news is becoming paper thin, literally.

"Newspapers are dying." Lee Harter, the chief editor of Orangeburg Times and Democrat, expressed this blunt notion as he discussed the daily operations and history of newspaper production.

For an in-class field trip, we traveled to the Times and Democrat, the local newspaper of Orangeburg, SC. There we received a grand tour and garnered some interesting knowledge pertaining to the rise and fall of newspapers in American society.



Harter showed us an era where the newspapers are pressed and printed. The rolls of paper were massive, resembling bales of hay.

"We're in the middle of our most expensive business model of running a newspaper", Harter claimed.
As time has progressed, the amount of people that read newspapers has drastically decreased as a result of the technological revolution.

Since the newspapers are in less demand, it costs more to fund it. Not only does the company print local newspapers, it also prints coupon paper for the local grocery chain Piggly Wiggly.





Harter also expressed his dissatisfaction with some elements of the AP Style Book. He disliked how long it took make some very simple changes, specifically percentages. "The whole world knows what the percent symbol means”, Harter claimed. Copy editing is only as meticulous c it’s the edition makes it , but according to Harter, the less value judgment that is done, the better.

Overall the trip was very informational and gave a glimpse of the newspaper world. I enjoyed the experience and Mr. Harvey's comical relief from time to time.

Midterm Story

Athena Hamilton
March 7, 2019
Murder Suspect Caught in Neighborhood

“I remember his eyes, they were cold, the eyes of a killer.”

This terrifying recollection is from Carols Vacanti, a 3rd year police officer, as he tells about his standoff with a murderous criminal.

The suspect was wanted by law enforcement for his connection to several robberies, grand theft, and a murder. Vacanti proceeded to attempt to apprehend the suspect when he recognized him from his squad car.

Vacanti stated, “I’d gotten his description by radio. Then, I spotted him in a parking lot.”

Vacanti then exited his vehicle, advanced towards the perpetrator, and even called out to him. The startled suspect turned around only to pull a gun on Vacanti.

“As he drew the gun and fired, I leaned to the right and dropped one knee,” Vacanti claimed. “When I heard the shot I thought he had me”.

Vacanti then found himself running away in a zig zag motion, hoping to dodge any potential buckets being fired in his direction.

A few moments later, law enforcement was able to apprehend the suspect before he could elude them any further.

“There’s no doubt in my mind he wanted to kill me last night just because I stopped him,” said Vacanti. I was an object in his way”.

No Ring , No Chaching !

Will Lawsuit Settlement
Athena Hamilton
February 28, 2019


Marriage is extortion .

Maria Montez, 32, proves this notion when she became furious about her financial pay out after her partner’s death. When her companion, Sidney Quevedo, died, his will entitled a $5million fortune not to Montez, but his hbelived cocker spaniel james Samantha.

Quevedo and Montez were together for 10 years prior to his death. Montez claimed, “I gave him the best years of my life.” Quevedo’s will left her with a mere $60,000 a year, along with specific conditions.

Quevedo’s massive income came from manufacturing bathroom fixtures. He also instructed in the will that Montez could only receive the annual payment if she agreed to take care of the dog. Moreover once the pooch dies, the $5 million estate must go to charity.

Montez is actively seeking a settlement for $2.7 million.

News Leads and 5W's

A.
Who: 15 year old high school student
What: Teacher's coffee was spiked
When: During school hours
Where: Giles Country High School
Why: Student claims it was an accident

A teacher's morning coffee gave them more than a kick when they realized it contained something other than caffeine.

B. 

Who: Timon Cobb, 66

What: Killed by car that crushed him

When: Before Church

Where: 728 Lomax Street

Why: bumper jack dislodged

Emergency response teams found Timon Cobb, 66 dead underneath his car, when is bumper jack apparently dislodged, causing the vehicle to crush him.

C. 

Who: Mike Dunleavy, football coach

What: Resigning from his position

When: effective immediately 

Where: Central High School

Why: low self - esteem; bad record

Central High School football coach Mike Dunleavy announced his end of season resignation, claiming he feels school officials and fans have lost faith in his coaching.

D. 

Who: Superintendent 

What: closing schools early

When: last 3 days of term

Where: All grade levels in public schools

Why: helping the teachers

In an effort to allot teachers more time for finalizing grades, Superintendent Margaret Perez is shortening schools hours for the last 3 days of term.

E. 

Who: Van holding 14 farmworkers

What: accident on highway 99

When: 7am Thursday

Where: highway 99

Why: tire blew out

Early Thursday morning, a van enroute to Napa Valley was carrying 14 farmworkers, when a tire blew out causing it to roll down Highway 99.

News Values and Criteria

Before constructing a great story journalists must always adhere to specific criteria that helps to define a "great" story. News values and criteria are common amongst all reporting. You can look at it as some type of guideline or judgment tools when picking a topic to report on.

To explain what the criteria means, I analyzed The Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston, SC. Their website can be found here:

Post and Courier Charelston, SC I then identified different stories that met each criterion. Below I listed each news value and described how the story applies to that value.

1. Human Interest- "Smashing barriers a way of Life for new police chief" - This story details the major accomplishment of L. J. Roscoe, as she was sworn in as Goose Creek's new police chief.

 I applied this to Human Interest because Roscoe is a part of the LGBTQ community. By achieving this high ranked position she is making milestones for members of the LGBTQ community who are often discriminated.

2. Uniqueness- "Bone disorder found in boy seized by DSS"- This story discusses a DSS case where a child was removed from his home due to his multiple broken bones. After the child was examined by a medical expert he was diagnosed with Rickets.

Rickets is a bone disease caused by an extreme deficiency of Vitamin D. I applied this to uniqueness because the average child is not afflicted with Rickets.

3. Controversy- "Secret shipment barely reduces SC plutonium" - As dangerous as nuclear chemicals are, you could at least tell someone when you're bringing it over their border. That wasn't the case with the US Federal government as the transported large amounts of plutonium from Aiken, South Carolina to Nevada.

Top Officials of Nevada are furious that the chemicals were brought into the state without their consent. I applied this to controversy because the state of Nevada is in disagreements with the federal government.

4. Conflict- "Richland missed 1,040 ballots"- In the last November election, Richland County voters took to ballots as they normally would. However, over a thousand voters were shocked to find that their ballots were not counted. I applied this to conflict because it could anger citizens and diminish voter trust.

5. Proximity- "Lawmaker: Give more time for gun purchase background checks" - Gun safety is a major if not a top priority in the United States.

An SC lawmaker is pushing for an extension on the time needed to conduct background checks for gun purchases. I applied this to proximity because many people in the state of South Carolina already own or are trying to purchase a gun.

6. Prominence- "MUSC receives $5 million donations" - In this story, The Medical University of South Carolina received a $5 million donation from businessman Gene Reed. The hospital is projected to cost $400 million to build. I applied this to prominence because of the status of both Reed and MUSC.

7. Consequence - "North Charleston refuses to be railroaded in crossing debacle" - Norfolk Southern Railroad Corp. is receiving heavy backlash from citizens and the Mayor of Charleston for the inconvenience that brought on the city.

The company is trying to make repairs to a particular section of the railroad, but they're not considering the daily needs of drivers. Many people are stuck for long periods or often. late to work. I applied this to consequence because the railroad company will eventually hear from higher officials in North Charleston.

8. Timeliness - "Senate OKs bill making electrocution main execution method" - A bill was recently passed that allows electrocution to be the primary method of killing in a death sentence. Senators voted 26-13. I apply this to timeliness because the vote was recent.

9. Feature - "Bulldogs rally late but can't catch Paladins" - The Citadel presented a rather disappointing performance in their basketball game against Furman. With 19 turnovers Citadel lost 71-61. I applied this to feature because sports are of interest to many people but not all. Highlights for this game can be found here: Citadel vs Furman Basketball

Newseum Paper Review

After viewing several front page stories of United States Newspapers, I decided to make a report on The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Denver Post. All three papers displayed great similarities in the content posted. Each paper highlighted issues involving Trump's State of the Union Address, the United States' Government involvement in Venezuela, and the ongoing teacher strike.


If we analyze each individual paper, they had their own distinctive stories. The Los Angeles Times included an article discussing Terry Bryant, a man who was accused of stealing the Oscar Award of Frances McDormand.

In the New York Times front page, there was an article dedicated to the controversy of gene editing. Many scientists and ethics boards are trying to develop safety rules to prevent the unnatural reproduction of babies by altering embryos.

The Denver Post brought light to oil and mining issues taking place in Colorado. Anti- Fracking organizations such as the Colorado Rising are filing lawsuits against oil operators who are extracting oil and minerals in an unconstitutional manner.

By looking at the front page of national papers I found that most major cities will highlight similar topics while bringing exposure to other issues in their states respectively. It is a matter of catering to the public interest as well as keeping the community informed of issues both nationally and locally.