Message lost in translation

By Dominique Bonessi

Although, Rob Thomas’s new song “Lonely No More” is one of the best songs to listen to in a fast-paced convertible with some friends, the accompanying music video makes for a very dizzy and bumpy ride.

The song itself is about a man desperate for love, but in the music video the man seems desperate for partying and letting out his frustrations on silver, modern-style furniture. The special affects change the scenery so rapidly, not giving the human eye time to focus in on the bedroom, the living room, or the nightclub.

Unfortunately, the music video has completely altered the longing tone of the song to a sensual longing as Rob sings sitting in a bed. The meaning has also changed when the beginning and end of the video is Rob singing with cameras behind him — as though he felt the need to share his longing with the world.

Had the producers of this video decided to have Rob walking alone on a deserted street or flashbacking to remembering better times, the message — Rob’s hope for a real relationship — would have shown more positive and hopeful.

The Amateur

By Dominique Bonessi

Honestly, coming to SJP I thought I was the only one who didn’t belong to their school newspaper and never really had any writing experience. I still feel that way.

Through this whole experience, I have unlocked the keys and tools to become a great writer, wrote an actual article, got Brian Ross’s autograph, learned how to make a #hashtag, spent $50 on lunch for this week, and spent a week doing something I absolutely love. Yes, I’m still an amateur, but with a little edge.

I have to thank the Yale Daily News rising-junior staff for providing with me advice and tools for future writing — notes that I will keep for the rest of my life. The guest speakers — including Brian Ross — made me realize that journalism has many paths and the key to being a good journalist at any desk or position is being a good writer. (Oh, I also have to apologize to Colin Ross for being very over dramatic and crying hysterically about his father coming in.)

Finally, although journalism is a competitive job, I know that as long as I stick to my ethics, trust my gut, and get that story, I can make it happen!

Not an “evil cult”

By Ben Garfinkel

“GOD IS HERE,” proclaims an intricately patterned blue flyer posted to several campus bulletin boards. Group (sect? church?) “Centers of Light” has been posting advertisements around Yale that invite students and other passersby to “find the truth” and “come [to the Center of Light] to be inspired, uplifted, and deepened.”

The front of one flyer features a contemplative about 30 women in a floral dress meditating on a bustling city street along with the tagline “Take Out the Trash In Your Mind,” and another features a highway road sign photoshopped to say “Truth Next Exit.”

One sheet advertises a twenty-five dollar “spiritual meditation seminar” that took place on Aug. 12, but new flyers are being continuously added: In just a single one-block area at least five materialized, as if by magic, at some point between 9:40 this morning and 12:45 p.m.

Each of these flyers gives the address of their website, which features a series of videos with names like “Experiencing God,” “Quieting the Mind,” and “Is this a Cult?” — in which purpled-robed members of the group go to great lengths to explain that they are not an “evil cult” of “deranged crazy people” and thus do not tolerate hypocrisy, sexual abuse, theft, or weapons stockpiling. In the video “What is Mysticism?” they describe themselves as Christian mystics, or simply the Christian equivalent of Sufis and Kabbalists.

The importance of meditation, self-reflection, and “submission to a ‘Spiritual Teacher’” are frequently stressed.

Reverse Product Placement Takes Charge

By Lily Feroce

Kyle Pope, editor-in-chief of the New York Observer, spoke to the Yale Daily News Summer Journalism Program today about his job and experience as a journalist/editor. The talk was informative and entertaining at the same time.

At one point, Pope “highly recommended getting involved in things that fail.”  He experience with something that failed was interesting and he believed everyone should go through that same feeling.

When asked why the New York Observer was pink he said, “It’s peach,” with a laugh. The paper is in fact peach colored and Pope said that it makes the paper stand out.  Peach definitely catches the eye on a newsstand filled with plain, grayish white papers.

Pope even informed the students about reverse product placement. The New York Observer recently wrote an article about the switch of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s designer purse. Coach sent Snooki a purse of one of their competitors, Gucci, knowing her reputation and hoping viewers wouldn’t want to be just like Snooki. The idea of reverse product placement is a new but genius plan.

Pope was a refreshing and obviously informative guest speaker today.

Pepe DOES rock

By Samantha Sye

A miniscule light, more like a pinprick. Today at SJP, students began working on their stories, mostly through sourcing and research. Many were able to make productive progress with their time; conducting interviews, reading backgrounds and preparing rough drafts. Others however, were not so lucky. While seemingly every other story around them had begun to take form, certain groups reached a journalistic roadblock, unable to continue their journey toward their published destination. Writing a story regarding the recent renovation of Morse College, one such group contacted a handful of University Offices, construction managers, the master and dean of Morse, among other sources. Sending out dozens of emails, and making twice that number of phone calls, not one of these prospective sources was available for comment. It seems as if Yale faculty takes vacations too! Sourcing has become a near impossibility for Hunter Ryan and Samantha Sye, the authors of this troublesome piece.

Reaching one dead-end after another, the duo left Yale frustrated and disheartened. However, at 4:46 p.m., while sitting at Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria waiting for the arrival of sustenance, hope was restored! Master Frank Keil of Morse College was the first to emerge from the deep, dark, bottomless pit of unanswered emails and voicemail messages. Short on time, but willing to help, Master Keil was kind enough to answer a few rushed questions about the project. And so the battle continues! Many thanks to Master Keil and here’s to hoping tomorrow will be a prolific day.

The Many Faces of a Newspaper

By Kristen Biatowas

A newspaper is a newspaper, right? WRONG!

There are so many types of journalism: Magazines, newspapers, blogs, TV, video, the list can go on and on.  And then as that list is broken into sections, they can be identified by daily, monthly, and weekly publications.  Which is the best?  According to Kyle Pope, editor-in-chief of the New York Observer, weekly newspapers are the best to work at because they do not have the hectic pace of a daily newspaper, but the articles aren’t drawn out like a monthly.

One would not think layout of a newspaper is important either, but this is one of the trickiest jobs on a newspaper.  It’s like putting a million puzzle pieces together, without seeing the picture beforehand.  The less words on the front page, the better.  Readers don’t want to be intimidated by a newspaper, they want to feel as though they can easily understand the story while reading a cup of coffee in the morning, that, let’s face it, isn’t when most people do their most advanced thinking.

Is there more to a newspaper than just a collection of information? Heck yes!

On Adrenaline and Choices

By Bryana Braxton

One of the blessings and curses of being a journalist is, of course, deadlines. Finding, researching, and writing an entire story in one night. Typing on your computer at 3:00 a.m., like Melena Ryzik says she does. Making people say what they don’t want to say.

But it is not always a bad thing. It gives us a sort of adrenaline rush.

Screaming people down, living on 3 hours of sleep, and creeping through those dark alleys — it actually is exciting. We smile when at the same time we’re scared for our lives.

In the fourth day of SJP, the students left their directors to go their separate ways to find, call, and track sources down for their stories. They traveled down the busy streets, through underground libraries and open courtyards. A good teaching point for young writers is they must be comfortable in your uncomfortable. Be flexible and just go for it — journalism is a constantly changing profession.

“You can do it if you want,” said Kyle Pope.

New Haven readies for Pilot Pen

By Matt Pun

The Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament has taken place each summer in New Haven, serving as the final tune-up for the U.S. Open for women since 1998 and for men since 2005. But, last November, Pilot Pen Corp. announced it would drop its sponsorship after the 2010 tournament.

The name locals have come to associate with tennis will be gone, but more importantly, the tennis might be too. According to the August 19, 2010 New Haven Register story “Tennis Anyone? New sponsor top priority to save New Haven tournament,” a new sponsor must be found by September 30 in order to keep the tournament in the Elm city. Currently, tournament director Anne Worcester is setting up tournament visits for potential sponsor companies according to the Register.

The tournament has provided local tennis fans with great opportunities to watch professional tennis nearby and has also greatly benefited the city of New Haven. According to a November Yale Daily News story, “Pilot Pen drops tournament,” the tournament provides both financial gain and worldwide recognition for the city:

“Each year, the tournament brings $26 million to the greater New Haven economy and attracts 20 hours of international television coverage, Worcester said.”

This year’s event takes place August 20-28. Marcos Baghdatis, James Blake, and Mardy Fish headline the men’s draw while Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, and Dinara Safina headline the women’s.

Inside the Industry

By Catherine Bradley

Everyone knows that the concept of online journalism has long ago arrived and is here to stay. The question is what it exactly means for the future of the journalism industry. Will print journalism become obsolete? Will the industry be able to make any money? Will readers be willing to pay in order to read online articles?

As today’s guest speaker, New York Observer editor-in-chief Kyle Pope pointed out, nobody knows. And anyone who does know is lying.

But Pope shed some interesting light on the online movement. Rather than forecasting doom and bankruptcy for everyone involved in the business, he said, “It is an incredibly exciting time to be a journalist. [...] We’re in the eye of the hurricane.”

Pope also shared some advice with the aspiring reporters.

“Be a lot more adaptable,” he suggested. “You have to have drive. You have to have curiosity. You have to read. You have to go up to strange people and ask uncomfortable questions.”

Seems like basic advice. But maybe during this tumultuous time in the journalism world, the basics are what one needs to remember most.

Learning about fly fishing at the Beinecke

By Chris Kremer

Currently on display at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is an exhibition on the angling and conservation of Lee Wulff.

The exhibit is on display this summer and is curated by Stephen Jones. The show brings together an eclectic mix of the photography, samples of correspondence and samples of fly fishing innovations of Wulff, one of the great outdoorsmen of the twentieth century.

Unlike the other works featured in the Beinecke’s galleries, many of the documents presented in the Wulff show are not especially visually impressive. Some library visitors pay little attention to the exhibit, which from afar resembles a muddled mass, studded with pieces of fishing equipment, of gray and white photographs and typed letters.

But Jones said the library has “had a lot of folks come” to see the exhibit. A pair of women touring the Beinecke said they found the exhibit very interesting.

While the Wulff exhibition’s ostensibly dry documents may be prohibitive to some, it can be rewarding for the patient viewer. Those with little to no familiarity with fly fishing can learn immensely about one of its most influential figures.