Ivan Lajara

Ivan Lajara loves cats.

George Pawlaczyk

The Red Envelope

Valentine's Day Spitefullness

Proposal of Choices For Final Project

1.  Albany Student Television : I propose to do a story on University at Albany's ATV Club. I plan to interview not only the Directors of the club, but also the students who are involved in the shows themselves. I plan to find out their goals as a "student run organization," as well as their struggles and downfalls as a club. I would like to find out how many people view the channel on campus and how ofter they do view it. I will also plan to interview students who watch the channel and hear their thoughts as well as the thoughts of the professors and staff of the university. I will do so by first talking to a friend of mine who is involved in one of the shows to find out how to get in contact with others involved. Then I will take a survey of students who do and do not watch the show and then ask the students who do watch their thoughts on it. Then I will find non-students on campus that watch the shows (professors, staff, directors, etc.) and do the same with them as far as surveying goes.

2.  Documentary Studies Department : I plan to research and do a story on the department of Documentary Studies. It is a major and minor available to students at the University and has a vast number of talented faculty. I will interview the director and especially Associate Director Sheila Curran Bernard, who has participated in several documentaries, is an author of several books and a professor of history. I'll interview professors as well and students who have taken the major in the past and who are presently taking it. I also plan to ask students who have never took it if it sounds interesting to them. I will start by visiting the offices of Documentary Studies and asking what their goals are when it comes to teaching.

3.  UATTC : UATTC is the University at Albany Table Tennis Club who plays on campus and holds tournaments as well. I plan to speak to the members involved and find out more about their tournaments and how they run. I would like to find out how the club began and who the original member were. I also plan to find out how far back the club goes and want to see how much hard work the members put into playing and what motivates them. Lastly, I would like to find out how the members have became friends from sharing a common interest and how many couples have formed at the tables. I plan to go to the tables and interview people to find out.


-Mariko Cree Mosher

Elements of Journalism

       As a journalist, I believe a main point of the Elements of Journalism is that journalism's first obligation is to the truth. In a world of technology, social networks are often times people's sole source of news. For instance, someone reads the newspaper and sees that the governor has stepped down and in response they post it on facebook. If that news is wrong then that person is wrong. People rely on the news to tell the truth not the semi-truth or what they think is the truth. If we disappoint our readers with lies than they will never trust us and journalism will be dead. An important aspect of this from the book is that the public must know and trust that what journalists write is not influenced by ads or someone paying them to write a certain review or to lie to the public. The people have a right to know the truth. Journalists can not take the word of one person as truth. They must take that word and verify it before publishing the final word. Originality is always better than someone else's word.