Reporters: Stop abusing social media or it will be your own fault when newspapers die.

This is the guest blog I did for ZooLoo. I republished it here so that my readers could see it and so that it would be in my archives.

As the lines between traditional and new media continue to blur, I've noticed that news outlets have begun getting story tips from Twitter. They have even taken to quoting Twitter posts in their articles.

I saw two such occurrences earlier this week. On Monday morning, stories started flooding the internet revolving around a series of Twitter updates posted on Sunday night by band members from pop-punk bands We the Kings and Forever the Sickest Kids. While loading their van after a performance in Philadelphia at the Theatre of Living Arts, police confronted the bands and, according to the tweets, started beating and harassing them.

Alternative Press, a magazine based out of Cleveland, Ohio, reported the incident the next day, using quotes from the band members' personal Twitters. Other news outlets picked up the story, though I saw none who actually spoke to a band member or police representative.

The second instance also happened on Sunday, when Joel Madden, the lead singer of punk band Good Charlotte and boyfriend of Nicole Richie, was forced to cover his tattoos before boarding a flight with British Airways. He tweeted during and after the experience, and his story was picked up by news outlets from America to Australia.

Not only did the reporters not speak to Madden directly, but he later blogged about the incident, saying that there was nothing newsworthy to the story, and no reason for it to even be reported.

So the question presents itself: Is using social media sources lazy or innovative? I personally think it's lazy. If I were an editor at a news outlet, I would encourage my reporters to use social media for ideas and leads, but I would not allow a story to be comprised of Twitter quotes.

I've noticed a lot of reporters starting to become dependent on social media to cite their stories, but I hadn't heard much about it. A quick Google search told me that I clearly hadn't been paying attention, because this is a widely discussed topic.

There are those who say that social media is destroying the traditional media; but is it possibly reporters’ own fault? In a world where reporters use tweets as quotes and Twitterers as sources, I say that those reporters are to blame if the audience chooses to forego his reporting and just read the tweets on their own. Newspapers and magazines should go out and get quotes and ideas that the average person doesn't have access to.

I've always been a firm believer in the idea that, while news print may die, newspapers will live on through the internet. This will not be the case, however, if reporters allow themselves to be overtaken by social media. Getting a lead or an idea from Twitter is fine, but back it up with additional sources and research, don't just reiterate what was already available in readers' Twitterfeeds.

Okay... this time I'm coming back for real.

I feel like a failure when I look at my blog and there is no update in the past few days-- Let alone the length of time I've let my blog go now! Unacceptable. I can't believe all the changes that Blogger has made in the time I've been gone... I can now email in blogs and photos? Awesome. And there's a "monetize" link... Not sure what that's all about. I guess Blogger probably takes a big chunk of users' earnings, so it's in their benefit to show bloggers how to properly utilize AdSense. I'm one of those people who needs the "monetize link," but I really don't care that much. I'm not blogging to make money... although my blog has raked in a grand total of $5.98 since I first logged in in July. Um... Score?! So not that this needed an entire blog post... but I feel better about myself when I post, and the fact that people have been commenting on random old posts lately shows me that, apparently, you like it, too! So I'm back.

Doubt.

A few days ago, a kid in my dorm told me "It's hard to make it as a music journalist." Although I already knew this, what he said struck a chord. For the first time in my life, I doubted my career choice. I only started writing less than two years ago; what if journalism just isn't for me? Some of the other Scripps students in my dorm have wanted to work in the news industry for their whole lives. I didn't even consider the option until I was well into my junior year of high school. Before then I wanted to be a rockstar, a lawyer, an entreprenuer.

But then I think, if not journalism... what? There really is no other option. I chose journalism because I love to write, but I'm also not really good at anything else. I can read, I can write, I love music; it just seemed like the perfect option. Now don't get me wrong. I love writing, I love working in the news industry, and right now, this is what I want to do with my life. I'm just afraid that it won't last. Especially when I get out into the world and struggle. I'm not used to struggling. I hate to admit it, but things tend to come easily to me and I generally get what I want. But now at Scripps I'm surrounded by people who have been writers for years and I begin to doubt myself and my choice.

I don't doubt that I can do this, I'm just worried that as the competition gets tougher, I won't want to anymore. I guess that if that ever happens, I will have options... I just hope I've finally made the choice I'm going to stick with.

But suburbs are so boring...

For eighteen years, I hated living in my rich, upper-middle class, heterogeneous suburb. I wanted nothing more than to free myself from the boring oppression that was Beavercreek, Ohio. But now... I miss it. Of course I miss my family, but it's more than that. I don't just miss the people. I miss the place; I miss the lifestyle.

I miss being able to jump in my crappy white and gray Buick Regal and drive down the road to go to the mall with my friends. I miss high school football games and the sense of camaraderie when your characteristically-horrible team wins. I want to be able to walk down the dim, crowded hallways at Beavercreek High School and recognize the faces around me. I want to go back to a place where I knew the life stories of the people I came into contact with.

I love Ohio University, don't get me wrong; I'm just afraid that I will never have that same sense of belonging again. I want that level of comfort and familiarity that I had in Beavercreek. But can that ever be attained in a place with 20,000 people? Can I ever feel at home when I have to reestablish myself in a new dorm each year?

Now of course this blog sounds like a whiny, homesick little girl who doesn't want to step out of her comfort zone; and that was exactly the type of message I was hoping to avoid.

I'm not really homesick in the sense that I want to go back, because I don't. I want to stay here; I want to succeed here. I'm simply contemplating how surprised I am that I actually miss a place which I hated for years. I'm the classic example of someone who thought their suburban childhood was torturous, until they were free.

I'm ready for the next step in my life. I love that, in college, you are able to establish strong friendships quickly, because you're essentially together most of the day, every day. I am so excited, and slightly overwhelmed, by the abundance of opportunities around campus. The number of speakers and inspiring people I've been able to meet is amazing, and I've only been here for a month. OU is amazing and I can't wait to continue my life here.

Photo by Nathan Bartell.

Cyber Love?

My goal with this blog is to write an entry every day. That's not so easy, however, because some days I just have nothing to say. A few minutes ago, I was sitting at my computer, trying to think of a blog topic. I was having little success, so I began browsing Facebook; I then came across an add titled "Create Your Mr. Right."

The tagline for this add was, "Why look for Mr. Right when you can make him yourself? Design your Mr. Right now and start your virtual relationship." Now I know that we are supposed to be embracing the virtual era and taking advantage of all that computers have to offer, but to a girl who thought Match.com was weird, the concept of creating a "virtual relationship" is just plain disturbing.

The advertisement goes on to say, "Describe what you like in a guy and get your very own Mr. Right; a virtual boyfriend to keep you cozy on all those lonely nights." Am I the only one who thinks the creator of this website was insane? There can't possibly be a market out there for something like this... Right? It's not as if a cartoon boy, controlled by a computer, can really keep someone cozy on a lonely night... Right? Feel free to disagree with me, but that will probably freak me out.

Sororities...

Someone please explain to me why someone would spend more than two hours getting ready for a party, when she only intends to stay at the party for one hour. I have no idea why it happens, but it is the world of the sorority pledge. Not that the entire sorority system doesn't baffle me, but this part of it is bothering me most at the moment.

I'm sitting in my dorm room, trying to get some work done, but there are screaming girls running in and out of my room as they borrow each others' clothes, do their hair, put on make-up, and listen to crappy music. I stayed out of my room and gave my roommate an hour of this before I finally gave up and tried to come get some work done, despite the giggling and screaming. The readying then continued for an additional hour and as far as I can see, little change has been made.

The strangest part came to me when I heard the following conversation: "I have an eight-o-clock class tomorrow, so I will only be staying for like at most an hour."

Is a party really worth attending if you spend more than twice as much time getting ready for the party?

Really? Are we still in high school?

The concept of "study tables" is completely lost on me. I understand that our learning community directors want us to learn good study habits, get used to coming to the library, etc., but I personally feel that studying in a hot room in an uncomfortable chair with seven other people is hardly a good way to study.

In fact, before coming to this session today, I was in my cool, comfortable dorm room, studying for Economics. I then had to leave the peace and convenience of Washington Hall, pack away all my books, and walk ten minutes to Alden Library, where I now sit, unable to study and instead writing this blog. Why can't I study here, you ask? Because I am one of those crazy people who is totally OCD about reading. It has to be silent for me to absorb anything. Next to me, a girl is clacking away at her keyboard. Across from me is a boy with the squeaky pencil. Down the table a bit, people are talking. Not to mention the fact that I wasted ten minutes getting here, fifteen minutes packing and unpacking my notebooks, books, and ancient computer, and I will soon waste another ten minutes walking home.

The fact that I wasted more than thirty minutes to get here and get set up isn't even the point; the point is that I am an eighteen-year-old college student and I should be able to study my own way, on my own terms. Don't get me wrong; I'm not mad. I think our peer mentor and LC teachers are all fantastic. I even understand why this would be effective for some people. I just think this is a pointless exercise for me to partake in.

PS: Whisperers, keyboard clacker, and squeaky pencil boy... I did not mean to offend.

Bastards.

When I think about boldness in the media, especially on today's date, one front page nudges itself to the front of my brain. The day after September 11, 2001, the San Francisco Examiner published the page pictured at left. I remember that day being a slew of news reports and articles, but I don't remember what they said or who said what. Every paper in the country had a 9/11-themed paper the next day, but the only one that stuck in my head was the full-color, full-page picture of the twin tower, exclaiming "BASTARDS!" Some argue that it was inappropriate, offensive, vulgar, but even at age eleven, I knew that this one page embodied everything that Americans were feeling. It was before anyone knew what happened; New York was still in chaos. We knew, however, that someone had caused such a disaster, and we were angry. I remember reading that the publisher or editor of the Examiner said he wasn't trying to make a big statement; he said that "those bastards" was all he could think about that day, and so it became the headline.

The Examiner's front page was what people needed. September 11 was day one in the five stages of grief: denial. Day two was anger. The Examiner showed anger, where other newspapers and stations jumped straight to depression. I'm sure many people disagree with me, but I remember when I was eleven years old, long before I even thought about being a journalist; I looked at that page and agreed. It said what I was thinking, what many were thinking, and it did it in a way that was strong. It said "Get ready, America. We're going to fight back."

A lot has happened in the past seven years, and this entry was really a look back into the mind of my adolescent self. Things have changed; obviously we know more now that we did then, but I will always remember that front page and what it meant to me. There is so much more I could write right now, but I'll end it here.

Photo courtesy of www.september11news.com.

The Semi-colon.

Why is it that no one uses semi-colons anymore? I feel very out of place using my favorite punctuation mark in a world where it has become almost obsolete. Periods make writings look choppy, while commas can make a sentence seem long and unreadable. The semi-colon is perfect because it breaks up a run-on sentence while still keeping a good flow, without the finality of a period. While working at a newspaper over the summer, some of the editors attacked me for daring to use semi-colons, while others embraced what it brought to my writing. Our society so often misuses commas; proper semi-colon placement could fix all of that.

The Beginning.

Ever since the days of Xanga popularity, I've enjoyed blogging. Regardless of whether or not people actually read my thoughts, it's nice to know that I can come back, years from now, and get to know my past self. I look back at my old Xanga blogs and I am able to recall memories, some good, some bad, and I am able to think about lessons I learned, days I cherish, and situations I regret. I look back at the comments left by friends, enemies, aquaintences, and I find myself thinking about how much better everything is now, but I also think of how I never could have gotten to this point without those experiences. Three years ago, my freshman year of high school ended, and with it, my daily blogging. I've tried many times over the years to get back to it, but with little success.

Recently I started a music blog. I was working at the newspaper in my city and I was in the Metro section, writing breaking news pieces. Don't get me wrong, I was completely ecstatic about the internship, but I've always been an entertainment girl, and the paper didn't offer that outlet. So I started an entertainment blog where I could review CDs, talk about music, movies, whatever. If you wish, you can check out that blog at www.fragilecapricorn.blogspot.com. Bear in mind, however, that poor college students can't afford many CDs, so reviews will likely be few and far between.

This blog was created a few weeks ago to post vlogs by my friend Brenna and I. Those videos are now posted solely on YouTube, and this blog will be used to discuss journalism, the media, life as an OU j-schooler, etc., as per the suggestion of Prof. Stewart.

If you like it, read it; if you don't, that's okay to.

The start of a sensation.

I'm young. I'm restless. I can't wait to begin a steady career. This blog is my solid profession; an outlet that will be with me through college as I bounce from internship to internship, itching to get out into the real world and begin working my way up the journalistic food chain.

I've been the entertainment editor on a school paper, I've written entertainment for the city paper, and I mostly only enjoy music, movie, and book reporting. The internship I'm at right now has me in the news section. It's good experience, but I want to report entertainment. If I'm not going to be in the spotlight, I'm at least going to write about it.

This blog is so that I can write what I love. It will be comprised of whatever I'm thinking; Movie, book, concert, cd reviews, commentaries on celebrities, the media, politics, life in general, and random diary-esque entries whenever the mood strikes. Enjoy.

Dedicated fan post. tl;dr.

8/17/09

It's time to talk about Fall Out Boy. I know I post reviews, etc. about them all the time; I'm sorry. But I need to write this. [Disclaimer: Even though they are merely on a "break," I will be referring to them as "over," because that is what my head tells me they are.]

I can't accept it. I cannot even begin to accept it. For as long as I have payed attention to anything in the music industry, Fall Out Boy has been there. My first favorite song [post-Nsync and Dream...] was "Grand Theft Autumn" and my first [legitimate] album was Take This To Your Grave, closely followed by Evening Out With Your Girlfriend and From Under The Cork Tree. I know I sound like a fangirl right now, talking about my long-term love for Fall Out Boy. But I'm not writing this to tell you all how I love them more than you, because I don't care. I'm just trying to convey that Fall Out Boy have always been there and I can't even fathom the world of music without them in it. The day I found out that they were going on hiatus [I've suspected for ages, but it was confirmed a little over a week ago] was a very interesting day. I never really thought that I cared about any band so much, but I definitely had a mini-meltdown.

And then I realized why I was so upset. I became a journalist because of Fall Out Boy. They didn't inspire me or anything, and the reasoning is really quite pathetic, but it's true. I just wanted to interview them. Teenage Sarah felt that she needed to sit down and have a conversation with her great musical heroes, and this was the only way that that could happen. I had, and still have, so many questions to ask them. I have so many things I want to tell them. There are lines I want to go over dozens of times and lyrics that I want to hear the story behind. And when I was sixteen, I knew that the only way I could have this sort of access to Fall Out Boy was by becoming a member of the media. Then they had no choice but to talk to me.

So I became a journalist. I started writing in high school and I got an internship at my local paper, where I interviewed The Bravery, Plain White T's, Monty Are I, Jon McLaughlin, and a few others. But not Fall Out Boy. I was in constant communication with their publicist, and it seemed that she could set me up with every interview in the world... except for with them. We even had it arranged at one point for me to interview Pete. I was finally going to have the opportunity to speak face-to-face with the lyricist who meant to much to me growing up. But of course, it fell through. I then became the entertainment editor at my high school paper and moved on to an internship at the major city paper nearest to me. Surely this was my chance, right? Wrong. I even managed to land an interview with the Jonas Brothers, but Fall Out Boy was still, forever it seemed, out of reach.

I always kept it in the back of my head, knowing that one day I would be working at a major entertainment media outlet, and I would eventually get that interview. I would finally have the chance to say and ask everything I had wanted to all these years. Even though I saw the signs pointing to the end of Fall Out Boy, I didn't accept it. I told myself that there was still time. And then August 6th rolled around and I saw the What A Catch, Donnie music video. That's when I knew it was over. The official announcement came on August 13th, but I had already been trying for a week to get in touch with anyone who could land me this interview. On Thursday, August 20th, I will be seeing Fall Out Boy in Indianapolis, and this is my last chance. If I don't interview Fall Out Boy by then, I'm terrified that I will never get the chance. I'm terrified that this one-year hiatus will turn into an indefinite break, and from that become a permanent separation.

I hope I find a way to make this happen, but I'm running out of ideas.

If anyone has any connection or anything to help me out, please let me know. My email is maloy.sarah@gmail.com.