NewsTrust.net Essay

http://newstrust.net/members/christopher-jordan-smith

This semester I was able to participate in the News Trust assignment in which we used the social networking site to enhance our journalistic skills.  This website was very helpful for me and it helped me further understand what it takes to be a successful journalist.  The Newstrust.net reviews helped me think like a journalist in many ways.  When reading the articles I was able to learn more about grammar and how to write a good story because the article on News Trust are all from a respectable source and from respectable journalists.  When reviewing the articles on News Trust we had to check for the important things that a good article should have such as whether or not the article is insightful, informative, well written, showed context, cited sources, enterprising, and relevant.  All of these are important to have and News Trust helped me look for examples of that and helped me think like a journalist.  I was able to read the articles and find out what quality journalism is and that it requires you to do the research, make the story interesting, as well as informing the public on the subject that you are writing about.  I think that bad journalism fails to do that and there were examples of bad journalism in some of the essays that I read on News Trust.  Throughout this process I tried to review many different types of stories.  Majority of the stories were not very interesting to me but I was able to learn a lot from them and eventually I learned to like some of the articles that were on News Trust.  When reviewing the articles I try to read it more than once so that I can understand it better and then I review it according the criteria that they have set.  I feel that the News Trust site is a good tool to use for people who want to become journalist.  It takes the social networking idea and uses it for articles from some of the most prestige news sources.  This site is something that I would recommend for others and using it has been a great experience.      

Kid Cudi Performs Concert at Eastern Michigan University

Hip-hop superstar Kid Cudi helped Eastern Michigan University celebrate their 2010 Homecoming with a live concert performance at the EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The Grammy nominated musician took to the stage in the sold out arena in front of an ecstatic crowd of students and other fans, and performed some of his hit songs like “Erase Me”, “REVOFEV”, “Pursuit of Happiness”, “Mr. Rager”, and his breakout single “Day and Night”.  Kid Cudi’s stop at Eastern Michigan was a part of his nationwide tour promoting his new album “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager”, which will be in stores on November 9th.  This is his first tour since being kicked off of pop singer Lady Gaga’s tour for assaulting a fan.   

Kid Cudi seemed well prepared to make this night great and give his best performance. The night began with a series of opening acts that kept the crowd interested until the main act arrived.  After the opening acts the crowed began to get restless in anticipation of Kid Cudi and started the chants of “Cudi, Cudi, Cudi”.  Then his brand new single “REVOFEV”, short for Revolution of Evolution, began blaring through the speakers.  Kid Cudi ran out onto the stage with high energy and the crowd got their wish.  He began doing song after song and constantly ordered the crowd to scream louder and louder.  His stage presence was remarkable and he seemed confident in his performance.  The fans in the crowd sang word for word of every song until they almost lost their voices.  One EMU student stated that, “this was the best concert I have ever been to; nobody performs with more energy than Cudi”. Another student labeled his performance as a “nonstop thrill ride”.

Over the past year Kid Cudi has been one of the most talked about and celebrated artist in the hip-hop world.  He was introduced to the world through Kanye West and Kanye’s own music label called, G.O.O.D Music, which contains a wide range of many talented singers and rappers.  Some believe that his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of the Day brought a breath of fresh air to the music scene that was much needed.   Kid Cudi has since parlayed this success into a hit TV show on HBO called “How to make it in America”, which chronicles a group of young people and their journey through life.  

All of this success that Cudi has achieved was rivaled by the controversy that he has been through in the past couple of months.  Kid Cudi was arrested in New York City in June of 2010 and charged with felony criminal mischief and possession of cocaine.  He pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to community service.  In a recent interview with Complex Magazine he admitted to cocaine usage and said that he often used drugs everyday to help cope with the pressures that came with his newfound fame.  He also stated that he had a better energy around him and was ready to close that chapter in his life and start a whole new one. 

This energy was displayed in the Homecoming Concert at EMU.  He performed with a passion as if he was letting go of all the painful things he has recently went through in his life and was starting that new chapter that he talked about.  As the concert came to a close Kid Cudi spoke to the crowd, “I love you guys… and don’t let anyone stop you from following your dreams” and performed the final song, “Pursuit of Happiness”, as he exited the stage.

Kid Cudi Performs Concert at Eastern Michigan University (Rough Draft)

             On Saturday October 2, hip-hop superstar Kid Cudi helped Eastern Michigan University celebrate their homecoming with a live concert performance at the EMU Convocation Center.

 The Grammy nominated musician took to the stage in the sold out arena in front of an ecstatic crowd of students and other fans, and performed some of his hit songs like “Erase Me”, “REVOFEV”, “Pursuit of Happiness”, “Mr. Rager” , and his breakout single “Day and Night”.  Kid Cudi’s stop at Eastern Michigan was a part of his nationwide tour promoting his new album “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager”, which will be in stores on November 9^th.  This is his first tour since being kicked off of Lady Gaga’s tour for assaulting a fan.    

Kid Cudi seemed well prepared to make this night great and give his best performance. The night began with a series of opening acts that kept the crowd interested until the main act arrived.  Throughout the night the crowed eventually grew restless and started the chants of “Cudi, Cudi, Cudi”.  Then his brand new single “REVOFEV”, short for Revolution of Evolution, began blaring through the speakers.  Kid Cudi ran out onto the stage with high energy and the crowd got their wish.  He began doing song after song and constantly ordered the crowd to scream louder and louder.  His stage presence was remarkable and he seemed confident in his performance.  The fans in the crowd sang word for word of every song until they almost lost their voices.  One EMU student stated that, “this was the best concert I have ever been to; nobody performs with more energy than Cudi”. Another student labeled his performance as a “nonstop thrill ride”.

Over the past year Kid Cudi has been one of the most talked about and celebrated artist in the hip-hop world.  He was introduced to the world through Kanye West and Kanye’s own music label called, G.O.O.D Music, which contains a wide range of many talented singers and rappers.  Some believe that his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of the Day brought a breath of fresh air to the music scene that was much needed.   Kid Cudi has since parlayed this success into a hit TV show on HBO called “How to make it in America”, that chronicles a group of young people and their journey through life.  

All of this success that Cudi has achieved was rivaled by the controversy that he has been through in the past couple of months.  Kid Cudi was arrested in New York City in June and charged with felony criminal mischief and possession of cocaine.  He pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to community service.  In a recent interview with Complex Magazine he admitted to cocaine usage and said that he often used drugs everyday to help cope with the pressures that came with his newfound fame.  He also stated that he had a better energy around him and was ready to close that chapter in his life and start a whole new one. 

This energy was displayed in the Homecoming Concert at EMU.  He performed with passion as if he was letting go of all the painful things he has recently went through in his life and was starting that new chapter that he talked about.  As the concert came to a close Kid Cudi spoke to the crowd, “I love you guys… and don’t let anyone stop you from following your dreams” and performed the final song, “Pursuit of Happiness”, as he exited the stage.

A Good News "Lead"

     A news story has certain elements that are needed to make it successful.  The conclusion, the thesis, and the context of the story are all needed but none are more important than the lead.  The lead is often the first paragraph in a news story that is required to draw the reader in and raise their interest in the story.  It should be straight to the point and provide the reader with the answer to six questions: Who? How? Where? Why?What? When?  Writing a good lead is something that many writers overlook but a good lead can be the difference between a well received story and a disaster. 

     An example of a good lead according to author Fred Fedler, would be, "President Bush dismissed the notion Thursday that his campaign to create private accounts in Social Security was in serious trouble, asserting he was still "at the early stages of the process"".

     When writing a good lead it is important to remember the central idea of your story and try to write that without using unnecessary words or phrases.  You should recognize which facts are most likely to interest readers and what aspects of the information is most important.  Most leads are a single sentence and the sentence must be complete.  Good leads usually start with the subject, and then an active verb followed by the object of the verb.  It is important to be specific and give details so that the reader can imagine the events that you are writing about.  The lead should also be objective and not represent a biased opinion.  You should report the facts to the public and not give your commentary on the topic when writing your lead.  Emphasizing the stories magnitude and impact on the readers should be expressed in your lead to make people want to read it and let them know that they need this information.  Leads that fail to do this are described as burying the news and many won't view the story as well written.  The lead in a news story is difficult to write but it is the most important part of the story and if done right it can give your story the credibility that it needs.    

 

  

My First Blog

This is my new blog for my class journalism class at EMU.