The Edward R. Murrow Way

For those of you who may not be aware, Edward Murrow was a prominent figure in American broadcast journalism.

Though it's a part of journalism, broadcast varies from it's counterpart, print journalism. The following examples will demonstrate the difference between a print lede vs. a broadcast lede.

All leads are courteous of the New York Times:

Print: North Korea on Monday sentenced two American journalists to 12 years of hard labor in a case widely seen as a test of how far the isolated Communist state was willing to take its confrontational stance toward the United States.

Broadcast: According to country officials, North Korea has sentenced two American journalist to 12 years of hard labor.

Print: After months of insisting he would leave the details to Congress, President Obama has concluded that he must exert greater control over the health care debate and is preparing an intense push for legislation that will include speeches, town-hall-style meetings and much deeper engagement with lawmakers, senior White House officials say.

Broadcast: According to Senior White House officials, President Obama will exert greater control over the on-going health care debate.

Print: In a step that would substantially increase the price tag for Bernard L. Madoff’s long-running Ponzi scheme, lawyers for a group of his victims are asking a federal bankruptcy judge to reject the way their losses in the fraud are being calculated.

Broadcast: Victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme are in federal bankruptcy court.

Formulas In Journalism???

Well this isn't your math class formula. We're not trying to find the value of 'x' here! But the Wall Street Journal Formula is definitely a helpful calculation for journalist.

So, if the Wall Street Journal Formula were actually a mathematical equation, it would look something like x+y=z.

x= A feature lede, which is usually speaking of a real person. An anecdote is a creative way to open a story. The nut graph acts as a bridge linking the lede with the rest of the story. This is also used to give the reader insight on why this story is being told.

y= Support. After the nut graph, the story is open to more quotes from secondary sources along with facts and figures.

z= The end! But you want to loop 'z' back to the beginning of the article, to give the story a sense of finality.

I'm pretty sure that this equation is mathematically incorrect! This is the very reason I'm a journalism major!

One of These Things Aren't Like the Other

Summary Lede vs. Feature Lede. Both are useful, but are used differently to open a story.

Summary ledes gives the reader all the important information upfront, before the details of the story are divulged. These are typically hard news ledes and gives the basic who, what, where, and when.

Feature ledes are longer in length, and leaves more room for creativity. This type of lead usually delays details until after the nut graph.

Feature Lede:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/fashion/31peters.html?_r=1&ref=fashion

Summary Lede:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/world/asia/03military.html?hp

Baltimore's Fashionable Gems

The beat I plan to cover is fashion in the Baltimore area. On the surface, it may seem a bit diffcult to find credible sources, but Baltimore has a host of shops and boutiques.

Yes, the mecca of fashion is generally seen as New York, but with boutiques like Ruth Shaw and Cupcake Clothing, there's a piece of SoHo right here in Baltimore.

Outside of covering different shops and boutiques, I want to report on up-and-coming trends along with hot buys for the recessionistas and recessionistos!

Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself

Well, I don't want to be redundant and restate the facts that I shared with the class last semester! So, I'm thinking I'll talk about life in the present.

My name is Melany, and I'm a Twitter fiend (Facebook is so 2008), thanks to 257! I'm a senior Mass Communication major on the Journalism and New Media Track.

Being a magazine editor-in-chief of a fashion or music magazine has been my dream for as long as I can remember, but this new gadget called Multimedia Journalism has sparked my interest! So needless to say, I'm most definitely looking forward to 258 and all it has in store.

I recently finished an internship with Baltimore Magazine, and to say it was a learning experience is an understatement. Starting next week, I'll be interning for Girls Life Magazine for the summer.

That's about it for me. Well, anything worth sharing that is! See everyone Friday!

You Need Both Real World and Classroom Experience

As a student you have to understand that the experience gained from an internship can be just as vital as sitting in a classroom. Sure your professors know their stuff, but that hands-on experience will better prepare you.

For the last three months, I've been an editorial intern at Baltimore Magazine (hints the picture), and I've learned and gained so much. Plus I love seeing my name in the credits!

My plan is to interview an expert in the journalism field, a student currently working in an internship, and a professor on campus.

The field of journalism is all about networking, and who you know. A great tool for journalism students interested in the world of magazines is Ed2010. The website is dedicated to finding internships, jobs, and meeting people in the industry...

http://www.ed2010.com

Ed's Baltimore Chapter:

http://www.ed2010.com/2009/02/baltimore

Follow Ed on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Ed2010News

Pose, Flash, Pose, Flash...

So, I know your asking yourself, "Who's this strikingly handsome young man, and what in the world is he doing on Melany's blog?"

Well this is my Grandfather and this past summer he gave a very valuable lesson on photography. That advice, "Granddaughter make sure you always fill the frame!"

Now who would have thunk it that I would receive this exact advice in class Friday? Well anywho, thanks Granddad!






Along with filling the frame, I used the rule of the thirds for my photos on campus...











I like to call this one, Soul's Deadly Stare. I know, that's really deep.

I used the rule of the thirds for this shot.

This is Lisa (front) and Kelly (back) in Save By the Bell Towson Hi-Jinx. Once again I used the thirds as well as filling the frame.

Thanks Asia and Erin (:

Lastly in, I Hope His Growl is Bigger Than His Bite, my main goal was to fill the frame and try to capture the tiger for a different angle.













Well clearly I'm excited about my photos. I'm going to email them to my Grandfather for his constructive criticism!