You know I'm from the OC

So I had the privilidge of interview Adam Brody, who most might know from the television show The OC. I did my homework and read up a bunch about him, and about his new movie In The Land Of Women (the reason I was interviewing)
I found myself thinking about my ethics of interviewing essay when I started writing out my questions!
I know hes in a band and likes good music so my first question was going to be something like...

You have a great taste in music, what bands are you listening to now? Do you get any imput on the soundtract of the movies you work on? Is there any song you are excited about in The Land Of Women?

Then I realized... This is Adam Brody, an attractive 27 year old, actor, and the first words out of my mouth were going to be something..semi flirtatious? Complimenting him to get a good answer. For such a question as meaningless as this, does it necessarily matter?

I also read that he hates it when people tell him they are from the Real OC. I read a past interview where he says that he doesn't mind if theres teenagers going up to him talking to him about the show, but he really hates it when its people his age or older, he said in another interview "its like, you're 30, like I care if you are from the real oc, or how you feel the show is actually different than your OC, I can't think of a more boring conversation"

If I could ask more questions I almost wanted to dive into that, and tell him I was from the real oc and, to me, it matters how its portrayed and my pride of being from there, but I could see how maybe that might be a better discussion for the producers, but hes the one representing it. But I guess he just doesn't really care.

he was, lackluster, meaning that there was no great personality that came through in his interview. He answered the questions and that was that, It seems he couldn't make up his mind on what he wanted to say and I would almost have to piece together his thoughts to make a coherent sentence.

For Example:

What do you like better? Films or television?
"Well I like flims.....I like tele.....Its hard to sa..... I have a better schedule with it."
With....what now? with it meaning.....film? tv?.. Great sound bite.

Anyway. this was my first 'big' interview and I have to say it was definitely nervewracking and once I started hearing his voice I felt better. But all because of that ethics of interviewing essay I find myself questioning my questions and what would be right or wrong to say!

When I was young I always said, "When I grow up I want to be..

Katie Couric

and John and Elizabeth's interview was very interesting! the tough questions that you know the answer is not going to be an easy one. It seems that she handled it very well. it seems that you could see the human in her voice, and while she was asking the tought questions she asked them with heart. It wasn't like it was a Larry King or a Barbara Walters who asks the harder questions, stricktly as a journalist and does so with an expression-less face. I think Katie Couric acted with pose and compassion, and she didnt shy away from the kinds of questions that were too difficult to ask, and she asked the why and the hows. I was impressed by her tone, and her poise, and her questions, and her comments. Now I'll be interested to see any interviews involving the policies and stances of the presidential hopefull!



(and I still do)

Questions for Susan Sward

-How do you feel about journalists going undercover?

-How does it feel to ask the tough questions? How do you go about talking to people who don't want to be talked to? Did you ever feel threatened by anyone? Or feel you couldn't finish a story because you didn't get the interviews you needed?

-How did it feel doing the NYE piece, when one of the players involved is a part of a prominent social family in SF?
-Do you think the story would have been different if the old owners of the chronicle, who were also a socialte family, were still involved?

Comparisons

I decided to give the news a go...because I know that I don't watch it enought blah blah blah.

So It was the end of the 5:00 news, on channel 11.
There were only a few stories I watched by they were all comparisons!

The first story was a part of their "State of our Unions" series. And they talked about diversity in marriages and I thought, going with the times, they'd talk about gay marriages but no they talked about racial diversity in marriages! (I had no idea it was the 60s) anyway, they talked about the percentage of marriages that were interracial in 1970 compared to today. It was like 1.2% compared to todays around 9%. So are we suppose to think thats better because it raised a lot? but still 9% is nowhere near the majority or very high...so what exactly was the point? In 30 years will we finally have news reports on gay marriages? Seems to be a little bit behind the times...but thats my opinion.

The second was on pedestrian deaths (which hit closer to home with recent events), in San Jose and the opening statement was You are more likely to be killed crossing then street then by a burgeler, and later they said, the number of peopel killed crossing the streets is higher than homicide. And I'm like. What does that mean. Does that mean 2 people are killed on the street and 1 by homicide? or 500 on the street and 250 homicide?
Seems skittish.
Turns out in 2006 the number was like 6. So I'd say ...San Jose is relatively safe, although I understand the point and the number should be zero, but it seemed so unneccessarily dramamtic to say, you are more likely to be killed crossing the street then be murdered.

How ethical are comparasions? How ethical is it to say, this more than this and then not give numbers? Or to use comparisons at all? Seems like an easy way out to say that something is important. I just don't like it. feels lazy

Accurate and Fair

After reading about the horrible tragedy of the dean's wife, I was first incredibly shocked and sad. And I thought more about it and i was more sad, and more shocked. I did not want to run out with a camera. I did not want to contact her husband, or her kids or her family or friends. I wanted them to have peace. of course I had thoughts. What were those drivers thinking? Were they students that I know? Other than that, this reaffirmed what I have been thinking for the past year, that I don't think I am meant to be a hard hitting news journalist! i still deeply appreciate journalism and it has been important for me in college, but I don't want to be a reporter. I don't have that passion, I don't have that drive to run out with a pen and paper to the scene to take quotes from those, probably horrible stunned, witnesses.

As for the title that the Ederly women was run down. I do feel that this title was misleading and inaccurate. Perhaps it was written in a rush. But I would hardly call 59 elderly. I'd be careful to call my 70 plus Nana elderly just because of the connotation surrounding it. Do you know shes not active? not full of life. 59 I think is not elderly. The older I get the more I realize what age is actually is. thirty...is not old, fourty hardly is...59? you are not considered a senior at some places at 59. anyway..
Also run down. That is not the truth. Because of an accident she was struck. An accident involving two cars and she was an innocent bystander. She was not purposely run down by a driver aiming to harm her. This title is misleading and sounds a bit sensational. Who knew that a blogger, just getting what he felt an important story out, would undergo such criticism. (maybe bloggers are journalists after all? if they aren't, would this little blog have made such a big splash?)

In a journalistic sense, I think that it is ethical to ask for interviews with the deceased family and friends. I think there is a polite way of going about it (after reading the packet Robertson gave us on how to interview people of a tragedy, how to offer your condolences, and how to appropriately phrase questions) But I think I would have trouble with this, (hence the reason I have decided not to become that kind of journalist) I tend to cry at even sentimental commercials, I dont know how I could go through an interview with a rape victim or someone who has suffered a loss or a tragedy without crying. Is that ethical? Is that not being a fair and unbiased reporter?
I feel that tragedy is something that is bound to happen. And is most likely going to make Page 1. So it is very important, no matter your time rush, to present a fair and accurate title and story. What else to people have if they don't have the truth? (and without it, what kind of credibility do you have?) This is all a lot to ponder.

Hyperlink

How do you hyperlink within a post? so when I reference an article you can click on it and find it? when i do www. it doesnt work! What is the trick?
Thanks!

Blogs in my future...

I have discovered that blogging is not going to end once I post my final topic for this class on that glorious day in May.

The magazine I work for launched it's website in September and has been growing ever since. It's actually kind of cool if you are interested in learning more about the city.

www.7x7sf.com

Already they have incorportated blogs into the website. There is an Eat+Drink blog, with bloggers including the food editor, and a contributing wine expert. The latest blog talks about the food editors trip to Costco! It has many pictures and gives the inside tibits on restaurants in the city, one recent blog also even talked about food books.
A nightlife blog which does reviews of different concerts,t he most recent from Mickey Avalon from Thursday night. There are also many photos that are done by (thanks to the fact that we bought SPIN magazine last yaer) Misha Vladimirskiy whose photos are seen spread over all music magazines (and I think take a new approach to music photography, and are pretty cool to look at)
And a Social Studies blog that are done by contributing writers. Drew Altzier (known in SF to be THE photographer to the socialites and social scene) which shows his pictures of different events, galas,...gatherings of people who are (which is funny to me) considered the SF socialites. And Hooman (Alice radio personality) has a blog about movies, fashion week...entertainment in general.

What is funny about this is that, after I graduate working in marketing will become my fulltime job (hurray!!! at least thats one less thing to stress about) and also they are allowing me to go to Europe for a month, which I have already completely booked flights and hotels for a month (yay!) but my boss thought this would be a good idea for a blog...
Where in the World is Whitney
And pose with 7x7 at different famous monuments, do a blog about fun finds and the things I have seen.
....and I thought I was getting a vacation.

(I know this isn't journalism related to ethics...but thought it was a fun and funny story!)