These are notes and links from Jim Killam's session, "Grammar? Style? Punctuation? LOL." The session will be part of NIU's New Ideas in English conference, on Monday, Feb. 28, 2011.
Journalists may enjoy some of these links, too.
Jim's Powerpoint file
Links
NBC news report
Guy reading bad grammar in online comments
Newsroom 101 exercises – grammar, style, punctuation, usage
The 20 most common grammar errors
"What Happens in Vagueness Stays in Vagueness"
Dave Barry's "Ask Mister Language Person"
Protocol for a Free & Responsible Student News Media
Grammar lessons from "Louie, Louie"
“Decyphering Teens” video
Video interview: “The Dumbest Generation” author Mark Bauerlein
Shorter interview w. same author
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
NIU and the value of remembrance
Three years after the NIU shootings, I heard some sentiment today that it’s time for the university, and the Northern Star, to scale back on these yearly remembrances and move forward.
Agreed. But I think sometimes in our desire to put an awful event behind us, we forget about the value of remembering, and teaching future generations.
Several thousand students, faculty, staff and community members gathered for a brief memorial ceremony this afternoon outside Cole Hall. With the building finally undergoing renovations and a facelift after sitting empty for three years since the shootings, President John Peters remarked that the construction signals “a sense of renewal and a resolve to move forward.”
Before the procession, I heard groups of students talking quietly about where they were when the shootings happened, and what they experienced. Other, younger students stood respectfully and quietly. For a supposedly narcissistic generation that cares little about history, these were good moments.
At the Northern Star today, a framed photo of shooting victim Dan Parmenter and a bouquet of flowers graced a table near the advertising department, where Dan worked. It was an ordinary day, but the reminder was front and center. Uncomfortable, but right.
Before the ceremony outside Cole, a student who was wounded in the shootings stopped by the Star to say hello. He had ended up being a Star reporter last year, right before he graduated, and always impressed me as someone who had made peace with the whole experience. He works in another state now but wanted to be here today for the ceremony. To him, there’s value in taking time to remember what happened. Not to wallow in it, but to acknowledge its significance. That strikes me as a healthy approach.
Several other Northern Star students, past and present, were in that Cole classroom when the shootings happened. They’ve spoken, both publicly and privately, about how surviving that day gave renewed meaning to how they want to live their lives.
It’s not about reliving the terrible, vivid memories so many of us have. It’s simply about taking a few moments, once a year, to remember. Yet, I can understand why some student journalists who have been here for four years experienced a relapse in recent days of what experts call “event fatigue.” For them, these stories require a lot more than a few moments.
“I cannot wait to not write about this any more,” one reporter told me this afternoon.
We both understood that sentiment. The reality is, though, that she probably will, in one form or another. Feb. 14, 2008, does not define any of us at NIU, but it is forever a part of us all.
And it’s OK to be OK with that.
Agreed. But I think sometimes in our desire to put an awful event behind us, we forget about the value of remembering, and teaching future generations.
Several thousand students, faculty, staff and community members gathered for a brief memorial ceremony this afternoon outside Cole Hall. With the building finally undergoing renovations and a facelift after sitting empty for three years since the shootings, President John Peters remarked that the construction signals “a sense of renewal and a resolve to move forward.”
Before the procession, I heard groups of students talking quietly about where they were when the shootings happened, and what they experienced. Other, younger students stood respectfully and quietly. For a supposedly narcissistic generation that cares little about history, these were good moments.
At the Northern Star today, a framed photo of shooting victim Dan Parmenter and a bouquet of flowers graced a table near the advertising department, where Dan worked. It was an ordinary day, but the reminder was front and center. Uncomfortable, but right.
Before the ceremony outside Cole, a student who was wounded in the shootings stopped by the Star to say hello. He had ended up being a Star reporter last year, right before he graduated, and always impressed me as someone who had made peace with the whole experience. He works in another state now but wanted to be here today for the ceremony. To him, there’s value in taking time to remember what happened. Not to wallow in it, but to acknowledge its significance. That strikes me as a healthy approach.
Several other Northern Star students, past and present, were in that Cole classroom when the shootings happened. They’ve spoken, both publicly and privately, about how surviving that day gave renewed meaning to how they want to live their lives.
It’s not about reliving the terrible, vivid memories so many of us have. It’s simply about taking a few moments, once a year, to remember. Yet, I can understand why some student journalists who have been here for four years experienced a relapse in recent days of what experts call “event fatigue.” For them, these stories require a lot more than a few moments.
“I cannot wait to not write about this any more,” one reporter told me this afternoon.
We both understood that sentiment. The reality is, though, that she probably will, in one form or another. Feb. 14, 2008, does not define any of us at NIU, but it is forever a part of us all.
And it’s OK to be OK with that.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Nominate someone for Illinois Journalist of the Year
NIU seeks nominations for the 2011 Illinois Journalist of the Year. You can nominate someone online HERE.
Walter Jacobson, 1974, WBBM-TV, Chicago
Ralph Otwell, 1975, Chicago Sun-Times
Karl Monroe, 1976, Collinsville Herald
Lois Wille, 1977, Chicago Daily News
Roger Hedges, 1978, Gannett News Service
Pamela Zekman, 1979, Chicago Sun-Times
Bill Kurtis, 1980, WBBM-TV, Chicago
John Whiteside, 1981, Joliet Herald-News
Anne Cusack, 1982, Chicago Tribune
John H. Johnson, 1983, Johnson Publishing
Gary Watson, 1984, Rockford Register Star
Marx Gibson, 1985, Kankakee Daily Journal
William O'Connell, 1986, Peoria Journal Star
John Callaway, 1987, WTTW, Chicago
Carol Marin, 1988, WMAQ-TV, Chicago
Dan Miller, 1989, Crain Communications
Reynold Hertel, 1990, Joliet Herald-News
Clarence Page, 1991, Chicago Tribune
Colleen Dishon, 1992, Chicago Tribune
Paul Hogan, 1993, WMAQ-TV, Chicago
John Hultman, 1994, WBBM-AM, Chicago
Bob Greene, 1995, Chicago Tribune
Jack Higgins, 1996, Chicago Sun-Times
William Shaw, 1997, The Telegraph, Dixon
Phil Ponce, 1998, Chicago Tonight, Channel 11
Linda Grist Cunningham, 1999, Rockford Register Star
Doug Ray, 2000, Daily Herald
Ken Armstrong and Steve Mills, 2001, Chicago Tribune
John Drury, 2002, WLS-TV, Chicago
Chuck Goudie, 2003, WLS-TV, Chicago
Tim Novak and Steve Warmbir, 2004, Chicago Sun-Times
Jonathan K. Whitney, 2005, Carroll County Review
John Foreman, 2006, The News Gazette, Champaign
Olga Gize Carlisle, 2007, The Journal Standard, Freeport
Scott Strazzante, 2008, Chicago Tribune
Bob Frisk, 2009, Daily Herald
Jodi S. Cohen, 2010, Chicago Tribune
The award is presented annually by the Department of Communication of Northern Illinois University to a person who has made a significant contribution to the mass media or, through them, to the public they serve, either as a result of a single accomplishment during the past year, or through a sustained effort over a longer period of time.
Any journalist employed by an Illinois Illinois Illinois
A panel of judges consisting of the chair of the Department of Communication, members of its faculty, and student presidents of appropriate journalism organizations at NIU will consider all nominations and choose the award winner.
Nomination deadline is Feb. 28, 2011. The award will be presented at NIU’s 2011 Journalism Banquet in April. A scholarship also will be presented in the recipient’s name to a deserving journalism student.
Past winners:
Mike Royko, 1972, Chicago Daily News
Clayton Kirkpatrick, 1973, Chicago TribuneWalter Jacobson, 1974, WBBM-TV, Chicago
Ralph Otwell, 1975, Chicago Sun-Times
Karl Monroe, 1976, Collinsville Herald
Lois Wille, 1977, Chicago Daily News
Roger Hedges, 1978, Gannett News Service
Pamela Zekman, 1979, Chicago Sun-Times
Bill Kurtis, 1980, WBBM-TV, Chicago
John Whiteside, 1981, Joliet Herald-News
Anne Cusack, 1982, Chicago Tribune
John H. Johnson, 1983, Johnson Publishing
Gary Watson, 1984, Rockford Register Star
Marx Gibson, 1985, Kankakee Daily Journal
William O'Connell, 1986, Peoria Journal Star
John Callaway, 1987, WTTW, Chicago
Carol Marin, 1988, WMAQ-TV, Chicago
Dan Miller, 1989, Crain Communications
Reynold Hertel, 1990, Joliet Herald-News
Clarence Page, 1991, Chicago Tribune
Colleen Dishon, 1992, Chicago Tribune
Paul Hogan, 1993, WMAQ-TV, Chicago
John Hultman, 1994, WBBM-AM, Chicago
Bob Greene, 1995, Chicago Tribune
Jack Higgins, 1996, Chicago Sun-Times
William Shaw, 1997, The Telegraph, Dixon
Phil Ponce, 1998, Chicago Tonight, Channel 11
Linda Grist Cunningham, 1999, Rockford Register Star
Doug Ray, 2000, Daily Herald
Ken Armstrong and Steve Mills, 2001, Chicago Tribune
John Drury, 2002, WLS-TV, Chicago
Chuck Goudie, 2003, WLS-TV, Chicago
Tim Novak and Steve Warmbir, 2004, Chicago Sun-Times
Jonathan K. Whitney, 2005, Carroll County Review
John Foreman, 2006, The News Gazette, Champaign
Olga Gize Carlisle, 2007, The Journal Standard, Freeport
Scott Strazzante, 2008, Chicago Tribune
Bob Frisk, 2009, Daily Herald
Jodi S. Cohen, 2010, Chicago Tribune
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