Weekly News Comment Assignments
News Comment #15
12/8/16
LeBron James Boycotts Donald Trump’s Hotel, Then Beats Up Knicks
Cleveland Caveliers’ star LeBron James decided not to stay in the team’s designated hotel before their game against the NY Knicks. The hotel just happened to be the Trump SoHo. James wasn’t the only one who chose not to stay at this hotel, but rather an undisclosed location in Manhattan. He claimed it was “just his personal preference” and didn’t mean to make a statement about it. Nevertheless, the Cavs ended the Knicks winning streak, beating them 126-94.
This lead is (pun not intended) misleading. The only thing you know that you’re going to be reading about is LeBron James, which might be enough for some people, but not all. The article does a good job of explaining the situation then putting James’ quote in there. It’s a kind of awkward and blunt transition from talking about the hotel situation to the game coverage. I think they either could have just put the biggest highlights of the game at the bottom, or just make a completely different article for the game.
News Comment #14
12/1/16
News Comment #13
11/17/16
Minnesota Vikings Release Kicker Blair Walsh
The NFL Minnesota Vikings released their kicker Blair Walsh, announced just yesterday (Monday, Nov. 14). Walsh’s troubles began last season when he missed a seemingly simple 27-yard field goal attempt with 22 seconds left to give the Seattle Seahawks a 10-9 win in the NFC wild-card round. This Viking-Seahawk game was the third-coldest game in NFL history. Walsh struggled to warm up since – this season he has missed a NFL record 4 extra points and 4 field goals. In their latest game, quarterback Sam Bradford and the Vikings came back with 20 unanswered points against Washington. Walsh missed yet another extra point just before the half, keeping it a one-possession game at 20-14. This was the last mistake in a string of uncharacteristic errors for a fifth-year veteran. Minnesota has already found a replacement for Walsh – Kai Forbath. Forbath is currently the kicker for the New Orleans Saints where he has only missed one of 34 extra points for the season.
The lead is short and clever, but I think he could have worded it a little better. Instead of “The Blair Walsh era is curtains in Minnesota,” I think he could have said “The curtains close on the Blair Walsh era in Minnesota.” Something a little easier to read…one thing I still am trying to get used to is putting the most important information toward the beginning. I would like to put that they found a replacement at the end so that people will read the whole article, but I know that’s what people are most anxious to hear about. Another organizational aspect I don’t like is how he started with this season’s stats then went to last year’s. I think it would have made more sense to start with where Walsh’s troubles began then chronologically talked up until the release.
News Comment #12
11/10/16
‘Not Our President’: Protests Spread After Donald Trump’s Election
- Protestors in LA burned a Trump effigy at City Hall
- Hillary Clinton, in her concession speech, asked supporters to give Mr. Trump a “chance to lead.”
- #NotMyPresident – what it exactly means, why they’re using it
- H.S. students across country leaving class to protest election – how the election will affect the rest of the school year
- ‘Fueled by social media’ – the impact of social media/media today
News Comment #11
11/3/16
Twitchy, Sweaty, but Triumphant: Cubs Go Home as Winners at Last
If you don’t already know, the Chicago Cubs won in extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series last night in Cleveland. The Cubs have not won a World Series title since 1908 (108 years). The first batter of the game, Cubs’ Dexter Fowler, hit a home run while the last play was Cubs’ third-baseman Kris Bryant fielding a ball for an easy throw to first to take home the win. Another home run by Cubs’ Javier Baez in the 5th inning gave Chicago a comfortable 5-1 lead. With runs scored in the 5th and 8th innings, the Indians tied it up with a home run of their own by Rajai Davis. While they are all professional athletes, it was hard to keep calm on such a massive stage. You couldn’t have asked for a more entertaining Game 7: wild pitches, a missed bunt, a rain delay, and a double-play opportunity literally slipped out of the Cubs’ hand. In the end of this 10-inning roller coaster ride of a game, Chicago can finally “fly the W” as World Series Champions, winning Game 7, 8-7.
This article is well written in the fact that it highlights every aspect of the game including the players, managers/coaches, and the history of the two teams. I love the lead because it’s two of the most memorable moments from the game. It also has many adjectives that explain the whole experience well such as “melodramatic” and this phrase “baseball bacchanal, featuring home runs, insurmountable leads surmounted, big boppers who bopped, nimble gymnast infielders who threw bullets off their back heels and stirring rallying calls that sounded in the bowels of a rain-lashed stadium”. I also really like the ending sentence because anyone who follows baseball at all, knows both of these teams haven’t won a title in a very, very long time and which ever team won was going to be history in the making. The only thing I wish was different in this article was more detail of the actual game – who hit the home runs, who made plays, etc. I do, though, understand why those aren’t included because many people reading the article will already know all of those stats.
News Comment #10
10/27/16
The Power of Music, Tapped in a Cubicle
According to Mayo Clinic doctor, Amit Sood, listening to music can help encourage the release of dopamine in the reward area of the brain, as would eating a delicacy, looking at something appealing, or smelling a pleasant aroma. There are also factors that add to the effectiveness of listening to music including personal choice of music. Teresa Lesiuk of the University of Miami found that most people enjoyed listening to music while at work, older workers spent less time listening, and also says that supervisors should still put some limitations on listening at work.
This article is very straight to the point and gives you all the information in an organized way. While it doesn’t talk about each source separately, I think it works because how each topic ties in with each other and flows that way. The author also briefly reintroduces the source if it appeared later in the article. For example, Dr. Stood was first talked about then revisited, “Dr. Sood, at the Mayo Clinic…”. This helps the reader better follow the actual information that is being presented. I also like how they included the medical side of it while also following it up with quotes to explain it in terms that everyone could understand. Overall, an interesting and well organized story.
News Comment #9
10/20/16
The Golden State Warriors Play the Beautiful Game
The Golden State Warriors are the new “super team” of the NBA. This article describes it as a team “overloaded with talent”. With Curry, Thompson, and newest Warrior, Kevin Durant, Golden State has the ability to get everyone involved and leave room for creativity. The Warriors come into this season with the best record of last season (73-9) although they blew a 3-1 lead in the finals series versus LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
I really like this article because even if you know absolutely nothing about the sport of basketball, you can learn a little something from reading this. It gives you the fundamentals and history of the game and also highlights the Warriors and the background of their team. I also really like the lead and how they described Golden State’s latest game: “check-your-phone-and-miss-it”. It includes useful quotes and stats to back up just how impressive the Warriors are and will be this next season. Something I would chance about this article is the organization, it’s kind of all over the place. They’d give information about today’s game and then randomly have a paragraph or two about the history. I understand why they did this, to give people a comparison, but it sometimes distracts from the main point of the story.
News Comment #5
09/22/16
Panthers Review Game Security After Violent Protests in Charlotte
The New York Times covered the story on the Carolina Panthers debating whether or not to play the game in Charlotte on Sunday. The Panthers usually play at the Bank of America Stadium, but the stadium is in the same area that some major unrest has been occurring. Keith L. Scott, 43, was shot and killed which led to two nights of protests in the city. Panther’s quarterback, Cam Newton, commented on the situation, “I am not happy how the justice has been kind of dealt with over the years…But we also, as black people, have to do right by ourselves. We can’t be hypocrites.” The N.F.L said Thursday that the Panthers and Minnesota Vikings will play at the Bank of America Stadium where they will be “monitoring events”.
The organization of this article isn’t too bad, the lead is straight to the point, but kind of boring and doesn’t really make you want to keep reading. A couple things I would change about this article is not putting how they will continue to play the game so far up in the story. I would save it for more towards the end. Maybe switch it with Cam Newton’s quote. I do like, though, how they ended it with the coach’s statement, it’s the most powerful quote from the story.
News Comment #4
09/15/16
IPhone 7 Review: Though Not Perfect, New iPhones Keep Apple’s Promises
This article highlights all of the changes and improvements that came with the brand new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The biggest debate deals with the headphone jack. Not having one makes the phone water-resistant, a better battery, and faster chips. People are not sure that is worth, though, having to also buy new bluetooth “air pods”, the new head phones.
Other features include a double camera for better quality photos and videos, almost double the speed processing, and better durability. Whether or not people will want to buy the new edition of the iPhone will depend on the individual customer. Some people like to stay with the times and upgrade every few years that Apple comes out with a new phone. While others know an even newer version will be released not too far in the future and will save their money for that one.
I really like the lead for this story. It’s a super short, witty one sentence intro. The second paragraph starts with the transition from the lead into what the story will be about, connecting them with “puberty”, “awkward changes”, and “uncomfortable transitions”. While these are adjectives, I think it works in this part of the story because it’s not necessarily an opinion, but a general outlook on what everyone has to go through in their life.
News Comment #3
09/08/16
Spirit play anthem before players’ entry to nix Megan Rapinoe ‘hijacking’
Megan Rapinoe is a player on the U.S Women’s National soccer team and also the Seattle Reign. She acknowledges San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick’s, actions in sitting during the national anthem. Kaepernick has made it clear that he doesn’t want to support a flag of a nation in which blacks and minorities are being oppressed.
Rapinoe knelt during the anthem before their game in Chicago on Sunday. “Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties,” Rapinoe noted.
Yesterday, the Washington Spirit didn’t want Rapinoe “hijacking” the anthem. Instead, the Spirit decided to play the anthem earlier, when the teams were still warming up at a different complex. The Reign understands and some even support her actions.
The lead in this story is a little bit long and wordy. I think they could have split it up into two sentences, one for the action and one for the quote. They also could have made it shorter by putting the quote later in the story and ending the first sentence after ‘ceremonies’.
News Comment #2
09/01/16
Donald Trump Gambles on Immigration but Sends Conflicting Signals
This article talks about the infamous Donald Trump and his attempts to win the hearts of people in Mexico and votes of citizens in America. In his attempts, though, he sent conflicting signals.
Trump visited Mexico City to try and convince them that he was an ally and on their side, not even mentioning “the wall”. While a few hours later that same day, he rallied in Phoenix, Arizona making immigration his main point. “Mexico will pay for the wall…they don’t know it yet, but they will pay for the wall.”
Illegal immigration has been Trump’s main argument in his campaign, always bringing up the terrorism and border crisis. He is known for his enthusiasm towards building a wall to keep out, what he thinks, is the problem, the problem being Mexicans.
After his visit to Mexico and speaking with their president, Mr. Peña Nieto, he believes that they will be able to solve these problems. Trump says that drugs and illegal immigration are a “tremendous problem” for both the U.S and Mexico. “It’s not a one-way street,” Trump says.
Whether or not Mexico is the cause of America’s drug, immigration, and job problems, Trump will continue to reach one goal: the presidency. He is going to do that any way he can, even if that means saying one thing to Mexico and another to America.
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