I. The History of 4/20 - http://420.coloradodjlabs.org/history.html
The Legal History of Marijuana and Dipity timeline to match - http://420.coloradodjlabs.org/legalhistory.html
II. Kayla Cornett, Senior, kayla.cornett@colorado.edu
III. I did the history, legal history and timeline on my own, but Laurel posted the new picture and video for the history and posted my content to the Web site and I believe Sara edited my content.
IV. For the history of 4/20:
Snopes.com - http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/420.asp
High Times - http://hightimes.com/entertainment/ht_admin/1326
http://hightimes.com/magazine/ht_admin/4182
CelebStoner - http://www.celebstoner.com/201103316475/front-page/front-page/april-is-420-month-at-celebstoner.html
CannabisNews - http://cannabisnews.com/news/22/thread22897.shtml
For the legal history:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_the_United_States
V. My content was strong and accurate and I completed my assignment in a very timely manner, except for the Dipity outage that slowed down the completion of my interactive timeline.
VI. The photo and video were not newsworthy since they were from last year's event, and it was too long after the event before the newest photo and video were available for my content. I wish I would have been able to take photos or video myself so that I could have had this new content sooner.
VII. I've learned that I shouldn't always count on other people to complete work that will affect my part of a project. However, counting on some people is good because they can help you with things that you don't know much about and they can offer ideas and advice for your part of a project.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Linking Law
If I were a reporter working for the Boulder Daily Camera and had been assigned a story about a CU English professor who was accused of frequenting a child pornography site and he denies his name is listed on this site, I would not link to that site in my story because it is a major ethical issue.
Usually, I think it's smart to link to any external sites that are mentioned in a story or blog so that your audience can see where you have acquired your information or to give your audience more information on a topic. But in this case, I think it is smarter not to link to a child pornography site because this ethical issue could easily turn into a legal issue.
I believe giving my audience a direct link to this site would put me in danger of being sued for damages or personal harm by someone who viewed the external site. If a suing case were taken to court, I think I would lose and be held liable because the plaintiff most likely would not have seen this site without my involvement; I gave direct access to a harmful Web site that is not technically public knowledge.
I might also be in danger of violating the Communications Decency Act according to Foust because I could be linking to a site that "depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs." (p. 221)
Even though it is my journalistic responsibility to my audience to link to any relevant external site, I would be willing to forgo this responsibility in order to protect my reputation and to keep my conscience clean. If I did link to the site, my audience might question my morals and think I have no heart, and I would not want others, especially my readers, to think that about me. Also, I would feel terrible linking my work to such an awful site, even if it is an element of my story. I would not want my name associated with the people that run or visit that kind of site.
In conclusion, this is an ethical and legal issue, and I would not be willing to risk my personal integrity and clean criminal record for the sake of linking. I think the story would be enough for my readers, and if they were interested in seeing if the professor's name was indeed listed on the site, they can see what the site is called in my story and check it out on their own.
In the end, I think I would be a more respectable journalist for not linking to the child pornography site and I believe that is more important when it comes to covering a controversial topic.
Usually, I think it's smart to link to any external sites that are mentioned in a story or blog so that your audience can see where you have acquired your information or to give your audience more information on a topic. But in this case, I think it is smarter not to link to a child pornography site because this ethical issue could easily turn into a legal issue.
I believe giving my audience a direct link to this site would put me in danger of being sued for damages or personal harm by someone who viewed the external site. If a suing case were taken to court, I think I would lose and be held liable because the plaintiff most likely would not have seen this site without my involvement; I gave direct access to a harmful Web site that is not technically public knowledge.
I might also be in danger of violating the Communications Decency Act according to Foust because I could be linking to a site that "depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs." (p. 221)
Even though it is my journalistic responsibility to my audience to link to any relevant external site, I would be willing to forgo this responsibility in order to protect my reputation and to keep my conscience clean. If I did link to the site, my audience might question my morals and think I have no heart, and I would not want others, especially my readers, to think that about me. Also, I would feel terrible linking my work to such an awful site, even if it is an element of my story. I would not want my name associated with the people that run or visit that kind of site.
In conclusion, this is an ethical and legal issue, and I would not be willing to risk my personal integrity and clean criminal record for the sake of linking. I think the story would be enough for my readers, and if they were interested in seeing if the professor's name was indeed listed on the site, they can see what the site is called in my story and check it out on their own.
In the end, I think I would be a more respectable journalist for not linking to the child pornography site and I believe that is more important when it comes to covering a controversial topic.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Ideas for 4/20 Coverage
I think doing a project on 4/20 is a great idea, but I don't know how many fresh ideas I have on how to cover it in ways that haven't already been done. Here's a few I think could be good:
1) This is sort of a pre-step to coverage, but I think we should either set up a Facebook or Twitter account and use crowd sourcing to see what other people around the country would like to see covered in terms of 4/20.
2) For one of our interviewing processes, I think we should ask people in attendance at the 4/20 event why they are there. Is it to celebrate historical significance or just because they want to smoke pot? We can put what historical significance it has on our site.
3) We could have a section of the Web site dedicated to pictures of celebrities/well-know figures smoking on 4/20.
4) We could post a debate between two of our classmates on the pros and cons of the 4/20 event.
5) This one's a stretch, but we could have one or more of our classmates participate in the event and report findings.
1) This is sort of a pre-step to coverage, but I think we should either set up a Facebook or Twitter account and use crowd sourcing to see what other people around the country would like to see covered in terms of 4/20.
2) For one of our interviewing processes, I think we should ask people in attendance at the 4/20 event why they are there. Is it to celebrate historical significance or just because they want to smoke pot? We can put what historical significance it has on our site.
3) We could have a section of the Web site dedicated to pictures of celebrities/well-know figures smoking on 4/20.
4) We could post a debate between two of our classmates on the pros and cons of the 4/20 event.
5) This one's a stretch, but we could have one or more of our classmates participate in the event and report findings.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Coconut Grove Grapevine
The Coconut Grove Grapevine blog is somewhat interesting as an overall Web site. When I realized it was the daily "news" of the city of Coconut Grove, Florida, I thought it would be a collection of boring posts that deal with things I could care less about. However, there are a few posts in there that caught my eye and that I think could be issues experienced in other cities around the country. It makes the blogger and Coconut Grove very relatable.
That is where my "likes" about this blog end, however.
The way this page is designed is not working for me. The layout looks like it was supposed to be simple and white with just a picture at the top and a picture attached to each post. But the sides have so many advertisements that the page is cluttered and downright ugly. Now, I know that some blogs like having advertisements to support on their page, but I still can't help thinking that the ads make the page look bad. But you know, that's just me.
Also, there are differences in the way the blogger writes some of the posts compared to his regular posts that makes the blog uneven. Most of the posts on Coconut Grove are rather short updates about events going on in the town and are paired with pictures showing the event. Then, there are random longer posts that are written like news stories. I couldn't help but wonder if the blogger is a journalist who also has a personal blog. If that were the case, I think this unevenness is unacceptable.
If it's a personal blog, the short updates in normal writing style is fine. But then he shouldn't have any journalistic aspects in any of the other posts. Plus, some of these long posts are way too long. Even though there are at least 3 pictures throughout each of these long posts to break up text, it's not enough to keep me reading them.
Finally, since some of the posts are so long, the blogger should change how many posts are allowed on the page. As of now, he has the posts of the past 10 days before the "Older Posts" option appears. This setting makes the page way too long and I caught myself thinking "When are these posts gonna end?" That's not a good thing for a reader to think. If he limits he posts even to just the past seven days, I think that would make a substantial difference.
In the end, I don't think I'll ever come back to this blog unless I'm forced. In my opinion, a blog is a failure if it doesn't leave a reader wanting to come back for more. So sorry Mr. Falco, better do some rearranging in order to keep me entertained.
That is where my "likes" about this blog end, however.
The way this page is designed is not working for me. The layout looks like it was supposed to be simple and white with just a picture at the top and a picture attached to each post. But the sides have so many advertisements that the page is cluttered and downright ugly. Now, I know that some blogs like having advertisements to support on their page, but I still can't help thinking that the ads make the page look bad. But you know, that's just me.
Also, there are differences in the way the blogger writes some of the posts compared to his regular posts that makes the blog uneven. Most of the posts on Coconut Grove are rather short updates about events going on in the town and are paired with pictures showing the event. Then, there are random longer posts that are written like news stories. I couldn't help but wonder if the blogger is a journalist who also has a personal blog. If that were the case, I think this unevenness is unacceptable.
If it's a personal blog, the short updates in normal writing style is fine. But then he shouldn't have any journalistic aspects in any of the other posts. Plus, some of these long posts are way too long. Even though there are at least 3 pictures throughout each of these long posts to break up text, it's not enough to keep me reading them.
Finally, since some of the posts are so long, the blogger should change how many posts are allowed on the page. As of now, he has the posts of the past 10 days before the "Older Posts" option appears. This setting makes the page way too long and I caught myself thinking "When are these posts gonna end?" That's not a good thing for a reader to think. If he limits he posts even to just the past seven days, I think that would make a substantial difference.
In the end, I don't think I'll ever come back to this blog unless I'm forced. In my opinion, a blog is a failure if it doesn't leave a reader wanting to come back for more. So sorry Mr. Falco, better do some rearranging in order to keep me entertained.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
No Day But Today
Today is significant because the Colorado Buffaloes' men's basketball team has won an extremely important game.
The Buffs beat Oklahoma State 75-71 at the Coors Event Center in Boulder, CO on Saturday, January 15. They're 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time since opening 6-0 in the 1996-97 season, have won 11 consecutive home games this season and are on in a seven-game winning streak, according to CUBuffs.com.
The two previous conference wins this season were against ranked teams, #8 Missouri and #20 Kansas State. This win against Oklahoma State means that CU will most likely be a ranked team come Monday.
This is an exciting and important day for Colorado students and fans alike, especially since the team hasn't been ranked for at least three years.
Also, I believe this achievement will help students and alumni retain their school spirit that was crushed earlier this year due to a different CU sports team.
The football program suffered terribly this season, going 5-7 on the season, making this their fifth losing season under head coach Dan Hawkins.
As a result, Coach Hawkins was fired and has been replaced by Jon Embree. Still, the sting from this past season lingers in fans' minds and many have lost hope in CU sports.
But the men's basketball team has given us hope, given us something to believe in again. I think this a great thing for our university and it makes me really excited that I, along with my fellow students, get to be a part of it.
I believe this team has a great chance of making history this season and their performance today is the reason I feel like this is possible.
Therefore, this event made today a significant day for me.
The Buffs beat Oklahoma State 75-71 at the Coors Event Center in Boulder, CO on Saturday, January 15. They're 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time since opening 6-0 in the 1996-97 season, have won 11 consecutive home games this season and are on in a seven-game winning streak, according to CUBuffs.com.
The two previous conference wins this season were against ranked teams, #8 Missouri and #20 Kansas State. This win against Oklahoma State means that CU will most likely be a ranked team come Monday.
This is an exciting and important day for Colorado students and fans alike, especially since the team hasn't been ranked for at least three years.
Also, I believe this achievement will help students and alumni retain their school spirit that was crushed earlier this year due to a different CU sports team.
The football program suffered terribly this season, going 5-7 on the season, making this their fifth losing season under head coach Dan Hawkins.
As a result, Coach Hawkins was fired and has been replaced by Jon Embree. Still, the sting from this past season lingers in fans' minds and many have lost hope in CU sports.
But the men's basketball team has given us hope, given us something to believe in again. I think this a great thing for our university and it makes me really excited that I, along with my fellow students, get to be a part of it.
I believe this team has a great chance of making history this season and their performance today is the reason I feel like this is possible.
Therefore, this event made today a significant day for me.
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