Election Coverage

I'll be honest that I'm not much of a political junkie. I like to be informed about what's happening in Washington D.C. and how my elected politicians are serving their constituency, but talk about the election does not light me up and get me talking like it does for many of my peers. 

I plan to vote on November 4 and will make sure I am informed so I can perform my civic duty, but my interest in the media and their coverage of the election ends there. 

That being said, it is still important for me to know what's going on in the election and how this directly affects me as a vote. For this information, I tend to go online. When I'm busy during the day, it's easier to log onto the Internet and read about the latest slip up either of the two candidates may or may not have had. 

For this news, I often turn to newspaper such as the New York Times or L.A. Times. But I also will frequent political blogs such as the Drudge Report of Politico. 

Yet when the candidates are giving speeches or participating in debates, this is when I turn to television. I would rather watch these aspects of the election live than read commentary about them online. Further, many of the news networks provide in-depth analysis and commentary at the end of the debates, which I find helpful in understanding the broader implications of what was said. 

Print journalism stories tend to be more focused on reflections on the campaign and a place to turn to understand those implications I mentioned above. But for the most up to date information, the Internet is the place to go. 

Each medium serves a different function in helping bring the election into people's homes and making them more informed about their candidates. As long as one of these mediums strikes a chord with a voter and helps make them prepared to go to the polls next Tuesday, then I believe the media have done their job. 

Come here, go anywhere

With more and more people turning to the Internet for their daily news, publications across the country have jumped on the newest online bandwagon, “link journalism.”

A form of hyperlinking that directs readers to other news Web sites or sources, link journalism goes against the traditional mindset of publications – that readers should be driven to your news Web site and stay there to receive all of their news content. 

To Link or Not to Link

But major news sources such as NBC and the New York Times have both recently announced a shift toward link journalism on their Web sites, with NBC linking local TV websites to other locals publications and the New York Times creating an alternative home page with links to competitors.  

“It’s a change in mindset,” said John P. Wallace, the president of NBC’s local media division in a New York Times article. “We’re looking at the fragmented local market and saying, ‘We’re going to provide a destination where you can come and search across different segments.’”

This shift toward link journalism illuminates a trend in modern journalism to be more than just a news source but a place for readers to go to find a collection of different articles and topics. 

This is especially important for local news sources. When newspapers have such specific markets, it is easier for them to predict what their audience might want to read. Linking to other local news sites ensures that readers’ interests are being met and they are staying informed about local activity. 

In addition, linking out to Web sites that readers might be interested in, ensures that they will return to your site, knowing that it always provides them with useful information and helpful links. 

In an article on Publishng 2.0, Scott Karp wrote that a newspaper’s front page should serve as an indicator to readers of where news is, not what news is. By placing print content directly online, Karp argued that newspapers made a huge mistake and did not take advantage of the flexibility of online media. 

The Drudge's of Linking

Online news sources such as the Drudge Report are essentially sites that link out to other news sources. Yet Drudge, as Karp mentioned, is a driving force on political coverage for the upcoming election.  

For people who don’t have the time to dig through dense news Web sites, sites such as Drudge give them the latest headlines and tell them where to find the most important news. 

But link journalism also has its downfalls; it often drives heavy traffic to smaller news sources that cannot handle the influx of hits on their websites. 

Last year, Drudge linked to local newspaper the Daily Breeze after it posted a video online of a woman being slapped in a courtroom. The video garnered so many hits off Drudge that the Daily Breeze’s server crashed. 

In order for link journalism to be successful, large news sources need to link responsibly. Papers with reputations such as the New York Times need to make sure they are linking to sources with as equally reputable. 

They also need to realize that linking out to other sources has repercussions, such as servers crashing. It’s no use linking to a site that readers can’t view. 

In an effort to practice what I now preach, please look to the following Web site sto learn more about link journalism and how it can change the face of online media:  

• What is Link Journalism?
• Scott Karp on Link Journalism 

Marathoners find friends, improvement on team

• USC Marathon Team members practice four times a week to prepare for the Los Angeles Marathon.
• Practices are hard, but runners say their accomplishments outweigh the pain. 
• Running with a team helps students form bonds. 

By the time most students have schlepped their way to their early-morning classes, members of the USC Marathon Team have already been up for at least two hours and run five miles. 

A club team that runs under the USC Recreational Sports department, the marathon team welcomes any USC students, faculty and staff. They practice three times during the week, at either 7 a.m. or 5 p.m., and on Sundays at 8 a.m.

Students say they run with the marathon team because of group atmosphere and the bonds they form with teammates. 

“Definitely the most encouraging part of running the marathon was running with the USC Marathon Team,” said Laura Reeve, a junior majoring in public relations and a member of the marathon team for two years. “It’s different doing those long runs by yourself, but having a bunch of other people with you definitely was motivating.” 

More than just a way for runners to find running partners, the marathon team also promotes “team work, monitored training routines and healthy lifestyle in order to complete 26.2 miles,” according to the team’s website. 

Reeve, who ran the Los Angeles Marathon last March with the team, said the feeling of accomplishment after months of training made her experience worth it. 

“I was actually really emotional, which is unlike me,” she said. “Physically, I was so glad to be done, but I was also really proud of myself.” 

This year, the Los Angeles Marathon will be held Feb. 16. Students interested in joining the USC Marathon Team can contact the coaches at marathon@usc.edu. 

Interested in this story? Read more about unlikely USC athletes here. 

- Photos courtesy of the USC Marathon Team

Football field hosts more than just Trojan greats

• USC Maintenance workers play soccer on Howard Jones Practice Field.
• Workers find friendship, camaraderie and much-needed fun from impromptu soccer games.
• Manager says they are dedicated to the sport and their jobs.

Over the years, Howard Jones Practice Field has hosted football greats such as Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinert. This field, located on the west side of the University of Southern California campus, is where these players first took the field as Trojans and worked their way to Heisman glory. 

But this field is also home to some lesser-known athletes, the maintenance workers who clean and groom the field. 

These men arrive at work around 5 a.m., cleaning the campus at an hour so early that most students don’t even see them performing the majority of their work. 

Soccer Break

But at 11:30 each day, the maintenance workers stop edging or mowing and meet in the corner of Howard Jones to play soccer during their lunch break. Taking off their stiff uniforms for more comfortable T-shirts and jerseys, these workers play during what is often the hottest part of the day, but that doesn’t seem to bother them. 

These games are informal and rarely draw a crowd or ESPN reporters to analyze their plays, but that doesn’t mean the players don’t take it seriously. 

“We have a lot of Hispanic guys that really love soccer,” said Eric Warren, athletic field supervisor and USC employee since 1974. “Anyone who would come out here on their lunch break and play in this heat and go at it like they’re going at it have to really love the game.” 

  

Though Warren rarely joins the game, he also spends his break out on the field, socializing and cheering on his employees. 

Like Warren, some of the workers enjoy taking part in the action while others enjoy rooting them on from the sidelines. 

Painter Turned Player

For Jesse Barralagalara, a painter at USC, soccer gives him a chance to reconnect with his native country of Honduras.

“I did play for a team in my country, Honduras,” Barralagalara said during a time-out from the soccer game.  

 He emigrated alone from Honduras 22 years ago to start a new life in Los Angeles. Though his brother and sister live in Southern California, it took Barralagalara a while to transition to his new life in L.A. 

But since he began working for USC three years ago, playing soccer with his co-workers has helped him feel comfortable in his new home. 

“We start playing and then we [get to] know each other and then we become friends,” Barralagalara said. “It’s a good thing.” 

Keeping the Field Green

Careful not to mess up their hard work, the men do not play on the grass they spend hours each day grooming but on the fake turf in the corner of the field. 

“That’s our prize right there and we can’t afford to be just messing it up,” said Julio Cesar Carbajal, Howard Jones field manager. 

When the clock strikes 12, the workers put on their uniforms and go back to cleaning the field. And although they will never become Heisman winners, it’s these morning soccer games that connect them to one another and give them something to look forward to each day.    

- To view more photos, go to www.flickr.com

Read about the USC Marathon Team here