Source Sampling

Finding good or even decent news sources isn’t always easy. New stories are hard for journalists to find and with the amount of information out there we need alternative ways of getting new stories. Places like facebook and twitter are great for breaking news from people usually at the places where the stories are taking place. This obviously requires the journalist to do research on validity but can be a great place to start. www.ap.org is probably the most prominent source of breaking news. The Associated Press has been on the cutting edge for a long time. www.cnn.com and www.reuters.com  are good for world news also. www.cnbc.com is great for economic news.

Local news outlets like www.9news.com or www.thedenverchannel.com are good for consumers because they are more relatable. www.theonion.com is great for entertainment while sources like www.nytimes.com and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/  are good for more unbiased and fact based reporting.

Journalists/Consumer sources for news.

Journalists’ guides to getting in-depth news, fast.

http://www.msn.com/

http://www.ap.org/

http://www.9news.com/

http://www.denverpost.com/

http://www.cnn.com/

Are all great sources to get informed on local, national and international news dealing with everything from stock information to the latest gossip on your favorite celebrity. With daily updates one everything you could imagine, each site is a guide to keeping a journalist informed on all news all the time. For local news Denver post is a great source and MSN will feature everything. All articles printed are generally from a reliable source. For a more in depth look at the stories, these sites may be more helpful than others.

Fast ways for consumers to get news;

http://www.dailycamera.com/

http://www.perezhilton.com/

http://www.npr.org/

http://www.nowpublic.com/

http://www.aol.com/

Are great ways for the public to get news fast. The Daily Camera (Boulder) reports on almost everything, and I always suggest reading it because it will likely have anything and everything printed bout local news. Perez Hilton is great because we all have a celebrity habit, and it features hourly posts on what’s going on with your favorite celeb. AOL, NPR, and NOW PUBLIC are easy ways to find out what you need fast without having to read entire articles.

E-Sources for Journalists and Consumers

While the integrity of the internet as a source to receive news may be questionable, it can be useful for a journalist to find direction for their stories. I have found a few sources on the internet that are useful for a journalist looking for a starting point for a story. These sources can be used for a variety of topics. Google News is a good starting point. It provides an RSS feed from many popular news sources, allowing a journalist instant access to the topics that stir interest among local or national society. Another very detailed website that I found is Journalist Express. This website provides a search bar for Google, Wikipedia, government websites, and even a dictionary, among other search options for checking spelling and verifying sources. Throughout the page, there are links to websites for almost every medium of news, including many popular magazines, television broadcasts, and news wires. These links can be found on any sized scale, from local to international. On a more local scale, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) website provides instant news and even current photos of weather conditions in Colorado. As Coloradans, we may find this useful because weather is an important part of many aspects of our lives. An obvious source for seeking out news as Journalists is NPR, specifically the RSS feed. This website allows you to search topics of interest by topic or location, and provides links to various podcasts. Finally, a good online source for journalist use is the American Press Institute (API). This website is dedicated to journalistic integrity, and provides links to many sources that are considered credible in the eyes of media employees.

The news is not just for journalists. It is sold as a product to consumers throughout our society. As a consumer, my favorite source of news is Facebook. I consider information among my peers news, because it is interesting to me, whether or not it is NY Times worthy. Another great source of news for consumers can be found at The Daily Show. This is the official website for Jon Stewart’s news show, where you can recap and revisit previous episodes. While this website may only be directed at liberal consumers, it is an entertaining yet informative source of news media. The New York Times is a popular news source for consumers as well. This is one of the most widely read newspapers in America, and is a great way to view national news that a large scale of people care about. The Westword, Denver’s local weekly newspaper is specifically aimed at consumers. This newspaper focuses on local food, music, and events, so it can be said that this newspaper is specifically made for consumers. Finally, another website that is useful for consumers is Wikipedia. While not always current, wikipedia.com provides peer-revised stories and histories on a variety of topics, and can be updated over and over as information becomes outdated.

Example sources from prominant sites for both journalists and consumers

Journalist

These sites are good sources for Journalists that provide breaking news, worldwide news, and interest stories that have popularity in news readers. I've provided 5 example stories from 5 different sources i found.

1. There has been a suicide bombing in Moscow, killing 35 and wounding 168 people. Russia’s Presidents suspects the bombing was a terrorist attack.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Blast-Kills-At-Least-10-at-Moscow-Airport-114481529.html

2. Oprah Winfrey finds her long lost sister after decades of not knowing she existed.

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17025076

3. Suspect claims ‘Not Guilty” in Arizona shooting, killing 6 and wounding 13. http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17181795

4. Facebook: from dorm rooms to billions of dollars. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/how-facebook-could-reach-125-billion/?ref=technology

5. As Doctors get older, should we worry about their abilities? http://www.nytimes.com/pages/health/index.html

Consumer

The sites I received them from were mostly entertainment sites, for example, MTV.com as well as in the entertainment/lifestyle sections of newspapers.I provided 5 example stories of sources i found that i would enjoy reading as a consumer.

1. Wiz Khalifa's 'Black And Yellow' Is The Best Pittsburgh Steelers Anthem http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/01/24/steelers-wiz-khalifa

2. Avatar Sequel? Yes, it’s coming. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656531/avatar-sequel-release-dates.jhtml

3. City of Denver is preventing cupcake lovers from getting their fix http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17025076

4. What is she wearing? I thought this was 2011 not 1975. http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_17019263

5. What the show “Modern Family” says about modern families http://www.nytimes.com/pages/fashion/index.html

New Sources for the Near Future

As a journalist I would use the following sources...

DORA Department of Regulatory Agencies – The State Of Colorado, is a website to find out, ask about anything in the State of Colorado. You can find out the civil rights of a citizen in Colorado to find out information about a perspective doctor or a current doctor, or anything that you need to know to be successful in Colorado.

Reuters - Reuters is another form of news information. Many journalists use Reuters and the Associated Press when reporting news.

CIA or Central Intelligence Agency’s website can be used to find speeches, testimonies, the war on terrorism, and many other things. They also have a library that consists of facts of every country in the world, flags of the world, etc.

Weather - I would use The Weather Channel’s website is a good site to find out about the future weather or natural disasters that had happened, or for the latest ski conditions.

Library of Congress - For having to do any research or that involves anything to help knowledge on a story I would use the Library of Congress because they have every single book ever made on hand. They also have a librarian on hand that you can email if you have any questions on a subject or needing help to find the right book, they are there to help you. They are also really quick getting back to you too!

For a consumer I would use these sources to my favorite interests in life!!

MSN -When I first get on the internet MSN is what I see for first and to get the latest news updates.

Denver Post - As a consumer I would use the Denver’s main newspaper to update me and to read on what is going on around Colorado.

NFL - As a huge football fan I would use the NFL’s site to learn up on the latest news of any football team and what is going on with other teams besides the Denver Broncos.

The Huffington Post is a site that is almost all about politics in our country. It also has local news, entertainment, sports, the world, anything really that you want to read about.

E! Entertainment - Who doesn’t love celebrities!! E online lets you know everything that they do!!

My First Choice For News

As a journalist, I would get my leads from the following websites:
I would use the Denver Government website for local information regarding political situations, as well as crime sources.
I would use RTD’s website to help discover public transportation matters including new additions, problems with daily transits, etc.
The NOAA’s national weather site would be a good source to find local weather, as well as compare it to weather nationwide.
The main Colorado website would be a great place to research all my local inquiries such as unemployment, tourism, events, elections, etc.
The National Geographic website would be great for unique stories, such as unveiling the past, or exploring new phenomenon.
As a consumer, I would get my information from these websites:
MSN is my homepage on almost every computer I use, so that is my main source for entertainment and breaking news.
The Denver Post is a trusted source to me as a consumer because it’s the most commonly known newspaper since the Rocky Mountain News shut down.
EPSN is great for sports people since it’s all the sports in one place, but personally, being only interested in the NFL, NFL is the main site I rely on for my regular and between season coverage.
Mapquest always gives me the runaround, literally, so I rely on Google Maps to get me where I don’t know I’m going.
To find out what’s going on in my city, a convenient place with all the information would be Denver’s main website.

Five Sources of News

Walt House
Jan. 24, 2011
Five Sources


As a person who seeks information on a daily basis, I have found there are many options that provide useful and insightful information, but there is a duality in my consumption of that information. I am a consumer and a writer. As a consumer, I have a range of interests and it is reflected in the commercial news outlets that I visit, here is a list of the site I like to visit: The Economist, BBC, CNN.com, Chicago Tribune, and Sports Illustrated.com. As this list shows, I am interested in world news, economic and political events, the local news of Chicago, and sports events.

As for the writer in me, I cannot use secondary or tertiary sources. The information has to come from the source or is a subject matter expert. The sources that I use or have used will vary depending on the subject I am researching. I have written papers on the current state of the outdoor industry, so I went to http://www.outdoorindustry.org/, for my research. For another paper I wrote, I needed to know what the current governmental policy for water rights. USA.gov was my base source. News can be gotten from even more sites, The North Face has listings of events they are sponsoring and new clothing technology it is using. Sarah Palin’s Facebook page is a source of news. Or to know which visiting dignitary will be speaking at the United Nations, http://www.un.org/ site has a list.

News is subjective in it use, each person consumes it differently. It reminds me of a quote, “One man’s treasure is another man’s trash.” News is the same way.

My Sources and Me

As a journalist I am interested in many different topic areas. Sources I would consider for basic/essential news stories would come from NPR interviews, or any other reliable interviews I find appropriate to a story. Government documents and almanacs can come from the Mirlyn databases that show official legislation documents, census info, and the like for the most official sources. Basic financial sites are useful for the stock returns, such as Yahoo or Google. Information on trends in music, new albums, artists, and any late breaking news can be found at Billboard.

As a consumer I get my feeds from a couple standard news sources that report on the big local, national and international stories like the AP and MSNBC. I will also check the New York Times or Denver Post. As for my specific interests, when it comes to video games and electronics I like to use Rooster Teeth or Gizmodo for new gadgets and games, their bugs, new uses, and much more. When I’m in the mood for some sports action ESPN always has extensive coverage of everything I need. For the lastest in movie news, new projects and press releases, I always check IMBD.

In-class exercise: Sources of News

In-Class Exercise:

Spend some time sampling sources of information and news on the Internet. Describe briefly at least five sources of information you can use as a journalist and at least five sources of news you can use as a consumer. Write this up as a blog entry. Due by end of class.

Five Sources as a Journalist:

• CNN-http://www.cnn.com/
• The Denver Post-.com
• Channel 7 News-http://www.thedenverchannel.com/index.html
  
• Sports Talk: http://espn.go.com/
  
• Email: http://www.yahoo.com/
  

Five Sources as a Consumer:

• Pop culture: http://www.mtv.com/
  
• Magazines: http://www.nytimes.com
• Documentaries: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
• Stocks: http://www.nasdaq.com/
• Public Radio: http://www.ks1075.com/home.aspx