Mar 31 0 comments
lol

Faux news: City council lullaby

OAKLAND– City council meetings were called ‘boring as hell’ by citizens attending an Oakland meeting last Tuesday.

Citizens were seen nodding off and even completely asleep during the Oakland city council meeting Tuesday night. They blame the dullness of the speakers and the boring atmosphere of the room for their drowsiness.

One attendee, hoping to voice his opinions about the recent shootings in his neighborhood, fell asleep 20 minutes before he could speak. When he was called upon to talk, a loud snore erupted from the silence of the room. The board decided to move on without him.

“Yeah, it’s pretty late and these guys are boring. I guess I fell asleep,” says Julio Rodriguez, the slumbering man. “There’s just something about the room, and this board. Makes you doze off easily.”

The board, when asked, was oblivious to the notion that their meetings could be boring. They said that they went over very interesting and fascinating issues afflicting the city of Oakland.

“How can anyone find tree relocation negotiations boring?” asked Councilwoman Michelle Smith.

The rest of the board were quick to deny all accusations of being boring or dull, and instead insisted that the people attending the meetings were probably just tired after a hard day of work.

“We’re not boring. We’re cool, hip, fresh cats,” said Councilman Adam Michaels.

The meeting went over various issues that the council said needed to be dealt with, including tree relocation negotiations, pavement transfer services, and increased aid to cats that live with elderly persons alone. -30-

Feb 26 0 comments
serious business

Journalist Passes On Knowledge To Students

Reporter George W. Schulz urged journalism students to develop investigative skills in a lecture given at San Francisco State University on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009.

Schulz told the students that these skills would make getting the information one needs for a story much easier. He also said these skills would allow them to find stories that others might overlook. He stressed that much of the information one needs for a story is readily available to the public. Schulz said one must be knowledgeable of the world they live in

He noted that one of the strongest tools of a journalist is knowing the area you live in well. This knowledge will lead to great sources. Schulz said he got to know the city of San Francisco by driving newspaper circulation trucks for the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

He also imparted the students with some general tips any journalist. He gave them techniques for interviewing. He taught them about the ways people try to shield themselves from the press. He explained the importance of having general knowledge of the world. He did this by urging students to read as much as they could.

Schulz graduated from the University of Kansas. He went on to work for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. There he learned much of the ins and outs of the newspaper business. He also met A.C. Thompson, who taught him many of the lessons he passed on during his lecture.

Schulz left the Bay Area, returning to Kansas, and worked for the Urban Tulsa Weekly. A new market meant a new perspective for Schulz. He said the change in market taught him a valuable lesson. He had to work harder to meet the new standards. He also learned about the alternative journalism scene through various niche magazines containing articles that the mainstream media never covered. This broadened his sense of what one can do with journalism.

Since returning to the Bay Area, he has gone on to work for the Center of Investigative Reporting in Berkeley. Some of his work there includes finding the impact on civil liberties after Sept. 11, 2001, as well as researching how officials are spending Homeland Security grants. -30-

Feb 22 0 comments
reviews, serious business

Podcasts are fun

I must listen to podcasts on my iPod more than I do music. I rarely venture to the “Music” selection of my iPod. I have around 5000 songs on my iPod, all sitting idle. Instead I wait from day to day for new episodes to appear in my podcast feed, load them onto my iPod, and revel in the sweet melody that is news, critique, and discussion. There’s a dynamic force that exists in podcasts, as with traditional radio shows, that keep pulling me back from episode to episode. After a tiring day, the best feeling is knowing that you can download the latest episode of your favorite show and enjoy that. Well, at least for me it is. Here are some of my favorite podcasts at the moment.

The 404

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When you combine Justin Yu, Jeff Bakalar, and Wilson Tang, the result is pure, unadulterated mayhem, but in a good way. The 404 is recorded every weekday morning in the CNET studios in New York, and covers the daily tech news and other news that might surface online. Not in the boring, somewhat bland way you might think news would be covered, but in a way that excites and humors you. The three have a certain energy that brings hilarity to what would seem a humorless tech world. This show has me constantly laughing, loving every minute of the show. But it also has me thinking. Though they do talk a lot about subjects that don’t denote serious discussion, they do come up, and they will always be on top of things when they arise.

However, the best shows are when the three are just talking about anything that comes to mind. They do what many podcasts try to avoid: get off subject. Sometimes they’ll go through a myriad of subjects, offering thoughts, criticisms, and humor, only to realize how far away they are from the original news story. Many shows would find some kind of way back, whereas these three will just roll with it. The show is like having a real discussion with real people. They aren’t tied to a must-follow script, like real discussions aren’t. The show, in a sense, feels real.

Though I must warn you, they can get a bit grotesque. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart.

This Week in Fun (TWiF)

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TWiF is hosted by Sarah Lane and Martin Sargent. Each Friday afternoon at 3PM Pacific, they go live and discuss a bunch of fun news stories. With the power of Leo Laporte’s amazing underground basement studio, they are able to conduct a fun, interesting, involving show. Sarah can show us many of the stories and images they are discussing on the live feed, as well as interact with those watching live in the chat room. These things make the show unique, as well as pull me back every Friday afternoon.

The topics they cover are what people are discussing online. It isn’t bogged down by specific categories of news or events. If people are talking about it, they’re talking about it. You almost know what to expect when you go in, but are excited to hear about the things you might have missed. It’s also great to hear the discussions that arise from Sarah and Marty, apart from the stories. They are two great people, and together they are very funny. Their teamwork keeps the show exciting, alive, and, of course, fun.

-(CE)Ian