Hi, my name is Mike Young and this is my blog/portfolio. Here you can check out work I’ve done over the past few years, and get to know me a little better.
I’ve uploaded written and visual examples on their respective pages. If you would like read a quick bio of me, head to the ‘About’ page. My contact info and resume can be found on the ‘Contact’ page.
Cyber Monday was a big hit this year, raking in over $1 billion. My suspicions in earlier posts were correct, which highlights an interesting point upon reflection.
This was the first story I knew beforehand how it would turn out – as much as I don’t want to admit it. Prior research indicated Cyber Monday would be huge, which was then supported by the resulting data. It makes me wonder if my story was truly objective.
From what I’ve learned this semester, as a reporter you should approach a story without preconceptions. Otherwise, you could miss a crucial piece – especially when trying to hit a deadline.
Having completed this story, I’m left wondering how reporters covering specific subjects do their jobs. A reporter covering health, for example, must have biases after covering the system for so long. You can cut out obvious bias, but subconsciously there should be some effect. Journalists aren’t robots.
In my other stories, I knew nothing about the subjects being covered. This story was different, and it will stand out as this semester comes to a close. I have one story left, and I plan to lean more on my observations and interviews. Doing too much research beforehand felt harmful to the story process. Perhaps I’ll strike a better balance this time.
Black Friday has come and gone, and the statistics are in. Retail sales were under projection. However, online sales shot up 16 percent.
Surprisingly, store traffic actually increased this year. It seems people came looking for deals, but didn’t buy. If I had to guess, I’d say many shoppers are putting off until Cyber Monday’s deals.
I still feel the modern shopper is now more comfortable buying online. Considering the madness of Black Friday, shopping online is safer and less hassle. I went out shopping on Black Friday, and it was annoying dealing with the crowds.
My friend camped out at Best Buy, which is apparently only for the hardcore or completely insane. People had been there for over two days waiting in line. There were beer cases everywhere, and people passed out drunk. I don’t think the average shopper is willing to put up with this situation.
Anyway, Cyber Monday is today and it will be interesting to see how statistics compare to Black Friday.
Source: Associated Press
