Justin's+First+Portfolio

Portfolio Project 1: Quarter 3 Sports section of the Boston Globe

Five important articles per day

Monday: “Celtics handle Hawks” “Sign of a champion” “Mansally’s career cleared for takeoff” “Focus still on Sox’ Japanese players” “Garnett’s best case scenario”

Tuesday: “Moss, Patriots hook up again” “Bruins taken to the beltway” “Ellsbury on the first track” “Aiken brings special touch” “Cassell pointed towards Boston”

Wednesday “Regular? No, it’s extra-large” “Bruins slip up again” “Drew is ready for takeoff” ‘Favre finally packs it in” “‘Intangibles’ tipped it for Moss”

Thursday “Standing alone” “Soaring with Falcons” “Francona embraces rival Torre” “Here’s hoping they do it again” “Investigation a rarity in Ivy League”

Friday “Turning over an old leaf” “Papelbon gets $775k from Sox” “Punching the time clock” “Bryant overcomes shakiness” “CBS gets in the mix with MMA”

Monday: “Celtics handle Hawks” This article would be extremely difficult to cover in the Bradford. Based on the fact that the Celtics play three to four times a week, it would be impossible to effectively cover a single game. However, we could devote a section of the paper to Boston’s sports teams and recap the biggest games of the month. We could also incorporate the high school into a Celtics article by interviewing certain students, asking what their opinion of the team is.

“Sign of a champion” This story about the Learning Center’s Basketball program would be much easier to cover in the Bradford. The Learning Center’s win over Chase is a human-interest story that could be tied into our student body. A story could be written about how our sports teams affect the students. There could also be a focus on the history of the Learning Center for the Deaf, comparing it to Wellesley High School.

Tuesday: “Moss, Patriots hook up again” Similar to the Celtics article, this article would be a challenge to cover. A Sports article could be written about what sports mean to each athlete. The reason for this being that Moss demonstrated that he signed a contract with the Patriots, not because of the money he was receiving, but merely the right to play with the team again. Moss is unlike many professional athletes who become solely focused on money, and this could be highlighted in the article. Following this short introduction, the writer could touch upon this story’s connection to Wellesley High School and what the athletes at our school really care about.

“A pair of Oxfords” This article speaks about athletes, who are able to balance their sports commitments and their athletics extremely well. An opinion article could be written about on the topic of student athletes. The writer could comment on the difficulty of playing a varsity sport, while maintaining “acceptable” grades. There are many students that could be interviewed for this article, and it would be fairly easy to write. A feature could also be written about the most accomplished student athletes at our school- highest GPA and most time spent playing sports.

Wednesday: “Regular? No, it’s extra large” Bob Ryan’s article discusses an upcoming game between the two most dominant NBA teams in the Eastern Conference. This story does not necessarily have to focus on the game, but something could be written about the leadership of the Boston’s Celtics veterans, because Ryan mentions this within the article. From this topic, a longer article could be written about the responsibilities of senior athletes and the example they must set for younger athletes. Garnett and Pierce could simply be used as models for a good leader.

“Bruins slip up again” Once again, this story could be used as basis for a sports article about Wellesley sports. Certain teams are commonly overshadowed by teams in the same season, which have greater success. This is essentially what is happening to the Bruins and what has happened to many teams at WHS. For example, the soccer team seems overlooked, because its season falls during the football season. An article could be written about how the athletes playing on these teams feel about this and the effect it has on the students in general.

Thursday: “Francona embraces rival Torre” An article about school rivalry could be written in response to this story. The rivalry between Needham and Wellesley means a lot to the students at Wellesley High School, and this could be compared to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. The article would probably be written as an opinion, because there is no specific event occurring regarding our sports rivalries, but it would make for an interesting article. The writer could poll students and record their feelings about rivalry, and his or her article would be in response to these opinions.

“Investigation a rarity in Ivy League” This article is centered on the Harvard men’s basketball coach and former Michigan basketball coach, Tommy Amaker. Him and his team have been recently accused of violating NCAA recruiting rules, and as a result, the team is being investigated. This would make Harvard only the fourth Ivy League team to be investigated for NCAA violations since investigations began in 1953. An article that is based upon this story could be written and also be related to Wellesley High School’s athletic history. Have we ever violated MIAA rules? When and why? These are a few of the questions that the writer could find the answers to while writing the article.

Friday: “Punching the time clock” This story is about a heavyweight boxer, John Ruiz, who is still continuing to box at the age of 36. An article could be written for the sports section about how sports will later benefit our lives. A feature or opinion could focus on the difference between individual sports and team sports and/or staying athletic after high school. John Ruiz obviously found something he has a passion for, and this will allow him to remain athletic for a very long time.

“Papelbon gets $775k from Sox” Papelbon, the successful, young Red Sox closer, just signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox. An article could be put into the paper about the greed involved with professional sports and how it affects the players. The article could include a brief description of the event and the average pay for professional athletes and a comparison between this and the Wellesley High School athletics. Why do our athletes play? Is it passion for the sport, the merchandise or a Varsity letter for colleges to see?

Justin Kauffman 1/12/08

While I critiqued the Bradford using the CSPA Judge Book, I became aware of both negative and positive aspects of the Bradford, which I had never thought about before. The packet highlighted numerous things that the Bradford needed to improve on; however, none of the problems the Bradford faces are irreversible. The first thing I noticed was that the dullness of the articles located on the first page. The first page of the paper is supposed to capture the eye of any person and make him/her want to indulge in a sit down reading session. The reality of it is that the Bradford has simple headlines and pictures on the front page, and none of them really provide any life to the paper. The typical Bradford picture is a person featured in the coordinating article merely smiling for the camera. In addition to this, the pictures are not of the best quality, yet I know this is a more difficult problem to fix. The articles, pictures and headlines on the front page of the paper should be the ones that the majority of the high school population could identify with or be interest in. The timeliness of each issue is another problem that negatively impacts the Bradford. The interval between each issue is about a month and a half. As a result of this structure, the articles included in the paper are less attractive, because over time, they have become outdated, and it is not possible for the average reader to be intrigued by them. I feel the class should be centered on solely writing articles without the interruption of other long term assignments. This would allow our class to spill out articles at a higher rate and potentially maximize the amount of issues released every school year. The Bradford needs to respond more effectively to the voice of the student body. We should post signs around the school to influence others to write letters to the editor, and the letters we receive should be printed in the paper. If we do this, we should also add a little side note to each letter, stating our opinion on each reader’s response. The Bradford does, however, manage to exclude a bias from most article, and I think this is an essential aspect of journalism. I feel it is unfair to limit the content of the Bradford to topic matter, which affects the school. Many more people would read the Bradford if we were to broaden what we write about. I know this might be against policy, but there are certain aspects of everyday life that don’t pertain to the high school and would attract a wider audience. For example, Boston sports teams are at an all time high, but we fail to mention them in most issues. Contrarily, these criticisms are not the basis of my opinion of the Bradford. I am only trying to constructively mention the flaws of the paper to improve it. The Bradford has gained popularity over the years I have been in it. People have started asking me where to receive an issue or how to subscribe. This is shocking, because the Bradford use to not be taken seriously. Since the class has based its curriculum on journalism as a whole, the paper has improved tremendously.

Tuesday Assignment: Entry 1 http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2007/12/casino_hearing.html Justin Kauffman ’09

1. There are thirty words in the first paragraph lead. 2. There are seven paragraphs in the entire article. 3. The average paragraph contains approximately two sentences. 4. Numerous questions were answered by this short article on The Boston Globe website. What did Deval Patrick have to say in his testimony about gaming in Massachusetts? What was his argument? Where and when was this testimony given? Who else spoke at this hearing? 5. What initially sparked this hearing? Are people attempting to build casinos in the Boston area? Is this solely about Massachusetts’ history or a current issue? 6. The Bradford could potentially include an opinion on this issue, because it really does not have any connection to the high school. The writer could comment on what impact this hearing could have on our state and interview other students to receive their opinion. 7. The article is not confusing, but this is the first I have heard about this story. Where did this surface from, and why does Patrick feel the need to give this testimony? I would have a reaction of more depth if I knew the answers to these questions.

Stealing changes the ease of a WHS school day Justin Kauffman ’09

The Wellesley High School Administration has recently shut down the locker room during school hours because of the recent complaints from numerous students about their personal valuables being stolen. Many students have come to the office seeking immediate help, because these school rules do not have any set regulations. The locker room commonly opens up for gym classes, but as the block comes to an end, kids come to realize they are locked out without their book bags and no regular clothing. “It’s ridiculous. I show up to gym, and the school prevents me from getting to class. It doesn’t make sense. I’m not going to steal something. I’m just trying to change,” junior Nick Sullivan said. The school prevents students from getting into gym class late or even leaving because of these few thefts. Is it not enough to tell the kids to lock up their expensive stuff, like iPods and cell phones? “We’re being treated like little kids. My things have never been stolen. You know why, because I lock up my iPod and my other expensive things that I bring to school. If you don’t have a lock, than don’t bring things that people would steal to school. It’s that simple,” sophomore Casey Tanor said. People steal iPods, cell phones, wallets, and even blue jeans that are simply lying around, and students have the easy ability to prevent these items that people would consider essential to their live from being stolen. “I don’t care how many people steal stuff. I need access to the locker room, and that’s all there is to it. I keep my most important things in that locker, when the school blocks me from it, I get angry,” senior Robbie Stacks said. People keep their lunch money in the locker room, so when second lunch rolls around, and the locker room is locked, people go hungry. The main complaint from students on the new rules is that after this thefts, it is really hard to trust any fellow student or the faculty. Furthermore, that it is nearly impossible to get into the locker room late.

Justin Kauffman Journalism October 14, 2007

Introductory Book Letter #1

__When the Press Fails__ is a journalistic novel about the Iraq War and the role it played in the events, which essentially defined George W. Bush’s first term. It actually describes instances in the history of press and journalism in which the media was unable to successfully report the most essential details. These topics range from the War in Iraq to the aftermath of Hurricane Katarina. W. Lance Bennett, Regina G. Lawrence and Steven Livingston compiled a novel that focuses on the relationship between political power and news press. They attempt to answer why this “essential pillar of democracy” failed during monumental periods of our history, such as the months after 9/11, the buildup that resulted in the Iraq war and time of the Abu Ghraib scandal. Numerous ideas surface in the introduction of the novel and the few chapters following. Bennett and his co-authors claim that the Bush administration used a system that Irving Janis described as groupthink. This is the idea that certain individuals in places of power are convinced of their own beliefs and force others to accept them, cutting off an aspect of the media. They use the example of Bush’s Mission Accomplished speech to develop their idea on the disguise politicians manage to cover up events with. In May of 2003, Bush landed on an aircraft carrier in a pilot suit and delivered a speech, assuring Americans that the war in Iraq was a success. The speech was given in a dramatic manner, and the staged event was well decorated. The result was an uninformative outflow of media coverage. The decked out fashion of the speech drove the exposure of it to be “not about whether the war was really over (it wasn’t), or even if there was reason to think that things in Iraq were going particularly well (they weren’t). The story was about power in Washington, and in particular, Mr. Bush’s mastery of the imagery of success” (37). It’s now evident that the War in Iraq was not over by this point, and it would linger on for a few more years. This is the first novel I have read with a focus on the subject of Journalism; therefore, I don’t have any other journalism book to compare it to. The novel elaborates on current media topics, and it is not typical for me to read books, which pertain to present events. The English Department picks famous literature for the curriculum of the class and rarely decides to study timely novels. It is intriguing to read a book that touches upon events, which I have been alive to be an indirect witness too. It allows me to connect more personally with the novel. The authors’ style is understandable, and they are able to develop their arguments in well focused literature. Unfortunately, I do not understand every single term or simply haven’t heard of them. The reason for this being that the novel is addressed towards an older crowd, which has more knowledge of the journalism business than I do. Despite the challenging vocabulary, I am able to comprehend the majority of the content because of the novel’s structure. Bennett, Lawrence and Livingston introduce each idea or topic in a brief paragraph or section before they touch upon the issue in greater depth. There are numerous lessons I could take away from __When the Press Fails__. The most essential lesson is the idea that it is extremely effective to challenge the basis of your own society. The Bradford is a macrocosm of the larger, mainstream journalism industry, and during the three years I have taken journalism, it has been a challenge for me to go against everyday topics. Commonly, I simply accept things the way they are set out in the school without challenging the system and bringing its flaws into focus.

Justin Kauffman Journalism October 14, 2007

Book Letter #2

It is extremely difficult to cover the entire plot of the novel, because the authors elaborate on each topic in depth, while continuing to make important points. At the beginning of section two, they describe the impact of photographs in the media. They label the photographs received by specialist Joseph Darby to have had potential to be “iconic” (72) because of their sheer reality. The pictures revealed numerous accounts of U.S. officers torturing prisoners in cruel ways. Once the media obtained Darby’s pictures, a uproar began: “Ultimately, thousands of photographs accumulated at the offices of CBS News, the //Washington Post//, and the //New Yorker//. The included images of degrading treatment of prisoners, including building pyramids with their naked bodies and leashing them like dogs…” (72). The authors use this example to further their argument about the impact of media involvement in significant events. Midway through the novel I have come to understand that many people benefit greatly from the right to free speech granted in the Constitution. Previously, I felt that this right was just there, and it was a necessity. I came to the realization that I was ignorant. I was aware that anyone had the right to say what they desired, but the authors’ of this book go further than just speaking vulgar language or making obscene statements. They challenge the motives and actions of the Bush administration, the group of people that run our country. Scandals arise when famous people direct insults or criticism towards the federal government, such as the Dixie Chicks member, who claimed Bush lacked the ability to run a country efficiently. The three authors wrote a complete book about the errors that Bush and the people working for him have made since 2000. Without bringing my personal opinion of the issue into play, I feel this takes an immense amount of courage to write a book against the president and publish it in a country, which voted for him to stay in office for two straight terms. By writing this book, many people could be driven to hate the authors because of their outlook on the relationship between the media and the power politics of this country. The authors frequently use charts, graphs and tables as effective tools in __When the Press Fails__. The visual aspect of these graphics increases the intrigue of the novel. For example, their explanation of the media’s role in the Abu Ghraib scandals contains numerous tables and charts, which highlight the contents of nationwide articles on the Abu Ghraib issue. They benefit from the use of line graphs and tables, which expose interesting data that they were able to uncover about the media coverage surrounding the scandal. In addition, the arguments are also supported extremely well using various examples. They use mainstream newspapers such as the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times. This usage of popular media sources proves that the errors made by the media are not coming directly from inexperienced companies but from some of the most respected newspapers in the country. Up to this point, I find __When the Press Fails__ to be an appealing piece of literature. It demands the understanding of numerous concepts and ideas; however, it is not impossible to wrap your mind around them. The authors also provide fairly convincing evidence that furthers their points. __When the Press Fails__ brings certain things that I would never have even questioned into a critical perspective. For example, although their ideas pertaining to the Iraq War seemed farfetched at first, I was gradually convinced because of the author’s voice and influence. I was not completely aware of what was occurring prior to our invasion of Baghdad, but it seemed as if I only got one side of the story. The authors of this novel make a valid point when they say that the Bush administration successfully manipulated the media into presenting information in a one-sided fashion. It was uncommon to hear someone ask, “Do you think there are actually weapons in Iraq, or is the Bush administration telling lies?” The population of America merely recognized this information as truth. Following our entry to the war, people brought the conflict into a different light; however, many people overlooked any early questioning of the Bush administration’s plan.