Blog #1

The trademark photo from the Ashley Madison website.

What goes on in the dark, comes out on the Internet

How the Ashley Madison brand is handling the breach of their data.

Want to cheat on your spouse? There is a website for that and it’s called Ashley Madison. The dating site prided itself on providing to help people cheat on their spouse with guaranteed anonymity.  The website’s tag line is “life is too short, have an affair,” and it has over 32 million members. Unfortunately, hackers decided to breach the site and threaten to expose the member’s financial and personal information.

So how is Ashley Madison handling all this negative publicity? For starters, they are allowing members to cancel their accounts free of charge and are regularly keeping people updated via their social media accounts on this incident. The Avid Life Media is offering $377,000 to whoever can find the culprit. However, this might not be enough for members to keep faith in the brand.  The website’s main focus was allowing members to remain anonymous and that one thing has been tarnished. 

               This isn’t the first time hackers have breach the data of a huge company. Not too long ago Target and Sony were targets of a massive data breach. Hackers are constantly finding new ways to breach into a huge companies system because they know the information there is valuable information. There have been reports that two people have committed suicide and Josh Duggar has been accussed of having an account. It seems as though this incident is becoming worse by the week as new information continues to be revealed.

               Is there a way Ashley Madison can make a comeback?  According to a news article by PRWeek,  Mike Paul, The Reputation Doctor, stated “Ashley Madison's response should be to apologize with full accountability for its data breach and either prove to its customers that they have invested in and perfected its data security to guarantee there will not be another breach (which it can never do) or shut down permanently.”

               I agree with the above statement. I would advise Ashley Madison to showcase to their customers that they are taking the necessary steps to resolve this issue and prove to its customers that the security will be improved. The company has done neither. The company would have to re-brand itself completely if it wants to stay in business any longer.

The University of Oklahoma responds to SAE racist video

The University of Oklahoma, after being shared the video of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon chanting racist remarks, reacted quickly. The university president David Boren issued a statement condemning the members,  expelled two students and demanded the house be permanently closed. The members of the fraternity were demanded to leave the fraternity house within 24 hours and the letters were torn down afterwards.

Boren did a great job at responding to the situation. He took action immediately and demonstrated that OU does not tolerate racist behavior. Boren had stated in an interview with Wolf Blitzer that he was angry about the situation and wanted to showcase that Sooners are not racist.  Even President Obama praised OU for the quick response.  In crisis communications, its important to identify the crisis, propose a solution and act on it. If OU would of waited for weeks or days to respond it would look suspicious as if they were planning to cover it up.

Even if legally he was advised not to expel the students he did anyways. Boren has cut all ties with SAE on campus to ensure they are not longer affiliated with the university. Even though some disagree with how quickly he responded and thought it was an overreaction, the subject of racism is a serious matter.  It is important that he emphasized that racism is not acceptable. Boren knew he would face a lawsuit from the boys regarding the first amendment, but he didn't care. Instead, he went with what he felt was morally right and took action toward it. The university has done a excellent job on constantly communicating to the public and not keeping quiet about the situation.

There are claims that members of the Tri-Delta sorority were also chanting with the SAE members. However on the Tri-Delta website, it claims to be cooperating with officials to investigate this manner, but on the local chapter of Tri-Delta website they claim otherwise. It is obvious the national headquarters and the local chapters did not communicate well with each other on the issue. It looks unorganized that the local and national headquarters are not on the same page.

                                                               
 Shania Jackson is a junior public relations major at the University of North Texas. To stay connect with her follow her on twitter @shaniagracePR
                                                               



 Citation:

 Shapiro, Emily. "Oklahoma Sigma Alpha Epsilon: University President Severs Ties With Frat, Sorority Also Investigates." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015

 The Incident at the University of Oklahoma." Tri Delta. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

 OU President Declares 'zero Tolerance' for Racism - CNN Video." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

 Wilcox, Dennis L. Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques. New York: Longman, 2001. Print.

Dirty Wars blog assignment

Yes, Scahill follows the journalism principle to write about the truth. He encountered obstacles such as sources not responding to his request for information, not obtaining the document he requested utilizing the FIOA letter, and discovering information that was released was not accurate. Scahill begun to discover things were not adding up to the facts which made him want to pursue the truth more, as a journalist should do.

Scahill sorts out the conflicting stories and lies he is told by seeking out press releases, examining photos of the incident, and compares what was said to what actually occurred. When he found the NATO admitted to the killings- he begins to ponder the motive for these killings and why the government was trying to cover it up. Through government websites, he made a connection the information he found went back to JSOC.

          Scahill starts to feel overwhelmed when he discovers new information especially the information about the Joint Special Operations Command. He thought he knew about them but learned he didn’t which was shocking for him. He decides to take it a step further by visiting the locations of where the deaths occurred and speaking to eye-witnesses about the event. Scahill knew it would be a challenge investigating them considering the fact they are the only force to report directly to the White House.

        He works for the Nation. He does follow the principal of journalist staying loyal to its citizens because he was focused on telling the truth rather than his own special interests. He is covering the story because Scahill genuinely cares for the victims and want to know their story. He learned the government claimed the victims were Taliban, which was false and starts questioning JSOC motives. He displays compassionate for the innocent victims whose lives were loss. In the beginning scene, when the man shows the photos of his family killed, you can see Scahill almost tear up. Scahill does have connection to those he is working for because they, which helps his objectivity.

            Scahill, in my opinion, is a great journalist. He had a notepad available to take notes, he remained persistent in finding sources that will talk to him, and used reliable resources to obtain answers. He did not use Wikipedia or blog sites to conduct his research; he researched officials and used his connections to contact them. Every document he read was an official government document issued by the government itself.
 

Scahill treated every source fairly and only used facts as background information for supporting his claims. Even though he believed the family’s account of the night Daoud was killed, he wanted to find facts that proved that. He did not just go off of what one source said he used multiple sources to find the truth.

Scahill role as a journalist changed over the film as he started to be more motivated to tell the stories of people on the other side of the guns. At first, I felt as though he was just reporting but he found a need to make an impact when discovering new information. He put his life at risk for the truth. Through the film, the audience got to witness how journalist assemble pieces of information and pick out the truth in order to serve the interest of the people.

The Paper reflection

In the movie The Paper, it provides an inside look on the world of journalism on a college level. I loved how the film discussed racial and ethical issues. When the editor-in-chief, James Young, did not feel as though having diversity was important, it made me feel uncomfortable. Being a woman of African American descent and part Native American, I believe diversity is an important factor. When you have diversity it opens up new ideas because having people from different backgrounds promotes inclusiveness. When two openly gay males and wrote a letter to the editor about his disdain for it, an ethical issue was brought up. Should you publish something that is offensive to a select group of people? Personally, I would have because it is what makes news. People love reading about conflict. The character I most identified with in the story was Bridget Smith. Smith felt as though she was responsible for the decrease in circulation of the newspaper. I find myself putting too much pressure or taking responsible when things go unsuccessful in my organization. I love how she has a passion for publishing great articles that will educate and inform the public. One thing I admired about the Daily Collegian was their strive to remain the best. The group discussions were good to view and it made me want to attend the NTDaily's meeting to see how to brainstorm story ideas. It was a relief to see students stress over contacting sources and creating news worthy content that will get people creating conversations about it. I love how engaged the students were when trying to find stories or possessing aggressiveness to get an answer. The sports writer, Jenny Vrentas, said people don't take her serious as a sports writer because she is a girl. I loved how she stayed after the game and remained persistent when she wanted to interview the football player. She even went to his house to got to know him on a personal level, which is important in journalism.Once people feel as though they can trust you and are comfortable with you, the more they are willing to tell you. People distrust the media and feel as though it does not tell the real story. The millennials are going to be the next reporters and it's important they take pride in what they produce such as the Pennsylvania State University students did in this film.

Early Voting begins in Denton County

    The University of North Texas began early voting on Oct.20 for the convenience of students and community members.

“I didn’t have any problems with the booths or long lines,” Tyler Owens, 22, a junior journalism major, said. “I went straight in, and casted my ballot on the governor’s race, liquor sales, and fracking.”

Outside Sycamore Hall, on opposite sides of the lawn, there were pro-fracking and anti-fracking volunteers passing out information about fracking. Each volunteer had participated in early voting and was satisfied with the accessibility.

 “It’s a lot easier and more convenient,” said Baleigh Poston, 20, a senior political major who advocating for pro-fracking. “Plus, early voting gives people a longer period to vote.”

Fracking is one of the most controversial issues on the ballot, which could explain high early voter turnout said the Denton Record Chronicle.

 “People often times get confused with the wording,” said Adam Wiley, an alumni, and volunteer for the anti-fracking group. “That’s why we made fliers to help people who are against fracking to check FOR the ban.”

           

           

National News Engagement Day

Maria Curiel, 20, a junior accounting major, utilizes her laptop the most to access news. She looks through various national newspapers’ websites to read articles. When I asked her what she was mostly interested in she said entertainment, news, business, and politics. I discovered she did not read any print copies of newspapers and she finds the internet more accessible than print. She does believe that news is often inaccurate and lacks adequate content. Upon my findings it seems as though the younger generation reads more online because the content is shorter and usually web news has interesting multimedia attached to the article. Plus, it is easier to search through various newspapers without the hassle of flipping back and forth through papers. Most people seem to only be interested in news that relates to their personal interests. If they feel as though it has no effect on their lives then they will not bother to read it. Also, she mentioned how she turns to watch national broadcast stations if she wants to learn more about the story instead of another newspaper. She does not read the NTDaily and didn’t even know about the school’s newspaper.

Pi Kappa Phi

 For 72 hours straight, the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity pedaled on stationary bicycles from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in order to raise money for “The Abilities Experience”, a non-profit organization that supports people with disabilities.

               Pi Kappa Phi is the only fraternity to own and operate their own philanthropy on campus. All the donations are used for wheelchair ramps, summer camps, and friendship visits where the members visit a camp with those who have disabilities.

               Members of the chapter volunteered riding the bicycles and switched off to ensure the wheels never stopped moving.  With only water, a towel and conversation the fraternity holds this event every fall semester pedaling from dusk to dawn.

Nathan Cooper, an associate member of the chapter, pedaled for six hours straight.

“People think we are crazy,” Cooper said. “At the end of the day it’s worth it. It’s tiring, but it’s definitely worth it for the cause.”

               The bicycles were set up in the lawn across from Sage Hall, and a tent provided shade for the participants. There was a donation bucket available for people to donate spare change to support the cause.

               Taylor Lindholm, chapter president , believes this event creates a bond among his brothers.

“I believe true brotherhood is built on the bikes,” Lindholm said. “There is no feeling like working hard for something bigger than yourself, and while on those bikes at 3 a.m. you know who your true family is.”

As people walked by the scenery, they noticed the young men looked exhausted but were having a good time as well.  

Elizabeth With, 22, a senior marketing major, was impressed with the chapter’s consistency throughout the night.

“It’s amazing to see people so dedicated to a cause they believe in,” With said.  “I don’t know how they do it.”

Lindholm said the chapter strives to change the way the world views fraternities and people with disabilities. He believes it’s these uncommon opportunities that make the fraternity so unique at UNT.

“We build the leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today,” Lindholm said.