Editorial

By Briana Baker

            If someone asked you if there has been more dramatic crimes in the Central West End than Kirkwood would you say yes? If so it is probably due to the amount of negative media coverage in certain neighborhoods rather than the way other neighborhoods are portrayed. Local TV news is shallow and leaves an inaccurate view of the community.

            Some will argue that there just isn’t enough time for the Television news to cover stories in depth, which may be true. Still this argument says nothing about the inaccurate views portrayed. Newscasters will breeze through traffic jams, local news and unemployment rates, but will spend a good portion of time telling the story of an outraged crime committed in north St. Louis. TV news’ personnel will encourage viewers to visit articles online or purchase newspapers if they want full coverage, but is this always possible? I’m pretty sure most viewers watch the news on television because it’s much more convenient. Not every home has the Internet to read stories in detail online and most prefer not to read an entire newspaper. PEW Research Center -a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world- reports that 44% of our regular viewers report to Fox for the latest news. This means that 44% of our community could be just as ignorant of factual statistics as some of you who answered yes to the question above and are left with inadequate views of neighborhoods.

            Everyone has heard that violence and crime is entertaining and that’s what viewers want to see, but is the news supposed to be informational or entertaining? If someone is looking for a good laugh or drama then they should turn their channel to Comedy Central or Lifetime. The News should be less focused on entertaining the community and more focused on providing them with more accurate and adequate information.

            Fox 2 has a portion of their time dedicated to “You Paid For It: Colorful Confrontations”. During this time Elliot Davis gives a preview of both Black and White people who have had confrontations with him while in an interview. You will see people of both races swearing, fighting or stating absurd, off-subject comments while being filmed. If viewers wanted to find entertainment in the news, this is where it should be. Not when anchors or broadcast editors want to portray Blacks as the most violent, uneducated race or St. Louis city as the most unsafe neighborhoods.

            Local TV News should dedicate each story with the same amount of time and be sure to cover both sides to stay as objective and informative as possible. You cannot argue there isn’t enough time if coverage such as Colorful Confrontations and cute little photos of pets in costumes are shown. These inaccurate views have caused people to become biased and stereotype certain neighborhoods and races. It’s helping to cause a division among the community based solely from false representations and shallow coverage.

Oped (Opinion Article)

November 28, 2011

By Briana Baker

            While browsing the Internet I came across the perfect definition. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defined reading literacy as understanding, using and reflecting on written texts in order to achieve one’s goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential, and to participate in society. Keeping this in mind I oppose reading urban fiction.

            As a young, black, educated, urban female I find reading urban fiction not only self-degrading to our African-American culture but detrimental to our American society in general. With the constant use of slang, profanity and improper grammar, I don’t understand how this can help anyone develop their knowledge or potential or help to achieve any goals.

            One of the most popular urban fiction books is Sistah Souljah’s The Coldest Winter Ever. The first page of the book reads: “Brooklyn-born I don’t have no sob stories for you about rats and roaches and pissy-pew hallways. I came busting out of my momma’s big coochie on January 28 1977, during one of New York’s worst snowstorms. So my mother named me Winter. My father was so proud of his new baby girl that he had a limo waiting to pick my moms up from the hospital.”

            Now I know many will argue that urban fiction is designed to help portray what life is like in the urban community or the ghetto, but I am a big fan of” it’s not what you say but how you say it.” Could the author have just stated that although she was born in Brooklyn she didn’t have any stories of living in poverty and still get her point across? Could she just have mentioned when she was born instead of the day she came “busting out her mom’s big coochie?” Would someone ignorant of urban lingo understand that moms is slang or would they be confused thinking she had more than one mother?

            Reading comprehension determines your level of understanding from a written text. Wikipedia states this understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written and how they trigger knowledge outside the text. The motive behind the publication of urban literature is great but the content is self-deterring and non-educating. There is no way possible that I can take anything I’ve read in a novel written like this to become anything greater psychologically than what I inspired to be before.

            Studies have proven that reading stimulates the brain and can help a person listen faster as well as process speech faster and in more detail. On the other hand there has also been research found that reading remedial literature can hinder a person from sounding out words correctly and it takes many more hours of reading for the brain activity to reach the levels of stimulation as it would for someone reading any other type of literature.

            Although I am not aware of any evidence that supports this, I believe that reading urban fiction can have these same affects as reading remedial literature. If reading stimulates your brain and the literature you read helps you become literate and comprehensive, then I believe  improper grammar usage, repetitive slang and incorrect word choices can alter your current knowledge. Therefore, forcing you to begin pronouncing words incorrectly and slowing down your process of speech. As an educated student and literate person I find it mentally challenging to engage in such books. What will I comprehend from this?

Events Article

By Briana Baker

October 1, 2011

                The audience cheered giving them a standing ovation as dancers from Webster University took their bow after performing “Impetus” on the Washington Stage. Nearby a large crowd gathered in front of City Diner on Grand to watch dancers perform a hip hop improvisational piece. Some videotaped the performance and smiled as the three teenaged guys accompanied by two young girls entertained the streets.

 For the 5^th year Grand Center, a non-profit organization, has opened its fall season with the Dancing in the Streets Festival with hopes of engaging the community in the art around them. Families and people of all ages walked Grand Ave. between Delmar and Olive as more than 700 dancers performed 75 performances on four outdoor stages.

Beckah Reed, artistic director of the dance department at Webster University, says Webster has been a part of the festival since it began five years ago. Impetus, a contemporary piece choreographed by adjunct professor Maggi Dueker, was performed by students Nola Dunn, Ashley Drumm, Abby Ellison, Hope Harl, Isaac hester, Meredith McLaughlin, Sam Mitchell, Julie Opiel, Matt Schmitz and Rain Steppic. Students who were interested had to audition for Impetus last year. Webster University Dance Dept. chose this piece after it was performed at Webster last spring.

Hanging Out, an improvisational piece also performed by Webster, gave other dancers a chance to perform at the festival.

“We chose this for the new students so that they could have new opportunities and it would be less stressful than the more contemporary piece, “Reed stated.

Paige Walden, Andrew Simes, Ashley McQueen, Brooke Wandling, Jessica Manker, Kerondreian Foster and Hannah Greigerett kept the audience smiling as they danced free will on the steps of Third Baptist Church.

Amy Shears, director at Center of Creative Arts- COCA- says they have also participated in the festival all five years and choosing the pieces to perform in the festival can be very strategic.

“The audience is more unique than the traditional theater,” Shears said. “We have to pick pieces that will engage the audience on a short notice.”

In order to perform in the festival you have to apply to Grand Center the spring before after the Request for Art is sent out in May. Travis Howser, director of events and theaters at Grand Center, asks that you submit a video of a dance recital to the company. Jay Perry, director of development at Grand Center, says the festival began as a way to promote the district (surrounding area of the Grand Center) of the falls art season.

Along with the different styles of dance performed, many stands and kiosks were set up as well. A variety of food was sold including the hot dog stand, pizza truck, Kota food fire grill, Café Pintxos and a couple wine and beer stands. Stands to purchase dance costumes for people and pets, as well as other souvenirs, were available as well.

Issues Reporting

By Briana Baker

            It’s a beautiful autumn day on the inner city street of Ridge Ave. Rap music is playing from car stereos while local men are hanging out on the front porch talking, laughing, swearing and gambling. But above all these sounds church music is blasting and the voice of an unknown white man is preaching over a loud speaker on a corner nearby.

            For Cecil Rogers and Brian Padgett who minister nightly at 7, they aren’t doing anything more than what God has called them to do. But for some local street guys, they have become an annoyance to their neighborhood.

            For nearly six weeks Padgett and Rogers have been ministering on corners in gang related neighborhoods west and north of St. Louis city.  Many street guys living in the neighborhood, who refused to give any full names, don’t approve of it all.

            “The Lord spoke to us a year ago in September or October giving us the vision,” said Padgett when asked why he decided to do street ministry in this particular neighborhood. Padgett believes the one thing St. Louis doesn’t have is hope and his passion for people will touch the lives of the gang members and drug addicts and the area.

            “I know they find it strange when they see this white guy with a backpack full of Bibles and anointed oil walking from door-to-door but I seriously believe I have a passion for people,” Padgett said.  “We know we’re doing something right when all hell breaks loose every night service is held.”

            However, some disagree and don’t think Padgett’s attempts has any spiritual affect whatsoever.

            “It’s not preaching because you don’t understand him. So it’s just noise, loud noise,” said Christepher, one of the local guys in the neighborhood. He refused to give his last name. He added, “When you’re just getting off at 9 o’clock you don’t want to hear that.”

            Although some may not have an issue with Padgett and Rodgers holding street ministry services, they do find it redundant in that it won’t change anything in the environment.

            “I think it’s good because he’s preaching to the right people but I don’t think it can change anything. People don’t believe in God,” 15-year-old boy known to the neighborhood as Lil’ Keith says.

            Tyga, another man who was raised on Ridge Ave., thinks the concept of what Padgett and Rodgers is doing is good, but that technical issues with the speakers hinder him from really getting his point across.

            “It’s good because the prostitutes and drug addicts need to know the Lord but you never understand him,” Tyga says after complaining about how you don’t have a choice but to hear them ministering a few blocks away.

            Rodgers stated that he decided to start street ministry 30 years ago after his drug abuse caused him to have a brain stroke.

            “God took me off the streets then put me right back in,” Rodgers said explaining his transformation from living in the streets to preaching in the streets.

            Rodgers has been locked up, shot at, spat on, cursed out and even threatened for his street ministry. When asked why he continues to do it he quoted a couple verses from the Holy Bible.

            “God has not given me the spirit of fear but the spirit of a sound mind.” He added, “Greater is HE that is in me than HE that is in the world.”

Padgett and Rodgers began at Kingshighway and Delmar with a cross cut and made from barks of a tree and have recently moved to the corner of Kingshighway and Page Avenue next to the Aldi Supermarket.

Rodgers does ministry full time visiting prisons, nursing homes and even some schools quite often when invited by officials. Some of his ministry is accompanied by others and has filled up three or four churches.

Extra, Extra! Read All About It!

As some of you (or probably most of you) know I'm majoring in journalism so I've decided to post some of my articles I've written for class. Each of them will consist of four sources that I've interviewed to obtain as much information as possible so they'll probably be quite lengthy. Feel free to leave comments whether they're positive or negative! I appreciate the constructive criticism.