7-1

In researching current issues in Maine I first came about Maine roads and how they are kept during the winter. Straying away from my first idea I have stumbled upon a topic of more interest. All throughout the state of Maine there has been big talk about schools allowing transgender students. The Maine Human Rights Commission is deciding upon the matter very soon which will take place in Augusta. The meeting will be open to the public but no comments will be taken.

The proposal being presented states that transgender students may identify with a gender different than what they were born as. Hormone replacement therapy and surgery do not matter in this case. If the Commission says yes to the proposal transgender students will be able to dress the way they want, use the bathroom of their choice and also play on a sports team of their picking. However it has been said that the guidance is not law enforced which means that schools do not have to abide by it. On the flip side, the Maine Principals’ Association and the Maine School Management Association aren’t taking the matter lightly and are agreeing to the terms in fear of lawsuits if not followed.

If the proposal follows through that means a change for both public and private school throughout Maine. As to be expected some people are not thrilled about the idea. Superintendant Leon Levesque talks about the idea. "I guess I'm caught by surprise because I think most schools have always accommodated the specific needs of an individual, but now there may be a lot of young ladies who are offended by this, who don't feel comfortable using a bathroom. So what do we do with them now? What about accommodating their needs now? Or they don't matter?" Levesque is just one the many leaders who believe the proposal goes too far. The question is, if decided upon, what is going to happen after the guidance goes into effect? Will it do more good than harm? Only time will tell.

Newscast

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/22640190/detail.html

The news video I chose is about a hazing attack that is now turning into a criminal investigation. News 6 reported on the incident from Indiana, stating that two boys were being bullied on the back of a school bus on their way home from a basketball game. Apparently the three coaches on board and the bus driver saw nothing that supposedly took place. The three senior boys who initiated the hazing have been disciplined but some students believe their punishment of being suspended for three days just isn’t enough. Police officers are still looking into the case and eventually it will be up to the prosecutors whether or not the charges being put forth are worth pursuing.

The lead paragraph that is being presented is strong and to the point. It answers basic questions that every journalist or writer aims for in creating a piece. The reporter tells us who was involved, where and when the event took place and what happened with the information that was provided to them. Overall the article is successful because it delivers the facts and sparks enough interest for viewers to pay attention to what is being said. In addition it gives us insight and opinions from a local student, mother and principal which add to the effectiveness of the article. One thing that I picked up on was that the reporter used past tense except when the locals stated their opinions, it was presented in present. This I felt did not alter the value of the article. However, as a viewer and as a reporter I would have figured out exactly what allegedly took place on the bus and why the three boys did it. This is the only thing that I would change about this specific article and its presentation.

Critique

On November 5,2008 Vincent Romero and Tim Roman were found dead in the Romero’s home located in St.Johns, Arizona. The next day Vincent Romero’s son who was 8 years old at the time, confessed that he used a 22 caliber gun to shoot his father and Roman who rented a room within the Romero’s home. Later in court, the boy plead guilty to one count of negligent homicide instead of the two counts of murder which he was first charged with. In addition the boy is to receive “in-patient treatment” that will most likely prolong for several years or till he reaches the age of eighteen. Officials are not saying what kind of treatment will be given other than a psychiatrist will be involved. Not only is the boy not permitted to leave treatment but has to be evaluated every 2 and a half years for checkup according to the court. When asked if the treatment would work his Attorney Michael Whiting said it would most likely be a 50-50 chance.

In looking over this article many questions arise; Why did the boy kill his father and Roman? What is the boy’s name?What will happen in the future to him? How is the court going to further handle this case?The answers to these questions should have been stated in the article seeing how the case has been open since 2008. To make this more of an effective article the writer should of added more detail and gained further information about the case to enable the reader to understand exactly what occurred and what is going on in the present time.Yes some of the facts have been stated but it looks more like a summary of an event as opposed to a full encounter of what has taken place. So in retrospect the article did not pertain enough information to satisfy the reader.



http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/15/arizona.boy.homicide/index.html

About me

My name is Allison Ahern; I’m 20 years old and a second year student at the University of Maine at Orono. My ideal occupation would involve advertising which did fall under the Journalism major but that has recently been changed. As of right now I'm still up in the air as of what career path to choose.

In taking writing for the mass media I'm hoping that this class will help me figure out if Journalism is the right fit for me. Even if I do decide to follow another path I truely believe that the information and knowledge we will recieve in class are skills and tools that we will have life long. In addition I am looking forward to learning more about the mass media as well as sharpening my writing skills.