Steroids in Professional Sports

For my final project I am in the process of making a news video about the use of steroids in professional sports. I am essentially going to be a field reporter talking about the topic at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, Pa. I will be interviewing players from the Reading Fightin Phils on their opinions about steroids (hopefully they will all be against the idea). This way I will be able to get an accurate perspective on a very important topic.

Along with the players, I will also interview a few sports fans to find their opinion, so viewers can relate to the topic, being just an average person (not a professional athlete). A fan's perspective may differ from the athlete's, which could make the story a lot more interesting.


A few questions I will be asking during the interview will consist of:

Do you think performance enhancing drugs have tainted professional sports?

Do you feel that there are certain PEDs that should be allowed over others?

In your opinion, have professional athletic associations, such as the MLB, NFL, NBA ext., cracked down too hard on the use of PEDs? 

Do you think known users of PEDs should be banned from the Hall of Fame of their sport? If not, should there something signifying the use PEDs?


The broadcast will run just about 5-7 minutes. I plan to interview both 5 athletes and fans, so I have enough footage incase of the possibility of cutting video.

Social Media's Impact on Recent Rape Cases (Draft)

 Recently, the Steubenville rape case has caused much debate regarding media coverage. Two high school football players from a small town in Ohio, Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl, while she was highly intoxicated. The ongoing case has been highly impacted by the use of social media. The peers of the victim and reporters from national media organizations have all affected the case by voicing opinions regarding the case through multiple social media outlets. Social media posts of images, text messages, and especially a 12-minute video of the offenders discussing raping the victim plated a large part in the prosecution’s case.
            Two teenage girls were placed in house arrest and ordered not to use any forms of social media after they were accused of threatening the victim via Twitter. According to NBC station WPXI, one of the threats posted on Twitter said, “You ripped my family apart. You made my cousin cry. So when I see you it’s going to be homicide.” 
            Social media is something people, especially students, encounter on a daily basis. With the rapid growth of social media use, there has also been a growth in “cyber-bullying,” as seen in this case. However, this is not news to most high schools and college campuses, including here in Reading.
            Recently Facebook group pages have become increasingly popular among Albright College students. Two pages in particular are places where students can post anonymous confessions either of themselves, or fellow students. While the rules of the Facebook page clearly state to not use specific names, this has not been the case.
            Social media outlets such as these can be detrimental to a person socially, but also emotionally. Recent cases have been emerging from the news of young rape victims committing suicide after feeling attacked through social media. Cyber bullying is a growing problem in our society, but what is being done to inform students and young people of these threats before they arise?
            When freshmen attend orientation before beginning their first year at Albright College, there is a portion of the orientation where the males and females are separated into two different rooms. The females are introduced to the dangers of sexual assault that could arise, especially since there is a higher risk of becoming violated during the first year of college. The girls watch skits of potential scenarios they could find themselves in, followed by an open discussion on the topic, where they are encouraged to ask questions.
            The college also offers R.A.D., or Rape Aggression Defense training, through the office of Public Safety. The college’s webpage says that Albright began offering the classes in 2001 and over 600 women.


 I plan on interviewing Ashley Becki, who is the coordinator of the R.A.D. classes (Interview is scheduled) Questions will be related to the college’s goal when they first began these classes and if they think they have succeeded in this goal.

I also plan on interviewing a student who has participated in these classes (interview pending). Questions will include if they feel more prepared after these classes and if they know more about the topic and feel more secure on campus.

I would also like to interview a POP Leader about how they prepare for their skits for females on being sexually assaulted. I plan on asking if they collaborate with any other organizations on campus that may help inform the freshmen about such a serious topic, etc. 

Bullying the Cause and Effect

Bullying and its effects on people

Did you know that "according to the i-Safe American survey of students bullying statistics, about 58 percent of kids admit to never telling an adult when they've been the victim of a bullying attack?" this was from the bullying statistics website. That is more than half of the kids that get bullied, who do not tell a soul what is happening to them.


In the New York Times an editor wrote about  Sticks and Stones a book written by Emily Bazelon who writes about characters that were bullied and how looking at bullying in a different context might help. John Schwartz the editor who wrote about Bazelon's book states this " In those days before bullying made national headlines getting knocked around was a part of growing up; the psychic toll went largely unnoticed. No state had laws on the books that “clearly addressed bullying,” she writes, until the shootings at Columbine High School." This says so much right here, at one time what we consider "bullying" now was not during that time. It shouldn't have to take a a tragic event for awareness of bullying to become an important topic. This is another reason why bullying has stayed and actually increased in being an important topic to be talked about. Suicides, school shootings, bullycide, etc. are the many reasons for why bullying is still high up in the important issues in this society.

Interviews

Kari Ludy a senior and I had a conversation about bullying and her opinion on it. In Ludy's interview she talks a little bit about cyber bullying and how that has become more popular. There's an actual movie out called Cyberbully and here's a little scene from it where the main character is being bullied  and thinks of actually trying to harm herself. There are multiple types of bullying; cyber is being said to be in the rise and becoming more popular. Cyber bullying could happen while students are at school, home or through texting as well.

Anissa Hawkins, a sophomore,and I had a conversation about bullying as well but the twist is that she in her past was bullied. Hawkins also talks about how even though people may say they believe should stand up for others that person seems to always wait until someone else does.


The link is a video of Levi Myers on bullying, he is an education major and thought it would be interesting to see his view on bullying. He has to observe for an education requirement and he says in the interview how he sees the bullying already starting at a young age.

bullying doesn't just effect kids, and teens but adults as well this is why awareness needs to be promoted more. Also more needs to be done when a person is being bullied. Suicides and school shootings the majority of the time are caused by the effect of those people being bullied.

Studies use to show how bullying affected children during their childhood but "Now researchers have found that elevated risk of psychiatric trouble extends into adulthood, sometimes even a decade after the intimidation has ended." This is stating that being bullied at a young age can still have a major affect on a person during adulthood as well. Another interesting fact is that most of the time a bully was before becoming one was bullied.

Videos of bullying 

The next few videos are of Emily O'Donnell bullying Victoria Brito in the library. One of the reasons we did this was to see by having someone bullied in a public area to see if anyone would try to interject or try to stop it at all.
Emily and Tori in the library  This video shows O'Donnell throwing papers at Brito while she reads and also calls her a loser.
Emily knocks Tori's book off desk in this video, this is just another sign of bullying while in a public place to see if there would be any reaction.
                                                                                                                                                                      



The  photo below is of O'Donnell taking the chair out from under Brito as she is about to sit done trying to get her to fall on the ground in the library

Emily taking chair from Tori as she sits down.

These videos are taking place in public areas on purpose to whether students or even faculty would try to interject if they had saw some sort of bullying happen. As we looked around we saw that some people stopped what they did and watched what was happening but never got up or tried to say anything.

After Brito had gone through all the bullying from O'Donnell I interviewed her to see what her opinion was on for the people's reactions to the events that just occurred. Her ideas for how to get more awareness around the community and campus are great ideas.

Just by looking on YouTube there are numerous videos of people talking about being bullied, self harm, and possible suicides. People's voices need to be heard so people can understand bullying is not something that is good for anyone. So with this whole project i am just trying to talk and bring up the issues and the effects bullying has on people. From kids to adults the effect is all the same, people get hurt by it. This video is about a girl who committed suicide because she was bullied by schoolmates for a long time. This is just one of the various videos all over the web on bullying self harm and suicides.
There's another video that is of Amanda Todd a girl who was bullied even after she moved place to place and it ended in her taking her own life. This all started from being bullied, people need to be aware that one small comment about a person could really have an effect on them.  Here's a little video on Hannah who went through some bullying and depression but got help and started to open up. Since she finally opened up she turned her life round. This is a good video on how people can see they are not allow and how opening up could change things for the better.

The effect that the school shootings and the recent involvement of students getting into fights while at school as well. Videos of teens and young kids fight while at school seem to be getting more and more popular. This is not the entertainment that should be going viral. This is not what people should be watching to watch, it's sad that some of the top videos on YouTube are school shootings, and fights while in school. This is why i believe bullying, school shootings, violence it all needs to silenced and given awareness.

Many people believe we need to have more bullying awareness, but it's hard people to stand up and say anything if they never see anyone stick up for them. This is mentioned in Anissa's interview on how people want to make a difference but they wait for others to do so instead of doing it themselves. Bullying may never fully end unless everyone is willing to help and stand up for one another. But until that day comes hopefully this blog can help others stand up for themselves and other as well.
There are website out there also for teens and kids who may want to get help but after scared to reach out. Kids Help Phone is a website where kid and teens who feel like they need help can go if being bullies or abused or even both.

Gun Control in America

For my piece, I will be analyzing articles published in USA Today, the Inquirer and the Reading Eagle that cover gun control. So far, I have about 6 articles that all relate to the topic, yet give different views. For example, in the opinion section of USA Today, two readers expressed their opinions about the new gun control bill. One thought it was extremely necessary, supporting his view by using the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. The other reader explained that the bill was redundant and that Obama should focus on imposing the gun control laws already implemented.
This is just one example of articles that I have found that I will tie into my paper.

I will be interviewing students and the director of public safety to relate this topic to Albright. These interviews will be either recorded or filmed and posted on this site.
Some sample questions that I will be asking the interviewees are:

Students:

1. Do you regularly follow the gun control controversy?
2. What are your opinions on gun control?
3. Do you think the implementation of new laws will decrease the acts of violence committed in the country using firearms?
4. The news has reported that some states have begun training teachers on how to use firearms and other weapons, in order to defend their students from armed intruders. Do you think this is necessary?
5. Do you have a plan or any suggestions on how the country can control the buying, selling and use of illegal weapons?

Public Safety:

1. How prepared is the college to deal with the possible threat of an armed suspect on campus?
2. It is rumored that the dean does not allow Albright College's public safety officers to use/carry weapons. Is this true and do you agree with this?
3. With the recent increase of shootings on campuses across America, has or will Albright be increasing its security?

Dear politicians, Think before you post!

Many people view social media as a fun way to connect and share opinions with people that they may not see on a day-to-day basis. Connecting with old friends or even celebrities is a prominent feature of the social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter but do we ever think about “what if the president was on Twitter?” Social media is now allowing politicians to connect with the public in a way that they never could before.  They can send out more messages to the general public, or even answer questions from specific voters in a faster, easier, way.

 In contrast, many people think that having social media profiles for politics can hinder their social appearance. “What you say can be broadcast to the world in a click” said Todd Sanders a social media specialist for a FOX 11 Online video report.  A lot of times when people use Facebook or Twitter they are just saying what comes to mind immediately and they do not consider how others will react to what they say. Politicians do not have the luxury of speaking totally freely online.  State Representative from Green Bay Eric Genrich commented on the situation saying “If you’re not comfortable with your mom hearing what you’re saying or reading what you’re saying, then you probably shouldn’t say it.” Genrich brings up a good rule of thumb for anyone using social media but especially these politicians who should be careful of what toes they may step on with their comments. 

Samantha Rollins took to The Week's news site to give tips on what politicians should never say or do on social media.
“It's easy, so people can express themselves out there 24/7 and they don't always think about what they're saying. I think that's the big drawback” says Sanders on the effectiveness of social media in politics.

Social media is moving at a pace where students are running to keep up. Amanda Havens of Albright College's student government says she "tries to keep up with everything going on in the world of social media." As far as her campaign and time in her current office goes Havens "did not really utilize social media" but rather stuck to old fashion campaign channels. "The only thing I really used social media for was sending out Facebook messages to make sure everyone voted but it was more of a reminder to vote in general than a persuasion to vote for me." Havens does like to keep up with everything social media and has seen some politicians' Facebook or Twitter but states that she would rather them "stay away from social media."
  

Don't forget about North Korea

With the recent Boston Marathon bombing tragedy the North Korean threats have moved to second place.  However, as a country we are still dealing with the North Korean threats and nothing has been settled yet, but it seems as if things are quietly diminishing. 

This all started back in February when North Korea decided to conduct a third nuclear test leading the United Nations Security Council to propose tougher sanctions against the country.  As a result of these proposed sanctions North Korea became very direct and threatening with the potential use of nuclear weapons towards South Korea, the U.S. and other Asian neighbors such as Japan.  The latest threats from North Korea include U.S. territories such as Washington D.C. as well as states such as Colorado and Arkansas. 

These threats seem alarming at first, but there is clear evidence that North Korea may not have the capability to accurately pinpoint its weapons to its desired locations.  According to a Huffington Post article, in a recent North Korean propaganda video Colorado Springs, CO was mentioned as a desired target, but the arrow used to show the missile traveling from North Korea to Colorado Springs happens to be located on top of Little Rock, AR. 

In March, New York Times writer Choe Sang-Hun reported that the South Korean military released a statement regarding the North’s threats saying “If North Korea attempts a provocation that threatens the lives and security of our people, our military will forcefully and decisively strike not only the origin of provocation and its supporting forces but also its command leadership.” 

North Korea has the weapon power to launch a missile capable of reaching the United States, but many believe these threats are just another attempt to be recognized and sustain power, and so that leader Kim-Jong-un can get national attention in order to possibly help his poor, starving country.  Other people believe that it is all a big misunderstanding and that the parties involved are too stubborn to just civilly settle things. 

For example, in a BBC News article released in March Professor John Delury of South Korean's Yonsei University said that if you look at past instances similar to this one or times where things have happened there have always been clear warning signs from the North.  He believes that the U.S. snd South Korea misread the North's intentions and misunderstand its capabilities, causing the U.S. and South Korea to be stuck in a North Korean quagmire. 

The latest threat that government officials and authorities were worried about was a possible missile launch on April 15 because North Korea celebrated Jong-un's grandfather's 101 birthday (Kim Il-sung).  However, no launches or anything threatening has occurred.  Although nothing major has occurred in the past week or so the U.S. and South Korea are still on high alert.

Remember, North Korea may not have the technology to accurately attack the U.S. but there are more than 28,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea which is the easiest target.  There are also another 40,000 U.S. troops in Japan and a large military base in Guam, both easy targets for a North Korean missile.  Not to mention, if Japan was affected by a launch the U.S. is obliged to help defend them due to the post-World War II security alliance between Washington and Tokyo. 

  (plan to incorporate audio of interviews with political science teachers and students)
    -also incorporate these into the writing
(plan to add photos of Kim-Jong-un and North Korean missiles, etc.)
-also want to add in graphics of missle range and targets