Carl Hiaasen, author of "Kick Ass" and "Lucky You," two works that we are reading for COMM 387, Literature of Journalism, is an American journalist and novelist. "What makes Hiaasen tick?" we were asked in class. Well, the author pulls from his experiences as a journalist as well as a Floridian in order to relay his central themes such as environmentalism, political corruption, and issues of modern journalism. Hiaasen often uses comedy as a medium for spreading his message, whether that message is in novel form or an investigative report. Hiaasen's humorous and unique look at our contemporary society are both entertaining and informative. blahblahblah

love, eric

For the assignment Friday, I read the article Old West has nothing on Katrina aftermath by Brian Thevenot Kieth Spera and Doug MacCash. The article, while not as "poetic" as those of Steve Lopez or the New York Times (9/11 coverage), was very well written. It described the chaos that took over New Orleans in the first days after Hurricane Katrina- the rescue effort, the looting, and the confusion as the article's focus.
It was written very descriptively. There were a number of adjectives and quotes that had been written with the "N'Orlans" dialect intact. It gave a very realistic account of the madness that took place through vivid narrative and first person accounts.
I was unaware that store owners had taken up vigilante justice to defend against the looters. The article tells of one man who "patrolled Oak Street near the boarded-up Maple Leaf Bar, a sawed- off shotgun slung over his shoulder" and another man was quoted as saying "'Listen, I was in the Army and I will blow your ass off. We've got enough trouble with the flood.'" I found it very interesting that Wal-Mart looters were not able to be stopped, as the authorities merely watched as they stole TVs and other non-emergency items while the small businesses were being guarded by self-appointed armed guards. Touché small businesses. These descriptions were eye-opening to me. I was unaware that things turned that "otherworldly" down there. The descriptions of a place that seems so strange gave the article some literary power.
The ending of the article is heart wrenching. The writers go back to finish the story they began the article with, the story of a man named Daniel Webber. Webber had watched helpless as his family drowned and then spent hours floating through the muck on a piece of wood. The article ends with the writers telling us that Webber said that he wished he would’ve given up and let himself die. "'I'm not going to make it. I know I'm not.'" These were the last words of the article.
This article was very well written but lacked the beauty of other articles I've recently read.

The article I chose to read and evaluate was “I Saw it All. Then I Saw Nothing.” by Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal.
This is the best article I have ever read about the 9/11 attacks. Possibly the best news article I’ve read in general. Daniel Henninger tells his first hand account of what happened on that September Morning. It was written poetically and beautifully, staying away from standard boring reporter talk. It was an insight into what that day was like for a New Yorker. Everyone talked about how it was hard even for tough New Yorkers, but that meant absolutely nothing to me until I read this account of the attacks. It’s written as a narrative, not as an official statement or whatever. Henninger talks about the buildings that surrounded the area (the tuxedo shop where he was planning to get the tux for his sons weekend wedding, the bakery with the delicious cinnimon raisin croissants) and what they had meant to him and his colleagues before they were swallowed in the tragedy. He told us step by step about he and others running across the bridge from the black wall of smoke. His use of narrative made this story what it was. It was very powerful and made me think more about how horrible the attack was, even now, more than six years later. The article ends with him saying that he still looks to the place where the towers were and that he always sees “the same thing, which was nothing.” Beautifully written and very powerful.

in talbots "New Yorker" article about david simon, its easy to see the reporter come through in simon's quotes. his (over)analysis of people shows that he is always looking for a story in everyone he observes. this is something that reporters do and something that i do often for my own writing (be it a news article or a short story). simon also takes pride in the power of "The Wire," the HBO show for which he is the producer. “ ‘The Wire’ is dissent,” he says. “It is perhaps the only storytelling on television that overtly suggests that our political and economic and social constructs are no longer viable, that our leadership has failed us relentlessly, and that no, we are not going to be all right.” his thoughts on the social commentary of his work and his hope that it will become bigger than television or art is something that i think all writers and artists of all kinds live for. i dont know if this answers the question of simon's "reporter's-way of thinking" but it's definately easy to see the writer in him.

Steve Lopez analysis:

'60s Still Alive on a Corner in Echo Park : http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez17oct17,1,3304383.column

In this article, Lopez tells us about Art Goldberg, a "lifelong rabble-rouser" who runs a law office for people who dont have a lot of money. Goldberg is also an avid anti-war and free speech advocate since the 60s. The way Lopez tells this story is more like painting a picture rather than reporting the news. He picked an interesting person and wrote about him descriptively, telling us things like Goldberg's office being above a Vietnemese bakery and how Goldberg likes the moon cakes there. These things may seem (and may very well be) unnecessary, but they give both Goldberg and Lopez a face. A more interesting and personal read makes the story more powerful and lasting. The fact that Goldberg protested the Vietnam war and is now protesting this war from above a Vietnemese bakery is something better than fiction. It is a fact. By telling us about this person who has a lot to say but may not have much power, Lopez is telling us far more than his less than 1000 word article appears to. By telling the story in this way, Lopez makes us observe ourselves in a way. This article in particular was almost a call-to-arms, giving us a look at the past, the present and ourselves. We need to "cause enough disruption and chaos to make a difference." This quote is taken from the most powerful part of the article. Lopez is able to say such powerful and volitile things because he is speaking through his subject. Lopez turns reporting into an art and his reporting becomes more effective and powerful for it.

we were assigned to answer the question "what letter was filed off of the typewriters at the Boston Herrald when Donald Murray started working there; would this work in Illinois; would this work in your own writing?" or something to that degree.
the answer is that the letter 'i' had been filed off of the typewriters. this was done in attempt to prevent the reporters from speaking in the first person. in illinios, this would work, but may become a problem since we would use the 'i' more often as the state begins with that letter. writing illinois chamber of comerce or illinois industrial incinerators incorporated would be more difficult. removing the 'i' from my personal keyboard would help me. it would be a reminder to not speak in the first person so often in my newswriting, as that is something that i struggle with.

For today's (Wednesday's) assignment, I would choose the eleventh observation on my list, about the workers building a wall. I would choose this one because it is something out of the ordinary and because it is bothering me as I type this very post. In order to get this story, I would interview one of the workers who is not doing much of anything. I would get the basic information from him, then move on to a different source (be it someone higher up or just another worker) to attain more information. From the book's section on interviews i would take the strategy of using the knowledge I have to get more knowledge from others. The problems I may meet in getting the information might come from the fact that the people I would initially interview are, in fact, busy building a wall.

25 observations/ potential stories:

1. That fellow has been sitting in the resource center for a long time just reading a magazine. why doesn't he go home? and why is he sporting the bandanna?
2. The emergency exit is propped open.
3. The default font on this computer has been changed.
4. Somebody left his or her book bag here.
5. Nikkie hasn't finished her tea.
6. That student is stapling a lot of papers. Why is he doing that?
7. Someone has just gotten candy out of Lynette's candy jar.
8. A female student has really great looking sneakers!
9. Danielle has arrived for work early.
10. The boss has not been here all day. There is no note informing us of her whereabouts. Where could she be?
11. Maintenance people are building a wall and complaining about their superior.
12. The resource center is loud and messy today.
13. Students are reading and discussing the hot-off-the-press "Bulldog."
14. David Logan is wearing a fantastic shirt and looks like a rock-star.
15. My shirt tag is itchy.
16. Students are engaging in meaningless, hackneyed conversations upon seeing one another.
17. The phone has not rung in hours.
18. My co-workers are speaking in French.
19. There is a strange-looking man that I've never seen using the part-time office. He is wearing aviator sunglasses inside. Hmmm...
20. Professor Mueller was on the telephone for quite some time.
21. The girl that looks lost all the time just skipped gleefully.
22. A pen was just launched across the room.
23. Eric only did 23 observations.

Donald Murray (not murphy, sorry don) defined surprise not in terms of everyone, but through the eyes of a journalist. Surprise and being ready to be surprised as Murray describes it seems to be more about the diligent perception of a journalist. Surprise, to me, insinuates shock, excitement, awe-- all that jazz. Combined with Murray's ideas, a good conclusive definition for surprise in terms of journalism would be as follows: A journalist should be open and perceptive to new and exciting things, be ready to learn and explore at the drop of a hat (there may be a story there), and always keep his or her eyes open to be ready to accept such surprising gifts.