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sruffin

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Best of “Times”

Posted by: | November 18, 2014 | No Comment |

Powerhouse syndicate survives print bust and technology boom. The New York Times. Need I say more? Quite frankly, no. The New York Times is the be all and end all of journalism (print or otherwise) and its influence is astronomical. It is the holy grail for aspiring writers and journalists (i.e. me) and has an […]

under: Comm 455
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One antiquated hand washes the other. The only place I ever see people read magazines or newspapers is in airports.– Dylan French, founder of Nobody.com At the risk of sounding trite, everything suddenly clicked. This quote is a summation of the future. There will come a time when yearning for the “old days” of  journalism […]

under: Comm 455
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Brutal, bloody and heroic

Posted by: | November 4, 2014 | No Comment |

Siege of Malta wreaks havoc, spreads news. There are some events in history that are simply too big. Their scope, value and relevance are astronomical to the tenth power, and often go unnoticed for subsequent years. As with everything, there are exceptions to this rule: Pearl Harbor, 9/11  and the capture/execution of Osama bin Laden. Everyone […]

under: Comm 455, social media
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Syn city

Posted by: | October 28, 2014 | No Comment |

Print syndication’s well runs dry. Once upon a time, in the magical kingdom of newspapers and magazines, news was actually fresh. It was current, it was relevant and it was…newsworthy. Then, it all went to hell. Maybe “hell” is a stretch. But it’s mostly accurate. In the same vein, maybe newspapers aren’t as guilty as magazines in […]

under: Comm 455
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Friendly fires

Posted by: | October 20, 2014 | No Comment |

War reporting sets public opinion ablaze. “You furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war.”— William Randolph Hearst And thus, war reporting was born. The American public is bombarded with war reports. Some call for protests, others for support and all call for attention. The weapon of choice in this information war is photographs, or photojournalism to be more precise. […]

under: Comm 455
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Media shift leaves war-culture “countered”. The 60s. This decade saw American ebullience and pessimism intersect and manifest in rampant change.  A mere mention of this time conjures up images of sex, drug use, Civil Rights marches and the hippie laden Haight-Ashbury district. But the revolution didn’t stop there. Perhaps the most defining event of the 60s is […]

under: Comm 455
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Modern war reporting fuels war at home. We’ve all seen the videos. Bald, sullen faced men sporting shackles, orange jumpsuits and fearful eyes. Next to them, knife wielding beasts, dressed in black and holding an executioner’s stance.  The videos end the same– a knife to the throat and the end of a life. This is […]

under: Comm 455
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New news, old tricks

Posted by: | September 22, 2014 | No Comment |

Coupons win bread for newspapers and consumers. Move over, Groupon. Or should I say, advertisements. The once omnipotent printed ad is second to none other than the savior of the  American economy: the coupon. Anyone who has ever binge watched episodes of TLC’s “Extreme Couponing”, probably noticed an alarming constant (aside from obscene savings and doomsday […]

under: Comm 455, newspapers
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Printing pressed

Posted by: | September 15, 2014 | No Comment |

Modern technology antiquates newspapers and handwriting. In the old days of journalism, almost everything was done by hand. Notes, articles, random musings– you name it, they hand wrote it. But with the Grim Reaper wrapping newspapers and print media in its vice-like grip, one can’t help but wonder what will happen to handwriting. Signs point to a slow, yet […]

under: Comm 455
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Extra, extra! Tweet all about it!

Posted by: | September 8, 2014 | No Comment |

Modern technology wages war on patience and print. Once upon a time in a pre-Apple world, patience and print were the norm. News was broadcast at certain times of day and not a moment before, human interaction was primarily face-to-face and email was the advancement in communication. Most importantly, the newspaper was read with dedication reserved for […]

under: Comm 455
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