JOU Articles: week 9

Article 1: Marathoners Face Greater Risk of Artery Problems. Written by from HealthDay News on March 13, 2010.

I was really impressed with the sourcing on this article. There weren't as many as I'd usually consider as being "well-rounded", but the one that was there seemed extremely reliable and well-documented. It also flowed really well, and despite it's less-than-superexciting content, I was compelled to read the whole thing from start to finish. I also reacted a little more strongly than usual because it had important relevance to my life. My boyfriend is an avid runner and although he doesn't regularly compete in marathons, he does like to do long-distance running competitions. I definitely don't want him to push himself too hard after reading this, but at the same time it is kinda just common sense. Just like being a lazy ass isn't good for your health, pushing yourself past your body's limits isn't smart, either. Again, one of my biggest problems with most news articles is the lack of commitment to finding more sources or quotes from someone who perhaps does run marathons and their reaction to this news.

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Article 2: Vatican Denies Celibacy Rule Led to Sex Scandal. Written by Nicole Winfield of the Associated Press on March 14, 2010.

OHHhohohohoho. Hehehe. Nothing makes me giggle with guilty glee like a heavily ironic piece of religious ridiculousness. My retarded sentence aside, I absolutely could NOT pass up reading this work of magic when I came across the title. As far as fairness goes, I honestly feel that the article favored the priests and the vatican's opinions. The opposing argument was presented, but in no way did it go in depth for those who believe that the celibacy rule is indeed the cause of sexual scandals. The story mostly focused on the pope's handling of the scandals and how plenty of priests disagree with the claims being made. Therefore, I couldn't help but react unfavorably while reading this. It looked like a joke, honestly, because I don't believe half of the crap coming out of the vatican officials' mouths.

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Article 3: 'Cavalia,' the Cirque du Soleil-type Show With Horses, Prances into Fairgrounds. Written by Susan Thurston of the St Pete Times on March 12, 2010.

This is probably one of the most effective, charming extended advertisements I have ever read. It told me all I could want to know about the show it was advertising without sounding too enthusiastic or understated. There was a video at the top featuring the Cavalia horses, which was another major positive for me. It just gave the article that extra edge. I don't feel that it is unfair to showcase the Cavalia show in the newspaper because I don't think they paid for the article to be written. It's a relevant show that probably deserves to be noted in the local paper anyway. Also, Thurston quickly and efficiently described what exactly the show was as well as gave some fun and quirky statistics like the height of the tent. Also, at the end, there was a detailed paragraph explaining exactly when, where and how much the show is. Altogether I wouldn't change anything about the writing style because it was engaging and genuine.

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Article 4: UF Hires Outside Firm to Review Shooting of Student by Police. Written by Nathan Crabbe of the Gainesville Sun on March 13, 2010.

Although reading about world-shattering events is fun, I am discovering my love for local news. Call me selfish, but finding articles that are even somewhat relevant to what I can relate to is more interesting than the bigger picture. This article called to me specifically because a friend of mine actually was the first way I found out about this story, so I decided to see what the deal was for myself from a journalistic point of view. Craziness of the story aside, I feel this was a well-written article full of credible sources and fair coverage. Crabbe got quotes from both the dean and a representative of the independent law firm, which I felt was thoughtful. At times I felt like the article was just a liiittle bit out of order because the student who was shot only got properly introduced well into the middle of the article. I felt like Crabbe could have slipped that in a little earlier so I wasn't completely in the dark until halfway through. Since this story is just unfolding, there wasn't much by way of conflict resolution, but that is to be expected when the news is so fresh.

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