Analysis of The Post and Courier Newspaper

In my copy editing class, we had to analyze a newspaper. I decided to analyze The Post and Courier and incorporate the different news values from various stories within the paper. Here are my findings with the various news values:

• Conflict/Controversy - "Rural haven Awendaw faces realities of growth" talks about Awendaw which is a sparsely populated rural town in South Carolina that resides on the edge of a face growing city, but residents think that there isn't enough room for development. The town is approaching a build-out and there soon won't be any land left to develop. 

• Consequence (Impact) - "Teachers lobby for pay raise, respect" teachers from across the state protest at the state house for higher pay, and more respect. SC school system is one of the worst in the nation and teachers more input on the legislators' plans to overhaul education. 

• Prominence/Timeliness - "SC State plans series of events to mark Orangeburg Massacre" one of the most prominent events of the civil rights movement and it happened right here in Orangeburg on the night of Feb. 8, 1968. SCSU will hold events Thursday which will include showing Bakari Sellers documentary "While I Breath, I Hope" at the Fine Arts building at 1p.m. and a student re-enactment protest will occur at 4p.m.

Proximity - "Talks underway for Hollywood sewer fix" talks about how some leaders are concerned with the town being at 'bottom of list' of who benefits from a with Dorchester and Charleston. 

Novelty - "A pancake lover's paradise" instead of your typical iHop or Denny's, there are independently owned pancake house between Pawleys Island and Little River. These pancake houses include: Omega pancake house, Southern pancake house, Theo's pancakes, and Donald's pancake house just to name a few. 

Human Interest - "Running back reunion" La Rams Todd Gurley and New England Patriots Sony Michel reunited Sunday Feb 3 at the super bowl game in Atlanta. Before the game, Gurley said he was avoiding talking to his old Georgia teammate at least not directly. 

Features - "Apple opens new chapter amid weakening demand for iPhone" talks abut how Apple raised its prices for iPhones due to its low demands only for it to backfire. The revenue dropped 15 percent from the previous year. Apple's total earnings dropped slightly to $20 billion. 

All about Serena Williams

In my Sports Broadcasting class, we had to conduct an interview about our Beat which focuses on a sports team, or athlete. My beat is focusing on Serena Williams and I had the opportunity to interview Broadcasting student Stephen Mason. You can view the interview below.

LA Times,The Daytona News-Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In Copy editing we had to compare 3 newspapers that had similarities and differences within the front page headlines. With the help of Newseum, I decided to compare and contrast The LA Times, The Daytona News-Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The LA Times headline was "A new movement in L.A?" It talks about teachers on strike against the city's education inequality. Another headline which read "Trump retreats as Pelosi delays State of Union" involves Trump seeking an alternative as the speaker refuses the address until the government reopens. Other headlines include "A scene stealer yes, but an Oscar thief?," Cohen delays hearing, citing threats," and "Trumps Venezuela gambit."



The Daytona News-Journal headline "Panhandling limits pass"talks about beggars and how they will be dealt with by the city of Daytona. Other headlines include "The Race for business," Pelosi disinvites Trump," and "Local donors help unpaid Coast Guardsman, TSA workers."






A few of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution headlines consist of "Poultry lab fixes could cost taxpayers $4M," and "Shutdown hits those on housing aid."Other headlines include "Five die in shooting in FLA. bank," Experts: game brings sex traffickers," and "Voice of dissent joins development board."

All of these major newspapers include the stories of the government shutdown as well as Nancy Pelosi wanting Trump to delay the State of the Union address. 

NFC Championship Game

The NFC championship game was played Sunday with kickoff starting at 3:05 p.m. ET involving the Los Angeles Rams and The New Orleans Saints. This highly anticipated game was going to determine who went to this year's Superbowl game. Preceding the game, Fox sports commentators gave their predictions on who they think will go on to the Superbowl as well as their views on a few of the key players from each team. Micheal Strahan's prediction was "the Saints and the Patriots." Sideline reporter Erin Andrews said "Micheal Thomas says he doesn't care who he faces.

The Saints started off good in the first quarter scoring 13 points from two field goals from Will Lutz and a Garrett Griffin 5 yard pass from Drew Brees. The Los Angeles Rams began to catch up and throw some points of their own on the board during the second quarter with a 36 yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein and a II 6 yard run from Todd Gurley. Fast forwarding to the 4th quarter, the game was tied 23-23 with only 15 seconds thus making the game go into OT.

The real highlight of this nerve wrecking game was the controversial no-call. Drew Brees had thrown a pass at WR TommyLee Lewis and although Lewis seemed to be positioned to catch the ball, Rams DB Nickell Robey-Coleman hauled into him and appeared to hit him with his helmet. Many spectators though this play should have penalized for pass interference, but the officials did not say a word. WLWT sports reporter Brandon Saho tweeted "This might be the worst no call in NFL history" while showing a replay of the no call on his twitter account.

I feel as thought the refs known what had happened between Lewis and Coleman, but decided to act like they were apart of the birdbox film and keep their blindfolds on. I think this would have also changed the outcome of the game as the LA Rams Advanced to the Superbowl with a 57 yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein. It is going to be a while before the controversy of this game dies down. Alvin Kamera routes were also highly praised throughout this game on social media.

The Rams will go on to face the NE Patriots at the Superbowl on February the 3rd and I predict that the NE Patriots will come out on top, but who knows? We just have to wait and see.

A few Dorm Room Essentials

Its what many high school students dream of. That day of going off to college to experience something new and exciting. While you may be ready for that new adventure, you might want a few items for your dorm room. This dorm room will be your home away for home so it's only right that you make it your own with these items below.

1. A Mini Fridge - While a few dorms won't allow a portable refrigerator, some will. It's a good idea to get a mini fridge to keep your personal foods cool. 

     2. Portable Speaker - A speaker is a good idea to have if you want to keep yourself entertained Just make sure you are in compliance with the noise and music rules in your dorm.

      3. Portable Fan - These are good investments to help you keep cool in case it gets a little to warm in your room. they are also compact so it helps to save space.  

       4. LabTop - A lab top is essential to any college student that doesn't feel like going to the library  and work on their assignments. It's portable and very convenient. Prices may vary depending on the brand, but they are good investments.

       5. Storage Mirror - This over the door mirror would be ideal for a college student. It's also a storage unit that can hold many miscellaneous items.

The Power of the Pen (and Writing Lab) with Mrs. Pinson

South Carolina State University has a Push Writing Lab located inside Turner Hall which is coordinated by Mrs. Arah Pinson. Pinson, who is also a long serving professor, started at SCSU in 1989 to present day. Mrs .Valerie Goodwin was the previous coordinator. Upon Pinson's takeover, she plans to get the word spread out about the writing lab.

A lot of students don't know about the writing lab or what it's purpose is. This center is used to help students hone their writing and grammar skills. "When our students leave SCSU, they represent the University" said Pinson. Students can go there to get a better understanding of the various writing styles and rules that are applied to it.

The writing lab is also trying to gain exposure. Since it's not as much used as needed, Pinson and her trusty team are trying to make it "lit." funding is most definitely needed to help expand the writing lab. "We're looking for donations, and we want to paint and mural the wall." said Pinson.

To also help with the exposure of the lab, they are planning a spring open house as well as a soft skills for students workshop. This workshop will help students with study skills, time-management, note taking and self discipline. Pinson is a serious advocate for the success of her students and you can tell when she began to tear up and say "My passion is my students."

The writing lab can be used as a work study and all students and majors are welcome. Students must meet a certain criteria in order to become a tutor. You must also have a letter of recommendation. Take Zaire for instance. She is a grad school tutor and according to Pinson "Our right arm." She helps with grammar and organization, and thesis statements.  Pinson is looking for students like her to come help out and be a great tutor.

While big things are in the works for Turner Hall writing lab, Pinson and Zaire had five things that everyone should know about it. They are

1. They are there to help
2. Will offer workshops
3. They are not a fix it shop
4. Tutors will not guess what grade you will get
5. You leave with a lesson

(What the writing lab is for)

Bulldog News Now: A brief look inside the newscast

We had to chance to an exclusive look at how the South Carolina State University Communications department produces it's newscast  BNN which is short for Bulldog News Now. The set has that local television station look and a team of thriving students were working diligently to make sure it went well.


We watched as the news anchors sat and rehearsed their scripts while getting familiar with the teleprompter. The anchors were making sure they were pronouncing and enunciating words correctly for accuracy.

Behind the scenes, BNN students were busy at work as well. They were making sure everything ran smoothly in regards to the production, teleprompter and audio. Ms. Pryor who is over the newscast made sure each person  was doing their job effectively.