Current event

The event i chose to write about is the New York City subway hero ridiculous contract.

Daily News Newspaper Article
Subway hero Wesley Autrey stands by the spot where he jumped onto the tracks to rescue a man who fell onto them during a seizure in January.The subway superman now has his very own set of archenemies.Wesley Autrey is suing a lawyer and her Hollywood hotshot partner - accusing them of ripping him off before he's even made any money.

They persuaded the underground superhero to sign a deal giving them 50% of his earnings - far more than the standard 15% or 20% found in entertainment contracts.

They convinced Autrey he could capitalize on his selfless, death-defying act of heroism - leaping from a Harlem subway platform in January to save a stranger's life as a train rolled over both of them.

Now Autrey, 50, is trying to get out of the contract signed with former Queens prosecutor Diane Kleiman and deal maker Mark Anthony."We're trying to get him out of the water with the sharks," said his sister Linda Autrey.According to the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Kleiman dropped in last month on a Waldorf-Astoria reception where Autrey was a guest of honor and offered free legal services to his family.Two days later, she brought in Anthony - who also goes by Marco Antonio - and talked up how his Hollywood contacts could get Autrey "a lot of money.

"Kleiman said Mark can make things happen, including a movie of [Autrey's] life," the lawsuit charged.The pair allegedly pressured Autrey into signing away 50% of his gross income, and even tried to demand travel expenses from New York magazine, which was profiling him and a Long Island elementary school where he was set to speak.The pair planned to pitch books and movies built around Autrey's life - with fictional tweaks to his life story that would turn him into a terrorism-fighting everyman. They also hoped to secure an endorsement deal with a cigar company."What he was getting was little piddly deals - a few hundred bucks here, a few hundred there," Kleiman said. "We wanted to sign him up for multimillion dollar deals.

"Kleiman and Anthony also pleaded with him to "act fast," the lawsuit charged, because a grand jury ruling in the police shooting of Sean Bell would quickly knock him from the headlines.But Kleiman - who filed a federal lawsuit after she was fired as a U.S. customs agent in 1999 - said Autrey is now trying to come off as a simpleton when he actually knew exactly what he was signing."They knew it was 50%," she said.The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for Autrey and to have the contract voided.

Online Article

Wesley Autrey Sr. says in court papers he signed the contract Feb. 12 without reading it, agreeing that lawyer Diane L. Kleiman would represent and advise him in financial and other matters stemming from his subway heroism.

Autrey, a 50-year-old Bronx construction worker, says in court papers that the contract is "a one-sided agreement" he was induced to sign by "fraud" and that it gives the lion's share of everything he earns to Kleiman and her business partner, Marco Antonio Esposito, operator of an entertainment production company.

Autrey's lawsuit asks the court to declare the contract void. Kleiman, a former prosecutor, denied on Monday that she had cheated Autrey. She said Autrey and several family members read the contract after keeping it for several days.

"Somebody made him a better offer," Kleiman said, speculating on why Autrey wanted to get rid of her. "They (Autrey's family) are playing people off against each other.

"Autrey's lawsuit, filed Friday, says the contract gives Kleiman and Esposito exclusive rights to exploit his name and reputation and gives them ownership of intellectual property rights to his story. The contract also gives Kleiman and Esposito the right to receive all gross receipts from commercial exploitation of Autrey's name and to keep half those receipts, whether or not they helped generate the money, court papers say.

Autrey must give up his right to a trial by jury in any dispute with Kleiman and instead go to arbitration, in which he could be required to pay her legal fees, court papers say. Autrey grabbed public attention on Jan. 2, 2007, after Cameron Hollopeter, a 19-year-old student at the New York Film Academy, suffered a seizure and fell onto the subway tracks at the 137th Street/City College station. Standing on the subway platform with his two young daughters and scores of other commuters as a train approached, Autrey saw Hollopeter convulsing on the tracks. He jumped down and pulled the teen into the 12-inch-deep drainage trough between the tracks and lay on top of him as the train passed over their heads. The train grazed the top of Autrey's hat, and he and Hollopeter remained under a car for 20 minutes while MTA workers shut off the electrified third rail.

Different but also very Similar

Few differences are found between the online and print versions in terms of news supply. Reader attention to the news stories varies, depending on the newspaper and news category. No consistent reading pattern is evident and the print version readers do not read more than the online version readers. News Consumption seems to be more dependent on the news category, reader gender and interest in a particular topic than on whether the news appears in print or online. Finally, on the basis of cued and free recall questions, no consistent pattern differentiates readers of the print newspapers from the online versions.

Differences

There are several differences between these two articles. The title is the first difference. In the newspaper article the title of the story is "Subway Hero Needs Saving," and the title for the online article is "NYC Subway Hero Sues Lawyer Over 'Unfair Contract." As you can see, the newspaper chose to keep the title short, simple, unique, but still catches the readers eye. But the online article chose to explain what the article is through its title.Another difference is the photos. The newspaper chose to use a photo of the man in the exact subway station where he rescued the man. And the online article chose to just use a simple picture of the man.In the beginning of the newspaper article, they chose to first write about how this man rescued someone off of the train tracks. But online article went straight into the story and why he is suing. It is much easier to find an article online, because all you have to do is type in the subject. But in the newspapers, you must go through pages to find the article that you are looking for.

The printed version of a particular journal may differ in its content, appearance and presentation from its electronic ‘equivalent’.
Some articles may not be available online.
The electronic version may have added-value features such as links to extra related information or other articles.
Most electronic versions are presented in PDF (Portable Display Format) format, which requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader software to be installed on the computer. This enables the article to appear exactly the same as the printed version including pictures, graphs, figures, etc.
Some are also available in HTML format which appears as a normal web page. This has various advantages: extra links can be added to related material; it loads more quickly than Adobe; does not require Adobe to be installed.
Often the electronic version will be loaded and available before the printed version is received, either due to printing/postal delays or because articles are loaded as soon as they have been peer-reviewed and before ‘publication date’.

My Opionion

Yes, there many differences and similarities between print articles and online articles, but they are both very useful, and if you cant find information in one, then you can find it in the other.

References-

JoEy, Journals Electronically, 08 August 2006

Electronic Journal Frequently Asked Questions, 30 March 2007, from

http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk/elecinfo/ejournalfaq.asp

cbs5, NYC Subway Hero Sues Lawyer Over 'Unfair Contract', 27 March 2007

U.S. and World, 29 March 2007, from

http://cbs5.com/national/topstories_story_086095227.html

Leen d’Haenens , News in Online and Print Newspapers: Differences , 2004

Sage Journals Online, 29 March 2007, from

http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/6/3/363

Jose Martinez, Daily News Newspaper article. Tuesday March 27, 2007

Blogz on Politicianz

The blog I decided to choose, was the Politician blog on Hillary Rodham Clinton.

New York Times
The blogs is from the Caucus; political blogging from the New York times and the title is Clinton invokes 9/11 with firefighters. Hillary Clinton discuss ways that she will help firefighters whenever they were in need. She recalled Sept. 11 at length and the sacrifices and burdens of firefighters and first-responders that day and afterward – remarks that only made one wonder what kind of a speech Rudy Giuliani would have given if he had chosen to attend the conference. She also received a cheering standing ovation when she said, about politicians’ vows of support for firefighters, “It’s great for the photo ops but how about taking care of the people who have taken care” of the nation. Basically Hillary Clinton wanted all the firefighters to now that she will be their for them in the future if they elect her for upcoming presidency. This speech was a way for her to get all the firefighters vote for the election.

Blogger
The person who wrote this blog, was a writer for the New York Times named, Patrick Healy. The blog was posted March 14Th 2007, at 1:00 p.m. The blog was basically a good tone for Hillary Clinton. It shows how she is lending a helping hand to the future firefighters in need. This blog was both good and bad for Hillary Clinton. Even thought this blog has note been posted for a long period, there still have been many views from people just checking it out and finding out what the blog is about.

Negative comment on Blog
"I have no doubt that Clinton has what it takes to be president. She has been a politician most of her life for all practical purposes. I just don’t believe her on the issues because she won’t take a stand on any of them. I also resent her exploitation of the 9/11 tragedy to get VOTES. I must admit that she is no guiltier than any of the rest in exploiting the deaths, injuries and maiming of thousands of Americans on our own soil for political gain." This was a comment posted by a woman name Lisa, on March 14Th 2007, at 2:08 p.m.. She feels that Hillary Clinton is using the 9/11 tragedy to get votes and doesn't feel that it is acceptable. Even though the blog was discussing something good, there was still negative feedback from people. Even the good can still be looked at as a bad issue.

Positive comment on Blog
"Now that the fund is running out this year, she has asked for additional funds so that we can continue with the medical treatment of those affected by 9/11. Many people in NY (including me) have voted for her this past election because we have seen what a hard-worker she is in advocating for New York. Even many Republicans from upstate NY have voted for her. I think these firefighters have heard from NYC firefighters what a great leader she is." This was a site comment posted by a woman named Helen on March 14Th 2007, at 2:27 p.m. Unlike the first comment, this woman feels that Hillary Clinton's act and speech was great for New York City. She wants people to realize how good Hillary Clinton has been to the NYC, and hopefully others will realize when election time comes around.

Article
Rheingold argues that when people spread the idea that electronic networks are inherently democratic without specifying the hard work that must be done to harvest that democratising power, they can become unwitting agents of commodification. Habermas makes a distinction between the critical functions of communicative processes and functions that aim to influence the decision of consumers, voters and clients. The critical functions are self-regulated and inclusive, while those aiming to influence are implemented by organisations that aim to promote purchasing power, loyalty or conformist behaviour. These two functions compete with each other. The principle of publicity turns “against itself and thereby reduces its critical efficacy” (Habermas in Calhoun, 1993: 437). This was discussed in the article "Does the internet create Democracy?" by Alinta Thornton. In my opinion I have to agree and disagree with that question.

Yes internet does manipulate
The internet somewhat creates Democracy because there are so many articles and blogs that tries to either manipulate people into voting for a particular candidate. Certain blogs will discuss only good things about a politician and leave the bad issues out. The same thing happens with blogs that bad mouths politicians, so people wont vote for them. Some Americans spend half their day on the internet so they are easily manipulated by blogs and articles online.

No it doesn't
But some people could careless about articles on the internet. Many people may read a blog but pay no mind to it at all. They will go with there cut instinct on who they should vote for. And a lot of people will just look at articles and blogs on the internet just to see how everyone feels about the candidates or politicians. Bu in my honest opinion.

My Opinion
But in my honest opinion, I feel that the internet really does have a huge affect on certain peoples votes, because people are easily manipulated. Anything someone says then they feel that the person is either right or wrong. People don't dig deep anymore and find out the truth, they rather go with other people opinions. Just a bunch of COPYCATS.

Refrences-

Thornton, Alinta, Does Internet Create Democracy?, October 2007
M.A. Journalism Thesis, 25 March 2007, from
http://www.wr.com.au/democracy/index.html. Accessed 2001-10-01.

Healy, Patrick, Clinton invokes 9/11 with firefighters, 14 March 2007
New York Times, The Caucus, 25 March 2007, from
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/clinton-invokes-911-with-firefighters/

My Online Community

Community-

In my Communication 125 intro to internet class, My professor Derek Lackaff defines community as a social institution, comprised of people who identify as a group.

Virtual/Online Community-

Wikipedia defines a virtual community or online community as a group of people that may or may not primarily or initially communicate or interact via the Internet. Online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other in real life. The dawn of the "information age" found groups communicating electronically rather than face to face.

There are millions of communities from offline to online. I am currently in so many different communities, but the online community that i like the most, has to be MySpace.

Myspace-

MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos. MySpace also features an internal search engine and an internal e-mail system. Created in 2003, MySpace is currently the world's sixth most popular English-language website, and the third most popular website in the United States. In my opinion, MySpace is definitely one of the largest online communities.

MySpace can be used for numerous reasons. MySpace can help you stay in touch with your relatives and can help you reunite with old high school or college friends by just typing in their full name. MySpace consist of emails and instant messages so you can communicate with others. It also has blogs, where people can post whatever they would like or whatever that's on their mind and have their friends look at it and comment on it. Forums is another huge thing on MySpace. There are so many different forums on so many different topics, so anyone can just go check for a forum they like and go chat about it with other people. Ever since MySpace has been created, it has been known as the site where anyone anywhere can communicate and interact with other people, whether you know them or not. I actually use MySpace almost every single day.

Negatives and some Positives-

But even though there are so many different ways to communicate with others on MySpace, it still has it negatives. So many people have MySpace and anyone can lie about how they look or who they are. Its so easy to put fake pictures up and people can act a certain way online but in person, their character is totally different. Some people say that online communities can also be very difficult to build social ties (relationship) with others. Not seeing the other person face to face can make it very difficult to build a friendship. All people do is type back and forth. They don't meet each other for lunch or see each other during the day. The only time they can communicate is when they are both online. You cannot see the other persons facial expressions, or hear their voice. You can only see letters and words that they are typing to you. how can this be a real community without having a real social relationship with others?

I don't like to discuss my social life to everyone but i slightly disagree with the Non-building of social ties through online communities. I have actually made some close friends on MySpace; all of them are women. It is so much easier to speak to a person online rather than face to face. We would chat for a while and really get to know each other better. Then when we both feel comfortable, we would exchange cell numbers. Then we would set up a date to meet for lunch or dinner. I have met a lot of women online and i have a variety of relationship ties with them. In some ways social ties can be difficult to build with someone online, but in other ways if you feel comfortable with the person and have a lot of conversations with them, then a close a relationship can be made.

Similarities and Differences-

My online communities are similar and also different to my offline communities. It is easy to have a conversation, play games, meet different people and learn different things on bother my online and offline communities. But a big difference between the two can be first impression. You actually see the person face to face on offline communities rather than online. Offline communities also allows you to build social ties much faster than online. But it is easier to discuss private things online rather than actually telling a person face to face on your offline community.

Whether it is an Offline or Online community, it is still looked at as a community; a group of people who has something in common and enjoy the community that they are in. If they didn't enjoy it, then they wouldn't be in it.

References-

Virtual community/Online community, from Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia, 20 March 2007, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_community

Myspace, from Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia, 23 February 2007, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySpace

Community, University at Buffalo class- Comm 125UB, 19 March 2007

Professor Derek Lackaff, 20 March 2007, from

Gotta be in the 9AM class ;-)