Moore of the same

The Web site I reviewed, unfortunately, was http://www.MichaelMoore.com. In typical fashion, the UM-Flint dropout and my fellow M-Timer has proven to the world that he has no care in objectively portraying the news.

Covering the inauguration of President Barack Obama on his Web site, Moore takes almost as much effort, if not more, in humiliating former President George W. Bush as he does exuberantly proclaiming his love for Obama. If you read the headline on Moore's site, you don't have to read any more to discredit it as a credible news site. "Free at Last" is the headline above the presidential oath of office, which Moore credits to Obama. Below that, Moore highlights some specific phrases from Obama's inaugural address that slam certain policies from Bush's presidency.

On the right side of the page, Moore makes it clear (although he doesn't directly say it) that he panders to the far-left crowd with a letter to his supporters that slams not only Bush, but former President Ronald Reagan as well, perhaps the best-loved president of our time.

By contrast -- or comparison, depending on how you look at it -- Rush Limbaugh's site is the polar opposite. Limbaugh mentions hardly anything about the day's festivities, instead making fun of Obama and his supporters, proclaiming himself as the "last man standing against the Obama cult." Limbugh's only real mention of the inauguration is through a live link to the coverage. Neither Limbaugh nor Moore shows interest in presenting objective news, but that's not what they do. Limbaugh is a self-proclaimed Republican supporter, while Moore is clearly a Democrat. Objectivity is not a word in either of their dictionaries.

'The Art of Editing' - Chapters 1 and 2

In Chapter 1 of "The Art of Editing," the authors focus on the media's changing role in today's society. Much of the discussion focuses on how editors react to these changes, but a lot has to do with the media.

One point I found particularly interesting was on Page 9, where the author admits "given the freedom they have to roam the Web, many consumers will get information wherever they can find it from whatever source." He also says that consumers seem to be all but ignoring brand loyalty and objectivity, which are fair points to make. More and more, it seems, consumers just want to be entertained. That reality helps explain why Web sites such as Facebook are increasingly more popular than most strict news sites. Consumers really don't care if the Detroit Free Press has been "on guard" -- as is its slogan -- for however many years if they can get the same news from their friends' news feeds.

In Chapter 2, the authors lament the fact that younger readers simply aren’t drawn to newspapers the same way older readers are. While that’s not surprising, what was surprising to me was the fact that, from an advertising perspective, that’s such a negative thing. I had always assumed that since older, retired people were those with the most disposable income, the fact that they are the predominant newspaper subscribers was a good thing. But the book points out that readers in their late 20s and early 30s are the most-coveted advertising market because of their likeliness to make big-ticket purchases. If newspapers continue to fail to reach this market, their relevancy will slip away as fast as the older generation does.

Convergence in action

My name is Mike Stechschulte, and it's my goal to become a better editor through completion of this course. While many journalists want to be reporters, it's always been a passion of mine to put my talents to use as an editor/designer for a daily newspaper. Because the journalism industry is evolving so rapidly, learning convergence tools such as blogging is going to be a critical part of my development. Although I don't expect to learn them in this course, eventually I would like to learn to use graphics and video programs such as Adobe Flash and Final Cut Pro.

I have been editor-in-chief of The Michigan Times for more than a year, and I'm excited to put what I will learn in this class to use at our campus publication. Our first issue of the semester goes out Jan. 19, and I expect we will have a good lead story to share with the campus (I don't want to give it away just yet!). Our first issue should also include some video footage of the Winter Block Party, which is an annual gathering of University of Michigan-Flint clubs and organizations with food, performances and entertainment for the campus to enjoy. Although we still use Windows Movie Maker, we have a Flip video camera and a monopod, which these days is enough to produce a serviceable video report.

I'm actually doing my homework a week in advance this time, which is a rarity for me, because I have eight hours between classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. I definitely would recommend steering away from that sort of scenario if you can. I'm dying of boredom, and it's only my second day of class.