There is no end...

To say that long-form journalism is dying would be the same as saying books, novels and storytelling are also on their way out - it's just not true. Despite the fast-paced society we live in, there is still a need for this drawn-out, lengthy, descriptive type of writing. Maybe it won't be the first story that business men and women choose to read in a hurry on their way to work every morning, but it is the read of choice for those that have the time to sit down and enjoy a good story. Some of the best stories we've read in class this semester - Nightmare on Greenleaf Circle being my favorite - have been long-form journalism pieces. These works have the page space to captivate readers through detail and imagery in order to make the story come to life.

I think there needs to be a balance of writing styles available to readers. News stories appeal to people who need to get informed on current events fast, whereas long-form journalism serves the purpose of entertaining, and really drawing on emotion. I definitely think there is a place for long-form journalism down the road. Maybe it won't be on the cover of The New York Times, but it will certainly have a place in Time, Vogue, or even Runner's World.

The Future of Journalism

No one can argue that journalism isn't changing. In my lifetime there has been a huge increase in the number of platforms that disseminate news. Newspapers and TV news have been supplemented by online media corporations, newspaper's online sites, even Twitter can break news. However, long-form journalism and its stories are here to stay.

Investigative reporting will always be necessary in our society. As long as people continue to read novels and books, they will continue to read long-form journalism. Long-form stories help present the writer's research in a way that intrigues the reader. People also like to read for pleasure, and long-form stories - whether in a magazine, newspaper, or online - can provide this.

However, people today do have shorter attention spans. Therefore, long-form stories will be held to a higher standard. The stories must be well-written, thoroughly reported, and interesting in order to gain readership. Journalists should take the changing market as a challenge and work to create stories that the public will have to read.

Long Form Journalism

As an English major, I need to believe that long-form journalism is going to live. Long-form journalism is the middle ground between the newer short-forms of writing and the traditional novels. In today's fast-paced world, it's becoming rarer and rarer that people, especially adults, take the time to sit down with a novel. Long-form journalism is a way for readers to still be able to enjoy a story with some flair without having to dedicate hours to it.

Now that I'm writing my own piece of long-form journalism, I'm also developing a new sense of respect for journalists who do that type of work. I don't think I ever considered how much research has to go into a long-form piece. It has certainly been a learning experience for me.

Short-Form leading to Long-Form

When I tell people that I am majoring in journalism, some of the first responses that I often receive are "Don't you know that journalism is dying?" My response is that journalism is not dying but rather the print forms of certain types of journalism are dying. My belief is that long-form journalism will remain but only in certain forms. For newspapers, I think people want to know what is going on in a shortened, condensed form. Therefore, long-form journalism for newspapers will not be very successful. Once people read the shortened form, they may decide that they are more interested in the subject and would like to continue to learn more about the subject. Only then will they look to the longer form. People just don't have time to read the entire newspaper cover to cover every morning. Personally, I read the headlines and decks on the newspapers and if something grabs my attention, I will continue to read the article in its entirety.

Magazines are a different story. I believe that magazines, rather than being purely informational, are a source of leisure and pleasure. Most people don't pick up their magazines every morning with their cups of coffee. Instead, magazines are a way for people to relax and read about things that intrigue them. In general people expect to read longer forms of journalism when they pick up a magazine. Magazines have different sections of shorter and longer forms of journalism. Therefore, if someone really does not have time to read a full article, he can read a shorter piece to satisfy him.

When I came to college, I had no idea what I was going to major in. I wrote for the Brown & White my second semester freshman year and decided that I loved journalism. That one experience is comparable to the shorter form which led me to the longer form of taking on journalism as my career down the road. Overall, I think that shorter forms of journalism will lead people to the longer forms of journalism.

It won't end

Long-form journalism will still have a place in the news in 30 years - it has to.

Think about it. Watergate unfolded through long-form investigation. How else would we keep checks and balances? Journalism is the fourth estate. Reporting must go into detail. How else would we keep track of who in the government is pulling wrong doing?

And if long-form journalism doesn't exist in this same form, it must morph into something that keeps up with technology. This is easy - the web is updated immediately.

Long-Form Journalism

I have to agree with Alyssa that I don't think long-form journalism is going to die out altogether, but it is becoming less popular. Now-a-day, people want the most amount of information in the least time-consuming way possible. This is why facebook statuses and twitter updates are so short. It seems that people really don't like to take the time to read long winded articles.

That being said, sometimes I do enjoy reading long articles, if it is about a topic I enjoy learning about. If a story if truly compelling, I find myself wishing it were longer and longer and I am always wanting to know more. Unfortunately, the stories that are usually most compelling are ones that stem from some sort of tragedy. Long-form journalism is best suited for stories with a climax and many interesting stories, in my opinion.

I think that long-form journalism will stay around, because there are always people who want to read it. However, the present generations are becoming more and more interested in getting their information in as few words as possible. In my opinion, both long-form journalism and short-form can coexist! There can be articles that sum up what happened in a few lines, and others that provide great detail where needed.

Long-Form Journalism

In today's age, teenagers and young people are captured by a world of go, go, go, where they expect everything to be done at lightening speed. Their cell phones must have 4G, they must have high-speed Internet, their Tweets must be under 140 characters... Does all of this relate to long-form journalism? Perhaps. In my Media and Society class with Jeremy Littau last semester, we discovered that only 4 our of 55 people in the class read the newspaper on a daily basis. When asked who reads articles that are Tweeted, or posted online, most people raised their hands. Is this because our generation is so used to consuming our media quickly? Perhaps.

If we transfer this to journalism, it could be easy to predict that long-form journalism is a way of the past, or will be very soon. If the print newspaper industry is dying, and the only way for it to survive is online, then it's safe to say this is happening to the journalism industry, as well. But the key to online is that articles must be more pithy, more brief and shorter. So how can long-form journalism survive in a world where newspapers and journals can only survive online? I don't think it can.

Journalism- Is Long-Form Dying?

     I feel that long-form journalism will survive, however it will not be as popular or as commonly read. When someone is especially interested in a topic, they will take the time to read more in-depth information about it. There are times when it is necessary to uncover details and learn about something beyond a 140-word summary. However, I do realize that I find myself getting a little bored after a few pages of a long-form journalism article if it does not really, really draw me in. I find myself more interested in reading fiction when it comes to reading long peices.
     Especially in the case of investigative pieces, long-form journalism is important. For example, last semester a journalist who uncovered the injustices of the Philadelphia court system spoke to my class. His articles prompted people to make changes in Philadelphia because he drew attention to the issue. There will always be a need for that type of long-form journalism, because a short summary of the injustices would not be enough. The journalist needed facts and tons of support and sources to make his case and stand up for his findings against an entire court system.
    Although Twitter can be useful and interesting, especially because it supports being concise and only saying what is necessary, it cannot provide the facts and details necessary to prove certain points, nor can it tell an in-depth story or describe a scene to the extent that you feel like you are there.

Interview Framing

If I could redo one of my interviews for my final piece, I would go back to my interview with Dr. MJ Bishop, an expert in instructional media with an Ed.D. in educational technology. We had to reschedule our first interview because I was sick, and when we finally did meet in her office at Iacocca Hall, I was still getting over laryngitis and could barely talk. 


My horse voice, however, wasn't the main impediment in the interview. I am researching the detrimental affects of technology and social media on teens and was hoping that Dr. Bishop could shed some light on this subject. But, Dr. Bishop has devoted her life to developing technologies for learning in and out of the classroom, she believes technology can serve as a benefit to our kids, and thus was very hesitant to discuss technology or social media in any negative contexts. During the interview Dr. Bishop acknowledged that yes technology can have pitfalls, but despite my pointed questions, would not discuss or elaborate on these issues. I can use her interview to add a new angle to my piece about the positive affects of technology, but was disappointed I couldn't get any juicy tidbits about technology and media's unfavorable side in the interview.


Instead of going back to interview Dr. Bishop, I will interview one of her colleagues that she referred me to. I can work with my questions so that they can better extract information about the negative side of technology and media without the interviewee feeling as though they are betraying their work. This may be a sizable challenge.

Interview Ease

In general, my interviews have gone very well. Most of the questions that I have asked are the same, based on whether the person I am talking to is a student-athlete or the organizer of the program. Because of the nature of the questions, the interviewees have had a lot to talk about in terms of their experiences abroad and what they have gotten from the programs. I found in general that student-athletes were more excited to talk about their trips than the organizers. However, when I spoke to organizers about what inspired them to found the organization, they were very passionate about sharing information with me. One difficulty that I have had is in talking to people with religion as their basis for going abroad to volunteer. These religious people continually emphasized the importance of God and spreading the Christian faith. While I think it's great that religion brings them together, it was hard for me to relate on that matter and continue with follow-up questions to get the answers that I was hoping for. Otherwise, the interview process has been a great success!

Interview Progress

My interviews have been going well. I would say that my only complain is that it's difficult to get anecdotes out of my subjects, since there typically isn't a "story" behind their food. While most people love food, and everyone consumes it every day, many don't think about the specific tastes they've experienced, and many don't know how to describe a meal with anything other than the words "tasty," "good" and "delicious." My biggest challenge is getting my interview subjects to open up about the sensations they experience when eating a meal. I plan to go back and re-interview many of my subjects to get that necessary information.

Interview Intervention

When i first started my article, I decided to do a trend piece in which I investigated whether studying abroad has become more of a semester-long vacation, or has stuck to its roots of providing students with a unique cultural and education opportunity. With this in mind, I went into my first interview with all of my questions related to this topic. They included questions such as, "What made you want to go abroad," "What did you hope to accomplish while you were abroad," "How did you spend your time while you were abroad," "What classes did you take abroad," "What is your major," "How was the location/language of your study abroad destination related to your major," etc. As you can see, all of these questions were slanted in a way that I hoped would elicit responses which told me that the student went abroad for enjoyment purposes. As a result, my first interview did not go very well. My interviewee was an Economics major that studied abroad at Oxford University for an entire ear. I learned that his study abroad experience was solely about getting professional internship experience to boost his resume - not for "vacation" purposes whtasoever. I should have done more research beforehand to find out some deeper background information about my interviewee. Even so, I ended up getting a lot of information about the abroad experience as a whole. It also turned out to be beneficial because most of my interviewees revealed that they, too, went abroad for purposes other than leisure and vacation. As a result, I changed the direction of my article into a how-to piece about everything you need to know about the abroad experience. Ultimately what I learned is that it is important to go into an interview with an open mind, and without the intent of soliciting preconceived notions of what you think or want the interviewee to tell you. The remaining of my interviews went much more smoothly, and I got a lot of great feedback!

Interviewing

Because I switched my topic from engaging in your college town to a profile piece on Godfrey Daniels, I'm way behind on interviewing. To date, I only have one interview completed, but I'll have two more done by the end of the week.

It turns out that Godfrey Daniels, the little local music venue down on 4th Street next to the Funhouse, is actually a non-profit organization. They've been around since 1976, and there seems to be a very rich history there.

My first interviewee, a member of Godfrey's board of directors, was extremely helpful in many ways. He's been involved with Godfrey's since the 1980s, and he was able to give me quite a bit of background. He also pointed me toward two sources--one of which has the potential of being a jackpot. John Gorka (a pretty famous folk musician) started his career at Godfrey's while he was a student at Moravian, at one point actually living in the basement of Godfrey's. I've already contacted him through his Facebook page, and he's gotten back to me. We're in the process of scheduling an interview.

This all said, I'm definitely looking into getting a tape recorder for my upcoming interviews. I know it takes more time in transcribing it, but I know it will be worth it in the long run.

Final Project

After completely abandoning my original idea about investigating how advertisers are now using social networking websites to behaviorally target their audiences, I decided to go down a road I have always enjoyed more: service piece. Two summers ago, I interned for Alloy Media & Marketing as an online marketing intern. Part of my work was blogging for them and the blogs I posted were all, essentially, service pieces. I remembered how much I enjoyed giving advice,  and I am very happy with my change in direction.

In addition to changing the type of piece I'm writing, I also drastically changed my topic. I will now be writing about Bethlehem's Best Eats, and looking into the top ten best restaurants on the north and south sides of Bethlehem. Personally, I love food. I love going out to restaurants and I love fine dining. I'm excited that I'll be writing something I have a passion for.

Now that I have a new and better direction for my piece, I have two main challenges:

1. How do I make this evergreen piece relevant to March 2011? How do I make it unique and stand out and how can I write a piece on the best restaurants without being repetitive? I'm sure someone's covered this topic before, so I need a new, fresh angle.
2. How do I find "expert" sources in this matter? This isn't like an "academic" topic, where I can find professors who are experts in the topic. It's more about opinion. I suppose I could ask a "food expert" but because it's so specific to this area, I'm unsure if looking for one on HelpaReporter.com will be helpful.

Overall, I'm pleased with my new direction, but I hope I can get some great advice on the challenges expressed above.

Interview oddity

Not much to say about this interview, but since the CEO of College ACB wishes to remain anonymous, I was unable to schedule a phone interview with them. Instead, I was given the option of G-Chat.

It's just interesting to see how interview subjects are now trying to enforce transparency in the journalism industry. That subject has the same interview transcript that I do.

But nonetheless, it was an incredibly insightful interview. Learned a lot about the site and its plans for the future.

Interview on a time crunch

The interview I wish I could go back to is one I held with Silagh White, administrative director of ArtsLehigh. She is heavily involved in both the Lehigh and Bethlehem communities and has worked along side Andy Po on many occasions. Because she is invested in reinvigorating South Bethlehem in a way similar to Po, White offers an important insight and opinion. I've spoken with her several times in the past about a few topics, so I knew what a good interview she can be.

Unfortunately, she was unexpectedly busy the day my interview with her rolled around. Instead of going up to her office with her as usual, she sat in the waiting room with me after walking in the building. I could strongly sense her urgency, so I stuck to structured questions I thought were most important and asked relevant follow-ups only a few times. A typical interview with White is very conversational and filled with stories and opinions. This one included the stories and opinions I needed but about a third as much content as she usually offers.

She thanked me for being conscious of her time crunch and was on her way upstairs before I could pick up my bag. I don't know exactly what I should have done differently because I got all the information I needed, but maybe there's be more if she could have talked longer. I'm considering scheduling a second time to talk with her if necessary toward the end of my interview process. 

Final Paper Progress

I have interviewed a friend of my main source and I have an interview set up with my main source for Thursday. I e-mailed three people who I found out through articles that have been written who are involved with the STEP program, and only one of them got back to me saying she would forward the e-mail to the right person for me to speak with. I hope to get some responses soon.
I feel that during my interview with my main source I can get a lot of really useful information about new sources. I plan to interview his parents, a friend of his who also went through the program, and his adopting family in Scarsdale. I will get all of those contact numbers when I see him on Thursday, and I think then I will really be able to move forward with sources.
My problem is connecting with the people in charge of the STEP program, which I am hoping will not be too hard to do once I get one person to respond. I want to bring a professional aspect to my paper, and show that my writing is reliable.
I need to brainstorm more about where to pitch this article, but so far I think Scarsdale papers and Lehigh local newspapers. I am also looking into education magazines.

On Tap profile progress

After completely abandoning my original story idea, my final article is finally coming together. I first was going to write about graduating seniors choosing to go to grad school because they were unable to find jobs. My student sources fell through, and I realized as a whole the article lacked direction and focus. Most importantly, it was boring, and my best stories are always those I am passionate about. Over spring break my friends and I went on a cruise from New York City to the Bahamas. While a week on board was enough for us, we wondered what it was like for the employees who spent months living on the ship. This is when I remembered On Tap. A acapella quartet that recently was hired to perform on Celebrity cruise lines. They set sail at the beginning of last summer and returned in January. I had heard them perform several time at Lehigh before they left, and they truly are an exceptionally talented group. I want to tell their story.

There is usually a collective gasp from the audience when On Tap starts singing. I remember during my sophomore year, we paid five dollars for them to sing to my roommate in our apartment’s living room on the morning of Valentine’s Day. They sang Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” and my roommate started crying. They tend to have this effect on women. This has only made me more intimidated for my interview with them tomorrow afternoon.

The most important part of the interview will be getting at much detail as possible about their time on the ship. I want to tell a story that shares all aspects of their experience on board. The most difficult part of the interview will be getting a sense of them both as a group and as individuals. I will be interviewing all of the together, which will provide an additional challenge. I’m excited to hear their story, and think they will be good interviews/profile.

Final Project

For my final project, the biggest issue has been finding a diversity of sources. My article idea is to write a service piece on waking up in the morning and staying awake during the day and being productive. The biggest difficulty has been finding diversified sources. It is easy to find sources that are students or people with opinions, but it is more difficult to find professional sources or people who know more scientific viewpoints.

I feel like it will strengthen my article to have many different sources including someone who can provide their professional opinion. I will continue to look for sources and email as well as looking for helpareporter.com.

Final Project Development

For my final project I am doing an investigative piece on what teens and adolescents really do with their time and how much of it is spent using technological devices. I hope to explore what effect this technology use is having on the young teens. Are they becoming more social through use of social networking sites and communication applications? Or, is this large dependence and use of technology creating a habit of excessive and ineffective multitasking in some teens?

I have already interviewed a few teens from my community at home. In their interviews they told me what I had suspected, that they spend lots of time on various technologies and they couldn't imagine what their lives would be like without these technologies. Though I got great quotes and useful information from these initial interviews, I hope to go back and interview these kids again after I have talked to child education and psychology experts. I also think I need another group of sources besides kids and developmental experts, I was thinking that I could interview the children's parents about their thoughts on their kids' technology use.

Scheduling has also been a difficulty for me. The experts at Lehigh are very busy, but I hope to meet with a couple of them in the coming weeks and get their thoughts on the connections between technology and learning, specifically how teen use of TV, computer, and internet technologies are affecting their thoughts and interactions.

The piece has started off well, I have a solid idea, a few sources, and plans to meet with experts, but I know I have a lot more work ahead of me. I'm sure the experts I talk to will bring great insights to the topic and enhance the piece, I am interested to see how the shape of my piece changes after I talk to them.

Final Paper Progress

My final assignment is a sort of reported trend piece. It's about how student-athletes are traveling overseas during the summer to do community service and teach the sport that they are passionate about. I am also searching to find the deep reason for why students are doing this and what is making them able to do so, financially, time-wise and opportunity-wise.

It seems that when the assignment was first given, I was very steadfast on getting interviews lined up and following through with them immediately. While I have completed three or four interviews already, I am finding it difficult in coordinating time-wise to get other interviews in. I have two people that I am needing to interview, but we can't find a time that works because they are busy with their lives and work and I am busy with my life and work. That would be my main difficulty is scheduling.

Other than that I am making good progress in getting anecdotes and quotes from my sources. I have talked to student-athletes who have gone on these trips and also people who are in charge of running the trips. I guess the only source type that I would be missing is a more professional source that guides student-athletes on what to do over the summer or a more reputable person who could give me statistics and such. That's all for now!

Final story- Tattoos and addiction

For my final story, I am writing a trend piece on tattoos and addiction. My idea is that many college-aged or twenty-somethings are getting tattoos, but not just one or two. I know several people that fall into that age group who got their first tattoo when they turned 18 (I can't lie, I did, but I only have one..), and a few years later haven't stopped decorating thier bodies with the permanent ink. One friend of mine has two almost-sleeves (not completed..yet) as well as several tattoos on his calves and chest. He is only 22. Another girl I know has about 10 tattoos in various places on her body, the biggest being a flower that covers from her shoulder down to her elbow. She is 23. I have a few other people in mind that I would like to interview as well.

I have only interviewed one of the two of them, but I have another interview Friday. This weekend I am also going to interview someone I work with at home who used to be a tattoo artist in his old town (he's 20-something too). I would like to ask him if he has notice the trend too, and if he would see the same people coming back for his artwork or to get tattoos done.

I also plan to talk to a tattoo artist. I was going to go to the place where I got my tattoo, but I found out they are closed down when I tried to go there right before break.

As far as other sources I plan to talk to, I want to get in contact with a psycologist or health official to talk about the down sides of getting tattoos. I put a request on Helpareporter.com for that. I also had a thought that I might be able to talk to an older adult who waited longer to get tattoos (like in their 30s) to get their opinion about tattooing today.

So far I am behind in the interviewing, but after this week and next, I should be almost caught up. I am still looking for possible sources, so if anyone knows someone who might be good to talk to, let me know.

Progress on Profile of Po

Progress on my final piece is going at different paces in different areas of my research. I intend to write about Andy Po, owner of Homebase Skateshop on 4th Street and impressive human being. Gathering information has been going smoothly. Dozens of articles on him and his projects within the Bethlehem community have been written and provide useful information. I also follow his shop via twitter, which has proven useful to understanding his current daily life. I have spoken to people who have worked alongside him, whether on the Skateplaza along the South Bethlehem Greenway or another project, as well as a Lehigh student who in familiar with him. I’ve also visited the Skateplaza and plan to go back. (I recommend stopping by. It’s an interesting piece of Bethlehem, if you’re interested.)

What is going in a less optimistic direction is my contact with Po, the man I plan to profile. He seems happy to help me out but is far busier than I anticipated. He prefers to meet before the shop opens, which works for me and is totally understandable. However, he is extremely involved in the community in addition to running his own small business and just can’t be as prompt with his responses as I, and probably he, would like. A few times I have suggested a meeting date to which he responds after said date has passed. I really like and usually rely heavily on other sources close to the topic, but in this case I just need a few hours from Po. I have input on how the community responds to him and how a few individuals feel about him and his efforts, but I need to know how he feels about all of those things or my piece will be quite lacking.

I’ve stopped in the shop at what always seem to be busy hours, so Friday I intend to get someone to cover for me at work and go in right at opening to catch him before customers do or he gets down to business. I would use this opportunity to solidify dates and time at which I can stop by, so I don’t take up a chunk of his business day without warning and avoid any further miscommunication.

Every girl's go-to magazines

After locating the magazine rack in Lehigh’s bookstore, I was instantly drawn to what was already familiar: Cosmopolitan. It’s bright and bold and mentions a lot of articles on the cover. I’ve never subscribed and read it only when I find it in front of me, but I inevitably feel very familiar with it. I have actually seen the issue on the rack floating around my house for a few days already. What has made me so familiar is definitely the consistency of magazines. All look nearly identical to me, and I have to flip though issues of Cosmo to figure out whether or not I’ve read it or not because I can’t tell by the cover. The stories really seem the same in every issue, and sometimes I swear the same girl is on the cover for months in a row because the issues blend together so much. But, somehow, it’s always an enjoyable read, so it will continue to grab my attention.

My initial reaction to Cosmo led me to observe the other magazines similar to it, like Glamour. All of these magazines seem to be formatted just the same and differ primarily in coloring. Cosmo is usually the boldest, and Glamour seems to have a cleaner, whiter cover. These magazines clearly make up a section that utilizes the draw of a beautiful woman on the cover to sell copies. From now on, I plan to take note of the consistency of the other magazines like Cosmo to determine whether they all get away with publishing basically the same stories monthly. I don’t expect the look to change. Fonts and coloring contributes to what keeps readers like me coming back. I just wonder how similar these magazines are aside from in appearance, because they all seem like slightly altered versions of each other upon first observation.

Fast Company

As someone who is not aggressive unless necessary, I ended up passively standing outside the mass of people surrounding the table of magazines until everyone else had chosen. Not a mistake I’ll make again.

I was left with Fast Company. This is not a magazine I’m familiar with because business is not quite my forte. But I didn’t mind because all the cover stories seemed appealing. Sure, I’d like to know the 50 most innovative companies, learn something about why time-consuming Facebook is no. 1, and discover whether Hulu or Netflix is predicted to come out on top. All relevant to me. I also liked that I recognized the man on the cover, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerbrg.

However, I do not find the cover particularly eye-catching, and the front and back cover have a feel to them I really don’t like to touch.

First, I flipped through the unfamiliar magazine just to get a feel for it. The ads are boring. I also quickly noticed that I recognize a majority of people or products featured. When I started reading more closely, I learned that the big recognizable pictures and catchy headlines didn’t always represent the articles’ main messages, which were usually more boring than I might have guessed. I like this tactic because it sparked my interest in articles I would probably overlook or ignore otherwise.

For a business magazine, I enjoyed Fast Company more than expected, but I don’t plan to sit down with another issue if I have options any time soon. I have certainly read far more drab business magazines that include almost only information I don’t understand or have no interest in whatsoever. Articles in Fast Company covered everything from the business side of Facebook, fashion, food, entertainment and technology. While I’m likely to read about all these topics from other sources, I usually only gain the social or entertaining perspective. I was able to read about things I’m interested in but not what I consider most interesting about them. I’m just not a business kind of person, but I could see this magazine enjoyed by those who are as a quick, light read.

Favorite Journalist/Author: Both

Mitch Albom is a favorite of mine, but I will begin with my general affinity for journalists turned authors. This was discovered accidentally in several instances when I learned about the author only after reading the book. May be just coincidence among these authors, but it is the writing style that grabs my interest before even becoming absorbed in the book. Admittedly, I have not read more than one piece of work by most of these writers, but I feel like the trend is strong enough to stand by. Whether it is the style with which these authors write, the topics they choose to explore or my now conscious interest dictating my inclination toward journalists turned authors, I plan to begin seeking out books by such authors.

My most recent reads of this sort were for a non-journalism class. John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge wrote The Right Nation, and Hanna Rosin wrote God’s Harvard. Both books are political, and all authors are also jourmalists. While Micklethwait and Wooldridge maintain a nearly completely objective standpoint and Rosin lets her opinions seep into her writing, research and interviewing techniques are very evident in both books. I enjoyed identifying this and the credibility and purpose it lent to both pieces of literature. Also, Christopher Hitchens is a writer for Vanity Fair among other sources to which I believe he usually contributes columns, as well as the author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. My progress in reading this keeps getting interrupted but I continue to go back to it. His experience as a journalist shows through in the book’s arguments and evidence. All three of the afore mentioned books make points I agree with and others I don’t, but I enjoy reading all of them because of how they are presented and all the information that comes with them. I credit this to a journalistic background.

Finally, also a journalist and author, Mitch Albom is a long-time favorite of mine. I first took an interest in Tuesdays with Morrie because I’m interested in anything my dad suggests. Then, my interest grew when I took the liberty to learn why he wrote this book, as well as his others. I find Albom’s choice of story intriguing and sometimes inspiring. His style of writing is different than the other journalist turned authors I mentioned and enjoyable for different reasons. His books are easy to read multiple times and provoke thought with each read. The combination of his story choice and writing style is something I respect and will continue coming back to as he continues to put out books. Not to mention, his journalistic ethical slip up created further intrigue about who Mitch Albom is, and I think some of that comes out in his stories.

Anonymity: a gift and a curse

For my final project, I'm dealing with college gossip websites like College ACB and what anonymity online means for the future.

My biggest roadblock? My sources want to take a cue from that website and remain anonymous themselves. Yikes.

The new CEO of College ACB wishes to remain anonymous (I even had to interview "him" on GChat through GMail). My student sources also wish to remain nameless due to the sensitive nature of the topic. While the nature of the CEO's wish can be overcome (Higher Ed and even UPenn's student newspaper both had to interview under the same circumstances - it's a universal thing now), I'm having a great deal of trouble finding students who are willing to discuss the website under their own name - not being referred to as "undergraduate student A" or "undergraduate student B."

Does anyone have any suggestions or know anyone who would be willing to speak on the record about College ACB? Been asking around with social media, but so far, no luck!

Final Article Progress

Unlike Ally, unfortunately, I'm making very little progress with my research. I wanted to write a how-to piece about ways college students can make the most of their home away from home--the city or town their college is in. Because this idea was inspired by the relatively poor relationship between Lehigh and Bethlehem, I wanted to focus on local schools in urban settings such as Lehigh, Moravian, and Lafayette. I started with a list of a handful of people that I really wanted to include in my article, and contacted all of them, thinking that following those interviews, I would branch out to students, local businesses, and residents to hear their opinions.

I hit the road block right away. Out of the six offices and individuals I e-mailed and then called, I only heard back from one. We scheduled an interview (finally thinking I was getting somewhere!), and I was stood up. I e-mailed him asking to reschedule, and I haven't heard anything yet.

At this point, I'm thinking it's time to go back to the drawing board. I'm worried that if I start from scratch I'll fall behind, but I also don't want to risk the same thing by clinging to my original idea.

Current Status of Feature Article

So far I've made good progress on my feature article. The trend I am investigating is studying abroad, and whether it has become a semester-long vacation for college students rather than an academic opportunity. I have interviewed students of all different types: boys, girls, students from Lehigh as well as students from other schools, students who studied abroad in various countries, students who went abroad for a summer, for a semester, and for a year, and students who went abroad for different reasons (internship experience, cultural exploration, language acquisition, enjoyment). I have also consulted with the study abroad office, study abroad offices from other schools and college counselors, all who have given me great feedback about trends and statistics of students going abroad nowadays. I began my article thinking I would come to a general consensus at the end about students nowadays studying abroad for pleasure, as opposed to educational reasons. As I researched however, I ended up not being able to generalize this at all. From the students, parents, and counselors I talked to, I gathered a wide range of reasons, aside from enjoyment, about why students were increasingly traveling abroad. Therefore I'm changing the direction of my article ever so slightly to make the focus more general, so that it encompasses all of the reasons why students are going abroad today (I am no longer focusing on just the enjoyment aspect). Overall I am happy with the progress of my article!

Spring!

"529 News Spring Looks" was the title that caught my eye. It was written in bright yellow text, which screamed spring even more, so I picked it up. The magazine with this catchy headline was none other than the March 2011 People Style Watch. Although I skim People magazine when I am at home, I was sort of surprised that this was the first magazine that grabbed my attention.


As much as I tried to look at the other magazines sitting on the rack with the People Style Watch, the others looked dull. I could not relate to the headlines on other magazines, and didn't have any interest in reading about anything Charlie Sheen related. And let's face it, who doesn't want spring to get here a little faster?!

On the cover alone, topics of great bargains for under $100 or under $10 caught my eye. Even though most of the story headlines on the cover of the magazine are evergreen stories, there is something really refreshing to read about the newest fashion trends that we will see in the spring.

So while this magazine isn't something I have never purchased before, it trumped all of the magazines that focused on diets, Justin Bieber and country gardening.

Look at me

I saw two really good reasons to pick up the 2011 swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. Just kidding, I’m being crass, but seriously it is a hard magazine to miss this time of the year. While all other magazines are running the same old “Get flat abs,” Secrets to a slim stomach” and “Tighten that tummy,” Sports Illustrated is blowing them away in sales by staying simple. The cover features that year’s selected model, suggestively posed in a teeny tiny bikini. The cover is bright, colorful, the rest of the text is small and black besides the magazines name which is well hidden behind the models face and flowing hair. So much so that you almost forget it reads “Sports Illustrated.” Sports? Really? Because this looks more like an issue of Cosmopolitan or Shape than an issue of one of the manliest magazines on the market.

It really is a genius concept, and as much as my inner feminist cringes at the air brushed photos of nearly nude women, the journalist in me gets excited. In today’s dying print industry, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is one of the best, if not the best selling, issue of any magazine. Each year about a million copies are sold. Since its debut in 1964 the swimsuit editions alone have grossed over $1 billion dollars, according to CNBC.

It’s not just the magazine that does well this time of the year but also the models, the swimsuits, accessories and photographers involved. Being features in the swimsuit edition is a fast way to boost anyone’s career. Not only because sex sells but because of the quality of the photographs taken in exotic locations. So sure, while its easy to turn up my nose at the overtly objectifying concept, I gotta say, it works.

What's the story behind the covers?

Magazine editors and designers spend weeks -- sometimes months -- conceiving and executing their covers. And thousands of dollars. At Runner's World, for instance, our photo editor is on a plane each month to oversee the shoot of our cover. Often she spends two to three days on location -- in LA, or Portland, or NYC, or Miami -- making sure every detail, from the lighting to the backdrop to the shoelaces on the shoes the model is wearing, is perfect (or as close to perfect as possible). Then, once she is back in the office, she must go through hundreds of shots in search of the one that will go on the cover of the magazine.

And then she has to wait to see if her work -- her effort and time and precision to detail -- pays off.

That pay-off comes when we get the sales reports from Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart and other big retail chains. We get weekly reports for each of the four weeks the magazine is on the newsstand. We can tell pretty quickly if we have a winner or a clunker. And you want winners because, obviously, sales drives revenues which drives profits.

Losers, well, drive everyone nuts.

And the line between a winning cover and a losing cover can be the 5 or 6 seconds someone like you -- the consumer -- has to glance over a row of magazines at a newsstand. Magazine editors and designers spend hours and tons of money on their covers. You spend seconds.

It can be maddening.

But as intense as it may be, it's what drives the creative energy at pubs: To come up with the cover that will draw a reader to the magazine, and entice him or her to spend 4 or 5 or 7 dollars on it.

It's kind of cool.

For a look the stories behind some of the most successful covers of recent years, check out this link.

http://www.magazine.org/asme/about_asme/asme_press_releases/2010-best-cover-winner.aspx

Apple Rules the World

As I perused the magazine section at the bookstore, my eye was instantly drawn to the sections that I often look at - the fitness section, the food section and the gossip section. Instead of picking one of those up, I took a step back to be able to absorb the entire picture. While the picture often only includes the three sections that I read, it now included sections from cars to politics to technology.

Since I was venturing into a new territory, I decided to pick up a magazine with lots of simplicity. Mac Life has a white cover with very few words and limited pictures cluttering the cover. Often the covers of magazines have a lot going on, perhaps because the editors of the magazine want to convey to their readers that the magazine has a lot to offer. However, the editors of Mac Life took a drastically different approach.

My first thought of why the magazine is so simple is because they are saying that Macs are simple. By saying Macs are simple and their advice on Macs is simple, they may hope to attract an audience of technology amateurs. As I perused through the magazine, the main content of the magazine was how-tos including 10 for Macs, 5 for iPhones and 5 for iPads. Not only were the how-tos very applicable and general to the common user, some of the questions that were answered were questions that my mom had asked me about the iPhone. These pieces were written in very simplistic manner with step-by-step guides on how to do one thing or another on your Apple device.

I don't own a Mac so why would I pick up a magazine called Mac Life. One reason was to see whether the magazine included information about other Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPod and iPhone (which it did). Another reason was to see whether it would intrigue me at all. Surprisingly it did. One main difference between Mac Life and the other magazines that I read on a regular basis is the mere appearance and set up of the articles. Mac Life is more systematic and doesn't include as much creativity in how the articles are laid out. While it was fun to pick up something new, I'm sorry to say that Mac Life can not expect to earn a dime from me.

Oh Em Gee - It's the Biebs

Have you been to the Lehigh bookstore recently? It's had a major face lift.  The Market Place, a food and convenience store across Campus Square, has since closed its doors and relocated to the bookstore and taken the place where the magazine racks were.  I had some difficulty finding the new location of the magazine rack (it's now to the left of the stairs near the best sellers).  When I found the magazines, I was pleasantly surprised many covers caught my eye. Perhaps because it's February and SI's swim suit issue is obviously dead center on the rack. The swim suit issue did not however divert my attention away from Vogue, featuring Lady Gaga on the cover, with of course, a new hair style making her barely recognizable. It did not surprise me that several magazines featured at least one Kardashian sister - those girls really know how to market themselves!  

One publication I've always liked, but never had the opportunity to read is Rolling Stone. This month features Justin Bieber with an edgy new hair cut. I'm stunned! In my opinion,  "The Bieber Fever" is based primarily off his tween looks and long, flowy shag hair cut. Naturally, I picked up the magazine to check if the article discussed this pressing "issue".

"The adventures of Super Boy: God, girls and boat loads of swag. How Justin Bieber went from Canadian YouTube oddity to the biggest teen idol in the world". A long deck and headline for the feature article, but appropriate. On page 56, the feature confirms my previous accusation; "The hair of the Biebs is a whole article in itself. It's a pleasant hue, made up of all the colors found in hay, and as luxurious in person as it appears on screen.". Ah, this description is music to my ears (pun intended). The article also discusses The Bieb's rise to fame via YouTube and Usher, his " relations" with Disney star Selena Gomez (jealous) and his brand new Range Rover, which he received for passing his road test ... Last week (just kidding!) 

Aside from the Bieber feature, Rolling Stone covers a variety of topics, from an article on Wall Street to upcoming Indie rock artists. I always struggle to keep up with music trends inside the Lehigh bubble, so I benefit from this magazines' input. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to this publication in the future.  

Marie Claire

Sometimes, when I find myself with an hour or so of free time, I head to the Lehigh Bookstore, grab a magazine and read it over coffee. I usually choose between Vogue, Cosmo, and Seventeen. This discretion comes from trying out numerous other fashion, beauty, and style magazines and finding these three to be my favorites. I choose between the three depending on who is on each cover and what is featured in the month's issue from reading the blurbs on each cover. Before I shopped, I knew I would be buying one of those magazines, only rarely would the cover of another entice me enough to stand at my local drug store or airport and flip through its contents - and even then I wouldn't buy it.

Today I was determined to be objective and find a cover that really enticed me regardless of the name at the top of the magazine. I stood for a while, looking at the rack and judging the magazines that caught my eye. Okay's colors and fonts made it too hokey, too trashy. Rolling Stone was a little better, but it just seemed too brash and masculine for my taste. Finally, Marie Claire. I knew who was on the cover - Miley Cyrus - but what really struck me were the colors, type, and layout of the cover - it was truly elegant and alluring. The colors on this cover were done very well. The blue in background made me think of the cold winter, which is still very much a part of February. Miley was wearing a yellow chiffon dress signaling spring, which has been peeping through the winter for a day here and there. The red - which highlighting specific articles - helped topics stand out, but didnt overwhelm the cover. The crispness and beauty of the cover made me think that the magazine took their layout seriously, and suprisingly, this made me want to read more.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised at how much a cover can affect one's desire to read a magazine. I guess it is obvious - covers are in many ways the most important part of magazines. The cover is the potential reader's first impression. They are the magazine's chance to grab your attention and say "You have to read me!" However, I was struck by just how much respect I had for Marie Claire because it produced an elegant cover, which stood out to me on the rack of tens of other magazines. The cover begged me to read on - and I did.

Simple Really Is Better

I always hesitate to visit the magazine section of the bookstore because I almost always end up spending $20 on magazines that I don't really need. Unfortunately, reason goes out the window the second I see those glossy covers and I usually gravitate to the magazines before I even satiate my thirst for a warm cup of coffee.

This week when I walked into the bookstore, the magainze that caught my eye was surprisingly one with the simplest of covers. I don't know whether I was drawn to it because it happens to be my favorite magazine or whether it stood out to me in a sea of magazine covers dominated by photographs.

This was the magazine that really caught my eye! Something about the simple white background contrasted with the bright blue dress (and one of my favorite actresses, woo Modern Family) drew me to it. Of course I had to buy it and devour it!

I was surprised that the tabloids or other magazines weren't the first thing my eyes were drawn too! The placement on the shelf of this magazine was actually right at eye level so that might have had something to do with it to! Either way, it was simple and the color scheme on the cover really worked for me! SHAPE did it right this month because I walked out with that magazine!

Simplistic Styles

Magazines can be overwhelming. Standing in front of the rack at Lehigh's Barnes and Noble, I felt like my eyes were being torn in every which way by the busy covers. Allure wants to tell me "What's Beautiful NOW" and Women's Health says, "SHRINK YOUR BELLY," among a multitude of others. Most of them have attractive women on the covers with differently sized and colored text surrounding them.

Amidst all this visual stimulation, my eyes kept wandering to one specific magazine. A magazine with a trademark yellow border. National Geographic.

I tried to look away. I fought myself. "I don't want to write about National Geographic," I thought. "It isn't any fun."

But that yellow border sucked me in. And it wasn't just the yellow border, I realized. Unlike most of the other magazines, National Geographic's cover was distinctly minimalistic. The cover image was a fox's face, centered, against a snowy white background. The very top of the page lists three articles inside. The magazine's title follows, centered. Finally, the headline and deck for the cover story. The bottom half of the cover is completely devoid of text.

I don't know if it's just because I hadn't eaten anything yet that morning, but that simple cover was much easier to swallow than the others.

With that said, I don't believe National Geographic put any less thought into their cover than any of the magazines. In fact, they may have to deliberate even more. With such minimal information on the cover, they have to be absolutely confident that their main story will be able to draw in readers. In this case, I would say they succeeded. The cover story, "Designing the Perfect Pet: Can a fox become man's best friend?" will appeal to just about anyone who has a pet, and that, of course, is a large number of people.

Spine Chilling Cover

While awaiting the arrival of my chai tea latte at the Barnes Noble at the Lehigh Valley Mall, I began to run my eyes across the various covers lying on the racks. The magazine that popped out with an abnormal intensity was the cover of W Magazine. This magazine is often known for its sophisticated take on fashion, style, and the art of living. W is supposed to fee both the eye and the mind, which it certainly did to me as I raced my eyes across the racks.

I have browsed over W Magazine before, however, I have never purchased or truly even read any of the articles in depth. My mom has always subscribed to W and previous covers had never drawn me to the magazine before. This one was different. This cover consisted of the actress Rooney Mara covered in punk apparel with bleeding knuckles. All of the writing across the cover was written in whites and reds, which made them jump out against the mundane grey background.

What really drew me to this magazine was the imagery versus the actual articles that existed within the edition. When usually looking at a fashion magazine cover, one is used to looking at color, high fashion, delicacy, etc. However, for this cover, the theme resonated more with a dark and bone-chilling feeling. It was shocking to see a woman portrayed in this manner on the cover of magazine; luckily after glimpsing through the magazine itself, I later learned that the cover was portraying Rooney Mara’s character Salander. I certainly will not be surprised if this edition sells out pretty quickly!

BIG Hair for a Big Magazine

While running my fingers over the stale paper magazines, listening to the pages ruffle as I brushed my fingers over them, I was prepared to find a political magazine, or a news magazine, as the assignment was to chose a magazine I didn't typically read. As I wandered down the rows of wooden magazine shelves, tearing my eyes away from the provocative and stimulating covers of Elle, Vogue and Seventeen, I was caught by surprise when I found myself stopping in front of New York Magazine. My parents read New York Magazine, and so, by default, what's left of the rebellious teenager in me refuses to read what my parent's generation values. But, in this instant, I was captivated. Known for covering the style, life, politics and culture of NYC, this magazine was a far stretch from my typical lazy Sunday afternoon reading about Kim Kardashian's new sex tape scandal, or "Beiber Fever." Yet, the cover lured me in.

On the cover, was a seemingly naked woman, except for a small denim fabric which covered her chest, with the biggest hair I had ever seen. This hair could kill. Literally. It was as if an entire flock of birds perched on her head and made a nest. Her hair must have been taller than her torso. At 5'2", Jessica looked 5'9". It was fantastic. It was fashionable. It was outrageous. It was provocative. For those reasons, I stopped at this magazine.

I don't think I even realized that the magazine was the typically mundane and socially forbidden New York Magazine until I got past the woman's outrageous hair. I also didn't realize that for as out-of-character it was for me to be picking up this type of magazine, the woman on the cover was actually someone who would typically appear in my normal magazines of Elle, Vogue and Seventeen. The woan on the cover, Jessica Simpson, was breaking her norm of only appearing in gossip, fashion and tabloid magazines, so why couldn't I break my norm and pick up New York Magazine once in a while? Well, thanks to this assignment..perhaps I will!

Billboard Magazine

A magazine cover that caught my eyes, above all others, was the February 2011 issue of Billboard magazine. There weren't as many colors, like the other magazines. The only colors were the coloring inside the letters of the title "Billboard" - simple: red, yellow, and blue. But the contrast of those simple colors with the black, whites and grays of the rest of the cover made it stand out.

The writing was not crowded or overdone. In large letters, all I made out was GAGA. I was immediately interested. Her outfit was crazy as always. A long black cape looking outfit with some sort of giant hat extending from her head (forming the "i" in "billboard") Her shoes looked like something I had never seen before - impossible to walk in, definitely.

It really was not the content of the magazine that attracted me to it, but the simplicity of the format coupled with the craziness of what made up the design. The phrase "less is more" definitely applies here, especially when working with someone who already commands so much attention like Lady GaGa. Nothing else should be trying to compete with her for attention on the cover!

Elle Magazine, Katy Perry Cover

When I strolled over to the magazine rack in the Lehigh Barnes and Nobles, the first cover that immediately caught my eye was Elle's. I have never read Elle before, but the cover was shocking. It is an image of Katy Perry in a bright green jacket, bright blue shirt (with her matching blue bra showing), gold belt, and bright purple pants. Her lipstick is also a bright pink shade.

I thought this portrayal of Katy Perry was really interesting, mostly because she usually does not pose with so many layers of clothes on. Elle is also a fashion magazine, and her outfit seems to completely and totally clash. However, Perry is definitely making a statement by wearing this outfit. She is a huge star right now, and her album is one of the top albums in the country. Elle is sure to get a lot of attention because of this cover.

When I picked up the magazine, I could not believe how huge it is. It has about three times as many pages as the other magazines and it is more expensive. As I started flipping through the pages, I realized a ton of them are advertisements or just pictures of women posing in fashionable outfits. Many pages seemed like a waste to me. However, the cover was enough to get me to search for articles within the magazine. For example, the cover says "The real reason you hate your looks (and how to get over it)." A lot of college girls, including me, would be really interested to read into that. I read the article and it was interesting and relevant.

I am not sure that I would buy Elle in the future, just because it is expensive and a lot of the fashion items do not interest me, but I do think the cover was attractive and the setup was easy to navigate.

Noticing the difference

As I wandered over to the magazine rack at the bookstore, the first magazine to catch my eye was Nylon.

It wasn't because Leighton Meester (who I secretly enjoy watching on Gossip Girl - oops, guess that's out of the bag) was on the cover, but because it was a different spin on the magazines of the same niche that were there.

Nylon takes the typical Cosmo-esque fashion/women's issues magazine and gives it a modern spin. The publication is more artistic than most, as it uses color and font in creative ways, instead of the normal sans serif headlines you would find in Glamour or Marie Claire. The big stories were still high-fashion like the others, but the way their items were placed on the page was so refreshing. It wasn't textbook.

But the only problem was that because it was so different, it was a bit hard to read. After reading all sorts of magazines that followed the same format, it was hard for my eyes to follow (maybe I just need glasses). The font used was a bit different, but so small for what it was in the editorial photo spreads.

So, the difference is there. While the artistic value lies in its pages, I'm not so sure I'd want to substitute that content for the easy to follow, sameness of the other magazines I've read. Perhaps after some time, but change is weird for the eye.

An Eye-Catching Cover

Among the racks of magazines at the Barnes & Noble in Campus Square, Miller-McCune caught my eye. Not a publication I read, or have ever even heard of for that matter, the cover was something I could not overlook. Pictured was a [cartoon] baby seated in a high-chair. In its mouth was a cigarette, with an older male's hand (father figure) reached out lighting the baby's cigarette. On the table was a bottle of prescription drugs and in the baby's hand was a bottle of alcohol. Naturally, this image would stop anyone in their tracks. After I grabbed the magazine I proceeded to read the headline: "The bad daddy factor. The overlooked connection between male behavior and fetal health."

I was so interested in this cover and its subsequent headline that I decided to read the entire article. I ended up learning about how the behavior of males, not just females, can influence a baby's health. Men who work around heavy metals, mercury, and pesticides, for instance, are more likely to produce sperm with the wrong number of chromosomes. Men who smoke, and drink alcohol and caffeine are also more likely to produce sperm with abnormalities.

From browsing through the pages of Miller-McCune I learned that its focus is on health, psychology and the environment. Although I'm not about to subscribe to Miller-McCune, I am much more likely to pick up a copy the next time I'm in a Barnes & Noble. This goes to show that an attention-grabbing cover or headline can attract just about any reader... even those who have never heard of the publication before.

A Few of Your Favorite Things – And Least Favorite

Some insightful observations on the world of magazines. Taking a page out of Real Simple, I’ll try to simply categorize what folks liked (and didn’t like) about their particular magazine choice:

Courtney on Real Simple

Liked: Simple content that serves to provide the reader solutions to everyday problems.

Disliked: Where are the longer, deeper stories?

 

Alyssa Gerety on People

Liked: Had its own “diction”. Its own voice. Plus, the magazine lived up to its name: It tells stories about People, often succinctly.

Disliked: Nothing much.

Gina on Time

Liked: The photography. As Gina puts it, “Some [photos in Time] are tragic, some are humorous, and all of them come with a high emotional impact. The goal of photojournalism is capturing the essence of the story in a picture.”

Disliked: Not much in this particular issue.

Michelle on Cosmo

Liked: Pages like “Cosmo at a Glance” and “Hot Sheet” that deliver a lot of info in a short amount of space. She also writes, “People like me buy this magazine to escape, to relax, to feel pleasure in reading about light topics in a world of heavy and serious ones. To me, Cosmopolitan is a guilty pleasure.”

Disliked: Not much in this issue.

Loulou on Entertainment Weekly

Liked: That it appealed to a target audience of movie buffs. The imagery was appealing in some cases.

Disliked: In some cases, the imagery overwhelmed the magazine

Alyssa Gutjahr on Fast Company

Liked: A couple of stories, one on China and one on Haiti. Otherwise...

Disliked: A lot of that the stories did not seem very stimulating and a cover that “I do not like the feel of... Literally.” (Nicely put.)

Jackie on Time

Liked: The cover is compelling, and sidebars to the cover story (on the Tucson tragedy) that relate to society beyond the Arizona city. The overall graphics, too.

Disliked: Confusing front-of-the-book layout.

Ally on People

Liked: That it fulfilled “its niche to entertain and to appeal to audiences fascinated by Hollywood.”

Disliked: People’s “lack of substance was quite apparent.”

Adrian on Men’s Health:

Liked: A “double cover” (which MH will use maybe twice a year) and some “interesting longer articles” that were difficult to find because of ...

Disliked: A confusing layout, made more difficult by the number of ads.

Sarah on Real Simple:

Liked: A simple layout with a wide variety of content.

Disliked: Lack of in-depth pieces. “This magazine would have benefitted from some balance of its content – a few more investigative or narrative pieces and a few less guides and lists.” Also, that a page of recipes had been ripped out. (Sorry, my wife snagged it.)

Debbie on Inc.

Liked. That it appealed to a particular nice audience.

Disliked: That right now that niche (business people) doesn’t include her.

Megan on Time

Liked: The Briefing section. Great way to catch up on the news.

Disliked: Aspects of the design. Headlines used the “same bold, boring font” that “gives the magazine a business feeling.”

Nick on Fortune

Liked: How the graphics and photos brought life to a staid topic.

Disliked: Not much (at least in this issue). -- Charlie

All About People

I’ve read People Magazine before. It’s so easy to skim through magazines like People, US, and Cosmo without really analyzing what you're reading. I was truly intrigued when I took a closer look at what is contained within People.

Most stories in the magazine were around 150 words. Theses pieces were anecdotes or stories to describe current events surrounding celebrities, they took the form of short profiles, news stories, updates, and reviews. There were also more developed stories that were a blend of profile and news. In this issue, these stories followed starlets down the aisle in under 500 words. Also included within the magazine were a few harder news pieces that got a little longer in the their word counts. They were still about people, but they followed harder news lines, went more in-depth, and didn't necessarily have to be about celebrities. 

One aspect of the magazine I noticed – that may seem rather obvious – is that it was about people.  In other magazines, news stories may focus on events or trends, but this magazine was heavily focused on people – mostly celebrities – and their stories.

Another facet of People that struck me was the diction used within the magazine. The magazine has its own style when it comes to diction, employing words that reference fashion, sex, or pop culture when describing many of their somewhat commonplace pictures of celebrities. They include play on words such as “aww-inspiring” when talking about things like celebrity’s babies. This diction is something that makes the magazine unique and fun to read.

Real Simple Solutions

Real Simple is a magazine that I've picked up many times before, whether I've been sitting at the doctor's office or perusing magazines at the newsstand. The magazine consists of short pieces that are mainly service and how-to pieces. However, something I've never noticed is the common theme weaving among all of the pieces - there's a solution.

Real Simple. While the magazine is simple in its layout and design, it is also simple in its content. All of the pieces serve to answer some question or problem that many women around the world are asking. Writers suggest how to transform ordinary day things such as packing peanuts into garland or doll up your house with a variety of different colors depending on the mood you want to create. They address homey things and also culinary questions. For example, how might one create a yummy snack out of ordinary nuts? Real Simple has the solution!

Another thing that amazed me was the fact that the magazine can take something as ordinary as toothpaste and write a piece on it. The pieces in general tend to feature lots of products by using comparisons between them and distinguishing what makes one better than another.

While the magazine is nice and aims at making your life simpler, it lacks any long pieces or out-of-the-ordinary pieces. Everything is predictable, which is good but lacks excitement.

The Other Half

Photographs.

For me, photographs are the saving grace of magazines. Yes, the articles can be interesting, but overall, I would prefer to read a novel. Magazines are too busy and often hard to navigate. I couldn't tell you how many times I've opened a magazine in a waiting room and spent five minutes trying to find one of the cover stories.

Novels, though, don't have photographs. In the January 2011 Time magazine I picked up, the cover has a full-page portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma. I barely noticed the title "The Fighter" as an afterthought after being captivated by the portrait. Time, unlike fashion magazines, doesn't seem to airbrush their cover models. You can see Suu Kyi's wrinkles, her pores--individual eyelashes. Her eyes, so brown they're almost black, compelled me to read the article more than any head or deck ever could.

The rest of the magazine follows suit, complementing articles with photographs. Some are tragic, some are humorous, and all of them come with a high emotional impact. The goal of photojournalism is capturing the essence of the story in a picture. Taking that into account, I'd call this issue of Time a success, at least for the photographers.

My Guilty Pleasure

As a college student, I often find myself with my nose buried in thick, boring textbooks with size 8 fonts and no pictures. When reading a magazine, all I want to do is relax and get lost in a world of designer clothes I can't afford, vacation spots I can only dream of and celebrity love-lives I wish I was a part of. For me, magazines are less about reading and more about entertainment.

Cosmopolitan is one of the best-selling magazines for teenagers and young adults. It covers topics like celebrities, love, life, sex, health, beauty, man and fashion. These topics are easy to find, and listed in the front of the magazine to give readers an idea of what's to come.

The most useful page in the magazine for me, however, is the "Cosmo at a Glance" page, which focuses on the most important topics being discussed and briefly expands on them with small illustrations, photographs and captions. It's a great way to get a taste of the meal before you eat it.

Another one of my favorite pages in the magazine is the "Hot Sheet" page, which discusses recent trends in the entertainment and media industry. In the issue I was examining, Cosmo explored dress fabrics, spooky sequels and cyber styling. This page gives readers like me a quick insight into emerging trends which might be explored throughout the issue.

An article which I really enjoyed reading in this issue of Cosmopolitan was the interview with celebrity Lauren Conrad. With technology like photoshop, and the prevalence of libel and rumors, celebrities often have their images shaped in unpleasant and unwanted ways. It's refreshing to cut through all the rumors and hear the story from a celebrity's point-of-view, which is why I enjoyed Lauren's interview piece.

People may say that magazines like Cosmopolitan are junk, and that they don't explore real-life, important issues beyond celebrities and fashion. This may be true, but no one ever bought Cosmo to learn about current events or politics. People like me buy this magazine to escape, to relax, to feel pleasure in reading about light topics in a world of heavy and serious ones. To me, Cosmopolitan is a guilty pleasure.

Entertain Me

Being a movie buff, Entertainment Weekly popped out on the table filled with tens of titles staring back at me. I have always briefly scavenged through this magazine in hopes of finding a few good reviews of movies or a new hit tune to listen too. This particular issue was devoted to 2010 entertainers and their influence in the entertainment business, a very intriguing topic for me.
At first glimpse, when skimming through the magazine quickly, I noticed how much imagery was present in the magazine. Almost all of the articles had full page images of profiles,movie sequences, even the advertisements took up many full pages. Certainly images are important in a magazine like this, however, they seemed to take over a little too much.
One of the articles that really stood out to me was the Social Network article in which the cast of the feature film was discussed. For each character, you read a quote and a "Why Him/Her?" It gives you a different persepctive on the process of choosing characters for a movie.
In general many of the articles were very short, either interviews or a quick recap of the entertainer's past year.
Although Entertainment weekly is not a magazine I would purchase per say, I recommend it for any movie goers or tv buffs out there.

Fast Company

I picked up the Fast Company magazine because I had never even heard of it before, and decided I should give it a read. The first thing I noticed, however, is that I do not like the feel of the magazine. Literally. It has a rough back and front cover, unlike the smooth shiny paper material of most magazine covers. 

This issue is based around the discoveries made in China, one of the most innovate countries in the world. I think this is an interesting idea. However, there are a lot of tiny articles in the magazine that I don't find interesting at all. 

One saving grace is a half-page picture of a woman in Haiti, in the middle of a disastrous area of rubble in a community devastated by the earthquake, standing with towels balanced on her head. But she has all of her attention focused on the cell phone in her hand. This article is about the technologies that help better deliver services to Haitians. It is extremely interesting, and this picture is very colorful and human.

The other articles I don't find as interesting. There is an article about ordering flowers from a new and upcoming company, but the flower arrangements are extremely expensive so I don't find it that relevant. There are many articles about "fake" Facebook pages that started in China and may surpass Facebook in numbers, but I do not find it that interesting because it probably will not affect me at all. 

There are at least six pages in the magazine that are just completely text, with no pictures or any deviation. It looks extremely boring and monotonous to read. I do not love this magazine, although it did have a few interesting articles. 

Time: Surprisingly Enjoyable

I often find myself picking up Time magazine and simply flipping through and glancing at the headlines, and putting it down again. However, every now and then, including this issue of Time, I find myself truly interested in several of the articles.

The cover is simple, reading "Special Report: Tragedy in Tucson," the title "Time," and then "Guns. Speech. Madness. Where we go from Arizona." It features a picture of the Arizona gunman with his a maze drawn where his brain is and a question mark in the center. This cover was very compelling because it is something that I think the entire nation is interested in learning more about, and it shown in an attention grabbing way.

The article about the tragedy in Tucson is rather long, but since it is on a topic that is incredibly important, and it is written in a way that is easy to read yet very informative, I found myself able to make it through the entire thing, a rare occurrence with Time articles!

Time doesn't just include information that directly relates to the tragedy in Tucson, but also indirectly related articles. For example, an article is written about dealing with grief and myths about grief in the wake of tragedy, an article "Are We Becoming an Uncivil Society?"

One complaint I would make about the magazine is the layout of the front of the book articles. Although the content was very informative, it is laid out in a way that is confusing and makes it difficult to know in what order to read the stories, or to tell the difference between stories, ads and random bits of information.

For a magazine that is mostly serious in content, I thought they used graphics very well. The pictures and graphs helped to break up the larger stories. Overall, I enjoyed reading this issue of Time magazine!

People: A Guilty Pleasure

Eyeing the pile of magazines on the table, I was immediately drawn to People. While I do enjoy a leisurely read of The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal from time to time, I don't always have 1-2 hours to spend on such lengthy papers. That is why I prefer People, and other similar pop-culture oriented magazines, on any given day. Whether I am about to embark on a 5-hour plane ride or sit down for a manicure, the world of celebrities, fashion, and glamour is what I choose to entertain myself with. I guess it's really no surprise though, considering I am interested in pursuing a career in public relations and entertainment media.

While I was reading this one particular issue of People it occurred to me just how superficial the magazine really is. Granted, People doesn't pride itself on being the most newsworthy publication out there. Even so, its lack of substance was quite apparent. The two biggest stories featured in the issue was a 6-page spread of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding-in-the-works and an 8-page spread on the "Sexiest Man Alive" Ryan Reynolds.

As for the rest of the magazine, advertisements consisted of perfume, men's cologne, hair and beauty products, jewelry, cell-phones, iPods, and cars. The [few] remaining articles discussed the best dressed celebrities from the latest award shows, as well as reviews of recent TV shows, movies, and CDs.

I personally think there is nothing wrong with a magazine lacking a lot of substance. Its niche is to entertain and to appeal to audiences fascinated by Hollywood. For me, I get my hard-core news and current events updates from sources such as the Web, The Times or USA Today. But that is not to say I can't enjoy a guilty pleasure such as People, US Weekly, or In Touch, on the side.

Tough Read

I'm the type of guy that likes it when a magazine is easy to read and digest. This is why I'm such a big fan of Rolling Stone. They start with short stories about what's trending in music, you then go on to the feature well and end with reviews.

When I picked up the December issue of Mens Health in class, I did so rapidly, not because I thought it was the best one since it was on top of all the other magazines, but because I've always been curious to see how it is structured and what kind of stories it runs. I can't say I'm a huge fan of magazines that are almost entirely made up of how-to pieces.

The huge amount of ads make the layout of the magazine confusing. The headlines should also be bigger so that people can get an idea of what each story is going to be about. The fact that Mark Wahlberg was on the cover, and that the story didn't run more than 4 pages made me wonder that had I'd paid for the magazine on a newsstand, I wouldn't have gotten my money's worth. The good stories weren't advertised in the cover, so it wasn't until i flipped through every page of the thick magazine that I was able to discover some interesting reported features.

What I probably liked the most about this issue (I don't know if this is something Men'sHealth publishes on every issue) was the double cover. The back cover featured a tech guide for 2011. And while tips on how to improve my health didn't appeal to me as much, the guide was actually really interesting and helpful.

Real REAL Simple

Despite living with four guys, I do have a domestic side, which is why I reached for the copy of Real Simple to examine. At first I was impressed with the layout and images. The thick magazine is broken into sections like beauty, health, home, money and food. Food was by far my favorite, the bold pictures and simple recipes especially appealed to me. (Even though, I have to say I was disappointed to find a page of recipes ripped out!)

There was a lot of information stuffed into this magazine, from kitchen gadget I didn’t even know existed to money saving tips, Real Simple really had it all. I understand the allure of this magazine, the layout makes it simple for reader to find what they are looking for and fast. However, I was not impressed by the content. After paging though the magazine cover to cover I noticed a lack of quality content.

As the lifestyle editor for The Brown and White, I have quickly learned the difference between content that takes time and content that is placed in a fluff or filler. The excessive amount of top ten lists and how-to guides along with the difficulty I had finding longer features made me think the editors of Real Simple are just real lazy. This magazine would have benefitted from some balance of its content – a few more investigative or narrative pieces and a few less guides and lists.

Maybe my attitude about Real Simple is because I am not the target reader. I could see myself with a subscription in ten or twenty years when I have a family and just want to know what the best way to clean my laundry room is or incorporate grey tones in my living room and don’t have time for 3,000 word features. But as a young reader looking to enter the journalism industry I demand a little more substance in my magazines, or at least a few more words.

Perfection in "Imperfectionists"

I may be one of the worst English/journalism double majors in the history of academia. My mantra until about a year ago was, “Yes, I study literature and writing, but I hate to read.” So what changed? Somewhere in London, my high school mentality of “if you make me do it I will hate it” disappeared. I discovered the classic texts of my Romantic literature, Shakespeare and American literature classes stuck around for the past few centuries for a reason. Amazingly, when I sat down to tackle the works of Austen, Shelly, Keats, Twain and Shakespeare it didn’t hurt, no tears were shed and I actually enjoyed reading. To be fair, breaking a twenty-year-long abhorrence does not happen overnight, but my mentality was definitely altered. The summer after my return from abroad I read more books by my own accord than I had since I took on the entire Harry Potter series in one month.

I find myself drawn to authors I can relate to: specifically contemporary Jewish authors and journalists turned authors. My favorite is Mitch Albom, as evident from my stained and worn copy of “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” He is both a Jew and a journalist, so how can I help but love him? I am drawn to his style; it is easy to read, conversational, yet complex and emotional. I always walk away from his books with a mind full of bubbling question and new perspectives. Even though his background is in sports writing, Albom tackles difficult topics such as death and faith. He tackles them in a way that is not preachy but beautiful and always open for interpretation by the reader.

One of my new favorite books and writers comes from another journalist, and I encourage any journalist, anyone who has worked in a news room or even just read a newspaper to pick up a copy. The author is Tom Rachman and his novel is “The Imperfectionists.” I must confess I am about 100 pages shy of finishing the book, because I suffer from the common affliction of college students involving a guilty feeling associated with reading material other than the thousands of pages already assigned for classes. From what I have read so far, all I can say is this book is amazing! One of the best books, if not the best books I have read in a long time. What makes it so special? Not only does he recreate the landscape of the journalism industry for the past forty years spot on, but he takes the deadline crazy, in-your-face news business and makes is personal. The structure of the book is unique in that each chapter tells the story of one member of the staff of an English newspaper based in Rome. In between each chapter are a few pages telling the story of how the newspaper came to be.

There are moments in this book so real and heartwarming they I have to stop mid page to appreciate the genius of the writing. It is so easy for writers of any genre to fall into the trap of following clichés, I am not exempt from this. Stories have been told for centuries, so finding ones that have not been told before is rare. But Rachman brings a level of creativity to his novel that I did not expect, given his journalism background. I don’t think anyone who read this book would be disappointed, but I think it would be even more difficult for a journalist not to appreciate and relate to it.

Allure where there is none

When everyone else rushed up to the table and grabbed a copy of one of the magazines Professor Butler had brought, I hung back and waited for the chaos to clear before I took one of the leftover publications.

What was left? All business-themed magazines. While I find the business world interesting, I would in no way ever consider subscribing to a monthly business magazine like Inc.com Magazine, the one that I picked up solely because Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets, was on the cover. And that's what got me thinking.

That's the clear allure of the magazine industry itself, as opposed to what brings someone to a particular magazine, whether it be the quality and style of writing, photography or design. People go to magazines in general because they're targeted to a specific niche. While a newspaper targets either a specific locale or large populace, a magazine seeks out those interested in a specific topic.

In a newspaper, those interested in sports are limited to either a pullout or the back few pages. Anyone interested in theater gets Arts and Leisure or the features section. But there are no limits in a single magazine devoted to those topics. The entire issue is devoted to discussing the topic of choice and at hand.

What appeals to one person doesn't necessarily appeal to another. They can dive right into their interests with no distractions (in this case, stories about things the reader is uninterested in). A business magazine may not necessarily "allure" me, but it does plenty of other people. Quite frankly, I would have rather had gotten my hands on Time or People.

That's what makes the industry so great: choice. Those who got to the table earliest had the greatest number of choices. But that's not essentially how the real industry works. You can always buy another copy.

So, Inc.com didn't allure me. The thought of my disinterest in it did.