Archive for December, 2010
Friday, December 31st, 2010
What’s left to say? The consequences of using a cell phone in my classes were clearly stated this semester. Students were advised. Enlightened. Warned. Caveats to the left, caveats to the right, caveats right down the center of the class in Room 504 Hunter North, where Journalism Ethics and News Responsibility was taught. Started with about 35 students, eventually whittled to 24.
All advisements and enlightenments and warnings and caveats delivered with deliberation: F for the class after an initial warning. Yet, when it came time for the big F, I chickened out and, instead, took off one grade of the final grade. Two students this semester.
Both, of course, provided cheesy excuses, like the one below: 6:48-6:50? Not my recollection. More like smirking and gee whiz and all shucks. A mid 20s student.
(more…)
Tags:cell phone etiquette, cell phones, cell phones in classrooms
Posted in 30-40P, It Was One of Those Semesters | Comments Closed
Friday, December 24th, 2010
The pardon was well within the purview of a sitting Governor, lame or otherwise, especially for an inmate – a law biding citizen who had never been in trouble with the law – who, ambushed by fate, erred in a fatal decision and ended up serving a 2-to-4 year term for manslaughter and weapons possession. Nothing wrong here.
But one has to wonder how no one on Patterson’s staff thought of contacting the Cicciaros.
(more…)
Tags:racial epithets, racial violence, racial violence on Long Island
Posted in Journalism, News/Commentary/Opinion | Comments Closed
Monday, December 20th, 2010

Looking South on Sixth Avenue, Herald Square.
After arriving at the Herald Square area about 1:30 p.m. from a doctor’s appointment – I biked in from Second Avenue and East 36th Street – and planning to hop the PATH back to Jersey City, and then seeing all the NYPDs coming into the area and POs roping off corners, and wondering what catastrophe was in the works until I heard a PO bark at a bunch of people to “move back” and maybe hearing something like, QMfE, “You don’t want to be near here … bomb,” or something like that, I started scurrying for a good shot.
(more…)
Tags:bomb threats, Herald Square Suspicious Package, terrorists plots
Posted in It Was One of Those Semesters, Journalism, Photo Journalism | Comments Closed
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Ed Kent is a former Brooklyn College philosophy professor who seems to read everything and then disseminates the information. I sort through his choice tidbits for material to post on the WORD Blog.
One of his latest:
I feel some sympathy for Obama trying to figure how to cope what almost seems to be a new major problem each day.
To run down the list:
The rest is here.
Tags:Afghanistan war, great recession, Iraqi war, middle east imbroglio, Obama
Posted in News/Commentary/Opinion | Comments Closed
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
By Sandy Close Executive
Director New America Media

Over 60 million adults access ethnic media. Their voices should be heard by lawmakers considering this important piece of immigration legislation. Let your voices ring out.
Tags:ethnicity, Immigrant Issues, President Obama, U.S. Congress
Posted in Ethnic News, I Didn't See This on the Evening News (A Work in Progress), Journalism, Journalism Education, New America Media, News/Commentary/Opinion, Student Journalism | Comments Closed
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
New America Media says: Over 60 million adults access ethnic media. Their voices should be heard by lawmakers considering this important piece of immigration legislation this week. If ethnic media across the country carry this button on their websites this week, it will send a powerful message to lawmakers about the civic engagement of our communities. —By Sandy Close, Executive Director, New America Media.

Read more here:
— The WORD
— Harry Potter is a DREAM Act Kid
Tags:Dream Act, Ethnic Journalism, ethnic news media, New Immigrants
Posted in Ethnic News, I Didn't See This on the Evening News (A Work in Progress), Journalism, Journalism Education, New America Media, News/Commentary/Opinion, Student Journalism | Comments Closed
Sunday, December 5th, 2010

Part 2 of 4: The Envoy Responds
—- Original message —-
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:46:21 -0400
From: “Jesse Lent, Envoy News”
Subject: Re: Attention Envoy Editor-in-Chief Ming Fearon (Short Version)
To: gmorris@hunter.cuny.edu
Cc: envoyeditor@gmail.com, Andrea Zaharieva , bstein@hunter.cuny.edu
Dear Professor Morris:
(more…)
Posted in Journalism | Comments Closed
Saturday, December 4th, 2010
Posted by Stephanie Valencia on December 03, 2010 at 03:13 PM EST
Stephanie Valencia is an Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement
In the coming days, Congress will vote on the DREAM Act – a common-sense piece of legislation drafted by both Republicans and Democrats that will give young people who grew up in the United States a chance to contribute to our nation by pursuing a higher education or serving in the U.S. armed forces. It’s limited, targeted legislation that will allow only the best and brightest to earn their legal status, and applies to those brought to the United States as minors through no fault of their own by their parents, and who know no other home.
Here are 10 reasons we need the DREAM Act:
(more…)
Tags:Congress, Dream Act, immigration, President Obama, White House
Posted in Ethnic News, I Didn't See This on the Evening News (A Work in Progress), Journalism Education, Student Journalism | Comments Closed
“Gov. Paterson Regrets Not Telling Daniel Cicciaro Jr.’s Family Before Pardoning John Harris White” – New York Daily News
Friday, December 24th, 2010The pardon was well within the purview of a sitting Governor, lame or otherwise, especially for an inmate – a law biding citizen who had never been in trouble with the law – who, ambushed by fate, erred in a fatal decision and ended up serving a 2-to-4 year term for manslaughter and weapons possession. Nothing wrong here.
But one has to wonder how no one on Patterson’s staff thought of contacting the Cicciaros.
(more…)
Tags:racial epithets, racial violence, racial violence on Long Island
Posted in Journalism, News/Commentary/Opinion | Comments Closed