that it would probably be better (less confusing at the least) for me to refer to them by their last names. Duh.
I'm going to put myself on a schedule! I need to work on this article eeeevery night, outside of class. If I don't make a decision to work on it slowly every night (even though that's typically not my style) then I will definitely end up with one awful story. That's obviously not what I want.
So...that's the plan.
Reflecting
Really bad.
Anyway, aside from slooooow internet connections and stories that post twice, I also realized in doing this that I need to go back and interview Kym and Kim again. They were really nice girls, so hopefully they'll be up for it. I just need to get a bit more from them to finish up the article. The incredibley, incredibley bad article. Good thing it's a draft!
I just thought of something. They're both obviously named Kim/Kym (which is kind of wierd) and they have SUCH different views. Maybe it would be kind of cool and a little bit more interesting if the article kind of pit them against each other. Mabye a sort of "While blank is blanking, across the country blank is blanking" thing. I guess I'm just looking for a device to get this article moving - because right now, it's not.
So yea. Interview again, write better, stop sucking at everything, throw computer out window. Then I'll be good.
Oh...and stop posting at 5am, too. :)
A Very, Ridiculously Rough Draft
“It doesn’t really concern me,” says Kym, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, Kym would rather ignore the ignore the news and feed her appetite for “friends, having fun, enjoying life.” The world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But is she alone among her peers?
Certainly not. A growing gripe among the generation of adolescents and older is that the news is nothing more than boring for the young. As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common.
“It doesn’t really concern me,” says Kym. “I don’t worry about it. I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure bordom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, Kym says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a nerve that many Americans have. Kym just wants to be happy.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
A common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves or the ills of their lives. After the media saturation of the news about 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the worlds of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape. In essence, this makes teenagers no different than adults. Simply, everyone just wants to get away sometimes.
"Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique," asserts Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association.
But is there anything to be done about this apathy for current events? Kym doesn’t think so. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course there are those who are different from Kym. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, where she discusses politics, the news, and anything else on a teen forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Kim cares, and although Kym’s comments disagree, Kim thinks that her peers are more interested than others may think.
“A lot of people think, well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but thats definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
They’re trying. In the past few years more than a few publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Upfront, countless e-zines, shows like Nick news and more have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like Kym who still simply have no interest. Kim, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe i'm just trying to grow up too fast, but i'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
But how can there be such a great divide between a generation as there is between these two girls? Ultimately it seems to come down to their perception of one questions – Does it affect me?
“I think people my age might be more interested in the news if the anchors were younger, or more like them just because it might seem like it would affect them more,” says Kym.
A Very, Ridiculously Rough Draft
“It doesn’t really concern me,” says Kym, a long time member of the fashion forum on StudentCenter.com. Quite simply, Kym would rather ignore the ignore the news and feed her appetite for “friends, having fun, enjoying life.” The world, current events, and the news just simply don’t speak to her. But is she alone among her peers?
Certainly not. A growing gripe among the generation of adolescents and older is that the news is nothing more than boring for the young. As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common.
“It doesn’t really concern me,” says Kym. “I don’t worry about it. I just go on with life.”
But what is the real issue here? Although many teens have cited pure bordom in the last years as the reason why they don’t want to watch the news, Kym says that it is something more. Her reasons for avoiding the news run deeper, hitting on a nerve that many Americans have. Kym just wants to be happy.
“All I see on the news is people getting hurt,” she says. “Something bad happening.”
A common reaction of the American public is to avoid the news in an effort to forget themselves or the ills of their lives. After the media saturation of the news about 9/11, many found themselves turning quickly to the worlds of reality TV and sitcoms in order to escape. In essence, this makes teenagers no different than adults. Simply, everyone just wants to get away sometimes.
"Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique," asserts Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of National Youth Rights Association.
But is there anything to be done about this apathy for current events? Kym doesn’t think so. She, who breezes through assignments in her current events class and who got her information on 9/11 from a friend online, is not convinced that anything could spark her interest.
“I want to enjoy life,” she says. “Not dwell on what’s going bad in the world.”
Of course there are those who are different from Kym. Teenager Kim Bolton is a dedicated member of GoLiveWire.com, where she discusses politics, the news, and anything else on a teen forum entitled “World News and Current Events.” Kim cares, and although Kym’s comments disagree, Kim thinks that her peers are more interested than others may think.
“A lot of people think, well, they're too busy listening to their crap music and doing drugs to read the news, or to even care, but thats definitely not true. Yea, there are exceptions, but it affects us and we do care,” says Kim.
They’re trying. In the past few years more than a few publications directly targeted to younger generations are making an effort to educate. Magazines like NY Upfront, countless e-zines, shows like Nick news and more have contributed to the market for educating teens. But certainly, there are those like Kym who still simply have no interest. Kim, however, has a different take on things.
“Maybe i'm just trying to grow up too fast, but i'd rather be prepared and read about things going on in the world than read about whatever guy Britney Spears made out with,” she says.
But how can there be such a great divide between a generation as there is between these two girls? Ultimately it seems to come down to their perception of one questions – Does it affect me?
“I think people my age might be more interested in the news if the anchors were younger, or more like them just because it might seem like it would affect them more,” says Kym.
Thursday
My interviews stood my up last night, so I guess I'm going to just write up the questions on here and try to contact them now, even if it's just to set up a definite time to talk to them.
1) Why do you think you are politically active? 2) DO you feel like the news ever speaks to you? 3) Why do you think that so many of your peers don't care about the news? 4) What makes you care?
My other news is that Scott was nice enough to get me some contact info for Linda Ellerbee, but I'm sooo hesitant to use it. It doesn't look like my story is going anywhere phenomenal AT ALL, and I guess I feel a bit wierd harrassing someone important like Linda Ellerbee for an interview that will ultimately prove pointless. Sigh. I might sit on that number for a day before calling.
Going to see Wicked Today!!!
So today I'm planning a few more last minute interviews with some teens from golivewire.com. I found this site while on a mad hunt for news-interested teens and although some other forums on the site are a little sketchy I think I'll be able to get some more good info from them. All the people on the news forum are very...excited about their beliefs and they give good quotes, so yay for them.
I'm kind of a little scared to actually start writing, because then the article is, uh, REAL. I've never had to take this long writing an article before, so it just feels so different and wierd. Under normal circumstances the editors of the Lamp call you the day before-ish (if you're lucky) to write for them, and I suppose I've kind of grown to need that pressure. But I'm working on it! After all, the panic is beginning to set in.
Unfortunately those interviews will have to wait until later when I can actually get in contact with the people I intend to talk to.
"Let's just go to the grade school, grab about 8 kids and just inject them with asthma."-Mr.Richardson on Devon's strech Hummer limo for Prom
This class rocks. :)
Journalism is Stressful
It turns out that this story is not turing out so well right now. I thought that I would find a wealth of people to weigh in on this considering that I've had good conversations about teen interest in news before, but I guess I kind of neglected to consider that none of these people are credible for an article. It's getting kind of difficult to see where this story is going even though I was so sure that I knew before. Suuuuuucky.
I'm kind of discouraged right now, needless to say. But I am digging my own grave, so I might as well try to get myself out. It seems like everyone who's having success is having it because they've found something to make their story really interesting. Unfortunately, I'm getting to think more and more every day that my story is ridiculously boring and I'm not sure what to do to spice it up. Plus, it seems more and more obvious that there's really no good market for my story. I guess it's fine and dandy to conceive any story but if there's no market for it then the effort is pretty much fruitless. All the markets I was hoping for don't seem to accept queries even though it seemed clear from their websites that they do. Arg, I'm just not sure what to do. IMPASSE!!!
I'm having a very "journalism sucks" day.
I'm not supposed to be like this! I'm optimistic and cheery! Sheesh.
Anyway...attempt at nutgraph for the story that doesn't exist.
"A growing gripe among the generation of adolescents and older is that the news is nothing more than boring for the young. As their apathy for the news and current events grows, adults are left wondering what will become of a world where the inhabitants don't seem to care what's happening to them. And yet, with stories that don’t spark teen interest and advertisements meant for their parents, it isn’t so hard to see why this problem is so common. Is there anything that can be done to make them care?"
So there it is, for now. Wish there was some kind of story connected with this nutgraph. I guess it might be for the better that I only got a reponse from that volunteer site considering that I don't have much to offer.
SNOW HALF DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Query Letter
"Is it so wrong to care about Prom and politics?"
This, among others, would be a question answered by my article "Newsless and Not Interested: An Exploration of Teen Interest in Current Events." In this article I would discuss the current apathy among young people for current events and how little response there has been from this demographic to such teen news sources as NY Times Upfront magazine and the like. In addition, I would also like to explore the low circulation rate of such media and why they are not more widely marketed. The article would include interviews with not only teens who are apathetic but also those who are not, giving insight into why teens feel the way that they do. In addition, the article would include interviews with people who regularly work with in news media and with youth.
Certainly my article would fit well into your news-concious magazine. I imagine that the young people who suscribe to your magazine will be interested in reading about their peers, as your readers might compare themselves to others who are their age in this article. The article will give your readers a great opprotunity to explore their generation and its commitment to the news and learning more about our world.
As a freelance journalist who has often written on the subject of teens and their interests, this article is particularly important to me. Of all the articles that I have written and have published over the past years, this one speaks to me with particular urgency, as it is so important that young people be educated about the news. If you agree and are interested in the article, please call or e-mail me at any time with any questions. Thank you for you time.
Early Morning Pondering
So we'll see how this all goes. Hopefully my teen interviews will go better and my information will flesh out a bit.
Homework for March 1
The focus of my story is the issue of WHY teens don't care, no matter how hard markets may try to make them care. I'm going to shift the attention of my story a bit and start interviewing teens that submit things to websites like youthrights.org and the like so that I can get their perspective on what it's like to care when no one else seems to. I'm also going to try and interview some people who post to message boards at places like seventeen.com or mtv.com. This is a little bit different from my original plan where I was interviewing adults, but since I haven't had much luck getting responses for those interviews I don't think that this change can hurt me at all. I'm kind of seeing this change into a story where teenagers kind of narrate on their generation rather than just having a bunch of adults speculate. I'm still going to persist with my interviews of adult who market to teens, but my story is going to now focus more on the teens themselves. I want to have them explain their lives and their opinions, that way gaining more insight into why teens seem to not care.
What sources have I interviewed? (List them.)
- Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President & Executive Director of
National Youth Rights Association
(completed)
- Leo Zhadanovsky,
GovTeen.org
(hasn't gotten back to me with answers yet, but he said that he would)
- Jake Nassif,
Mindgum.com
(hasn't gotten back to me with answers yet)
- Teen People
(didn't hear from)
- Seventeen
(didn't hear from)
- WickedColors.com
(didn't hear from)
- Newspapers in Education
(didn't hear from)
What relevant information do I know about my story?
- elementary and high school students do not appear to be intrinsically interested in serious news (NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS)
- students are most interested in topics that relate to teens or current events that deal with entertainment and sports and least interested in foreign news and U.S. politics (NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS)
- Both gender and racial differences were found in reported participation in a course requiring attention to national issues(NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS)
- NY Times Upfront has "A nearly non-existent advertising budget" (Being Upfront with Smart Teens)
What quotes do I have that I think will end up in the story?
- "Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique"
- "If news really spoke to teens cared about a little more."
What questions do I still need answered?
- Why aren't teen news sources being given bigger budgets?
- If teen news sources ARE making a strong effort to appeal to teens as "fun" magazines,etc, why aren't the teens responding at all?
- What do teens say would make them more interested?
- What catches teen attention?
What are my potential markets?
Mindgum
New York Times Upfront Magazine
This one might not be the best, but it's the first!!! It's basically just a site with not many frills that publishes articles teens would be interested in. That is, not just celebrity gossip and such, but also news and perspectives and all that good stuff.
This is another online source that is along the lines of Teen People or that kind of thing. Still, there's a "Life" section that might be a good target for my story.
Oooo! A print magazine! This magazine is great because it's "an alternative" to the usual teen magazines. Plus, I've never heard of it before today, so maybe they'd be willing to give my story a chance. The dream is to be published in print, so this might be a good shot.
This could be very, very cool. This print magazine (which I've also never heard of) is a news magazine for kids...or teens, more likely. This could be a great place to publish, considering that these teens might be a lot like me. If I'm interested in this, why wouldn't they be? My article might be interesting to this magazine that is so dedicated to educating kids about the news. Hmmm...
This magazine might be great because it's meant to foster young journalists. Again, kids like me might be interested in the same things I am. Obviously teens who care about the news are going to wonder why so many others don't, and the magazine might understand this. It's worth a shot!
Alright, so I've DEFINITELY heard of Teen Newsweek, but a girl can dream, right? If I could get my story into this magazine I think I might keel over in happiness, haha. I guess it's worth a shot, considering that there's really not anything I can think of to lose. I'll be looking into this one later, I think. :)
What's my lead going to be?
"Doesn't she care at all?"
Sally O'Malley eased her chair away from her computer, shaking her head. Although she was trying to fight her initial reaction, she was somehow overpowered with animosity towards her friend Beth. Just as Sally had finished writing her editorial for the school newspaper on her opinion of President George W. Bush's foreign policy, an instant message from Beth had graced the screen of her computer.
"OMG, will you ever be done with that stupid article? Why do you even care about that stuff? It's not like it really matters anyway."
Sally simply had no words for how hurt she felt. She walked alone down the hallway away from the school's newspaper office, glancing at the walls covered in posters advertising her senior Prom. She sighed to herself, wondering aloud,
"Is it so wrong to care about Prom and politics?"
What specific questions/problems can my mentor help me with?
I can't figure out how to balance interviews and markets!!! Really, that's my major problem for now, and I've already e-mailed him about it. Otherwise I think I'm doing alright. One of the cool things about doing this for the first time is managing to figure things out for yourself, and as much as I want to make use of my mentor I don't really feel pressured to do so. Hopefully he'll respond with a great answer to my question for now, and until I really get stuck again I'd kind of like to feel things out for myself. This way I can really learn all I can on my own but still reap the benefits of having such a great mentor available to me.
What did we learn today...
Here's the issue. If these magazines are doing what they're supposed to be doing in order to catch the attention of teens, why aren't they more popular? My main issue is that if I had known about these magazines long ago I CERTAINLY would have subscribed before I jumped write into the "grown-up" Newsweek and Time stuff. Is the issue here that these magazines aren't getting enough of a budget to advertise themselves adequately? Or is it that I'm the exception, and the rest of the teenage population really DOESN'T care?
Moral of the story? I'm on the war path. I'm GOING to get one of these teen news sources to give me an interview, even if it means that I sacrifice a market in order to do so. It's important to me (and my story) that I find out why these magazines aren't having any success. But then again, maybe it would be more adventageous to me to try and get some of the websites to grant me interviews and send my story to the print magazines. Eh, it's still not the same as talking directly to the print magazines. I don't know...
I'm a little scared! I think I'm finding direction! It's nice to know that I definitely have some concrete things to do, and I'm excited to see things moving a little faster. Who knows...I might even blog out of school today!!!! Haha, we'll see. :)
Thanks to Mr. R!
Mindgum
New York Times Upfront Magazine
This one might not be the best, but it's the first!!! It's basically just a site with not many frills that publishes articles teens would be interested in. That is, not just celebrity gossip and such, but also news and perspectives and all that good stuff.
This is another online source that is along the lines of Teen People or that kind of thing. Still, there's a "Life" section that might be a good target for my story.
Oooo! A print magazine! This magazine is great because it's "an alternative" to the usual teen magazines. Plus, I've never heard of it before today, so maybe they'd be willing to give my story a chance. The dream is to be published in print, so this might be a good shot.
This could be very, very cool. This print magazine (which I've also never heard of) is a news magazine for kids...or teens, more likely. This could be a great place to publish, considering that these teens might be a lot like me. If I'm interested in this, why wouldn't they be? My article might be interesting to this magazine that is so dedicated to educating kids about the news. Hmmm...
This magazine might be great because it's meant to foster young journalists. Again, kids like me might be interested in the same things I am. Obviously teens who care about the news are going to wonder why so many others don't, and the magazine might understand this. It's worth a shot!
Alright, so I've DEFINITELY heard of Teen Newsweek, but a girl can dream, right? If I could get my story into this magazine I think I might keel over in happiness, haha. I guess it's worth a shot, considering that there's really not anything I can think of to lose. I'll be looking into this one later, I think. :)
Oh the weather outside is frightful....
Anyway, I'm having issues. Arg.
I have an idea of what I ultimately want this article to be, what kind of audience I want it to speak to, but I can't seem to find an appropriate market. I guess I was envisioning something along the lines of Seventeen magazine, but there doesn't seem to be an article of this type on a smaller level. All my trials, haha. So I'm going to try and find something, but it looks like pickings are kind of slim. Unfortunately, the best places I've found thus far are online. Not that it would be awful to be published online, but it just doesn't really feel the same. Oh well. I guess I should have thought about all this is in a bit more detail before I began researching and such.
In the meantime, I'm still looking to get all my interviews done. I'm going to give it tonight and then go on a mad search for some other people.
And the lesson of the day is...Mr.Richardson is mean. It is snowing. We will go home whether he likes it or not. :)
The Mad Search!
Otherwise, I'm busy searching for markets and all. It's going to be wierd, I think, to find an appropriate market. I'm going to keep looking at youth magazines and that kind of thing, but we'll see if I find something better that comes along.
Alex Koroknay-Palicz
Teens "feel that there are powers at work that exclude them"
The news is "targeted towards people who are 40 or 50"
"Americans are historically turned off by foreign policy because they doesn't feel it effects them...youths aren't unique"
IMPRESSION OF TEENS
"I see them as citizens now who deserve rights"
"oppressed by society"
WHAT MAKES THEM CARE
"MTV does go out and do a lot of political work"
"These are issues that effect their lives strongly."
"If news really spoke to teens cared about a little more."
This was a pretty good interview for me. These are just a couple of quotes that I pulled out of my interview, because I'm not positive what I'm going to need from it at this point. He did give me a few decent quotes, although I think he must have realized halfway through that I'm just a stupid teenager. :( Oh well...all is well anyway. It's nice to get going on these interviews!!! Hopefully my story will become a lot clearer as I go along.
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