Superbowl Slump?  The Patriots are now 1-2 on the 2012-2013 season and look to be in turmoil.  After losing Aaron Hernandez indefinitely due to and ankle injury, the Patriots need to mend differences with Wes Welker.  Though he saw plenty of balls last night, the wideout is believed to being phased out of the explosive offense.  On the other hand, running back Stephen Ridley has shown tremendous promise as he is barreling down linebackers and secondary alike.  If the Patriots can parallel the throwing game with the run, they could be right back in that storied February game.

The MUB...My group and I went to the MUB to research for story leads.  What we found, we expected.  There are tons of things happening in the MUB all the time, one just has look.  We found stories on every floor and talked to employees and students about upcoming events.  Good thing we went that day because I found my story, occurring that day, on a wall of flyers.  There are several beats around campus but if you're looking for consistency and relatable stories, go to the MUB.

Insider Killings

I just want to make a point of a recent article on CNN about the insider killings on U.S. bases in Afghanistan.  The focus was not about the current trend of NATO troops being attacked by Afghani trainees in disguise, but about a twenty year old American who died last month.  The story, in my opinion, has no room for rhetoric.  It centers on a soldier who predicted his own death in a conversation to his father.  The twenty-year-old got in confrontations with the NATO trainees and believed an attack on the base was imminent.  He was right.  He and two other soldiers were killed by men disguised in U.S. uniforms armed with automatic rifles and hand grenades.  The only problem I have is with the way this story is presented.  Why does the author feel it's necessary to bring up that he predicted his own death.  First of all, we're still in a war and these articles are read by servicemen and family members alike.  The inevitability of death does not have to be thrown around like is is in this article.  Not only that, but this honorable death of a twenty year old is overshadowed by the fact that he predicted it a month ago.

My news diet consists of an array of sources from online sites, newspapers, as well as television.  In this day and age, where else does one turn for news?  I keep my list of news outlets consistent so I don't waste my time with extreme views that I generally don't read.  My first instinct is to go online and skim through headlines to get a gauge as to what significant happenings are occurring that given day.  Some websites have in depth articles that I can acquire most of the known knowledge on the event.  Others such as Yahoo are too entertainment focused and rely on videos, pictures, and cliffhanger headlines to attract and retain readership.  Once I come across news online, I usually go to the T.V. for actual time reporting such as CNN's Newsroom that runs for the majority of the mid-morning and afternoon hours. I turn to the newspaper when I become exhausted with the online news factory.  There's a sort of comfort that comes along with reading the newspaper.  Waking up with the sunrise, brewing warm coffee, alongside toast or a bagel, and reading the paper is a norm I can only wish I grew up with.      

News Is...

Unfortunately, I view news in a very cynical manner.  I believe it stems from a handful of conglomerate owners who see the mainstream press as a money making machine.  Honesty and loyalty to readers is often overlooked as advertisements, ethnocentrism, and heavy reliance on official sources dominates publications.  Journalists have lost the motivation to uncover reveling truths while striving to meet deadlines, please editors, and maintain good relations with their sources.  News isn't what it used to be.