Test Yourself!

How Wired Are You?
Inside Reporting, Second Edition, page 188


1. Write three leads.


     a. Tensions boiled this evening as a stalemate between an armed suspect and an officer ended, resulting in an officer shooting the armed man as he refused to lower his weapon. This makes for two similar shootings within the past two weeks. We have Harry BoJayJay live on the scene.


     b. Police put an arrest warrant out for the owner of a blue 2005 Toyota pikcup, Rocky Beach, for physical abuse and attempted murder of his wife, Sandy, who had fled to Providence Hospital after fleeing the couple's home.


     c. Can feeling the beet help your feet? A yearlong study by Cooper State University show that increased consumption of beets can reduce feet odor by over 50 percent. 


2. What's wrong with this broadcast newswriting?


     a. OSU halfback Bud Weiser explains that he will be sitting out tonight's game due to a "painful cramp" in the athlete's groin.


     b. The victims were taken to St. Vincent Hospital and while they are in the process of recovery, the hospital lists them to be in critical condition.


     c. According to bank officials, the thieves stole over $17,900,000 from the vault.


     d. Library officials announced that patrons will no longer be able to check out any movie videotapes or DVDs in the future.


     e. A 10-year-old skateboarder was a victim of a hit-and-run by a truck this morning on Baker Street. Police have yet to identify the truck and its driver.


     f. There was no reported damage from an earthquake that stuck early morning today, with only a few rattling windows and the setting off of car alarms across the city.


     g. Today, President Obama announced a new plan to cut estate taxes by 9%/


3. Radio and TV


     a. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. Or a human-ban-dog world. Students Against Dogs, a campus club of like-minded individuals who are tired of walking in dog stool, have called for a campus-wide ban of dogs and, by extension, dog poop. Boasting 300 signatures, the club has brought attention to the fact that the overall condition of the campus has gone down with irresponsible pet owners not picking up enough doo-doo. On the other hand, responsible owners feel as though fellow, more fickle owners are causing those who go through all the motions to keep parks and streets clean to be punished.


The dispute has gotten so big that the Bilford College board will hold a public hearing on Thrursday, at the Bilford Union, Room 11, at 7 p.m.. 


     b. Anchor Lead-in: Tensions rise between dog-owners and dog-haters as a campus club, Students Against Dogs, rallies to have a campus-wide ban on dogs due to an excessive amount of droppings that have been found on the street. We got Daryl Dogawnit covering the issue.


     Voice-over, displaying campus streets: Students of Bilford college have been claiming that the generally lax attitude taken towards dogs on-campus has resulted in an overall diminishing quality of the area. Irresponsible owners are leaving their dog's droppings on the ground instead of picking it up, as is required by state law, which leaves the smell to continue to permeate across campus, leading to the president of student club Students Against Dogs (SAD) to gather over 300 signatures on a petition calling for a campus ban of dogs.


     SOT (Ferris Wheeler, president of SAD): This stinks. I mean, this school smells like dog doo. Irresponsible pet owners are letting their dogs chase cyclists, bark and crap all over the campus."


     Voice-over: However, responsible dog owners like Juliet Sims, a junior of the school, feel as though the irresponsible behavior of other pet owners is to blame, and that their actions are punishing every pet owner regardless of whether or not they choose to pick up their pet's feces. 


     SOT (Juliet Sims): This proposal [to ban dogs on-campus[ is ugly and unfair to responsible dog owners like me. I admit there's too much poop on the sidewalks, but it's wrong to let a few bad apples ruin it for everybody.


     Stand-up (Daryl Dogawnit): The school has seen rising tensions of the subject. The landscaping crew put up signs that said "NO DOGS ALLOWED" only to have students rip them down almost immediately. With the petition for the banning of dogs of campus hitting 300 signatures, the Bilford College board hopes to settle the dispute in a public hearing that will take place in the Bilford Union building on Thursday evening.


4. What's it called?


     a. Actuality or cut. In TV, it's a SOT (or sound-on tape).


    b. Out-cue


    c. A voicer


     d. Natural sound


     e. Segue


     f. A tease

How Wired Are You?

How Wired Are You?
Inside Reporting, Second Edition, page 176

1. Could you create a Web page?

Yes: I haven't used DreamWeaver in a while, but I do have a solid understanding of how it works.

2. Have you written a blog?

Yes: I've written a few blog posts about video games and such. I'm a nerd.

3. Are you a consumer of digital content?

Yes: Who isn't?

4. Do you comment, chat, and tweet?

Yes: I tweet more than I should. No one really reads them either.

5. Are you familiar with different online platforms?

Yes: I'd say "familiar" is an understatement.

6. Can you shoot a video, edit it and post it online?

Yes.

7. Can you record audio, edit it and post it online?

Yes.

8. Could you create an interactive graphic?

Maybe: I haven't used Flash in ages. I'd have relearn a few things but I think I'd be able to get it down quickly.

9. Is the Web now your primary news source?

Yes: I have access to almost all the news through it. The fact that there's nothing that's on TV or newspaper or radio that ISN'T on the internet helps a bit.

10. Could you cover an event at 9 a.m. where you shoot photos and video for your narrated slide show, then post a 6-inch story (complete with links and images) by noon?

Yes: This depends mostly on whether or not I would want to put in the effort, but if I did I think I'd be able to manage.


SCORE: 19
Looks like I have the new-media skills editors are looking for.