I learned about the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service through the JOUR 1550 class. Sharon McGowan supervises the news service, which has grown from covering news other than crime in distressed communities around central Milwaukee. This service has grown from only covering three communities to now covering 15 throughout the city. In association with the Diederich College of Communication, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service covers other aspects of this community which are news-worthy, such as arts and recreation, education, and public safety. Through the use of online multimedia such as videos and photos, readers can browse through information regarding these parts of the city. 

I believe that this online news journal has taken the right initiative and this is a wonderful tool to highlight communities which are sometimes shown in a negative light. The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has been rewarded for their hard work , as it was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award, from the RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association), last year. Sharon McGowan seemed astounded when referring to how far it has come. 

"When we started, nobody knew who were where," she stated in class. 

The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is available on Twitter, and is an incredible opportunity for communication students at Marquette to gain experience through writing and recording multimedia and get more involved in the community. This sounds like a great opportunity for an internship and I am pleased to be a part of it and provide my contribution thanks to the JOUR 1550 class. 
 
As one of the major news publications in the nation, it is no surprise that the Chicago Tribune's website contains a significant amount of multimedia such as pictures and videos which helps readers go through news stories better. The Tribune has numerous photos and galleries concerning all areas of news, including politics, entertainment, and sports. The newspaper's photojournalists each have blogs in which they display their work. Most articles are accompanied by at least one picture which captures the general idea of the story. The digital membership of the newspaper offers even more multimedia from the newspaper's writers and photographers. 
The Tribune also has a significant amount of videos, but while browsing through the number of the website's articles, video are not as prominent as photos. Many articles contain no photos, much less videos. However, just as with photos, videos have a special page on the website and there are videos for many areas of news, such as sports and local news. Some videos are short and others have a long duration, but they also help in visualizing and understanding a story in a more effective way. Commun
 

Highlights

  • Claudia Pessarelli in an adjunct faculty member at Marquette who teaches Italian. 
  • Pessarelli was born and  raised in Italy, and teaching has always been a part of her life.
  • Her goal is to help and connect with her students as much as possible in order for them to learn Italian well.

Teaching a native language in a foreign land

She went from being a pharmacist in a small Italian town to an Italian professor at Wisconsin's largest private university. Claudia Pessarelli is one of only two women who teach Italian at Marquette University. She firmly believes that nowadays, learning another language is much easier

“If you are able to speak even a bit of another language, it makes it more welcoming,” says Pessarelli. 

The adjunct faculty member was working as a pharmacist in Italy, where she was born and raised, when her husband was offered a better job, and in 1995, she arrived to Pittsburg. She was hardly able to speak English. 

“It was a nice change, and I knew it was going to be an experience to live a different life,” remembers Pessarelli. 

She moved to Wisconsin when she had her now-teenage daugther, started teaching Italian privately, and was later offered a job at Marquette. 

Eight years later, she continues to teach different types of students the basics of the Italian language in a foreign language department she believes is constantly growing. Pessarelli mostly urges her students to always try and even make a few mistakes, because if you do not, “you still won't learn the language.”

“I understand the struggle my students go through, so it makes me more open and understanding because I had people who helped me,” says Pessarelli, whose parents were also professors. 

“You do your job and I'm nice to you, so don't expect to run over me,” she says.

Gabby Kailas, a sophomore in the College of Communication, says: “I love her. Most teachers don't know anything about the culture, and she's just overwhelmingly Italian. She is also very understanding.”

Pessarelli genuinely states that she is “extremely proud” to be a part of the Marquette community.

“I didn't think I was going to be so involved. I talk about my job, and I can't help but feel happy.”

 
Picture
The Chicago Tribune highlights the Bears' victory.
It was a great start for the Windy City's football team, as their debut on Sunday resulted in a 41-21 victory over the Colts. The Chicago Tribune had extensive coverage of all the NFL action this past weekend and provided extensive coverage on the local team, the Bears. The coverage was both pre- and post- game. Several articles were posted on the newspaper's website which highlighted star players, provided experts' opinion on how the Bears stood before the game, and gave full reviews after the game including what the Bears did good and bad as they look to their next game against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. 

As a preview to the game, Tribune writers gave their predictions, which were only available online through digital membership. One article highlighted how ex-Bears wide receiver Roy Williams has retired and another noted how Brian Ulracher, Chris Conte and punter Adam Podlesh would be present in the lineup after recovering from former injuries. 

During the game, David Haugh, Dan Pompei and Vaughn McClure (writers for the Tribune) all gave their input throughout the different quarters of the game. Before and after the victory, the Tribune included photos and videos with key moments of the game, including backstage interviews with some of the players including Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, whose teamwork was commended by the Chicago press. 
Picture
Quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receiver Earl Bennett during the game on Sunday.
Picture
Brandon Marshall scores a touchdown for the winning team.
The coverage continues and as one article exclusively for digital members of the Tribune featured "10 thoughts after Bears' win over Colts," another gave a quick look at the Bears' next rivals: the Green Bay Packers. One fun fact: "The Bears haven't beaten the Packers in four tries, and they haven't won at Lambeau Field since 2007. The Packers have won seven of nine from the Bears." Overall, though somewhat limited and some articles exclusive for digital members, the Chicago Tribune offered plenty of coverage in regards to the Bears' performance before, during and after the game. They keep a watchful eye on their team's every move, on and off the field.
 
For my JOUR 1550 beat assignment, I was assigned the Chicago Tribune. As one of the Windy City's most influential news journals, the Chicago Tribune offers a range of local and international news. It has many sections which appeal to all types of interests. However, in comparison to other newspapers' websites, I found the Tribune's online to be somewhat limited in terms of the amount of news it offered. However, it is still very useful for news on-the-go and the stories were very high-quality. It is very accessible the headlines are organized in a concise way so that anyone browsing through the site could be fully informed. 

The website does not throw a lot of news at you all at once, but the whole site is divided into numerous categories. This makes the reader really get into it if they are interested in looking up any news. Once you open up the page, it headlines mostly local news, but once you scroll down, it takes you into news which varies from entertainment to sports to business. 

    About me

    I am a sophomore majoring in journalism at Marquette University. I was born and raised in Mayagûez, Puerto Rico. Yes, I left paradise for the frozen tundra. But I always keep home in my heart. 

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