Locate a columnist you like and follow a week or two's worth of his/her work. What do you like about this columnist? Here are some suggestions in case you can't fine one.
Rick Reilly, ESPN.com
Howard Troxler, St. Pete Times
Bill Plaschke, LA Times
Maureen Dowd, New York Times
Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Or try something off this list
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Howard Kurtz, the weekly Media Notes columnist for The Washington Post, writes about journalism and recent news. On Sunday mornings at 10 A.M., he also hosts “Reliable Sources” on CNN, a television program that mostly reviews news and commentary broadcasts.
ReplyDeleteKurtz displays professional integrity by attempting to objectively analyze the work of other journalists, no matter what his opinions are on the stories covered. By not ignoring or downplaying information that is contrary to his world view, he often reveals serious flaws in reporting a story from one perspective.
A quick example of this can be seen in the reporting during last year's election.
The National Enquirer's breaking story, on the questionable behavior of presidential candidate John Edwards, was not covered in many newsrooms before the election. By not investigating the story in a timely fashion, regardless of their reasons, most news organizations were negligent in their responsibility to inform the public.
The recent Media Notes column can be found below:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/medianotes/
Matt D.
I decided to start following Dave Barry, as he was under the "humor" category for columnists, and i enjoy reading any kind of comedy so i wanted to see what his style was like.
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed when reading Barry's columns, as he has a very witty and observational sense of humor. Specifically the first column i read from him which lead me to read on was titled, "The Pajama Game" which appeared in the Miami Herald, was about major league baseball and the upcoming world series playoffs.
It was great to read a story with someones voice and opinion in it, unlike all the news and feature storys which appear in the paper. Also, Barry has a specific relatable voice, as in he doesn't use an unnecessary vocabulary or go out of his way to use big words. He has the voice of "any man" as in he writes his stories as if he's talking to one of his peers which makes it easy to follow and relate to.
Also it seemed as if he really had the option to write about anything, and had no guidelines for what was needed for the story. His stories were all very random and about very specific topics, the kind of things that nobody really thinks about until he mentions it. Dave Barry is definitely a good example of what a humor columnist should be like.
John Jacobs
The columnist that I picked to write about was Cecil Adams for The Straight Dope. I chose to write about her because I feel that her columns are much different than many of the others I have read. In her columns she answers questions her readers ask her about certain topics. Adams researches the questions asked and answers them using the best reliable sources she is able to find about that certain topic.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading many of the different columns she has recently posted, the one that stood out to me the most was the column about “How many cows are slaughtered each year to make McDonald’s hamburgers?” This column was one of the more recent additions Adams posted, and I feel it is a story that shows what most of her columns pertain to.
Although the topics Adams covers are random and bizarre at times, it is what the public wants to read about. I think her column is very good in the sense of giving the public what they want to read, which is what I think makes her a good columnist.
Column about the McDonald's story can be found through this link below:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/176/how-many-cows-are-slaughtered-each-year-to-make-mcdonalds-hamburgers
Kelly Bates
I tend to learn toward satirical writing so I checked out the columnists for The Onion, a witty online publication with flashy headlines and unique photojournalism. The New Yorker dubbed The Onion "the funniest publication in the United States" and their columns are proof.
ReplyDeleteOut of the four Onion columnists Jean Teasdale is the only female so I started to follow. Her opinion column is titled A Room of Jean's Own and houses her banter on everything from Patrick Swayze to her first attempt at stand up comedy.
Although most of Jeans banter is far from newsworthy it is entertaining. In almost every entry Teasdale mentions her grouchy hubby Rick or voluptuous size. Her opinions and observations are backed by humor and have earned Teasdale quite the following. She refers to her beloved readers as "jeanketeers" and offers daily updates on her website.
My favorite thing about Jean's column is her "realness." She is brutally honest and writes candidly about her own life. She is a high school graduate with no professional training who prefers cartoon drawings and exclamation points over punctuation and good grammar. Im glad I found this saucy column, I may just become a Jeanketeer.
Kayla Dorland
I chose Maureen Dowd from the New York Times and I think her column has unique characteristics.
ReplyDeleteShe does not always focus on current events or popular topics. Instead, Dowd addresses the smaller things that people usually do not notice.
For example, one of her columns, called “Blue Is The New Black”, is about women becoming less happy as they grow older while men seem to become happier with age. It was an interesting topic to choose but I felt that when writing this kind of column, the author should use more intellect ideas rather than looking at concrete evidence. However, she did get a few remarks from woman and man either proving or supporting this theory.
Another column she wrote was about Barack Obama. The article is titled “Fie, Fatal Flaw!” and it is about Obama traveling to China, making compromises, and meeting with the Dalai Lamma.
Obama refused to meet with the Dalai Lamma until after going to china and this “dissing” of the Dalai is part of Obama’s new policy called “strategic reassurance.” This policy is supposed to calm China’s fears that America is trying to contain their human rights and financial policies.
She mentioned that Obama recently won the Nobel Prize but spoke about the dangers of too many compromises. Dowd wrote, “Obama does not want his fatal flaw to be that he compromises so much that his ideals get blurred out of recognition.”
Dowd is a good column to follow because she has a broad range of topics and does not bore her audience with repetitive political facts or governmental ideas. She’s informational but also entertaining.
Rachel Yonkunas
I chose to read New York Times Fashion and Style journalist, Cathy Horn. Being that I religiously follow fashion in the media, I enjoyed reading her work and found the context of her articles exciting.
ReplyDeleteIn much of what I read, Horn reports of exclusive runway shows nationally and abroad. After reading a collection of her articles as well as her blog, I strongly sensed that she is knowledgeable about fashion and is extremely conscious of her audience.
I found Her feedback to be both intelligible and diverse. She is passionate about what she does and it is evident her writing that she is the master of her craft.
http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/random-thoughts-before-the-train-to-paris/
-Arielle Hoch
Maureen Dowd of The New York Times, was the columnist I choose to follow. I believe my major reason to follow her stories, was because she wont the Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for distinguished commentary, and I thought, I would love to see the words of an award winning journalist.
ReplyDeleteIn the past 3 article I followed, Maureen seems to take a turn for politics. And one man in particular seems to be her muse, President Barack Obama.
Maureen's huge topic of conversation was about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Now, while in my opinion (and hers as well) Obama winning that prize is a little farfetched because he hasn't accomplished anything yet, Maureen didn't keep to what she began.
It seemed Maureen's article was an attack on everything out President is doing wrong. And while her points are valid, It would of been nice to read an article that wasn't the same as every other story out there.
Aside for her story topics. Her writing was great, attention grabbing, easy to understand and a good use of metaphor's!
Samantha Andrade
I decided to read Thomas Friedman's articles for a couple of weeks. He is a columnist for The New York Times. His form of writing is very personable and people can relate to what he writes really easily. He gives real-life examples and explains his points by giving us something to think about. I really liked his article "The power on 11/9" which talks about the day Germans celebrate the breaking down of the Berlin wall. He talks about how there is an inner civil was taking place in the arab world. I agree with what he says, it will be a very different story once US gets involved because I believe that there is already trouble brewing in the arab world if someone from the outside comes in and starts stirring trouble then it will not be a good scene for anyone!
ReplyDelete- Charu Bahl
Sports journalist Rick Reilly, currently a writer for ESPN, and a former writer of a well-known Sports Illustrated column, is an award winning columnist and author who is very popular in the world of sports. Rick combines humor with interesting stories about sports and the athletes who play them, keeping sports fans informed and all the while providing a few laughs along the way.
ReplyDeleteI personally enjoyed some of Rick’s columns because of the fact that he includes a light and humorous spin within his sports articles. I like the fact that he tells a story but also provides entertainment for the readers. It is for this reason that I feel that he provides articles that are appealing to both sports enthusiasts and the less sports-obsessed readers alike.
I also felt that Rick seemed to have personal relationships with many players, and that he is well respected in both the area of writing and of sports. I think that it makes him a more reliable source because of the fact that the people he writes about seem to respect and value his opinions. I also felt that he is very straight forward and honest in his articles.
While I enjoy some sports games and have a few favorite athletes, I do not consider myself a huge sports enthusiast (except when it comes to the Pats!). Even considering that I am not very knowledgeable nor particularly interested about sports, I did enjoy many of Rick’s articles and I felt compelled to read the whole article once I read the first few sentences. Something drew me into his articles, and I think it is safe to say that it is not the aspect of sports that did so. Rick’s humor and light hearted way of telling stories really intrigues and entertains me, and it is for these reasons that I really enjoyed his style of writing and the stories that he provides.
I decided to follow Charles Krauthammer, columnist for The Washington Post. Incidentally, I have been following his columns for about a year, and I have been following his appearances since high school. Krauthammer's columns focus mainly on domestic and international politics, as well as the economy. Seeing as I am apolitical Science major, I constantly find myself drawn to his column His appearances on Fox News’s daily" Special Report" usually stay along the same lines as his commentary in print. A soft-spoken gentleman, Krauthammer commands the attention of his readers, through the same method which he commands the watcher’s attention: through his even tone and choice of words. In October 16th’s edition of The Washington Post, Mr. Krauthammer wrote a piece entitled: “Debacle in Moscow” harshly criticizing President Obama’s foreign policy decisions thus far, while throwing in chastisement of the Nobel Society for awarding him with a Peace Prize. “About the only thing more comical than Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize was the reaction of those who deemed the award ‘premature,’ as if the brilliance of Obama's foreign policy is so self-evident and its success so assured that if only the Norway Five had waited a few years, his Nobel worthiness would have been universally acknowledged.” He then proceeds to point out the flaws of President Obama’s latest deals with Russia, all the while pointing out how our country has yet to benefit from the President’s questionable Foreign Policy agenda. Krauthammer takes an unpopular stance in a time when nepotism and dirty politics is running rampant throughout the administration, and manages to bring his point of
ReplyDeletecontention home, to the reader’s attention time after time.
(Hershel Fried)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101502763.html
I enjoyed reading many of the columns that Ellen Goodwin has written for the Boston Globe. She has touched on many diverse and also important newsworthy subjects adding her wise input as well as backing it up with information from other sources.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting topics she has covered were healthcare related to woman’s rights and abortion, as well as the affects of today’s technology and how it effects multitasking. Also she has written about gay rights, and the issue on people working longer due to social security and the youth demand for jobs out of college.
Her writing is very easy to read and follow along with and after reading several of her stories there is a certain life to her writing that kept me interested. Her personality is certainly shown through her writing and her opinions. Her witting is not boring by any means and the issues are in depth and covered well. There are catchy lines that lure you into reading the story and hearing what she has to say.
Paul Krugman writes columns about the economy. I really appreciate the different context within his columns. He brings up many strong points in his works, and defends them very effectively. He is also very passionate about the future of our economy. Krugman continuously stresses how America will suffer even more in the future; Although, he still remains somewhat optimistic that we can still do something to decrease our destined suffering.
ReplyDeleteIn one of his columns I liked how he stood up for the President. Many republicans believed it was Obama’s fault that Chicago was not picked for the destination of the 2016 Olympics. In his other works he also mentions problems within education which I believe has not been seen as a major issue since the recession. I feel like through his writing Paul Krugman really wants to make a difference in America’s future. I think that he truly believes in a better America.
The format of his columns are very similar too. In the beginning he addresses a current problem and then forms his opinion. Throughout the body he strongly defends his opinion and talks about its significance in the world. At the very end he likes to tell his readers how he thinks the problem he is addressing can be solved.
Alex Guerra