As I was reading news headlines one in particular caught my eye: "Bishop bars Patrick Kennedy from Communion over abortion." Being a Catholic, I was surprised to hear that someone was banned from taking Communion. When I read further in the article though, I realized that the story did not really fit the headline. In fact Kennedy was not banned from taking Communion, but the bishop "respectfully asked" him to stop because of his strong support for abortion rights, something the Catholic church is against. In addition this advice was "pastoral and confidential" and the bishop did not expect Kennedy to bring this confidential conversation to the public.
This is only one example of the way the media can twist stories. The media twists these stories to try to make them more interesting so that people will read them. In this case the headline sounds controversial, and it is then more likely that people will read the story. The word abortion is also worked into the title, a big debate topic that many Americans have strong opinions about. These headlines also tell a lot about the majority of the population of America. People are most interested in controversies and scandals, and this is what the media tries to bring to them.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Lit Fest
After attending the Literary Fest on Thursday evening, I was quite impressed. At first I wasn't sure what the event would be like, but, along with many others, I was pleased. A variety of different acts were present, from humorous to melancholy and serious. Overall though, I have to say that my favorite presentation was Davy Rothbart, who created FOUND Magazine.
I was not the only one who thought that this was fascinating. FOUND Magazine was unlike anything I had heard of before. It consists of letters, to-do lists, notes, or any kind of writing that is written by other people and found somewhere. Davy Rothbart read love letters, receipts from stores, conversations on paper, and even a letter from a boy to his mom that passed away. Most of these were extremely funny, and the last one touching.
I think that people find this stuff interesting because it is real, and has to do with real life. Nothing is made up, and no one edited these things before they were put into the magazine. This writing also relates to our lives, and we make connections and laugh about them. These pieces of writing make one wonder: Why did a person write this? What is going on in their lives? These stories are powerful because they are real and open peoples minds with curiosity.
I was not the only one who thought that this was fascinating. FOUND Magazine was unlike anything I had heard of before. It consists of letters, to-do lists, notes, or any kind of writing that is written by other people and found somewhere. Davy Rothbart read love letters, receipts from stores, conversations on paper, and even a letter from a boy to his mom that passed away. Most of these were extremely funny, and the last one touching.
I think that people find this stuff interesting because it is real, and has to do with real life. Nothing is made up, and no one edited these things before they were put into the magazine. This writing also relates to our lives, and we make connections and laugh about them. These pieces of writing make one wonder: Why did a person write this? What is going on in their lives? These stories are powerful because they are real and open peoples minds with curiosity.
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