Project Update

My Chartjackers article is in the process of being written at the time that I write this blog, for the draft is due tomorrow. I'm feeling less confident about my work, for I don't know if I should go more into the charity aspect of it, the internet aspect, or the radio and the music today aspect. I'm trying to have an equal amount of both. I still need to write a lot more, but I am suffering a bit of a writers block due to my annoying amount of homework. The research is done, so all that really needs to be done is putting pen to paper, or in my case fingers to keys. Questions I have are whether to include something about clear channel and the music industry, because I'm not sure if I want to focus on the project and its impact or the current state of popular music. I think I may turn it to be more about the people of the internet and how they can come together and do great things when they set their mind to it.

Project Proposal #2

My topic for the 2nd wave will be about a project that occured during the last couple months in the UK. The project was led by 4 popular YouTubers, including Charlie McDonnell, the owner of the 3rd most subscribed channel in the UK. They came together, along with the people of the internet and the television channel BBCSwitch, decided to hack the UK Top 40 charts. Together they composed a song like no other: it was written by the people of the internet. Through specific stages, the ChartJackers worked with their viewers on YouTube to collect lyrics, put them in order, pick a melody, and audition members for the band. The finished product grew to be number 38 on the UK Charts, and numer 1 on the Indipendent charts. I believe it is a trully inspirational project and I hope to write an equally inspirational article about it.

My course of action really just write down everything I know, and then embellish my piece with facts, like other songs that had gotten to the number they did on the charts and other information I would figure out for myself. I have been following the entire project as it has happened, so I already know most of what there is to know. In the next week I hope to finish all of my additional research and start to write out my draft. Potential problems I may face with this peice include connecting with the audience, for the project did occur in England, but it involved people with internet connections and the desire to create all over the world. I also worry if I can do the project justice in my writing. Other than that, I look forward to writing this piece. Notice how my first two pieces involve the internet? I'm addicted....

Reflection

My first piece for wave 1 is named "Obsession: A Geeky Commentary". I really like the way it turned out, and I'm proud of both the research and the writing I completed. I worked hard on the piece, and I believe the humor I added to it makes it very unique. The weaknesses I find in the piece include the flow of the subjects I cover, since I jump around to different information so much it may be difficult to see the connection to the overall topic of the article/editorial. I really enjoyed my first experience with independently writing an article, and I look forward to writing more pieces in the future to be proud of.

Progress Blog week 2

The stage I am currently on is still the researching/writing stage, considering I have changed my topic due to the lack of quarterly results at this point in time. I feel pretty confident in my idea, but I know that I really need to start working on it. I still need to do basically everything, for i have only just chosen my topic. I don't really have any questions... so I think I'm on the right track :D

Project Proposal: Quarterly Article

The topic I will be covering for the first wave of publishing for The Tower Review is the recently completed quarterly exams. I will be interviewing teachers and students on their opinions on the change from midterms and finals to annual quarterlies, along with talking to the administration on why the decision was made. This week, I plan on getting most of my interviewing done, completing most research, and constructing my lead. The week after that I will complete everything I had done the previous week, and the final week I will write the article in its entirety. Problems I plan on encountering include not finding enough material for a indepth article, and not bringing to the article things that the students at RFH don't already know. I hope to overcome these problems, through doing a lot of research and presenting them in an interesting way.

Blog #5

Even though I wasn't here for the whole quarter, I really appreciate what I've learned thus far in the Tower Review. I didn't know what to expect when I first entered the class; all I knew was that it had something to do with journalism and publishing a online newpaper. I didn't really have expectations, but if I had I think the Tower Review would have definatly met them. I never really knew the difference between editorials, reviews, and articles, for I have never written an article without a bias, making most of them editorials (or persuasive essays). The media bias lesson was something I thought to be very important, along with the lesson about interviews. I'm not really sure what practice or skill wasn;t valuable to me, for i think everything we've learned so far is very important in the field of communications. I am really excited next quarter to start publishing work and working together as a group to make something awesome. I'm anxious about having enough time to dedicate myself to quality pieces, but I know I will make the time. Nothing has honestly left me unfulfilled - I love the class and can't to see what happens next!

Blog #4

The newspaper article format looks like a triangle inside of my head (much like the handout in class). First comes the lead, which needs to include one or more of the "5 W's and an H". This is referring to Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. These six questions need to be answered somewhere in the article, preferably in the beginning. Then the details are added in, and finally the conclusion. This information is important for those who want to be in the fields of communications and journalism because the news industry is about education and informing people about current events and issues. Therefore it is also very important for a class where we publish such news stories. Another thing that we need to consider is our audience. Most of the time, high school students have a radically short attention span. Articles they read need to be concise and interesting, or they will move on. They need to be able to relate to it and understand how it effects them or it won't be a successful piece. I don't think that any parts of the process are easy. The headline is important to grab the reader. The details can add depth to the story. Interviews can be challenging and awkward. Picking a topic idea is an difficult process for some people, but I would have to say it was the least challenging for me. I believe that it doesn't matter if the topic is bad as long as it is executed correctly. For me, the interviews will probably the most difficult since I want many different sources and I might not be able to talk with most of them face to face. I will at least try to get some people on the phone at best.