No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. ~Abraham Lincoln

When watching the news or reading an article, the initial shock of an incredible story forces you to believe it is the whole truth. However, as much as I'd love to believe they are always true, sometimes I second guess the complete truth in the story. Like the article "Janet Cooke and Jimmy's World", if it sounds too goo to be true, there is a chance that it could be. Janet Cooke, under pressure, made up a story about a young boy forced to drug addiction. If one woman could make up a lie as large as this, then what makes everyone so sure that someone couldn't do it too?

My reaction to the Jimmy story was very surprised. The fact that someone could make up such a sympathetic story and plan to go through with it until she was forced to confess is mind-blowing because the effect it would have on many people would be devastating. Families with relatives and friends addicted to drugs would have a deep personal connection to the story, and Jimmy's "story" impact them greatly.

I was also surprised by the story "Publisher, editor out over wafer story" on the CBC news web site. Anyone who could come up with such a random and senseless lie would deserve to be caught. Some may find the lie entertaining, like myself, while others who are very spiritual would think strongly about Stephen Harper and whether he was fit to have an opinion in political matters. It would affect his image to the public and government greatly and put an impact on those who once trusted him and valued his opinions.

I agree with journalist Jack Shafer when he says, "most liars make things up for the simple reason that they don't have the talent or the ability to get the story any other way". What I get from this is that if they can not go out and research a story that is good enough to be told, they create one so that it can go just as they'd like. Journalism is very important to the media and informing people what kind of world they are living in, so when universities are training new journalists they should be absolutely certain that they are ready for the position. If not ready, they could be overwhelmed by the responsibility and resort to the easier solutions.

In my opinion, an ombudsman for newspapers is a great idea to make sure everything is fair and not biased in anyway. Someone neutral would create a fair opinion on the issue and eliminate many problems.

Hard News vs. Soft News

The article "Top Hells Angel arrested in Montreal" on the CBC news web site is definitely hard news. The article was updated only early this morning and tells about one of the most powerful members of the Hells Angels getting arrested after being wanted for a year and a half. This is top news and states direct facts about what happened. It goes into depth about the man's previous charges and what happened during the arrest.

Another example of hard news is the article "Possible new charges against torture suspect: lawyer" on the Globe and Mail wed site. This shocking article as updated this morning, as well, and gives a detailed description of the charges made on the man suspected of the gruesome torture of Dustin LaFortune. The article also give a description of the torture and hard facts on the case. Both of these articles show strongly the characteristics of hard news.

The article "Willow Smith Gets Bedazzled Neck Brace" on the People news web site is a strong example of soft news. This article's soft news characteristics are the interview with comedian Ellen Degeneres and actor Will Smith's 9-year-old daughter Willow Smith. The article if fun and entertaining and appeals to human interest.

Another type of soft news stories are those that advise the reader. The article "Jessica Simpson Says Focus on Her Weight Brings Up 'Insecurities'" from the People news web site shows the scrutiny of the press about her weight, and how she still finds a way to ignore their comments and be happy the way she is. It is definitely a strong example of soft news because it's purpose is to interest her fans and people with insecurities.

News can also be categorized as a "blur", where it is a mix between soft news and hard news. The article "Elizabeth Smart Recounts 'Indescribable Fear' of a Knife to Her Neck" is a story about the 23-year-old celebrity, Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted for a 9 month period at age 14. It tells how her kidnapper took her from her bedroom of her Salt Lake City home in 2002 and held a knife at her throat. This article has soft news qualities in that its appeals to human interest and is advising the reader of her story. It is also has the qualities of a hard news article because it gives the details on the story (who, what, when, where, how, and why).

Indonesian volcano spews smoke and ash

Timing - 2/4

The the eruption of the Indonesian volcano happened last Monday, October 25. Although there is still being news updates almost everyday on the incident, it happened a fair amount of time ago.

Significance - 4/4

Mount Merapi's eruption has killed nearly 500 people, and about 69,000 villagers have been evacuated from the area. This makes the significance very high.

Proximity - 1/4

The proximity is low because the volcano is in Indonesia, which is very far away.

Prominence - 3/4

The story's prominence is the many, many people killed and injured and how this affects people worldwide. Ash and smoke covers places kilometers away and thousands of people are going out of their way to help the villagers.

Human Interest - 3/4

The human interest is high for this article because thousands of people are affected emotionally as well as physically and will be affected for a very long time.

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Murder charge laid after truck drives through people outside Alberta bar

Timing - 3/4

The incident in this article happened early Friday, October 29, when a Calgary man plowed through a group of people of standing outside a bar killing an 18-year-old man, identified as Nicholas Baier.

Significance - 2/4

This story is quite significant because of the death of the young man and the affect it would have on all of his family and friends. His murder would also have an affect on the man who hit him, and the bar that the tragedy took place at.

Proximity - 2/4

The story took place outside a bar in Alberta, Canada. The proximity is fairly close, but far away enough that many people might not know about the incident.

Prominence - 2/4

I give this article 2/4 for prominence because neither the man killed or the murderer were famous or well known.

Human Interest - 1/4

The human interest is fairly low because it does appeal to the friends and family of the murderer and the victim.

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Three youths killed by Via train may not have heard it coming

Timing - 4/4

This news article was updated Halloween day and it is based on an incident of three teen being killed by a Via train while making graffiti. The other two teens survived.

Significance - 2/4

I believe this story has a high significance because not only were the families and friends of the teen affected, but the train driver and passengers would be affected as well.

Proximity - 2/4

This incident took place in Montreal, Canada. It is fairly close so the proximity is medium.

Prominence - 1/4

The names of the teens killed have not been given, therefore, the prominence is low.

Human Interest - 2/4

The human interest of this story is about mid-way because they were young and parents and families would be emotionally affected by the tragedy.

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