Angus Beef

Positive look at Dufferin Avenue

2011-04-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

On Dufferin Avenue, it's all about looking up.

Look down, you'll see garbage. Look up, you'll see hope for the future. The slogan on the sign of Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, a children's centre that provides children with a place to get away from the violence of the North End, says it all. "Children of Tomorrow."

Look up and you'll see that even in the roughest parts of town the sun still shines bright and the sky is still a beautiful blue.

Though condom wrappers and empty bottles of liquor lie on the cracked pavement, just meters away is an elementary school with a Canada flag waving at full mast. There is hope for the future after all on this North End street.

Belinda Vandenbroek of Wahbung Abinoonjiiag feels there's nothing wrong with the street. She takes the children of the outreach program out for a walk down the street everyday. She feels safe taking the kids out for daily walks saying that the people are "generally nice" in the area.

Wahbung Abinoonjiiag's building is noticably vibrant, a great image in a supposedly repugnant area.

Also pleasant is the smell of fresh baked goods right across the street from the children's centre. City Bread's factory gives the surrounding area an inviting aroma that's a joy to walk by.

A walk down Dufferin and you wonder why the North End is given such a bad rap. With a church nearby, schools, and of course, Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, has everything it needs to be a thriving street.

Dufferin Avenue is quiet in the daytime, good for a light jog or stroll. Occasionally a wave of cars will come whizzing by, probably heading towards downtown. Main Street is just a block away from Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, which is on the far east side of Dufferin Avenue.

To be honest, my visit to Dufferin Avenue was more pleasant than I had expected it to be. The first thing I did was look at all the garbage on the ground, an unfortunate first impression. The key, however, is to look up and see the potential the street has for a bright future.

A question about blogging

2011-03-29T00:09:00.000-07:00

There's no getting around it, CreComm is coming to a close very soon. While many questions linger about our futures as professionals, there's one that I don't think I've heard anyone ask. It's one that I'm starting to ask myself and I'd like to get some feedback from my classmates and fellow CreCommers.

When CreComm is over, will you continue blogging?

I recently asked myself this question and did not really know the answer. Will the end of CreComm mark the end of Angus Beef?

As I ponder this question, I invite you to do the same. Just think about it and feel free to comment with your opinion.

Once you finish your last day of work placement and say a reluctant goodbye to Red River College, will your blog cease to exist or flourish like it always has?

(I've invited you to comment but you don't have to if you don't want to. Just please don't make it one of those embarrassing situations where I tell people to comment on my blog and nobody comments. It makes me sad.)

The Winnipeg Free Press Since WWI

2011-03-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

Besides the location and basic aestetics of the paper, the Winnipeg Free Press has changed quite a bit since the First World War. When it comes to coverage, especially war coverage, the Free Press had changed drastically over the years.

According to Lynn Crothers of the Winnipeg Free Press says that the prominence of war in the paper has decreased as well as the patriotism seen in war coverage.

By patriotism, she means support for the war effort. This means that back in WWI there was more encouragement to buy war bonds. Crothers also explained that a higher amount of coverage was given to the war back then.

"Front page would give more of an idea of what's going on," Crothers said. "Casualties were listed in the paper everyday."

The Free Press was so pro-war, that the editor during WWI, John W. Dafoe, fired an employee of his for expressing anti-war views.

Jim Blanchard, author of Winnipeg's Great War: A City Comes of Age, a book exploring the city of Winnipeg through the years of the First World War, says that newspapers, especially the Free Press, were quite influential in those days.

"The Free Press was important during the great war because it had the biggest circlulation and reading the paper was one of the only ways of getting news then," said Blanchard.

Blanchard also noted a difference between the paper back then and now.

"The paper back then simply had more text and more stories, now we see more ads and far more pictures."

During the war, The Free Press was a Liberal paper that expressed Liberal views. It's competition back then was the Telegram, which was a Conservative paper.

The Free Press had competition then but nowadays, according to Crothers, the paper doesn't feel the need to name any competitors.

Today, the telegram is now gone and the Free Press is more neutral in its point of view.

The Winnipeg Free Press was located on Carlton Avenue in a building they moved to in 1913. Since then, the paper has only changed location once, a move to their current location on Mountain Avenue in 1991.

The building on Carlton Avenue is still there and is now occupied by offices.

Winnipeg's Great War: A City Comes of Age

2011-03-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

Winnipeg's Great War is a historical book by Jim Blanchard telling us about the state of Winnipeg during the First World War.

Blanchard makes great use of pictures in the book. Adding visuals puts an image in the reader's head and can give a better understanding of all the names and places mentioned. The pictures illustrate the book and in our current culture where visuals are so prevalent, the pictures are important in keeping the reader intrigued.

Blanchard's decision to write the book in chronological order worked in my opinion. With so many names and dates and places mentioned, it was the best way to organize it.

I think reading the story as a Winnipegger helped me enjoy it a bit more. Blanchard would make reference to a place, for example Kelvin High School, and I'd be able to relate it to a specific place in the city today. It made the read a bit more enjoyable than it would have been if I was not from Winnipeg.

I found that at the beginning of the book it was difficult to keep track of all the names. I found myself reading back numerous times in order to understand who was being talked about in certain instances of the book. I understand that these names are very important in the book and need to be mentioned, I just think that it made the book a bit more difficult to read.

Winnipeg's Great War really taught me about the history of the city of Winnipeg and the effect the war had on the city. A lot of things changed in Winnipeg during the war. The school system changed, as well as the role of women, and transportation.

As a journalist I learned a few things from reading this book. The most important thing I learned was that it's important to put things into context. While reading I was never confused of what year was being talked about or even what time of year. Blanchard did a great job of telling the reader when particular things were happening. I was never wondering when something was or at what point in the war I was at.

Let's relate Winnipeg's Great War to another history book, Hiroshima. Both books provide an in depth look at events that took place and how they affected a certain area. In Hiroshima, the author, John Hersey, tells us how the atomic bomb affected Japan. Blanchard's book explains how the First World War affected Winnipeg. The main difference is that in Hiroshima, Hersey gets the point across using peoples' personal stories. Blanchard uses events or happenings to get his point across.

I learned a lot in our discussion with Blanchard, not only about the book and the history of Winnipeg in the war but I also learned a lot about the process of writing a book. I learned that it takes a long time, required much editing and also requires looking through numerous archives to find information. I enjoyed the dicussion with Blanchard because it gave me a look at the publishing industry and how to publish a piece of historical non-fiction.

Independent Professional.. zzzzzzzz.....

2011-02-28T23:21:00.000-08:00

Hey Sean, why the late night blog post?
I've been very busy with my IPP. This is the only chance I have to do it.

What's an IPP?
I don't even know anymore.

Why are you talking to yourself, Sean?
Because I'm going crazy.

Yes, my IPP (Independent Professional Project) launch event is tomorrow and that means I've been scrambling to get everything in order and make sure everything goes smoothly.

(By the way, the launch event is a live show featuring my band, The Beasts. Park Theatre. 8 p.m. $10 admission. Don't miss out.)

So as I was saying, the last few days have been a mad scramble to complete every task I need to complete to ensure that we pull off a good show.

Call this guy, email these tracks, organize a photo shoot, find time to practice, rewrite these lyrics, buy new equipment, make sure this person gets a ticket, Twitter, Facebook, Twitter, Facebook, make a website, I don't know how to make a website, get someone to show you how to make a website, find someone to do this, then I have to do this, and that, and this, and that...

I could go on but to spare your time, I won't.

All this deliberation got me thinking, is this how busy I'm going to be for the rest of my life?

Does CreComm prepare us for a career by simulating what the ideal career is actually like or does it prepare us for the busiest, most stressful job in the entire communications field?

Am I going to have time to play with my kids when I'm older?

Will have time to even get married and have kids?

Will I have time to go to the bathroom at any point during the day?

Okay, these questions are a little far-fetched but during this past week and a few other times during my 1.5 years as a CreCommer, I've wondered if the work load we have at school is similar to the work load we'll have when we actually get a job.
Any thoughts?

Reporter's worst nightmare

2011-02-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

This video epitomizes the worst timing and luck a television reporter can ever have.

This reporter, Serene Branson, was covering the Grammy Awards on Sunday and during her live hit, began stumbling on her words. There's speculation that Branson suffered a stroke during her time on camera.

Branson was apparently taken to hospital after this.

Sure, at first glance, this video may be hilarious to some. I even had a chuckle over it the first time I watched it. Alright, I laughed the second time as well but once I thought about it and put myself in her shoes, I couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry.

As an up and coming journalist, imagine if this were you. You make this slip up on national television, the clip ends up on youtube for millions of people to watch over and over again, and you're in the hospital with a possible stroke.

Of all the times to have a stroke, why then? It's really unfortunate.

But in the words of Serene Branson:

"Well a very very heavy uh heavy duh burtation tonight. We had a very derras derrisson, but let's go head terah tazen let's go to bet, have a pet."

Wait a minute...that name sounds familiar

2011-02-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

A moment of shock, disgust, dismay, and hilarity hit me when I read the paper on Friday afternoon.

In the City section of the Winnipeg Free Press I came across a story about a doctor who, after a series of prior incidents, is allowed to treat women again.

Dr. Marvin Slutchuk of the Lakewood Medical Centre lost his medical license in 2003 after it became known that he had sex with female patients and pranced around nude at an office Christmas party. He regained his license in 2007 and was recently granted the right to treat woman with a chaperone present.

The lead of the story pulled me in and when I read the name of the doctor, I nearly hit the ceiling.

In December of 2009 I went to the Lakewood Medical Centre to be treated for mononucleosis, otherwise known as "mono". Dr. Slutchuk was indeed the doctor who treated me during the entire two month period that I had mono.

At the time I had no idea who I was dealing with. Seeing this article in the paper and looking over Slutchuk's nauseating track record immediately made me laugh in disbelief but after I thought about it and remembered that I was alone in a room with this guy on a number of occasions, with my shirt off, it gave me a weird feeling.

Here's the Free Press story:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/md-allowed-to-treat-women-only-with-chaperone-present-115261324.html

I'd also like to pose a question about this story. Is it defamatory?

It certainly hinders the reputation of Dr. Slutchuk in the minds of right-thinking people. With knowledge of this guy's past, I would never seek any medical help from him.

But does it cross the line of being defamatory?

I'd really like to hear what you guys think.

WARNING: This blog post may contain too many cliches

2011-01-31T22:40:00.000-08:00

One of the things I liked about interning at the Free Press was seeing the emails I got from people who read my articles. I wasn't expecting to get a lot of feedback on my work but I surprisingly had quite a bit. I'm happy to say that most of it was good feedback. By most I mean not all. There was one guy didn't seem to like my writing very much.

On Thursday, Jan. 6 I had a story published in the front section about a charity dance-a-thon. I had participated in the dance-a-thon and wrote a first person story on my experience and the event itself.

Just a side note, I really don't like writing first person. I have a hard time believing that people are interested in what I have to say, which is a bit ironic considering I am, at this very second, writing a blog post about a personal experience I had.

But that's besides the point.

Despite not being a huge advocate of writing first person stories, I was somewhat proud of what I had written.

Here's a link to the online version of it: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/no-travolta-but-i-can-dance-for-a-good-cause-112995399.html

The next day I sat down at my computer in the Free Press newsroom and saw three emails waiting for me. Two of them comending me for writing a story on such a great charitable cause, and one criticizing my writing style.

As an intern in my first week at a mainstream publication, I was open to any constructive criticism but I guess because of the time of day and how grouchy I was that morning, his comments rubbed me the wrong way.

As I read it I began to wonder what his prerogative was. Was it to help me in my future journalistic endeavors or was it to belittle a young kid trying to meander his way into the industry?

Though I will not share it, he did leave his name. He also mentioned that he has been in the industry for over 40 years, yet I had never heard his name before.

In his email he said I use too many cliches when I write. Though I do somewhat agree with what he said, I think he could have done it in a much less condescending way. I wish I still had access to my emails at the Free Press so I could read it again and share it with the rest of you.

Reading that email made me think, 40 years from now when I read some young kid's story in the Free Press or any other publication for that matter, I'll email the young chap with my congrats on the success he's had so early in his career.

Sean Angus, Winnipeg Free Press

2011-01-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

After spending the last couple years writing for a student newspaper, working for a professional newspaper taught me a lot. The main difference between being a Free Press reporter and Projector reporter is how much sources respected me. At the Free Press I was talking to city councilors less than an hour after I contacted their secretary. As a student reporter, I've seen councilors never even get back to me. If they did it was at least a week later.

During my time at the Free Press I also learned quite a bit about how a newspaper is actually produced. I just assumed that after all the stories were written, they would just magically show up in the newspaper. I had the opportunity on my last day to go on a tour of the whole Free Press building. I very interesting tour where I learned how all the stories and ads are made and laid out on the page and how the newspapers are actually printed. This was one of the most interesting parts of my time at the Free Press.

Above all, I gathered a good indication of how a career in print journalism would be. It is pretty demanding but can often be very rewarding. Some days I didn't want to be there but seeing my name attributed to a hard-hitting story the next day was a great feeling.

The three weeks just flew by but I learned a lot and I think I came out of it a much better print reporter.

Jared Funk Profile

2010-12-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

Profile on Team Canada and Team Manitoba wheelchair rugby player, Jared Funk.

Reporter: Sean Angus
Shooter/Editor: Kevin Hirschfield

Hiroshima - A journalistic view of the atomic bomb

2010-11-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

In Hiroshima, John Hersey gives us a look at six survivors and how they were affected by the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

The book gives straight forward, fact-based accounts of each person's story on that day. This fact-based style works for Hersey as it helps him get his point across in an understandable way. Instead of trying to stir emotions, Hersey keeps Hiroshima short, succinct and only tells us what needs to be known. The lack of emotion in the story can be seen as a weakness in the end, it's Hersey's descriptions that paint an excellent picture in our heads, which allows us to stir up emotions on our own.

Though Hersey's style of writing is very clear, there's a lot of confusion regarding the names. It's hard to keep track of who's who in the book. What's the difference between Toshinki Sasaki and Terufumi Sasaki? Nakamura, Murakami, Tanimoto, Nakamoto, etc. As the story progresses it gets easier for the reader to become accustomed to all these names but at the start the names are very difficult for the reader to digest. The reference page at the beginning is very helpful.

Hiroshima is missing the other side of the story. What we see in the story are the accounts of various people in Japan but what is left uninterpreted is the whole American side of the story. The American were of course the ones who dropped the a-bomb killing the thousands of people that were killed that day.

This book can be a good tool for aspiring journalists because it shows that emotion can be brought out by only using facts. It's good to entice readers by getting them emotionally connected to the story and it takes a special talent to be able to do this using just facts. The book teaches journalists can do this just by using good word choice.

On page 11, Hersey demonstrates good word choice:

"Dr. Fujii hardly had time to think that he was dying before he realized that he was alive, squeezed tightly by two long timbers in a V across his chest, like a morsel suspended between two chopsticks - held upright, so that he could not move, with his head miraculously above water and his torso and legs in it. The remains of his hospital were all around him in a mad assortment of splintered lumber and materials for the relief of pain. His left shoulder hurt terribly. His glasses were gone."

This is a classic example of Hersey's writing style. He's simply reporting the facts but at the same time, he's entertaining the reader and getting them enticed. His way of punching up verbs and comparisons to morsels suspended by chopsticks is something every journalist, especially print journalists should take note of. The fact that he points out that the remains of the hospital are materials used for the relief of pain adds another dimension to his description.

Hersey's Hiroshima is comparable to cbc.ca's in-depth review of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center (http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sep11/#top). This article, much like Hiroshima, gives a fact-based account of what happened and also provides us with the aftermath. In the final chapter of Hiroshima, Hersey goes back to where it all happened to search for the victims he had written about 40 years prior. The cbc.ca article also does this as they give us a synopsis of what's happening as a result of the attcks.

According to Steve Rothman of Harvard University in 1997, Hiroshima was received as generally positive. Readers of the article, which was published in The New Yorker in August 1946, found the article to be positive with the exception of some people, who thought otherwise. Mary McCarthy, an American author and critic at that time, called Hiroshima an "insipid falsification of the truth of atomic warfare." The publication of Hiroshima is said to have caused quite a stir when it came out but most of the criticism was good.

Personally, I enjoyed reading Hiroshima because it taught me a lot about a subject that I knew very little about. The book educated me about specific details like how far the explosion reached and how much land it destroyed. After reading Hiroshima, I feel like I am able to write more effectively. I learned that straight facts can be very effective in a story.

Editing blog: Heated Ice debuts tonight on 92.9 KICK FM

2010-11-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

Myself and fellow journalism majors Kevin Hirschfield and Keith McCullough begin our hockey talk radio show, Heated Ice tonight at 5pm.

Kevin and I have been talking and we are excited for the show but there's one worry that we both have. We're both going to have to edit a few words out of our vocabulary.

I think you all know the types of words I'm refering to. We have some good topics lined up and I expect there to be some very intense debates. Some debates may get a little fierce and the haphazard use of certain four-letter words is something we're a little worried about.

It's not like I make a habit of swearing, I actually rarely ever swear at all. It's just from time to time, the odd dirty word here and there has slipped through the filter.

I know sometimes, especially when talking about sports, I get a little passionate. If something makes me tick, there is the possibility that I will swear.

Let's hope this doesn't happen on the air.

So whether you're a hockey fan or just want to hear three goofballs bickering for an hour, tune in to Heated Ice every Wednesday at 5pm on 92.9 KICK FM.

Play by play by play by play, etc.

2010-11-23T00:56:00.000-08:00

Play-by-play announcing for sports games is a very strange form of journalism. The job of a play-by-play announcer is to 'simply' watch the game and say explain everything that is happening.

Sounds pretty easy, right?

Well, wrong. Especially when the announcer is covering a sport that they don't know very much about.

This is the circumstance that I was faced with this past Friday. I was asked to do play-by-play for live podcasts of two University of Manitoba Bisons volleyball games. One, womens v-ball and the other one, mens.

I had prepared a little bit beforehand, familiarizing myself with each team (player numbers, what they look like), learning some volleyball tgerminology (kill, dig, cut shot, etc.) and watching some videos of volleyball broadcasts.

It's not like I don't know anything about volleyball, it's just I wouldn't really call it the backbone of my sports knowledge.

The first game was the Bisons women's team versus the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women's team. The game started at 6 pm. I showed up at 5:58 pm. Let's just say the roads were pretty bad that night.

Getting there with barely enough time to put on my headset didn't really do me any favours. I didn't even get a chance to review the starting lineups or look at where each team was in the standings.

I entered the press box, took off my jacket and pretty much jumped right into it. "Hello, thank you for joining us for Bisons volleyball action."

I did a pretty bad job in the first game because it took a little while to acquaint myself with some of the volleyball lingo and get used to saying it in the right context.

The second game, which saw the Bison men's team also take on the Thunderbirds, was a lot better for me. My words definitely flowed a lot better than in the first game, where I was like, "cross court to...he hit it...um...to...and the Bisons with the kill."

Well, it wasn't that bad but it certainly was not my best.

One of the difficult things about doing the play-by-play was that I didn't have a color commentator. It was just me up there. I had to fill time the best I could, even if that meant reiterating the same stats over and over again. For example, "the Bisons are four and one on the season and currently sit in second place in the Canada West standings."

I must have said that about a hundred times.

On television, a play-by-play announcer typically has a color commentator right by his side to interject with all sorts of stats, analysis and witty remarks. Working as a one-man operation was a tad difficult at first, then I got used to being my own color commentator.

I do think that one person is definitely enough for a podcast like this.

I can't really find recordings of the podcasts for those games anywhere but here are the links to the game stories written that evening by first year CreComm student Jordan Thompson. A couple of well written stories in my opinion.

Women's
http://www.gobisons.ca/index.php?page=news&id=1579

Men's
http://www.gobisons.ca/index.php?page=news&id=1581

My most embarrassing moment

2010-11-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

My most embarrassing moment happened at the grade nine St. Paul's High School spelling bee.

When I was chosen to compete in the spelling bee that year, I was brimming with pride. I went home and told my parents to come watch as I go for the gold medal. Yes, the winner of the bee was to receive a gold medal.

My name being first on the list, I had to spell first. The first word I was asked to spell was "achieve."

I knew that I had practiced this word before but still was unsure. I nervously muttered "A-C-H-E-I-V-E."

The moderator then said the words that made me want to dig a hole and hide in it for the rest of my life. "I'm sorry, that's incorrect."

First one to spell, first one to be eliminated.

I then sat back and watched every other competitor reel off their words with the greatest of ease.

I had forgotten one of the most popular spelling rules, "i before e except after c."

In the word achieve, the i is technically after a c but not directly after it so, i guess it doesn't apply.

It's tough living everyday knowing that my most embarrassing moment could have been avoided with one simple edit.

Not really actually. It just really sucked at the time.

When it rains it pours: The Brian Collins story

2010-11-15T23:17:00.000-08:00

As an anchor, there are two ways to become a star. Either be really good, or really bad.

Brian Collins is an example of one anchor who has reached stardom with an incredibly bad newscast.

Collins, a student at Ball State University at the time, offered up this little gem which shows that when things go wrong in a newscast, things go very wrong.

It's important to keep in mind that Collins is not the one at fault for all these screw ups. The studio experienced a multitude of problems that day, including problems with the telepromter.

As mentioned earlier, Collins has reached a level of stardom for his mistake-filled sportscast. Collins' quote, "Boom goes the dynamite", has made him a legend among sports fans and has been used in many television programs such as Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother and The Colbert Report.

Not to mention, the video of is sportscast has over five million views on YouTube.

Jim Morrison doesn't like editing

2010-11-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

On Sept. 17, 1967 Jim Morrison and the Doors were the centre of one of the most controversial events in rock and roll history.

Back in the 60's, the world was a lot more censored than it is now. Especially on television, where certain language, sexual content and violence were not allowed to be broadcast.

The Doors went on the Ed Sullivan Show that September to play their hit song, Light My Fire. There was just one problem with the song. A subtle drug reference.

One part of the verse utters the words, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher".

The folks at the the Ed Sullivan Show decided that a reference like that would not be suitable for the show. They asked Morrison, the lead singer, to change the word "higher" to something else.

It was decided that the word "higher" would be changed to "better" for the purpose of making the programming more suitable for sensitive viewers.

The Doors got up on the stage and DID NOT change the lyrics. Much to the shagrin of Ed Sullivan and his crew, they sang the song as it is.

Morrison claimed that he simply forgot to change the lyrics.

Nevertheless, Morrison and the Doors were told after the performance that they would never play the Ed Sullivan Show ever again.

And they didn't.

If you think about it, one simple edit could have opened 'the door' to many more Ed Sullivan Show appearances. Regardless, I think the Doors did quite fine for themselves.

Here's a clip of the performance that got the Doors in trouble that night.

A question of ethics

2010-11-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, Nov. 4 Bartley Kives broke a story about the possibility of Arnold Schwarzenegger coming to Winnipeg to speak at a fundraising event.

The story revolved solely around speculation but Kives reported on it anyway. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/cyborgs-try-winter-in-peg-arnie-106674178.html

Nothing had been confirmed at the time the paper was circulated on the morning on Nov. 4, only that the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce were the ones trying to make this happen.

Later that day it became official that Schwarzenegger is coming to Winnipeg to speak on Jan. 25, 2011 but imagine if he wasn't able to come. People would turn their heads to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and ask, "Why didn't this happen?" and "How did you screw this up?".

The public image of the Winnipeg Chamber would take a bit of a hit.

If all this happened, what would Kives think about it? I asked him.

I tweeted that morning:

@bkives Aren't you worried that if Schwarzenegger doesn't end up coming it will make the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce look bad?

He responded:

"I don't understand the question. Sorry."

Oh well, I tried.

At this point, it had already been announced that Schwarzenegger is coming to town so there was no real point in continuing my examination of the Free Press reporter.

Though the point was moot, I couldn't get over the fact that Kives broke this story before anything was even official. It made me ask myself the question, to be a successful journalist do you need to have the guts to sabotage a company or oganization's image?

Personally I don't think a journalist has to have a quality like this to be successful but it can definitely help get some neat stories.

Editing Bruce Willis' potty mouth

2010-11-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been watching a movie on television and all the dirty words seem to be replaced by other words?

It's a form of editing that is very noticeable and kind of takes the authenticity out of the movie.

The first time I really took notice of it is when I watched Die Hard and Die Hard 2 for the first. I forget what network it was on but it seemed every second word was taken out and replaced with another one.

Here's what I'm talking about:

The reason I've been thinking about this lately is because I watched a movie on the weekend called Catch Me If You Can. There was a scene where Tom Hanks said to someone else, "go f*&# yourself." Instead of having the f-word in the broadcast, it was changed to, "go flog yourself." In my mind, a very laughable edit but it had to be done.

The one thing that puzzles me about editing swear words out of movies is why they do such a bad job of it. As seen in the Die Hard clips above, a lot of time the cover-up voice and the original voice aren't even remotely similar.

At 1:16 of the video it's supposed to be Bruce Willis talking but it sounds a little bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I realize that it's difficult to make these edits sound smooth and natural but when I'm really into a movie and really engaged in the plot, the last thing I want to hear is a cheap edit of a bad word.

Civic election overview - Top 5 memories

2010-11-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

The 2010 civic election the first election I've ever covered as a journalist and the first one where I've had the opportunity to vote. So with this in mind, I followed the election and all the news leading up to it quite closely. Looking back, it was an enjoyable and useful experience.

I've compiled a list of the top memories I had while covering this election.

5) The debates

This election marked the first time I had ever attended an electoral debate. I attended student council president debates in high school but seriously, those don't count. I attended the mayoral forum at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre, which featured all four candidates, and the one at Red River College Princess campus, which features only Sam Katz and Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

Watching the candidates go head-to-head made for an interesting form of entertainment in which I had never been exposed to before this.

4) Going door-to-door in East Kildonan

It's not the nicest area of town but it had to be done. Just looking at some of these houses gave me the heebeegeebees but I needed quotes and that's all the incentive I needed. I knocked on the doors of some of the sketchiest houses I've ever seen. It was a courage builder for sure and an experience that will come in handy if ever in the situation again.

3) Seeing my work published on CBC.ca

I've never been much of a braggart but does that not sound amazing? My work has been published on one of Canada's most trusted and most digested news outlet. The day my work finally went online was a great one. I couldn't wait to go look at it, tell my parents when I got home and post it on Facebook. Also, I think you've done a good job when your resume says that you worked for CBC.ca.

2) Paula Havixbeck's headquarters

On election night I worked as a reporter for 92.9 KICK FM. I covered the Charleswood-Tuxedo ward and stationed myself at the headquaters of Paula Havixbeck, the candidate who eventually won the vacant seat at City Hall.

It was great to see all the effort that was put in that night by both the volunteers and campaigners. It was also great to see all the celebration when it was announced that Paula had actually won. As I was leaving, I had the opportunity to speak with Paula and congratulate her on the victory. She gave me some contact information and told me to keep in touch. I felt important.

As a reporter it was interesting because the story and the general mood at headquarters kept changing as results continuously came in. However, I ended up doing just fine and I think the live hits I did reflect that. I think I did a pretty bang-up job.

1) Conversation with Thomas Steen

Most, if not all, of my journalism cronies have already heard about my little palaver with then, Elmwood-East Kildonan council candidate, Thomas Steen. As part of the CBC.ca assignment, I was required to speak with all the candidates of the ward and ask them two questions. Steen's responses were barely audible in the first place but when they actually were, the answer did not make sense given the question that was asked.

For example when I asked what political party he was associated with, he responded, "uuhhhhhhhhhh...uuuhhhhhhhh...I like how things are going."

I then asked who he supported for mayor. He responded, "Uuhhhhhh...I don't know who I support. I like what we've been doing."

Apparently Steen likes the way things are going. As Steen settles into city council, we'll see if residents of Elmwood-East Kildonan feel the same way.

Honorable mentions:

Learning to spell Judy Wasylycia-Leis.
Taking part in the democratic process for the first time.
Learning to pronounce Judy Wasylycia-Leis. (I still have no clue)

Good chocolate, bad spelling

2010-10-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Since taking the editing print and online media class, I've been noticing a lot more mistakes in my everyday life. I don't eat a KitKat bar everyday but whenever I do have one, or even see one, I take notice of their one spelling mistake.

It's spelled that way on purpose but I can never ignore that they spell one of the easiest to spell words in the english language wrong.

At least I hope they did it on purpose.

Sure, the misspelling may draw attention to the product but I can't help but think, maybe someone who eats the chocolate bar on a regular basis thinks it's actually spelled that way because of their exposure to the product.

It's not just KitKat. Other chocolate bars have purposely spelled their names wrong as well.

Examples: Skor, Wunderbar and Crunchie to name a few.

When journalism gets scary

2010-10-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

For a journalist, sticky situations are just a part of everyday life, but it's not everyday that a journalist finds themself in a scary situation.

The following video shows an interview with one of the most notorious killers in recent memory, Richard Kuklinski, otherwise known as, The Iceman.

Kuklinski was a contract killer who worked for the mafia but did most of his killings while not working as a hitman. He has admitted to killing over 250 people in his lifetime. From a young age, Kuklinski showed signs of rage He started out torturing animals. He admitted to tying two cats' tails together and watching them rip each other apart.

Kuklinski was found guilty on five counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986. He later died in 2006 of unknown causes.

This interview, conducted in 2002 by Dr. Park Dietz, a psychiatric consultant to the FBI, gets into the mind of the cold-blooded killer.

While watching the video imagine that this is you interviewing Kuklinski. Just you and him, face to face in a dimly lit room.

WARNING: This video contains images that may be disturbing to some.

Have a happy Halloween everybody.

Spot the million screw-ups

2010-10-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

The following piece of writing is a personality profile on my classmate, Kevin Hirschfield. This was an assignment for journalism class last year, in fact, it was the first assignment we ever had to do for journalism class.

After reading this, it was very easy to tell that I have improved greatly when it comes to writing.

This is the story from early September 2009:

Most people in the right mind desire respect from others. However, there is one vital factor that divides these people. There are those who deserve respect and those who don't. I had the opportunity to talk to a young man by the name of Kevin Hirschfield, who is one of these people who desires and deserves respect. Kevin is currently attending Red River College in Winnipeg and says his goals are to get along with his peers and to gain the respect of his peers as well.

When talking to Kevin I quickly observed his care for others and for the good of the community. He feels that the best way to resolve a dispute is to talk to the people involved and verbally sort things out. School has been an important part of Kevin's life as he feels his biggest accomplishment was being selected as valedectorian of his high school graduation class. In addition to this Kevin has also been accepted into Red River College and feels that is also one of most valued accomplishment.

Kevin, a huge Montreal Canadiens fan, lists Saku Koivu as his biggest inspiration in life. Koivu, a long-time Montreal Canadiens player, battled cancer and proudly overcame it. His will to never give up through his fight inspired many including Kevin.

After he finishes school, Kevin would like to have a job in broadcasting. His main focus is to broadcast sports on the radio but anything related to that does appeal to him as well. Kevin absolutely loves sports and claims, "a job in sports would be so enjoyable". Besides sports, Kevin is also very interested in music. "I am very picky about my music", he claims, "rock is pretty much all I listen to". He loves playing music in his spare time. He finds that there are not many things more enjoyable than playing his Epiphone Les Paul guitar.

There's really only one way I can describe Kevin; he's just a good guy with good intentions. He respects others and that is why he deserves and receives respect from others.

Where do I begin?

The lack of quotes, good quotes for that matter, is saddening.

The story has no focus. It's a bunch of random, unorganized things about Kevin.

I fail to leave myself out of the story and be objective. I use the word "I" too much.

I refer to Kevin by using his first name, when I should be using his last name.

In the second paragraph, the word "feels" appears way to much.

The paragraphs are too long.

I begin the story with a major assumption. "Most people..."

I should have given more details about him being selected an valedictorian. What high
school? What year? Who selected him? It is, after all, his biggest accomplishment. Details would be nice.

I continuously put punctuation outside of the quotation marks, which is a big no-no.

And last but certainly not least, I cap the story off with a sunset ending.

Steve Vogelsang must have had a heyday while marking and editing this assignment. It's embarrassing to think that I actaully handed this in with my name anywhere near it.

Legal journalism: A whole different animal

2010-10-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

There was a time when I seriously pondered going to law school. However, I decided to take the road less travelled, CreComm. I'm happy with the decision I made but sometimes wonder where my life would be if I pursued a career in law.

Next Monday, law and journalism will be integrated into what should be an interested, fun and challenging experience.

Myself and my fellow journalism cronies will be going to the Law Courts to each find a story and report on it.

I am excited for the experience, however, the are a few things that worry me about court reporting.

1. The rules

As outlined in the CP Stylebook, there are some very important rules when it comes to court reporting. I'll make sure I double, maybe even triple check to see if I broke one of these rules but the fact remains, everyone makes mistakes, and I am no exception.

An important rule is that the reporter should not publish any statement that will damage a person's reputation or livelihood. This means they can not suggest any sort of criminal conduct unless it has been proven in the court of law.

The truth is, I don't want to ruin anyone's life here. I don't want to be the one to ruin a whole person's reputation and how they're viewed among society.

One key thing to remember is that everyone in the court of law is innocent until proven guilty. Case closed.

2. Getting a good story

I've been told that the Law Courts provide a wealth of stories but I worry that I'll be the odd man out and end up with this as my lead:

A hearing at the Law Courts Monday determined that 34-year-old, Brian Garcia, will have his drivers license suspended after being charged with reckless driving in August.

I had the opportunity to go to the Law Courts in Grade 11 and noticed that there were quite a few cases that involved vehicular crime. Stuff like parking tickets, DUI charges and reckless driving charges don't usually make for the most news-worthy stories.

What? A man was beat with a crowbar in a back alley off Spence Street and is now in stable condition? That's gold!

3. Making a fool out of myself

I can just imagine it right now. Mid-way through the proceedings, I walk into the courtroom, trip on a bag and fall flat on my face, making a big noise and causing a scene. I'm thinking this won't happen but it is pretty easy to make a fool out of yourself at the Law Courts.

What if my phone goes off? What if I start sneezing and can't stop? What if I drop all my things? What if I laugh when it's not appropriate? What if the judge kicks me out for some reason? What if I get toilet paper stuck to the heel of my shoe?

A lot of humiliating things can happen but it's best to stay as confident and as professional as possible.

4. Missing an important detail

"Wow, I got this amazing story about this guy who was charged with the murder of his wife."

"That sounds like a great story. What is this guy's name?"

"His name is...um...it's um...uh oh."

There's nothing worse than sitting down to write your story and realize you don't have one of the most basic or crucial pieces of information.

It's vital to take note of every detail during the trial so that when actually writing the story, the reporter doesn't run into any problems.

Praise the editor

2010-10-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

I sat in the Blue Bomber press box at Canad Inns Stadium proud of the game story I had just wrote.

The final Whistle blew and with a grin on my face, I submitted the story to Media/Marketing Assistant Dave Turnbull for a final edit. This just in case, by some off chance, I made a mistake.

Well I got home and it turns out I DID make a mistake. A stupid one too.

In the last paragraph I mentioned that the Bombers' next game was at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton when in fact, the next game was at McMahon Stadium all the way over in Calgary.

Dave did fix my mistake before it went up on the Blue Bomber website, thank goodness, but I was still embarrassed.

The high horse I was riding just hours earlier quickly turned into a lame ass.

This experience helped me become more appreciative of editors. I now think of them as being more than just a sober second thought. They can save a journalist by simply making one quick edit.

Here's the story I wrote, correction included:
http://www.bluebombers.com/article/winnipeg-47-edmonton-21

One of the strangest pieces of journalism I've ever seen

2010-10-12T02:56:00.000-07:00

Guy Goma went to the BBC Television Centre in London to interview for a job in the IT department. When called in for his interview, he was in for quite a surprise.

He had been called in for the wrong interview.

Instead of a job interview, poor Guy Goma was pulled into the television studio and filmed in a live interview for BBC on the topic of Apple Computers. Since he was in the wrong interview, Goma was in no way prepared for this.

Goma had been mistaken for Guy Kewney a technology expert who, while Goma was being interviewed live on TV, was sitting in the waiting room preparing for his television interview.

There are a few pivotal moments to watch for in the interview:

0:45 - She introduces Guy Goma as "Guy Kewney".
0:47 - Goma notices that something is wrong and makes a very strange series of facial movements.
0:55 - Goma gives the answer to a totally different question.
1:20 - Good answer.
1:48 - Goma seems very confident.
2:05 - I hope they have the right guy here.