Month: October 2019

New Vox Article “Why Turkey is Invading Syria” is a brief summary written by, reporters,  Danush Parvaneh, Sam Ellis, Rajaa Elidrissi, and Melissa Hirsch. Turkey has been planning to take Northern Syria as a “safe zone.” In the ongoing Syrian war, Turkey wants this land as a buffer zone in the war. On October 6th, 2019, President Trump pulled troops out of Northern Syria so Turkey could move in. Turkey attacked 3 days later.

The article was clearly written, but rather short. The reporters packed most of the information in a few short paragraphs. In order to get details, you had to watch the video attached to the article. The reporters intended audience was those in the surrounding areas mentioned in the story, but it was also for those who were unaware of this occurrence.

Earlier today a fire broke out in Southern California

When comparing two different stories, a CNN article “A brush fire in Southern California exploded to over 3,000 acres in just a few hours” and a local California new station broadcast “A brush fire in Southern California exploded to over 3,000 acres in just a few hours,” they were not very similar.

The broadcast was a live update via helicopter flying over the fire. The broadcast was not well organized it was mostly for emergency information for people of that area. The newscasters focussed in on burning structures, live flames, and water dropping helicopters flying through the air. The whole broadcast was live feed of the fire with the broadcasters commentating in the background.

The article focussed more on the multitude of the fire and a pet organization who had to evactuate their facility. The article contained a lead, unlike the broadcast. The article also focussed on wind speeds and the reasoning behind the fast spreading fire.

The similarities between the two was they both were about the Southern California fire. Both the article and broadcasters had a similar quote, which was that “in just a few hours has burned about 3700 acres.” They both used visuals, video and pictures.

https://abc7.com/fire-map-active-fire-reports-perimeters-for-socal-fires/5645136/

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/24/us/tick-fire-california-santa-clarita/index.html

In recently released Vox article, reporter, Alissa Wilkinson gives feedback and reviews over the new Netflix show “The Laundromat.” The new show is based around wealthy individuals who avoid paying taxes. People of high class have been sneaking documents and forging materials to avoid losing a big chunk of their income. They are using “loopholes” that most middle-class, and lower, American do not know about.

The article was a little hard to follow. The report was very short and filled with long paragraphs. It seemed as if the reporter had little knowledge before writing the article, and just stuck the preview of the show at the bottom to attract readers. It was directed towards Netflix watchers in particular, but the report also appeals to those who have frequent problems with taxes and might want to watch the show.

Next Fall, Morningside College plans to merge its Advertising major into Marketing in order to increase job opportunities for students. 

According to Professor Marilyn Eastman, the proposal to combine the two majors has yet to reach the Morningside College Curriculum and Policies Committee. “The proposal is done, but it needs to be polished up,” stated Eastman. The group of business and marketing professors, which includes Eastman, will be sending their proposal in within this week, and, if approved, it will come into effect next Fall. 

If the proposal passes, the new “marketing major” will have new structure and course work for students. Classes will not be added or eliminated from the change, but their content will reflect more of a digital focus.

According to Eastman, “money is going out of traditional spending and being spent in the digital space.” Advertising agencies no longer focus on billboards and bus benches, rather they spend money looking into their customers. Tracking internet cookies and data, modernized agencies release ads and “pop-ups” related to what you search for on the internet. To reflect this new conjoined marketing and advertising tactic, next years marketing courses will put emphasis on digital sales and social media advertising in order to equip students with characteristics commonly sought out by agencies looking to hire. 

Additionally, Eastman, and the other professors who drew up the proposal, hope this change towards a more digital focus will peak students interest in the field of marketing. As she stated, “this is a twenty-first century type of marketing, so, hopefully, students will find this attractive.”

Sophomore at Morningside College, Jemar Lee, a Business Administration and Public Policy major, shared his thoughts about the possible combination of Advertising and Marketing. 

When informed the thought process behind the proposal, Lee stated, “I was unaware this was a thing, but I do understand why they would want to make the change. Most companies in sales use the internet to sell their goods, so it only makes sense to teach students how to appeal to online buyers.” 

Senior at Morningside College, Diego Marquez, a Mass Communications major also shared his thoughts over the change. 

“I had heard that they might be merging the two majors in the future, however I did not know it would happen this soon,” stated Marquez. 

Marquez has taken many business classes, in particular, that fall under the under the umbrella of Advertising and Marketing.

 If not graduating next year, Marquez might have seen completely new course work in his classes. He stated, “I am not opposed to the idea because I know how much our world revolves around the internet. However, if I was required to learn new business strategies in order to match the new course work, I do not know if I would be totally accepting.” Nevertheless, he believes this change will be “a step in the right direction” for Morningside College as they try to modernize their coursework for students.

In recently released Vox article, reporter, Stephanie Plante, interviewed 7 teachers who put their money towards the children they teach. According to recent studies, over 94 percent of teachers spend their own money on school supplies. Although students are provided school supplies list prior to the school year, not all families are able to buy everything needed. Additionally, teachers in Texas have reported buying clothes for their students.

The article was very easy to follow. The reporter organized the article very well. She separated every interview and gave details and background on each teacher. The article focussed mostly on students and their families. It did not shame families for not being able to afford school supplies, but it sympathized on behave of teachers who have to use their own money for it.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/10/10/20893780/teacher-cost-classroom-school-budget

1. I believe I focussed mainly on the flow of the paper. I wanted it to read well. I used transitions and sentence structure to do this. However, I wish I would have focussed on one common subject. I bounced around many ideas in my paper, and that is something I am still currently working on. 
2. I believe the most difficult part of writing the paper was to just state facts. In high school, we wrote very flowery and long in order to meet essay requirements. For our papers now, that is not the case. 
3. I believe the biggest problem in writing this paper was finding the right sources. Initially, I had 3 sources. One of which had little to do with the topic of my article. However, I solved it by searching for another source, even after I had written a whole rough draft. I found one that, I believe, pertains more to my topic than the source I originally had, and I used it.

16-year-old, Greta Thunberg, advocated for new politics and solutions for climate change in her speech yesterday.

At the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City, Greta Thunberg, spoke, not only to the audience, but towards world leaders.

Thunberg sided against world leaders as they have not done enough to stop climate change. Passionately stated by Thunberg,”we are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and economic growth.”

As the speech unfolded, Thunberg began to victimize the world under the choices made by world leaders in order to support her point.

Thunberg directly addressed world leaders when she stated, “you are failing us.” However, she immediately followed by saying “But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal.” In her eyes, climate change is one of the most important topics in todays society, so she pressures world leaders to make a change.

Following the speech, over 65 countries have announced efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Was it coincidence? Or was it because of a 16-year-olds speech against world leaders?

In Vox Article “Fair Pay to Play Act,” reporter, Alexia Campbell, covers the decisions behind the newly pass Fair Pay to Play Act. Before this week, the NCAA did not allow athletes to receive payment from their sport. However, according to Campbell’s sources, college sports have turned into multi-mullion dollar business in the past 5 years, and the athletes are not benefiting from any of it. The new law will allow students to be paid for their “hard work and efforts.”

This article was well written. It flowed very well and was easy to follow. The author directed her focus on collegiate athletes and lawmakers. She, additionally, wanted to inform people about the lack of representation collegiate athletes get for their skill.