Layoffs at The Star

KC topics that don't fit anywhere else.
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by flyingember »

FangKC wrote:
I guess for our democracy to continue to function we will need all citizens to take journalism classes, and do investigative reporting. It will be a required part of citizenship, like being called for jury duty. :D
that's already happening, without the classes.

think of how much the media uses items from twitter.
earthling
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 8518
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:27 pm
Location: milky way, orion arm

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by earthling »

Yeah, any blogger that gets lots of hits is now a 'journalist', journalistic integrity no longer required. This is what traditional newspapers get to compete with and has therefore lowered their own standards.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18141
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by FangKC »

As someone who graduated from a journalism school, I can say there is a reason that journalism must be a paid profession.

It takes time to become a good reporter. You have to first learn how to write a story. What facts are important, and when they are not. The difference between factual reporting and quoted material, or speculation, that may be unreliable, contain an error, or be full-on lies, or crap.

You also have to follow a certain base ethical standard. One attempts balance, but not all stories can be completely balanced. It's not even that the reporter is trying to slant the story, because most of the time the reporter is trying to remain neutral. When one is doing a story, one might get two opposing views about the topic of that story. However, one person might give you information on that topic that is based on evidence or facts that can be substantiated or proven by research. The second person, representing the opposing view, might be just flat out lying, or making things up that aren't true to make their point.

When you interview someone in a story, what they say may not be true. What they "saw" might not be what actually happened. A reporter has to determine credibility to even decide whether to use the witness testimony, or the quote.

In stories where someone is being directly quoted or interviewed, the reporter might know the comment is a flat-out lie. The reporter might know facts that the interviewee doesn't know they know. However, based on this, a professional journalist has to be very careful how one writes the story using that quote.

For example:
John Smith says that he has never been married to Betty Jones. "I was never married to her." Jones disputes this. The Jackson County clerk's office has verified Jones' claim. John Smith's brother and sister indicate they attended the wedding between Smith and Jones.
A good reporter also has to be well-versed in a variety of subjects. They have to understand government, politics, budgeting, data analysis, law, sociology, psychology, science, business, and even how do deal with different personalities, races, and classes of people. They have to also understand nuance to some degree--how things can be said different ways and have a entirely different meaning.

After one learns these things, one also has to cultivate a variety of knowledgeable contacts, sources, and experts. Some which can be used in stories, and some which can provide background information, and will never be quoted in a story. Who to trust and who not to trust.

Being a good journalist is a skill that takes a lot of time to develop.

Then, a reporter also needs a good editor, who serves a different function. They not only rewrite the story to make it more concise, or read better. They also drill the reporter, and test the information in the story, verify it on their own, fact-check with sources. etc. Demand that the reporter back up one source of information with a second or third collaborating source.

This is simply something an amateur blogger cannot do. It not something an aggregator news site can do well--which pulls articles and stories from a variety of other blogs or websites.

We all can cite stories out out-of-town reporters that swoop into town to write a story, and then refer to Mayor Sly James as the Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, or refers to KC as a "former railroad center."
Last edited by FangKC on Fri Mar 20, 2015 4:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18141
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by FangKC »

I also bemoan what has happened with cable news shows, when too many of the people being interviewed on stories or topics are not reliable sources or experts, but political hacks or professional talking heads who are really there to spin a point-of-view or agenda. There is a real difference between presenting opinion and facts in a news program. Too many people on cable news shows are giving opinions as fact.

Many viewers cannot distinguish the difference between factual news and opinion.
Last edited by FangKC on Fri Mar 20, 2015 4:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
pash
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3800
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:47 am

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by pash »

.
Last edited by pash on Mon Feb 13, 2017 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20039
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by DaveKCMO »

FangKC wrote:As someone who graduated from a journalism school...
OMG me, too!
User avatar
FangKC
City Hall
City Hall
Posts: 18141
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by FangKC »

Yes Pash, all of that is true.

Yet, there also has to be a general news source that serves a variety of people and presents them with a variety of relevant news articles to keep them informed of what is happening in their city, state, country, and overseas. A record of events. It is especially true on a local level.

This includes news on:

government: what the governing body voted on, is considering, actions they take, wrongdoing, spending issues, and elections. Changes in law, new laws. etc.
politics: candidates for office, what parties are doing, what platforms are being put forth, who has power, and who doesn't, motivations about policy decisions, what polling shows, personality and behavior.
crime: statistics, who was killed and why, where thefts are happening, burglaries, car-jackings, etc., so people can take precautions.
social change: single parenting, gay rights, immigration, abortion, etc.
court proceedings: who has been accused, indicted, convicted, sentenced, absolved of crime.
news of births and deaths, etc. So you know not to ask a wife what her husband is up to these days when he's been dead for six months.
real estate: what is being sold, bought, developed, torn down.
business: store closings, store openings, adding jobs, laying off, new products, etc.
investigative news: looking into things that need exposure. Public awareness of why something happened. Long-story-telling to explain an issue, or circumstance, or how a series of events lead to an outcome.

A lot of people think there isn't a reason for newspapers to exist any longer. That they get their news from TV and radio. However, there are a lot of news stories, or matters of record, that TV and radio don't cover. Sometimes it's considered boring news, but some people still need to be informed of it.

The other thing about radio and TV news is that they don't often maintain any historic record of the news they aired. Stories are taken down from websites after a short time. Videos are deleted. Links go dead.

Newspapers are printed materials that end up in public libraries as a historic record of information. I sometimes wonder how this will be handled when a newspaper might go completely online and stop printing actual newspapers.

A lot of research into past events heavily utilizes newspaper reportage and accounts of events.
User avatar
grovester
Oak Tower
Oak Tower
Posts: 4560
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:30 pm
Location: KC Metro

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by grovester »

Good points Fang. It has led to the existence of an alternate reality via the internet.
User avatar
KCMax
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 24051
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:31 pm
Location: The basement of a Ross Dress for Less
Contact:

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by KCMax »

@CoreyHutchins Imagine if every political reporter covering Ted Cruz right now was covering a state legislature.
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by flyingember »

KCMax wrote:
@CoreyHutchins Imagine if every political reporter covering Ted Cruz right now was covering a state legislature.
there's a KCUR reporter that within the past week live covered a prosecutor (I forget exactly what for). I don't think the Star even sent someone. I sure didn't see a piece on it.

In the same week a reporter from the Liberty Tribune live-covered a girl's high school basketball semifinal.

I thought both pieces were exactly what the media should be doing. A skilled reporter telling a story. I would have been ok with them using an official account and adding some sponsorships into the live posts because the content was that good.
Last edited by flyingember on Mon Mar 23, 2015 11:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
KCMax
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 24051
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:31 pm
Location: The basement of a Ross Dress for Less
Contact:

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by KCMax »

KCUR does a fantastic job covering local stories I think.
lock+load
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 4209
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:25 am
Location: brookside

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by lock+load »

The new ads the star is using when you click on a story are unreal. It's as if they are trying to turn readers off.
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by flyingember »

lock+load wrote:The new ads the star is using when you click on a story are unreal. It's as if they are trying to turn readers off.
I would be like them putting a large advertisement over the front page of every copy on the newsstand.
loftguy
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3850
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:12 pm

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by loftguy »

FangKC wrote:
KCMax wrote:
I guess for our democracy to continue to function we will need all citizens to take journalism classes, and do investigative reporting. It will be a required part of citizenship, like being called for jury duty. :D

Kansas has proven that we can't even be bothered to vote, so we are generally screwed.......
User avatar
Highlander
City Center Square
City Center Square
Posts: 10168
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 1:40 pm
Location: Houston

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by Highlander »

Whatever happened to the "Comments" section in the Star? They seemed to have dropped it totally. Not that I enjoy reading the negative BS on there about downtown KC.
flyingember
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 9862
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:54 am

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by flyingember »

Highlander wrote:Whatever happened to the "Comments" section in the Star? They seemed to have dropped it totally. Not that I enjoy reading the negative BS on there about downtown KC.
They moved it back into the article, below it like it was before
User avatar
Highlander
City Center Square
City Center Square
Posts: 10168
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 1:40 pm
Location: Houston

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by Highlander »

flyingember wrote:
Highlander wrote:Whatever happened to the "Comments" section in the Star? They seemed to have dropped it totally. Not that I enjoy reading the negative BS on there about downtown KC.
They moved it back into the article, below it like it was before
I see a place for comments but I don's see any comments on any articles or any way to post them. I don't know what the issue is? Internet Explorer?
joshmv
Strip mall
Strip mall
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 1:55 pm
Location: Overland Park

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by joshmv »

Highlander wrote:
flyingember wrote:
Highlander wrote:Whatever happened to the "Comments" section in the Star? They seemed to have dropped it totally. Not that I enjoy reading the negative BS on there about downtown KC.
They moved it back into the article, below it like it was before
I see a place for comments but I don's see any comments on any articles or any way to post them. I don't know what the issue is? Internet Explorer?

I have no idea if this has anything to do with comments, but in any case, Internet Explorer is horrible. Try Chrome. Here are the stats on the most popular browsers right now. As a web designer, I'm glad IE is fading away.

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp
earthling
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 8518
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:27 pm
Location: milky way, orion arm

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by earthling »

pash
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3800
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:47 am

Re: Layoffs at The Star

Post by pash »

.
Last edited by pash on Mon Feb 13, 2017 9:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Post Reply