Final Critique

This is the final critique of the online news source I chose to evaluate for an Online Journalism at DePaul University. It was intended for educational purposes and the views expressed are my own.

I filmed this on my own in my bedroom where I knew it would be quite. The lighting is not the best and the auto focus was not cooperating. Other than those two issues, I would love to hear your comments and thoughts!

UPDATE: Flipped Car, Sheffeild Ave. & Fullerton Ave

Here’s an update about the car flipped over on Sheffield last Friday that Liza covered(http://tinyurl.com/crmogt). I interviewed two DePaul Students who witnessed the accident and helped the person out of the flipped car. Louis McGill and Jeremy Applebaum (both seniors) were driving north on Sheffield and were stopped at the light on Fullerton when the accident happened.

Here is what they saw: According to both McGill and Applebaum, the car clipped an SUV parked in front of the Post Office on Sheffield. The clip was just enough force to flip the car over. The two students pulled over to help the gentleman out of the flipped car. McGill commented that a mild concussion and a few scratches were the only injuries on the gentleman. McGill then proceeded to call 911 for the gentleman. From there, both McGill and Applebaum waited with the man for help to arrive. McGill mentioned that while they were watching the police handle the scene, the owner of the SUV came out of the Post Office and asked police if it was OK for her to move her SUV, oblivious to the situation. No damage was done to the SUV. McGill and Applebaum waited around until they knew authorities had the situation under control.

Neither the gentleman nor the SUV owner was a DePaul Student. Also, both McGill and Applebaum mentioned that the SUV was not parked illegally or in any way that would have caused the accident. In addition, both students also said that it didn’t look like the gentleman who clipped the car was on his cell phone. It just appeared to be a very bad accident with a very lucky outcome for the gentleman who survived it. Kudos to McGill and Applebaum for helping out and being heroes in the process.

I took all the photos with my cell phone while walking to work that day.

DePaul Homecoming: My First Formal

This photo essay is dedicated to Ching Wen Hsiao and her friends from Taiwan. DePaul Homecoming was the first and only formal they have ever attended. I was happy to be able to capture Ching Wen's process of getting ready to her sheer pleasure of being at the dance.

Ching Wen lays out her dress in her bedroom to begin getting ready. She had her dress altered to fit her perfectly and spent the entire day before shopping for the perfect accessories.

She puts on her eyeliner in her little personal mirror on her desk. She prefers to do her make-up in the privacy of her room where she can watch her favorite shows on her laptop.

Ching Wen jokes with her friend Reina in Cortelyou Commons while waiting for the Trolley to take them to Union Station where the dance is being held.

Ching Wen is only a Trolley ride away from her first dance. She is anxious and excited as she gets on the bus with her friends.

Ching Wen dances with her friends. Her friends Rita (featured), Penny, and Reina have also never been to a formal. They are all enjoying the festivities.

Ching Wen gives a happy smile to the end of a great night. After a night of eating good food, laughing with friends, and dancing, she climbs the stair to get her coat and board the Trolley back to DePaul.

Wonderland on Stage

This weekend I took in the DePaul Theater School production of “Alice in Wonderland.” Being a fan of the famous Lewis Carroll books, I was curious to see it would translate on stage…I was not disappointed. The production even managed to effectively pull off scenes where Alice is falling through the rabbit hole and when she shrinks to fit into the door. This adaptation of Lewis’ work followed closer to his book rather than the Disney adaptation and there were some characters that only an avid fan of the books would know. Each actor added their own stamp to their characters further bring the production to life. From the Duchess who had everyone bouncing, to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb who rapped the rhyme “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” to Humpty Dumpy taking a big fall, each imaginary character made wonderland seem real. The sets were elaborate and versatile while the costumes added a modern twist to the characters. I highly recommend going to see it and it’s great for kids too. The last performance will be this Saturday followed by an ice cream social with the cast for an additional charge.

In general, tickets for any of the theater school productions can be bought online or at the Merle Reskin Theater Box Office at 60 E. Balbo, downtown. I highly recommend going to the box office a few days before the performance to get your tickets. Online tickets are $10 for adults, however at the box office student tickets are offered at $6 with a student ID. Also, the seating is general so going early helps you get a great seat. You can get more information on tickets and upcoming productions at http://theatreschool.depaul.edu/showmain.php

Code:57

This morning many De Paul students using the CTA were puzzled as the EL turn styles rejected their U-Passes. The CTA accidentally deactivated U-passes for a number of students. DePaul issued an e-mail explaining the mess and says the CTA will have the problem fixed by midnight tonight. However, that doesn't help those students who had to pay to get to their classes early this morning because of "code:57" showing up when they tried to use their U-Passes.

I actually had the pleasure of being one of these students to experience this before CTA and DePaul realized there was a problem. If you rode the EL this morning and read closely after the U-Pass was rejected, it read "Code:57 ; Please See Attendant." I've had problems with the turn styles before so I tried the one next to it with no luck before asking the woman in charge. Lucky for me, I knew what code:13 was thanks to Shelby's blog so it wasn't because my U-Pass was bent or scratched.

Imagine my surprise, however, when I was rudely informed that "code:57" means the U-Pass has been reported stolen/lost. And if I wanted to ride then I would have to pay like everyone else. When I assured the attendant that my U-pass was not stolen and I had ID to prove it, she told me not to "get smart" with her and I was lucky she didn't confiscate it, let alone call the police. Not wanting a confrontation, I had no choice but to pay $5 for a ticket because she refused to believe I did not steal the U-Pass (which even has my picture on it).

Please be aware that if you are using your U-Pass today and you see "code:57," the attendant MUST allow you through. Also, the CTA is not allowed to take your U-pass and should be aware of the problem.

Homecoming Court raises money for charities

Tickets for homecoming went on sale Monday at both campuses. As you pass by the promo table over the next two weeks, pay close attention to the five brightly colored jugs decorated with pictures (featured below). Not only are these pictures of the 2009 Homecoming Court, but the jugs are your way to help one of these five students win the title of Mr. or Ms. DePaul. Each member of the court chose a charity and decorated their jug accordingly to raise money for their cause. On Feb. 27, the last day of ticket sales, the money in each jar will be counted and the person who raises the most wins that round of the homecoming selection process.

Kelly Stotmeister (left), homecoming court committee, explains what the jugs are and the causes. Holly Eistnhart (right) watches the explanation while selling tickets for homecoming.

Here’s a little background information about homecoming court selection. DePaul doesn’t have a king and queen, nor do they have both. A single person is chosen from the court and named Mr. or Ms. DePaul. This came about a few years ago when the number of men running for king dwindled. And Mr. and Ms. sounds a more modern then king and queen. That's the explanation I was given, maybe you could help me out. This year three ladies and two gentle men are in the running. Look for more ways to help each of them out during spirit week (Feb 23-27) and don’t forget to buy your tickets for homecoming.

Analysis of Drudgereport.com (lengthy)

The first thing that stood out on drudgereport.com is how it differs in layout, appearance, and content from other sites the class has critiqued.

The layout utilizes a good deal of white space with no links or menu bar at the top for news beat sections. In fact, they have don’t have them at all. Instead, they have a single advertisement followed by a few stories and a small picture then a headline photo with a link followed by three columns of headlines and pictures. The stories on the page change every day so if a reader misses a story then they have to pull up the previous day’s page (located at the bottom) and then find the headline. It’s very inconvenient. They also use a font that resembles what you might see on a typewriter giving adding a “Unabomber” touch to the site.

It’s simple in appearance and almost bare. The use of white space and the absence of articles make it easy to distinguish stories from advertisements, which I liked. There are only headline links and a few pictures divided among three columns under the headline picture. I liked this feature of the website and thought it worked well for keep a reader interested. However, I kept feeling like I was missing something and there should be more.

Drudge report does not have its own content, rather it’s a website designated to highlighting what stories a reader should know about that day and from where they should be reading them. For example, when clicking on the link “CA on the brink,” the reader is taken to LATimes.com. Each link does not open in a new window or tab, making the process of constantly being navigated away from the site very annoying. So the reader has to be conscious when clicking on links to open them in a new window or be aware that they will have to type in the URL again after they finish reading the article. I did like all the news links, news blogs and news search engines on the page. However, the layout and font for them drove me nuts.

I don’t like a website that does not have any of its own content. This website looks like a prototype for the social networking newsfeed sharing that we have now via facebook, twitter, dig, etc. However, at least with social networking you have your peers and it’s a community of people choosing the stories. On this site there is a single man for which there is no information about anywhere on the site. In fact, when clicking on his name at the top of the links for blog pages, it simply refreshes the webpage. It doesn’t even go to a blog. Most of the work he writes is quotes with a mention of where he got them but no background or explanation of the context the quote was given. I don’t see the journalist aspect of this. He’s taking other people’s stories and setting his own agenda with them. I cannot trust that and it irritates me. However, with the simple layout and the feeling of not being overwhelmed with information, I can see how this site would appeal to so many people. I say that begrudgingly. I just hope these readers have supplemental new sites in addition to this one.