Reading and Writing Are Hopelessly Intertwined

            I just realized I actually have more to say about TNH. Another point for the coward in me is that I don’t read TNH. Or any newspaper for that matter. Nor do I watch any news channel. I am kind of a paradoxical journalist in that sense. The only thing I do do is comb through the Boston Globe (but only because we are required to).

            Yes I realize that this is a weird thing to do. Or rather to not do. But the truth is that I am just not interested in the majority of things that are covered in newspapers. I care about issues and all that but I just find that the way they are presented is horrifically dull. I start reading something and then my mind just wanders. Perhaps this is an ADD problem?

            But what does this mean for my supposed future career? Maybe the fact that I don’t spend my free time reading articles means that I shouldn’t be a journalist. What are the rules for this type of thing?            

            Another theory of mine is that I just haven’t found my niche. I feel like  I would enjoy reading more human interest/feature stories, which is the kind of article I like writing as well. So perhaps after I post this blog I will do that. Except I have so much more homework.

            Rain check?

Writing Until I Die

           When I read Brittany Shaefer’s most recent post, I was reminded of the fact that I have been thinking of TNH recently. I was searching aimlessly through the UNH website and I came upon something interesting. TNH is hiring! Oh, that’s pretty cool. The deadline is tomorrow. Not cool. I didn’t write for my high school’s newspaper (mostly because it didn’t have a newspaper) but now that I’m officially a journalist (student), I have a newfound interest. The fact that I am going to be studying abroad next spring so I would only get to do it for a semester coupled with the fact that I am a little scared of even applying, has been deterring me for the past several hours.

            I could apply. I might not even get the job. But I don’t really know how being a writer for TNH works. And I may just like my hesitation get the better of me.

            Unlike Brittany, I was swayed by the stipend that comes with working for them. Yes like everybody I love to write but I have so many other things going on in my life that to write for free, go to my classes and do my homework, make money on the side and maybe have a little fun, would be a little too much to handle.

            So maybe senior year I will get the courage to apply. But until then, I’ll be writing until I die.  

High-Speed Car Chase

Screams permeated the air of the subway train as it barreled past its intended stop and on toward an unknown destination. Passengers frantically knocked on the door of the conductor’s room, asking if everything was alright. But instead of an affirmation that all was okay, they were greeted by a gunman holding a pistol.

“We tried to see what was going on and when we saw that something was wrong, one man took charge and confronted the gunman,” said passenger Luna di’Fleur. “He got shot and after that everybody started screaming. It was chaos.”

Meanwhile, on the street below, a car was following the subway’s progression. In it was police officer Popeye Doyle, who had apprehended a civilian’s car in order to pursue the shooter. The car was severely battered after hitting two other cars and a wall but Doyle didn’t let anything stop him. Swerving from one lane to another and nearly running over several pedestrians, he eventually caught up with the subway when it crashed into another train.

 

Witness Accuracy: 8

 

The Pen is the Sword

            It’s odd the power that journalists have. You wouldn’t think they could hold so much in their hands, what with their pens getting in the way and such. But they can. Though they aren’t politicians or celebrities or royalty (usually), the decisions they make could potentially affect a lot of people.

            It is the task of journalists to inform the world’s inhabitants of what goes on. They-should I be saying we?-cover wars and elections, debates and meetings. Everything really. How else would we know anything about anything without them? They report on so many influential topics and the manner in which they do so could change history.

            The Vietnam War was the first war that had a lot of media coverage and allowed Americans-for the first time in history-to be aware of the real situation in Vietnam. Because they had a better understanding of what was happening during the war, their opinions were more well-informed.

            If journalists for some reason decided to boycott their occupation, we would all be screwed. With the internet it’s a little different, but back in the old days (aka like a few decades ago), newspapers and the radio were the only ways that people found out about things.

            There will always be a place for journalists in the world. Unless we all decide to sever ourselves from civilization. 

The Eternal Question of What is News

I think the interesting thing about news (which I often times forget about) is that it can be so varied. I usually think of news as all the boring articles in the newspaper that talk about congressional hearings and government spending and things that I generally don’t care about. But then I listen to something like NPR and I’m reminded that news encompasses a lot more. It is opinions about interesting topics and events-both locally and internationally-which could mean everything from parades and concerts to benefits and meetings. It is pop culture and world history and the latest technology.

I keep having to remind myself that news covers just about everything in life and that’s the beauty of it. Some kind of news appeals to everyone-which is good news for me (that’s definitely a pun) because I have had a little trouble with the whole news thing due to my preconceived about its definition. But news is so much more than we could lock down in any definition. What is news keeps changing because our world and ourselves are constantly changing. 

I Have a Dream

The voice of Martin Luther King Jr. had all the power of an earthquake when he gave his

“I Have a Dream” speech Wednesday at the Lincoln Memorial, in which he called for an end to racism in the United States. The crowd of more than 250,000 civil rights supporters listened in quiet reverence to King’s speech, at times shouting frantic yeses and clapping with passionate support.

                “1963 is not an end but a beginning,” said King.

Meeting Lead

It may result in many ruined Saturdays for parents and students alike if the School Board approves a new policy that would require students with disciplinary problems to come to school for a Saturday morning session.