- Why does he say he wrote the bathtub history?- He claims it had to do with easing war tensions in the beginning.
- Where was the bathtub information showing up?- It was becoming present in documents, claiming that this was real history. He even was referenced in congress as a verifiable source.
- What does he say about the wars and history books?- He says that what begins as a guess or assumption about something can become the truth in history. He says that war books could be inaccurate but when people question them, they are considered to be unpopular.
- What does he say about journalism and journalists?- He says that when they get all of the truth, not all of it is ever published. He says they use the "romantic lie" to make events more interesting (exaggeration).
- What examples does he give to prove that "history is bunk"? - When he says bunk, he means nonsense. By saying that history is bunk, he is claiming that it is nonsense that anyone could believe. History is never the whole truth, and could even be changed. An example being exactly what he did. He re-wrote- or re-created an entire history of the bathtub.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The Big Reveal: Bathtub Hoax
Bathtub Hoax
- How did you react when you found out the article was fake?- A part of me wasn't that surprised because when I was reading it, I was laughing thinking that it could be satire. I am very impressed though by it because it was so well written.
- Why did you react this way?- I just thought it was so entertaining to read, that I figured he made it up.
- What does this say about journalism?- It says a couple things, one being that you could pretty much write anything and people will believe it. The other was that as a journalist you need to be sure you are publishing true facts.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Part II: Reporting
In Kinston, earlier this morning, there was an explosion in the plastics factory with a total so far of twenty-four causalities.
Questions + Answers:
- How did this happen?- It occurred when a man was trying to fix the electric box outside one of the sections of the building.
- Where in the factory did it happen?- It happened along the C Wing, however the explosion was so large that it became a fire, which destroyed the rest of the building.
- How far did the explosion reach?- Explosion only reached to the C Wing, fire is what carried on.
- Is this explosion going to effect the town?- The factory was far away enough from the town.
- Who are the other people inside?- Other employees still unidentified.
- How serious were the injuries?- Some were fatal, many were 3rd degree burns.
- How is the factory going to pay back these families?- Factory does offer money to those with family members who died, otherwise not a lot.
- What will happen to the now numerous of jobless people?- Those who are in fine condition will be transferred to another factory nearby.
- Was it an accident?- Purely.
- Could it have been avoided?- The electrician made a mistake when he cut the wrong wire. It was truly an accident. However, the fire could have been put out faster had there been more sprinklers in the building.
In Kinston, earlier this morning, there was an explosion in the plastics factory with a total so far of twenty-four causalities.
At approximately 9:00AM this morning the explosion occurred. Just before that, Mr. Keynes, was checking out the electric box in the C Wing of the factory, making sure that it was working properly. Sources say that he accidentally cut the wrong wire, which ignited the explosion. The sheer power of the explosion quickly destroyed the entire C Wing, with a total of eight deaths.
The explosion then became a fire, that spread throughout the rest of the factory. Many people were able to get out in time, however, at least 16 were left injured. There are many other names of employees still missing. They are believed to still be in the demolished building. Chief Daollo of the Kinston Fire Department says, "I doubt anyone inside the factory would still be alive, but who knows? That doesn't mean we aren't going to check."
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Fire Causes Uproar in Montvale
A fire occurred late last night ignited by a cigarette in Montvale at the Smith's home.
Luckily, everyone in who was in the household was perfectly fine. At approximately 10:30PM Ms. Smith called the Montvale Fire Department to report the fire. Firemen say that the cigarette was not fully burned out inside the guest room. While both Mr. and Ms. Smith do not smoke, their family relative who is a minor, does indeed smoke continuously. The cigarette was found in an ashtray beside the guest bed.
Chief Fireman John Kay says that the fire started around 10:15PM, when the ashtray fell off of the nightstand. Ms. Smith was the first to hear the fire alarms go on, and luckily she had just replaced the batteries a few days prior. She called the fire department and they arrived at the scene in less than two minutes.
Since this was considered an accident, no charges will be filed on the minor. While many people in the town are upset by this, because a minor was permitted to smoke, others seem to just be happy that the Smith family was safe.
Investigators believe that something else was going on because the Smiths are known to be very clean and healthy people, who would never allow smoking. While it is still unclear now, more research will be done within the next week. In the meantime the Smiths are staying with nearby relatives.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Man Steals Children of Hamelin
A mysterious man who calls himself Pied Piper used his music to kidnap all of the children in Hamelin last weekend because of a broken promise made by the Mayor.
It started off as a plain old agreement and ended up with catastrophic results. The Pied Piper, who seemed to have just come out of nowhere in a time of need, promised to get the rats out of Hamelin. The Mayor was completely skeptical of the man who had claimed to get rid of beetles and frogs that infested other towns around Germany. The Mayor naively promised the Pied Piper fifty thousand florins to solve the rat problem. After the Pied Piper saved the town, he was not rewarded.
The Pied Piper decided to seek revenge and took all of the children, the same way he did the rats, by playing his music. Those poor children followed him all the way up into the mountain caves. One lone boy survived and reported this news to the now helpless Mayor.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Step 1 of News Reporting
"The Pied Piper of Hamelin"
Who? Pied PiperWhat? Fixing a problem.
When? Once upon a time...
Where? Hamelin
- The town of Hamelin has a problem with rats.
- Rats attack every inch of the town.
- Mayor thinks of a plan to get the rats out. (5)
- Stranger enters village with bright clothes.
- Stranger claims he can do the job but he wants to be paid. (6)
- Mayor doesn't believe he could do it, but he says he will give him fifty thousand florins (money). (7)
- The Pied Piper gets the rats out by playing music. (8)
- All of the rats are gone. (9)
- Pied Piper wants his money but the town laughs and won't give it to him. (3)
- Pied Piper is upset because the Mayor broke their promise. He says that he will seek revenge. (4)
- Pied Piper plays music at night and takes all the children of the town. (1)
- All of the children have disappeared forever, it takes a long time for more children to be in the town (a new generation). (2)
- Lesson learned, never break a promise. (10)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Reflection
Something that interested me was that there was a certain structure to writing an article. I never realized before that articles were written from the most interesting facts to least. Also, just that this kind of writing differs so greatly from English writing, no conclusions or thesis statements.
Monday, October 17, 2011
France to Allow Work Visas for More Graduates
By Palko Karasz, The NY Times, October 13, 2011
I feel as if every other week my reporting on France goes from happy to sad. Last week it was that they are more strict on younger children's eating habits. Now, they are letting people out of the country. France has decided to loosen the restrictions on working visas. In fact more people are actually encouraged to go overseas and continue learning. This is actually really cool, because I know that I want to travel abroad when I get to college. I have never thought about others coming to America. Students in France say that it would be pointless to be refused study abroad, because people are not learning, and it is an unnecessary sacrifice.
This is a newsworthy piece because it lets people here, have more a perspective on what students do in other countries. Who knows, maybe there will be more European students in America and more American students in Europe, though that seems counterproductive...
"The French Are Coming"
Is Race Reflected By Your Outfit?
By Pamela Paul, The NY Times, October 14, 2011
Could your race be identified just based on what you are wearing? I would assume not. My assumption is that you can not be identified on your race, unless someone is looking at you. Even then it can be difficult. (People look at me all the time and try to figure out what country I am from.) There was a recent study shown that people will attempt to identify others based on clothing. This is worse than judging the book by its cover, because at this point, you are barely even looking at the cover, maybe just the author's name. Basically, the study done by Tufts College, was that people dress a certain race, and that "dressing white" or "black" is common. The experiment was to show a man in a janitors uniform, and people needed to identify his race. More people assumed black than white.
I think this is so important because I cannot believe this. Where does this come from? This article made me think about how people judge others do quickly and not realize it. It is almost as if we have been trained though the years to do so. The article is definitely enlightening, and newsworthy. Racism and how we view people will always be important and never lightly handled.
"Name that Race"
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
France Bans Ketchup in Cafeterias
By Kim Willsher, Lost Angeles Times, October 6, 2011
Basically this crazy article is about how France decided that ketchup is no good. I feel bad for all of those kids in France who want to eat some french fries and ketchup. Moreover, now they can only have french fries with hamburgers once a week. I am assuming this is all to be healthy, like how our school can't sell soda. Well at least these schools are doing some good things, introducing more fruits and veggies in each meal. With this healthy eating craze, children must eat what the cafeteria provides, no bringing ketchup from home! "Food is very important here," said Hazan of the parents federation, "and we can't have children eat any old thing."
This article is newsworthy because now all of these children and their families need to adjust this eating styles. This seems like a great idea to make people eat healthier, but at the same time I feel like it is a bit extreme. It is important to know what is going on in the world, I would have never known this if I haven't read this. Now I wonder if NJ is going to try to do this soon...
France Becomes Healthy
From Wizards to Wallflowers in the Suburbs
By Melena Ryzik, The NY Times, October 5, 2011
This article is all about actress Emma Watson. The article had two of the coolest things in it. One, Emma Watson (I have great respect for her as an actress and a role model) and "Perks of Being a Wallflower" because that is one of my favorite books. I have read that book so many times, and every time the experience is different. A simple summary, is that is about Charlie, a lost freshman, who writes anonymous letters to a girl telling her about his journeys. So now, we all know about how Watson is forever known as the greatest witch alive, but now she is going to high school. The actress is filming the movie, "Perks of Being a Wallflower" in Pennsylvania. She plays a high school senior who becomes the best friend of Charlie. Really the book is amazing, read it! Trust me! Anyway, I definitely think that this will be a great role for her. It is so interesting seeing her go from Harry Potter to an average high school girl. The actress gushes about how she gets to go through all of her 'firsts'. She gets to go to prom, go to high school parties, and graduate. The article makes me see just how much effort an actress goes through. Watson has spoken to her own friends about their high school experiences (fitting in and having great friends), that way her performance could seem believable.
I do think this is interesting, but not newsworthy. Newsworthy means that it effects people, while this is really cool, it isn't effecting anyone, except Emma Watson. This is an excellent feature and makes me really excited for "Perks of Being a Wallflower" to come out.
Perks of Being Emma Watson
Monday, October 3, 2011
Paris Lauches Electric Car-Sharing Plan
By Kim Willsher, LA Times, October 2, 2011
Have you ever heard of a Zip-Car before? Well you probably have seen them around the city. The concept is simple. All you have to do go up to the car, swipe a credit card, and drive for as long as you want. When you are done, you just park it wherever you would like, and you will be charged. France now has this same idea with the Bluecar. Only these cars are eco-friendly, nearly silent, and very cheap. Many people like this idea in Paris because owning a car is a responsibility, whereas renting one is nothing. While tons of local Parisians love this idea, some are not too fond of it. Some do not like that over 1,000 stations will be set up all over the city. They feel that since they have not voted on it, that it should not be put into effect. They claim that this is not a democracy anymore.
I think that this is a really good idea actually. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about where to park your car or to get it fixed? When I first heard about Zip-Cars here in NYC I was amazed by how great of an idea it was. I think this is a good one for France to go on board with because they are already doing something similar. In Paris now there are stops all over the city filled with bicycles that have the same purpose (renting them out). While a bicycle is even more eco-friendly, the idea of the car is still very intriguing. This is newsworthy and important because it is interesting to find out what types of new ideas and concepts that countries share. This effects the Parisians very much, and hopefully they will get used to it and find it easier to travel.
Zip-Car in Paris
The Songs of "Glee" Give Way to Terror
By Dave Itzkoff, NY Times, October 2, 2011
It is officially Fall now, so you know what that means, new television programs. While most of them have already started, such as "Whitney" and "The New Girl" there is still one more. The main difference is that this is completely different then anything else. The new show is called, "American Horror Story" and is by the creator of "Glee", Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. This show is about a haunted house and a destructive family. The family, including a father, mother and teenage daughter, move into a new home to escape their troubled past. Unfortunately the home has a past of its own that is coming for them. I definitely find this appealing for a television show. Everyone remembers and loves "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters" so now there is a new family. Tons of people watch horror movies or documentaries for fun, so why not see it every week.
It makes sense that this kind of a show is coming out now because of the popularity of "Paranormal Activity" and many other horror franchises. This is newsworthy because it shows what it takes to create a new show and how the entertainment world effects everyone. i never really thought about what I was watching before, I kind of just watched. I like reading about pop culture because sometimes people need a break from the terrors and tortures of the real world.
Anyway watch "American Horror Story" Wednesday night on FX at 10:00pm.
Brand New "American" Family
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