Ethics

As part of an assignment, I’m supposed to write about what I would do given a certain situaiton.

Mine is car repair shops in a college town are suspected of charging students hundreds for unneccessary repairs.Your editor asks you to loosen a spark plug on your car and take it to five shops to find out what they would charge to fix the engine problem. At the first shop you visit, the mechanic asks “You’re not a reporter, are you?” What would you say?

 

So first off, I would tell this guy no. I’m not a reporter. Here’s why:

Shops in town are accused of lying to students and charging them money that they don’t have. If I tell the truth that I’m a reporter, this guy is going to be immediately suspicious and charge me honestly. He doesn’t want his shop to get a bad reputation by lying to a reporter.

Investigative journalism can get you into some interesting situations where you have to lie to get the truth. In a situation like this where it benefits the public, I have no issue doing what it takes to get the truth.

Meeting Story

In all complete honesty, I chose to write about Monday’s city council meeting because it was the first one I was able to attend. And it involved extensive reorganization of my schedule…. It was an interesting Monday.

 

Applying for Public Relations

Applying for a new job can be a daunting task. You have to be able to present yourself well, have a resume and references. Bacially, you really have to sell yourself.

Now if you’re applying for a job in public relations, the steps are a little more involved than if applying for that McDonald’s position.

Public relations positions mean you act as a middle man for your client and the public. It’s a little like that time your friends were fighting and made you act as the go between.

“Tell her/him that….”

“She/He said that? Fine. Tell them…”

That was a fun time, wasn’t it?

Anyway a lot goes in to getting a pr job. So let’s talk about what you need to do to get there.

For starters, most companies require a Bacherlor’s degree. If you have it in Journalism, great! Otherwise you should have a BA in some related field like communications or marketing.

Next, most companies want you to have had experience as an intern. After all being a go between for companies and the public can be a pretty daunting task. It’s best to have had some prior exposure to how it works. Especially when you have to make your company or client look good after something bad has happened.

You’ll also be writing press releases, contacting reporters and working with many other professionals. You might even be organizing events for the public to take part in. While you may not be writing speeches, you’ll probably need to contact those who can.

You’ll need to be polite and friendly and be able to work solo and with a group.

As far as choosing an association to work for, start out small and really try to identify if it’s the right company for you.

 

ISIS attacks in Paris

First of all, my heart goes out to all who have suffered at the hands of ISIS… Whether the victims are from Lebanon, Greece, Syria, or France.

ISIS has threatened many people of different faiths. They’ve set up a system focused on building fear and tearing down structured civilization. 

I know that many people are up in arms about what happened in Paris on Friday the 13th of this year, as we well should be. What happened is sickening and tragic. But what struck me the most is hearing a 4-year-old ask his mom why this happened.

But much like the Oregon shooting or Boston bombings here in the states, look to the heroes that came out of Paris. Find comfort in knowing that the world isn’t all bad. When your little kids ask why this happened, there is no easy answer. But remind them that while there are bad people in the world, there are also good people. And when they ask what if that happens here, tell them good people will come to the rescue.

My Ideal Beat

My ideal beat is one that covers the local and statewide art scene. What I would enjoy is seeing different graduating art students being showcased. It’s very difficult as an art student to get yourself out there and known, so having a beat dedicated to helping you do that would be a huge help.

Writing my Profile Paper

For my profile paper I interviewed Daniel Cavanaugh, a distant relation on my mother’s side. It was my first time really getting to know him and it was a pretty awkward situation at first.

He was in town and the timing was perfect. (The man I wanted to interview was in L.A.) Dan told me all sorts of stories involving his dad and younger brother. By the end of the interview I was sore from laughing. And while I had a lot of great stories, I didn’t have a good way to tie them together.

So I looked through what he talked about most: what he learned from his dad. He also insisted that I include two stories involving his brother. So I had to fit them in there somewhere…

Gun Violence in America – More laws needed?

With the recent Oregon shooting there has been a revival of people wanting stronger gun laws. Even the shooter’s father stated that this would have never happened had his son not been able to obtain guns.

Think for a moment about how many people already own guns in the US. Studies reveal that Americans own enough guns to provide one to each of its citizens. Making it harder to obtain a gun won’t make any difference. Not when so many people already own them.

Now perhaps you are pushing for a gun ban altogether. But read this article from crimeresearch.org showing crime rates before and after gun bans in other countries.

http://crimeresearch.org/2013/12/murder-and-homicide-rates-before-and-after-gun-bans/

The problem doesn’t rest in the guns. There are countless responsible gun owners, myself included. People purchase guns for a variety of reasons: hunting and protection being the most prevelent.

So if guns aren’t the issue, what is?

I think that most of the issues stem from bullying and mental illness. In the examples of the Aurora, Colorado, and Oregon shooting, both gunman shared mental disorders. James Holmes, the Aurora gunman, suffers from a severe mental disorder which lead him to snap. His father was actually institutionalized at one point for a similar mental disorder. As for the Oregon shooter, Chris Harper-Mercer, he and his mother suffer from Asberger’s.

Now mental illness isn’t always the cause. It can contribute, but it alone isn’t to blame. Bullying also can lead young men and women to lash out in instances like Colombine.

My point is that there are multiple factors that go into any act of violence. Guns alone don’t cause peopel to become violent. Besides, gun violence rates have seen a dramatic decrease since 1994.

If we want to see the rate of these attacks lower even further, social and medical reform is needed to get it started.

If you want more statistics on gun violence trends in America, check out this article from npr posted in 2013.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/05/07/181998015/rate-of-u-s-gun-violence-has-fallen-since-1993-study-says

And this one from forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/08/26/americas-gun-violence-problem-in-three-charts/

Observation Paper

Tech Hall

The white-walled room of tech 14 stretches out before me. Rows of tables, each with four rolling chairs, divides the room into two sections. Four thick square columns further divide the room, obscuring the view of the projector screen depending on where you’re sitting. At the front of the room is a chalkboard, a sight no longer common in the classroom setting. This is not so for Tech Hall.

Every semester I have at least one class in this building. It’s one of the oldest at Rocky Mountain College. If the chalkboards didn’t give away the age, the creaky floorboards and worn steps that groan with even the slightest bit of weight surely do. I guess that’s part of the charm. Buildings like this take on a certain bit of personality, having held countless classes and even more students. How many emotions have these walls absorbed? How many personal experiences and stories could Tech reveal if the wood and sandstones could talk?

Tech has always been a hub of activity, hosting art shows in the gallery and holding studio classes in almost every room. The second level and basement house studio classrooms meant to provide inspiration and direction to art majors and minors alike.

If you go through the main doors you face the gallery and stairway to the second floor. There is a piece of a mammoth spine with makeshift buffalo horns attached to either side. It fools the ignorant and gives a good laugh to those who know better, instantly lending to the building’s quirky personality. Upstairs and to the right are the office studios of Jim Baken and Mark Moak. Jim’s classroom is there as well, taking up a good quarter of the story. Assorted student works decorate the walls, stand in the corners and hang from the ceiling. Heavy wood-framed windows that you have to wrestle with and lock into place in order to open line the majority of the room. If you walk down two flights of creaky, bending stairs you reach the studio classrooms of Mark and Rhett Moak. The clay and metalworking studios sit on either side of a large common area. A forge, two working kilns, and all manners of tools for both mediums fill the space. The basement smells of the same dust and mold as a grandparent’s home that has been in the family for however many generations.

These are my observations when wandering Tech Hall. Another person will notice other things about it, have different sentiments and opinions on the building altogether. However, when I enter Tech, I feel more comfortable and relaxed than anywhere else on campus. I adore the ‘20s architecture and creaking floorboards, even the musty basement and heavy windows upstairs. Perhaps that’s my art historical side revealing itself. But Tech has and always will be the embodiment of my experience at Rocky Mountain College and where all of my lasting connections with fellow students and professors started. I’ve learned more about myself in those classrooms and halls in the past three years than I ever would have imagined.

JV GOP Republican Debate Wednesday Sept. 16, 2015

Wednesday’s JV debate was between Lindsey Graham, the Senator for South Carolina, Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania Senator, and George Pataki, a former New York governor.

In my personal opinion, two men stood out more than the rest. Graham and Jindal both had aggressive strategies during the debate. Graham kept pushing for war on Iraq, stressing his 35 trips to the middle east and 33 years of military service. Jindal was aggressive in his attacks on his fellow Republicans, stressing his different views. He focused on what would be in the best interest of America.

Who was more effective? I find Jindal to be more effective. While the questions presented were over popular issues, he answered them primarily with stating what he would do, rather than what needs to be done.

Again this is all personal opinion. I may be right or I may be wrong. But in my opinion Bobby Jindal was the most effective candidate at the JV Republican Debate.

Anecdotal Introduction

“It builds character.”

Megan Faulkner grew up with these three words echoing in her ears. The followed every mistake, accident, disappointment and triumph.

From crashing on her bike at three years of age to transitioning through a move to a new town halfway through high school, these words followed to offer lessons and encouragement.

“It builds character.”

Almost everyone can relate to the stress of moving for the first time. Couple that with having to adjust to a new high school after having just settled into the rhythm of the old one. A new town meant a fresh start with new friends to be made. But how do you do that when you “haven’t had to make new friends since first grade?”

“Truthfully I can’t tell you how I made the friends I have now. I was a pretty weird and awkward teenager,” said Faulkner. “I guess it helps when the girl who became my best friend was just as awkward as me.”

Through some lucky twist of fate, and awkward circumstances, these two girls made a difference in each other’s lives.

“She helped me come out of my shell and really figure out who I am,” said Faulkner.

Faulkner also attributes her best friend, whom she declined to name, with helping her embrace her Butte, Montana, roots.

“I helped her out of a pretty bad relationship. My first instinct has always been to help. She showed me that I can make a positive difference when I was too shy to do so before.”

“He was a jerk who needed to be stood up to. I don’t think he expected a girl a foot shorter than him to not cower away when threatened,” she laughed. “I’m a Butte girl through and through. Take that as you will, but I’m proud of who I am thanks to her.”