Matching Items (24)
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- All Subjects: journalism
- Creators: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm
- Creators: School of Politics and Global Studies
Description
In recent years, advanced metrics have dominated the game of Major League Baseball. One such metric, the Pythagorean Win-Loss Formula, is commonly used by fans, reporters, analysts and teams alike to use a team’s runs scored and runs allowed to estimate their expected winning percentage. However, this method is not perfect, and shows notable room for improvement. One such area that could be improved is its ability to be affected drastically by a single blowout game, a game in which one team significantly outscores their opponent.<br/>We hypothesize that meaningless runs scored in blowouts are harming the predictive power of Pythagorean Win-Loss and similar win expectancy statistics such as the Linear Formula for Baseball and BaseRuns. We developed a win probability-based cutoff approach that tallied the score of each game once a certain win probability threshold was passed, effectively removing those meaningless runs from a team’s season-long runs scored and runs allowed totals. These truncated totals were then inserted into the Pythagorean Win-Loss and Linear Formulas and tested against the base models.<br/>The preliminary results show that, while certain runs are more meaningful than others depending on the situation in which they are scored, the base models more accurately predicted future record than our truncated versions. For now, there is not enough evidence to either confirm or reject our hypothesis. In this paper, we suggest several potential improvement strategies for the results.<br/>At the end, we address how these results speak to the importance of responsibility and restraint when using advanced statistics within reporting.
ContributorsIversen, Joshua Allen (Author) / Satpathy, Asish (Thesis director) / Kurland, Brett (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
A journalistic, first-person narrative going through the lessons learned from travel. The story is complemented by a series of photos from childhood to the present all uploaded to a Wix-based website.
ContributorsOconnor, Taylor (Author) / Arrillaga, Pauline (Thesis director) / Santos, Fernanda (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
There's a growing trend of transparency in the media that has been reflected in the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics. SPJ advocates that journalists "explain ethical choices and processes to the audience" and "expose unethical conduct." Transparency currently means taking responsibility for your work and not allowing yourself to be compromised by conflicts of interest. It doesn't usually mean being open about your beliefs, positions and perspectives. We would argue that it could, and should. There are many examples of publications making mistakes because they lacked the knowledge and understanding of someone from a different perspective. Additionally, there are many examples of journalists lacking in information because they were trying to remain objective. There should be a place where journalists can be open about where they are coming from and give their perspective on a situation. Using many different perspectives we can build a bigger, and more accurate, picture around the context of a situation. This thesis project examines objectivity and proposes a new philosophical approach based on Situated Knowledges by Donna Haraway. We examine media case studies to expose issues with the coverage of news when objectivity is the main goal.
ContributorsVanHorn, Miranda (Co-author) / Shearer, Anne (Co-author) / Rodriguez, Rick (Thesis director) / Bluhm, Michael (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This paper describes a thesis project in which the author developed an eight-session, after-school curriculum to teach journalism basics to Desert Mountain High School's newspaper in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wolf's Print, the school's paper, moved to an after-school basis in the 2011-2012 school year as a result of budgetary constraints. The topics covered in these sessions ranged from the current state of journalism to learning more specific skills, such as news writing and copy editing. The paper begins with a discussion of the efficacy of after-school programs as a whole. Though these programs have been shown to benefit students, there are also challenges \u2014 most notably attendance and commitment on the part of students \u2014 to a club that is operated on a solely after-school basis. The paper ends with an evaluation of the program and several recommendations to strengthen after-school journalism programs. These recommendations include robust community involvement and teacher commitment to the club.
ContributorsGunderson, Anna Mae (Author) / Gilger, Kristin (Thesis director) / Manning, Jason (Committee member) / Brass, Jory (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2013-05
DescriptionA nonprofit organization / grassroots movement capturing the voice of a generation of young Arizonans
ContributorsWhiteman, Mauro Hancock (Author) / Gilger, Kristin (Thesis director) / Coor, Lattie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This thesis examines the current polarization of news media, specifically written journalism, either in newspapers or on news websites. Americans increasingly get their news from polarized sources, and that is leading to a large divide in information. This issue is also exacerbated by political idealogy. Furthermore, I explore how the traditional business model of advertising-based revenue is leading to more polarized news coverage. To combat this, I offer interventions for news organizations, including the importance of journalistic ethics and the possibility of more news organizations transferring to nonprofit status, which has gained traction in recent years. Access to accurate news and information is essential in a functioning democracy, and if polarization and issues in news continue, it will be harmful to America as a whole.
ContributorsHoward, Andrew James Francis (Author) / Soares, Rebecca (Thesis director) / Voorhees, Matthew (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The foundations of legacy media, especially the news media, are not as strong as they once were. A digital revolution has changed the operation models for and journalistic organizations are trying to find their place in the new market. This project is intended to analyze the effects of new/emerging technologies on the journalism industry. Five different categories of technology will be explored. They are as follows: the semantic web, automation software, data analysis and aggregators, virtual reality and drone journalism. The potential of these technologies will be broken up according to four guidelines, ethical implications, effects on the reportorial process, business impacts and changes to the consumer experience. Upon my examination, it is apparent that no single technology will offer the journalism industry the remedy it has been searching for. Some combination of emerging technologies however, may form the basis for the next generation of news. Findings are presented on a website that features video, visuals, linked content, and original graphics. Website found at http://www.explorenewstech.com/
ContributorsMaxwell, Gavin William (Author) / McGuire, Tim (Thesis director) / Cornelius, David (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Traditional forms of news distribution are rapidly dying out. Newspaper revenue continues to decline, while internet alternatives, accurate or otherwise, gain traction. One of the fastest growing forms of "new media" is the podcast. Everyone from comedians to organizations like National Public Radio is launching their own, and they are increasingly becoming legitimate sources of income when supplemented with advertising. Video podcasts have also exploded into the mainstream, generating millions of views on platforms like YouTube. However, it is rare to find a video podcast series with one journalist and a guest, and even less common for a show to be hosted by a college student. The "Tell it Like it is" video podcast is an attempt at bringing college journalists into the world of video podcasting. It examines the extent to which a single person can have a successful podcast while in college and what resources are necessary for the task. The following paper contains the history of podcasting, its growth in the 21st century, the inspiration for this project, an in-depth description and background of each episode, challenges, successes, future endeavors, and a conclusion. An accompanying website serves as the headquarters for the five-part video podcast series. The website also hosts additional information about the subjects and their careers. All episodes have been uploaded to YouTube.
ContributorsDowd, Kyle Christopher (Author) / Knudson, Syleste (Thesis director) / Sandoval, Mathew (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
As a student at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Barrett, The Honors College, as well as a lover of travel, Brielle Ashford decided to combine her passions and spent four months abroad in Spring, 2019, creating a senior thesis in digital international journalism. She enrolled in the Center for Intercultural Educational Exchange's Open Campus program for a semester and spent a month and a half each in three countries. Starting in Cape Town, South Africa, she interviewed locals about their lives post-Apartheid. In Paris, France, Brielle found a story in a non-profit that teaches French youth about religious diversity. Lastly in Rome, Italy, she covered the famous, vibrant food culture of gelato at the city’s oldest gelateria. It was the experience of a lifetime and the stories stand on their own... and she made it all happen with little more than the Adobe editing suite and an iPhone X.
CAPE TOWN IN BLACK, WHITE AND COLOURED:
https://youtu.be/7egRATDxKso
RELIGIOUS SECULARITY IN PARIS: FILLING IN THE GAPS THE LAW LEFT OUT
https://youtu.be/Xd6PsFIgj0M
A TASTE OF ROME AT PALAZZO DEL FREDDO:
https://youtu.be/iW60mxD_xTo
CAPE TOWN IN BLACK, WHITE AND COLOURED:
https://youtu.be/7egRATDxKso
RELIGIOUS SECULARITY IN PARIS: FILLING IN THE GAPS THE LAW LEFT OUT
https://youtu.be/Xd6PsFIgj0M
A TASTE OF ROME AT PALAZZO DEL FREDDO:
https://youtu.be/iW60mxD_xTo
ContributorsAshford, Brielle (Author) / Emmert, Chuck (Thesis director) / Silcock, Dr. Bill (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
News outlets frequently portray people with disabilities as either helpless victims or objects of motivation. Portrayal of people with disabilities has improved over the years, but there is still room to grow. News outlets tend to make disability the center of the story. A story about a disabled person is primarily about their disability, with their other accomplishments framed by it.
As one example of the victimhood narrative, ABC News used to run a special called My Extreme Affliction as part of 20/20 until 2012. As the name implies, the specials covered people with disabilities, specifically extreme versions. One 2008 episode on Tourette’s syndrome described Tourette’s like it was some sort of demonic possession. The narrator talked about children who were “prisoners in their own bodies” and a family that was at risk of being “torn apart by Tourette’s.” I have Tourette’s syndrome myself, which made ABC’s special especially uncomfortable to watch. When not wringing their metaphorical hands over the “victims” of disability, many news outlets fall into the “supercrip” narrative. They refer to people as “heroes” who “overcome” their disabilities to achieve something that ranges from impressive to utterly mundane. The main emphasis is on the disability rather than the person who has it. These articles then exploit that disability to make readers feel good. As a person with a disability, I am aware that it impacts my life, but it is not the center of my life. The tics from my Tourette’s syndrome made it difficult to speak to people when I was younger, but even then they did not rule me.
Disability coverage, however, is still incredibly important for promoting acceptance and giving people with disabilities a voice. A little over a fifth of adults in the United States have a disability (CDC: 53 million adults in the US live with a disability), so poor coverage means marginalizing or even excluding a large amount of people. Journalists should try to reach their entire audience. The news helps shape public opinion with the stories it features. Therefore, it should provide visibility for people with disabilities in order to increase acceptance. This is a matter of civil rights. People with disabilities deserve fair and accurate representation.
My personal experience with ABC’s Tourette’s special leads me to believe that the media, especially the news, needs to be more responsible in their reporting. Even the name “My Extreme Affliction” paints a poor picture of what to expect. A show that focuses on sensationalist portrayals in pursuit of views further ostracizes people with disabilities. The emphasis should be on a person and not their condition. The National Center for Disability Journalism tells reporters to “Focus on the person you are interviewing, not the disability” (Tips for interviewing people with disabilities). This people-first approach is the way to improve disability coverage: Treat people with disabilities with the same respect as any other minority group.
As one example of the victimhood narrative, ABC News used to run a special called My Extreme Affliction as part of 20/20 until 2012. As the name implies, the specials covered people with disabilities, specifically extreme versions. One 2008 episode on Tourette’s syndrome described Tourette’s like it was some sort of demonic possession. The narrator talked about children who were “prisoners in their own bodies” and a family that was at risk of being “torn apart by Tourette’s.” I have Tourette’s syndrome myself, which made ABC’s special especially uncomfortable to watch. When not wringing their metaphorical hands over the “victims” of disability, many news outlets fall into the “supercrip” narrative. They refer to people as “heroes” who “overcome” their disabilities to achieve something that ranges from impressive to utterly mundane. The main emphasis is on the disability rather than the person who has it. These articles then exploit that disability to make readers feel good. As a person with a disability, I am aware that it impacts my life, but it is not the center of my life. The tics from my Tourette’s syndrome made it difficult to speak to people when I was younger, but even then they did not rule me.
Disability coverage, however, is still incredibly important for promoting acceptance and giving people with disabilities a voice. A little over a fifth of adults in the United States have a disability (CDC: 53 million adults in the US live with a disability), so poor coverage means marginalizing or even excluding a large amount of people. Journalists should try to reach their entire audience. The news helps shape public opinion with the stories it features. Therefore, it should provide visibility for people with disabilities in order to increase acceptance. This is a matter of civil rights. People with disabilities deserve fair and accurate representation.
My personal experience with ABC’s Tourette’s special leads me to believe that the media, especially the news, needs to be more responsible in their reporting. Even the name “My Extreme Affliction” paints a poor picture of what to expect. A show that focuses on sensationalist portrayals in pursuit of views further ostracizes people with disabilities. The emphasis should be on a person and not their condition. The National Center for Disability Journalism tells reporters to “Focus on the person you are interviewing, not the disability” (Tips for interviewing people with disabilities). This people-first approach is the way to improve disability coverage: Treat people with disabilities with the same respect as any other minority group.
ContributorsMackrell, Marguerite (Author) / Gilger, Kristin (Thesis director) / Doig, Steve (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05