Ohio Stadium Article Pictures

Photo Courtesy of Tom Rinto










This horseshoe and accompanying quote by Chic Harley hang above the players exit to the stadium field. Players jump to hit the horseshoe before each home game.










Blake Williams, Student Journalist

This space on the Huntington Club level of the stadium is used for the 250-300 non-football events each year. This image is of a dinner hosted on Feb. 25.

Extra Credit Ethics Critique

Tough economic times have affected job markets across the country and journalism is no exception. However, college students taking work from those in the field with degrees may be more unique to the profession. As the article J-Schools to the Rescue? points out, the industry has started “to have journalism students, who will work for course credit, fill the gaps left by the pros whom the news outlets could no longer afford to pay.” This creates some ethical issues for all involved. How should students feel about taking positions from their future peers? Will they be able to find jobs once they do graduate or should they be concerned that college students will continue to fill these positions? Should editors feel guilty about casting aside professionals for inexperienced college students? And should they be concerned about sacrificing quality?

The article points out that the New York Times cut 200 newsroom jobs the past year. This is clearly not easy for the ones losing their jobs, but one must realize how difficult it also is for the managers and editors making the decisions. Incidents like this have lead to students from universities like New York University, Indiana University, the University of California Berkley and others to fill the pages of professional newspapers “in the name of experiential learning” according to the article. However if students continue to fill these jobs, then what are students gaining experience for? If the journalism job market is as bleak as this article on jobspage.com suggest, then while being able to put this experience on a resume really be beneficial? If so, then, for good or bad, these few universities who have these relationships with newspapers will become the only schools with successful journalism graduates. The article also points out that “Some believe journalism schools are exploiting students by maintaining high enrollment levels despite the contraction of the market for professional journalists — a system that guarantees a large population of out-of-work, debt-addled graduates.” This leads to the question, is this the schools responsibility? If students want to pursue a journalism degree, regardless of the difficulty in finding work, why should the schools turn them away? However the schools should certainly be upfront about the difficulty in succeeding in this field.

Journalism schools should be focused on both their own success and the success of their graduates. News organizations need them to be producing talented reporters and in this capacity they are succeeding. However, they are doing this at a rate that causes these news organizations to out the old experienced and expensive journalists for young, inexperienced and cheap (even free) journalists. In this sense they are not fulfilling their obligation to their graduates. They are facilitating a system that displaces former graduates for more recent ones or ones who have not yet graduated. In this sense they are loyal to their current students and very recent graduates but this loyalty does not extend past a few years.
However, if the article is accurate when it addresses the potential that allowing these current students to cover local issues is akin to making the decision “to cover local issues with journalism students or at all” the we have a different issue. In this case the journalism students are not at fault. They are simply meeting a need that would not otherwise be met. Also this free labor could be important in keeping local governing bodies accountable as they would not otherwise be reported on. This is a very crucial role.

The issue of content is not truly an ethical one. It is really a matter of keeping the reputation of both the university and the news organization in good standing. Clearly both will be interested in keeping good reputations to they will both monitor the quality of the free reporting. From the standpoint of the student, I would be thrilled to be given the opportunity those at NYU have received. However, this can still be done through internships. Most importantly though, students do not go into journalism for economic reasons. As this article demonstrates, the average salary for individuals with graduate degrees in journalism is only $40,000. Nicholas Lemann the dean of the Columbia School of Journalism points out that "[He’s] never met a single person in 35 years who went into journalism out of pure economic reason." It really boils down to the individuals involved. It makes monetary sense for organizations to use free labor and initially it makes sense for students to take the opportunity. Each person must decide if it makes sense for them personally, professionally, and ethically.

Ethics Critique

Social media sites such as Face book, Myspace, and Twitter are becoming a necessary tool in the journalist’s arsenal. However, as the article by Pamela J. Podger, The Limits of Control, points out these sites create almost as many problems as they do solutions. Where to draw the ethical line when it comes to new media is a difficult question and one that has no clear answer.

First and foremost I agree with the thoughts of Mary Hartney of the Baltimore Sun when she says that any policy on social media must be “a living document.” These types of new technology are constantly changing and the regulations and policies governing them must adapt as well. We cannot predict what new journalistically helpful or harmful tools Facebook or Twitter will add to their sites next year, next month, or even tomorrow. All policies must be open to change.

Though there is no absolute solution, the best option is for reporters to have separate profiles on all of these sites for their professional and personal lives. As the article states, “One is for friends, family, and classmates, while the other is for sources, bosses and coworkers.” However the solution is not this simple. Further guidelines are necessary. The Washington Post does not approve of two separate pages because they worry about “Who you are on one page and who on another?” according to the article. The Wall Street Journal agrees. The Journal's policies, some of which can be found here, seem short sighted to me. The journalist is the same person on both pages but simply makes clear which page is personal and which page is professional. Making this distinction clear is essential. Furthermore, you must use restraint on your personal page. Even though it is not your professional page, you are still a representative of your media outlet. However, this is no different than a teachers Facebook page representing their school district.

When using your professional page you should always identify yourself as a journalist. If you do not tell them ahead of time you should not use the information. This is parallel to a source going off the record in an interview. On these sites, even your designated personal page, you should be careful of obvious political bias. However, if your reporting is objective it should speak for itself and give you credibility. As the article points out, regardless of social media use “you don’t want anybody to read your story and discern what your political leanings are.” The New York Times policy on Facebook asks that reporters leave their political preference portion of their profile blank. This seems like a minor sacrifice for reporters to make.

We must try to put ourselves in the positions of those involved in these decisions. AS much as editors may dislike it, reporters are human being first and journalists second. The social media phenomenon is a worldwide event and it is not fair to exclude journalists from it. They are complete people and deserved to be treated as such. Furthermore, as Jeff Jarvis points out that these sites “provide the opportunity for reporters and editors to come out from behind the institutional voice of the paper -- a voice that is less and less trusted -- and to become human.” This is an opportunity for newspapers to regain public trust. If the public can see that real people are reporting these events, perhaps they will be more trustworthy. I acknowledge that editors have legitimate concerns. They need their reporters to be representatives of their organization, be cautious of safety issues, and make sure that they are not scooped by their own employees. However, I side with the individual freedom of the reporter, not the organization. Continue using social media, but with caution.

Multimedia Ideas for Final Project

For my final project on the behind-the-scenes and year round work at the Horseshoe. There are many opportunities for multimedia components. Images of the stadium, especially portions that are rarely seen on game days, and of people interviewed are no-brainers. However simply including images with captions is not enough in today's multimedia driven world. For example, this Fox News story does not do enough. It provides one image, granted it is an image of one of the most interesting figures in the story, but has no video or other multimedia aspects.

My story could also include video of important figures talking or being interviewed as well as video related in some other way to the story such as video of the team or other activities taking place at the stadium. Both the New York Times and USA Today stories include such videos. However I would steer away from the way the Times handled their video. The put all the video and other multimedia aspects in the left column. This makes them easy to ignore and less relevant to the story. Video and other multimedia should serve a clear purpose to the story. If it has a clear purpose it should be easy to integrate into the story. The USA Today story does a much better job of doing this. The integrate links throughout the story with the minimum necessary explanation. This makes them more relevant as their connection to the story is very clear. All three provide links at the bottom to similar or related sources, something that is expected on every online story and that my article could easily include.

Compare/Contrast NY Times & USAToday

I have looked two articles about Toyota's recall and recent hearings regarding this recall in front of congress. One is from The New York Times and the other is from USAToday.

The ledes on the two stories are very similar and both are strong. They both get to the point with the most important information, What the top U>S official of Toyota told Congress. Both use blind attribution for this official which is appropriate as the information said and the position of the person saying it, not their actual name, is the news here. Both also use the partial quote "not totally" to describe the resolution of the Toyota situation. The New York Times article tells us exactly what committee of congress is involved. This seems wordy and unnecessary for a lede to me. I believe the USAToday's use of "Congress" is stronger.

With regards to sources, both do a fairly good job. Most of the sources are the same in both stories. Both include comments form both Republicans and Democrats on the issue as well as comments from multiple members of Toyota's organization as well as victims of the malfunction. Therefore they both successful include both sides of the issue. The USAtoday article does a better job of painting a picture. They use more direct and emotional quotes from one victim, Rhonda Smith. However, the Times does have more substance in their quotes from Toyota officials.

Both include numerous multimedia components. At the top of the USAToday article a video of the Rhonda Smith testimony and her husbands is available. However, this starts immediately when the page opens, which is a turnoff to readers. The USAToday does do a good job of interspersing links throughout the article. These include links to a live blog from the hearing as well as two directly related articles and a map of where the acceleration problems occurred. All of these are very strong uses of links throughout the story.

The New York Times article includes an image of a crying Smith which the USAToday article also includes. The Times has two videos available but both are of Toyota's testimony. This is a weakness as they should include a video of the opposition. Furthermore their videos and links to related articles are off to the side of the article. I prefer USAToday's integrated method, as I did not even notice the Times videos until well after finishing the article.

Overall, both are strong articles. Both have good sources and a strong lede. The USAToday article is better in my opinion because of its integrated (vs. the Times segmented) approach to multimedia.

Social Media Impact

I looked at the article on the New York Times Web site about San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom is the most followed mayor in the country on twitter and has used many other social media outlets such as Second Life. Coincidentally, the New York Times retrieved this article from a blog in the bay area.
However, the article acknowledges that Newsom is sending out less and less tweets and his staffers are sending out more. This highlights a problem we have mentioned in class numerous times. You can never be certain who is actually behind a twitter post. However, Newsom does still send original posts such as tweets directly from his daughter's birth.
I do not think that staffers posting is a huge problem. No matter the medium politicians will always pre-package quotes and often they will run them by their staff or allow their staff to make the comments on their behalf. The extension of this to twitter, though it can be a problem with the site, is more an extension of the relationship between politicians and the media than a direct problem with Twitter. The fact that he is still tweeting original things such as his daughters birth point to the fact that it is indeed his twitter account and not someone posing as him. Even if staffers are posting on his account it is still at least with his permission. Thus if cautious of this fact reporters should not have a problem using his posts.

****Reminder: 2 extra credit points, Error of Fact in the lantern about the half time score of the Illinois Basketball game and the error on ESPN.com recaping the same game that had the wrong day for the Buckeyes next game.

Outline of Final Project—Behind the Scenes at the Horseshoe

What I’ve Done:
I have sent an e-mail to Peter J. Olms the Assistant Building Coordinator. Though he has not yet responded, my roommate, Tom Rinto, will see him tomorrow at work and plans on alerting him of the e-mail. Tom has assured me that interviewing him in person this week, more than likely Friday, will not be a problem.

I have also e-mailed Ryan Guthrie whose title is Recreation Facility Attendant. He is my roommate’s immediate boss. He has also not e-mailed me back but Tom is speaking with him tomorrow as well.

I have made plans to shadow my roommate at work this Friday. This is likely when I will be able to interview Olms and Guthrie. I will also be able to see what an average day is like for an Ohio Stadium employee in the offseason. Tom has assured me that there will be multiple co-workers of his available for interviews and I will be able to get detailed descriptions of the area that they work.

I have an interview scheduled with Larry Lokai, the well known Ohio State fanatic BuckeyeMan, for March 2 before the men’s basketball game. This will allow me to get the perspective of a long time dedicated fan on what happens behind the scenes at the Horseshoe.

I have sent an email requesting an interview to Gene Smith, the Athletic Director at Ohio State. He has not yet responded but I have heard that he is far more accessible through his secretary so I plan on calling his offices Monday

I have e-mailed head football coach Jim Tressel explaining my article and requesting an interview of any kind. I am awaiting a reply.

I have spoken with Boom Herron, starting tailback on the 2009 football team. Interviewing him would be a conflict of interest for me but he has agreed to set me up with another player who would be willing to grant me a short interview sometime this week. He requested that we figure out the details tomorrow.

I am awaiting a response from my fellow 422 classmate Nick Hiltbrand with contact information for his friend who is currently one of the Brutus mascots.

I have also e-mailed Jordon Birkemeier, the Assistant Director of the Buckey Club requesting an interview.

I have acquired biographical information for all the people mentioned above when available. I have also acquired historical information on the stadium itself.

What I Plan to do:

Ideally I will be able to interview all of the above people. I am very confident I will be able to interview everyone on the list with the exception of Gene Smith and Jim Tressel, both of whom I feel at least moderately confident about at least getting an e-mail interview.

I will provide a comprehensive article on all of the year round and behind the scenes aspects of Ohio Stadium. This will look at the perspective of the general employee and multiple higher ranking employees’ all the way to the top with AD Gene Smith.

I will also provide the perspective of the average and fanatic fans, (hopefully) the head football coach and at least one player.

I plan on contacting a member of the band this week to get that perspective as well.

Social Media Addition:
I have found Larry Lokai, the Buckeye Man, on Facebook and friend requested him so that I will be able to use his Facebook page as a source. I explained this to him in a message sent with the friend request.

I have also found a group on Facebook entitled 'I have played football in Ohio Stadium.' The group is for those who have legally or illegally played football in the stadium. From the group I get the impression that most or all members have done so illegally. I sent a message via Facebook to the President of this group requesting an interview.