Snow Assignment

Good Morning America reported a story about a Fairfax county school administrator’s wife who left a not-so-pleasant voice-mail for a student.  The student had called and left a message at the home of the administrator complaining that they had not gotten a day off of school due to the snow storm.  He left his name and number and received an angry call back.  Listen to the message here.

This was an interesting way to report on the storm because it was hilarious and entertaining.  Instead of just reporting statistics, Good Morning America showed just how crazy the snow is making some people get.  This story is unique and not something people would get bored of halfway through.

Friday’s Snow Predictions

What’s up with this weather lately?  The amount of snow we’ve been getting is unbelievable.  I’ve been hearing predictions for 20 inches in our area.  I just read an article in The Washington Post that said it’s extremely rare for us to get two double-diget snowfalls in a single winter.  I’m a fan of snow, but it would be nice to get this big blizzard during the week so we can get out of class or work!  I’m also thinking that my plans to drive home to Philadelphia on Friday morning may not be happening after all.

4.2 News Values

“Good Guy” Holds Teacher, Students Hostage

1. The news value that is present in this article is the bizarre or unusual.  Because Eli Dean, the student who held the teacher and students at gunpoint, is considered someone who would never hurt anyone, this is a rare or unusual event.  It is also bizarre that he held the teacher and students hostage for 8 hours with a gun but seemed to have had no intention of shooting anyone.

2. Who – Eli Dean, the 18 year old student who held his teacher and classmates at gunpoint.

What – A teacher and 15 students were held hostage in their school by a  fellow student for more than 8 hours.

When – The event took place on a Monday at around 11:10 a.m. until about 7:30 p.m.

Where – The event occurred in Melody Money’s classroom at Central High School.

Why & How – Dean held the teacher and students hostage by using a .44-caliber revolver.  They believe he did all of this because he was extremely upset over his recent suspensions after he set off a fire alarm and broke a window.

3. The major source of information that was used in this article was interviewing.  The reporter interviewed Sgt. Martin Jenkins, the state police officer that was present during the event.  He also interviewed Amanda Garr, a student who is a classmate of Eli Dean.

4. The reported wrote that no shots were fired and there were no injuries. He also wrote that the event took over 8 hours and that a .44-caliber revolver was used.  This information most likely came from the state police officer that was interviewed.  Any information written about Eli Dean, such as the claims that he was a good guy and someone who wouldn’t hurt anyone, most likely came from the students that were interviewed.

5. There were parts of the story that could have been more specific.  For example, the reporter writes that the state police could not give an exact count of how many hostages were released soon after the siege began.  There were only 15 hostages total so it should not have been that hard to find out how many were originally released.

Movie Review: “Blow”

“Blow” is the story of George Jung (played by Johnny Depp), the man responsible for establishing the exploding US market for cocaine in the 1970’s.  Depp’s outstanding interpretation of the character set the tone for this intriguing movie.  Four stars.

Wordiness Assignment

There was never any doubt that Hannah would soon become an internationally known jazz singer.

Midville is a small town that offers security to its residents, especially to those who are raising families.

Currently, Erin does not see a point in paying tuition to a college where she believes she is not receiving the best education.

In February, Laura stayed cooped up in her room, trying to fight off a  debilitating cold.

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