If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
It’s a cold, crisp Friday in February. You’re on your way to a Muggle Studies lesson. Breakfast is settling in your stomach. The air smells of orange peels and forest pine air freshener. Life is pretty okay. Anyway, ANYWAY, AnYwAy. Welcome to the Muggle Studies classroom where everything looks completely and utterly normal (except for your professor who looks like a pool noodle… but you’ve come to accept that this is his normal).
As you walk inside this morning, you’ll notice that the desks are positioned in rows facing the front of the classroom today. There’s quite a lot of space at the front of the room, with the desks being a little further back and closer together than they usually are. There’s also a GIANT stack of cardboard boxes by the windows. What could possibly be inside them? Perhaps they held the same contents as the four open boxes in front of Finneas’ desk? Speaking of which, why did your professor keep so much makeup and so many hairbrushes? Who could possibly know!? Not you. Lesson plans are for your professor’s eyes and his eyes only.
Speaking of his beady, nervous eyes, they were currently zeroed in on the periodical he was reading at his desk. He reminds you to read the board as you walk in (even though it has had the same message for months now). Take a seat, class will begin shortly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteboard
Reminder of Rules:
1. Do not use magic during Muggle Studies lessons
2. Wear your school uniform
3. Do not hit your peers with textbooks
4. And no anarchy
OOC: HI THERE AND WELCOME. Students should be well acquainted with Prof Schmoe at this point in the term. While you’re here please take a look at the classroom rules. I’ll post in about 24-28 hours to officially start the lesson.
Yeah I broke that mirror, so what? ll NOT backward ll Official Gryfferin ll Lemon's favourite
Brought her what?
"But Professor, this isn't my imagin--I AGREE!!" She yelled suddenly, seeing the way Phoebe added the end note by that murder rule. She'd had enough of things trying to kill her before the summer could come and she could participate in the recital on the summer solstice, thanks.
Emmerson took her seat, begrudgingly accepting that in this lesson, there would be no red faced Schmoe and anarchy.
At the question, the little' girl's hand shot up.
"I know! Their iNtUiTiOn!! They THINK something is happening then they convince themselves it's real then they tell everyone else and then the rumour mill kicks in and it all goes from there."
She would know. It happened all the time.
__________________
Imma say all the words inside my head____________________________________
______________________________I'm fired up and tired of the way that things are said.
Sardine VIP || Shark Attack! || D A R T E R || Captain Oblivious
Valencia was curious about all the boxes. Were they supplies for the lesson? Was the lesson about news? That would be fun. Today's news was tomorrow's history and she LOVED history.
"The important stuff shows up instantly on their phones."
__________________
I'll Spend Forever Wondering If You Knew__________________________________ _____________________________________________I Was Enchanted To Meet You
doesn't proofread tweets | #wrongaboutcereal | #siriusly? | emo to the extremo
SPOILER!!: thank u for participating, friends
SPOILER!!: ivy
Quote:
Originally Posted by CruppieMom89
Ivy shifted in her seat a bit as an older boy sat down next to her. Looking at him, she gave nod of acknowledgement, but was still holding onto the mood that everything was stupid. Well, the boy wasn’t stupid, but THINGS were stupid.
Unable to resist actually knowing something without even thinking about it, her hand shot in the air and she answered. ”The television - news programs on the television,” she said brightly She even smiled a bit. Maybe. But she was still MAD.
It seemed as though Ms. Taylor was back to her usual again. Perhaps she had just needed a few minutes to wake up. That's all Schmoe thought of it. "YES!" He replied with ALL the enthusiasm. "Hold onto this answer for a moment, please," he attempted to wink as he moved to call on the next student. They'd circle back.
SPOILER!!: ashley
Quote:
Originally Posted by astrocat
Ashley nodded/grinned over at Serena. THAT girl probably wouldn't abandon her. That was basically friendship material in Ashley's eyes. "Sup, Serena." Wait, why was the professor blinking at her weird. She shrugged. Might as well answer the question. "They- wait also me - use technology like phones to read articles." They did many other things too, and all of them were easier than owls in Ashley's opinion. But tech didn't really work at Hogwarts. So maybe they had to use owls.
Finneas blinked a couple of times, nodding along as Ms. Fox answered the question. "Yes! A world of information is ready at their fingertips. Far more convenient than waiting for an owl, I must say."
SPOILER!!: claudine
Quote:
Originally Posted by FatefulLeader19
Claudine was busying herself with getting her books and pen set out on her desk; it was only when she heard the all too familiar voice of Heath did she look up. He got a wide smile. “Hi, you,’’ she said warmly. “Wonder what’s with all the boxes,’’ she continued, interested in knowing Heath’s thoughts on the matter.
The Slytherin finished getting ready for the lesson at the same time Schmoe was getting to his feet. She was startled to hear him exclaim out that loudly. He wasn’t a man who drew attention to himself that way usually. Anyway.
Muggles and their news?
“I expect they have their own publications that’s much like the Prophet,’’ Claudine said as she lowered her hand. The Muggle world was not something that she was very knowledgeable of but that was changing with Schmoe’s classes and heath’s constant presence in her life.
He really wasn't the kind of guy who liked to draw attention to himself, she was quite right. As was her answer. "Yes, true," he nodded. Ms. Blaze never contributed much elaboration. "They also receive their newspapers via the post. Sometimes at their door and other times at their mailboxes. Sometimes they'll even pick up a copy around the corner!"
SPOILER!!: Violet
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadAlice
Violet's first thought when she heard the question was of the blaring television which had been on what seemed like all the time in her father's hotel room. But someone had already said that. Well, besides the television, what else had her father been obsessed with, it seemed like? "The Internet," Violet answered, raising her hand. "They have all these websites online that they access with their phones and computers, full of all sorts of things--new articles, videos, music, advertising..." arguments, lies, useless stuff, Violet thought silently, "...all sorts of things. And they can look at it anytime, anyplace, almost."
Finneas smiled big time. "The internet! All sorts of news floating around in cyberspace. Very good." He nodded and nodded and nodded.
SPOILER!!: Cecelia
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemeTrickorTreating
"Muggle magazines, Professor. Those have facts in them sometimes. Most times. I mean, I'm sure some of them print gossip, but that's with any news source, right?" She propped her chin on her hand, looking thinky. She didn't like gossip much, 'specially if it was mean spirited, but she knew that wasn't the case for everyone.
"That is a very good point," he nodded seriously, turning to look around. Did everyone else take note of that? Yes? Good. "Some people may also have different defintions for new." In some cases, gossip could be considered news too!
SPOILER!!: Naya
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer11
It was time for class to begin and Naya sat up straighter in her seat. Anxious to find out what they would be doing in class, she listened as the professor spoke. It seemed that she would have to wait a little longer to find outbecause the first question did not really give her a good hint.
Naya did have an answer and she raised her hand, ready to share. “Muggles can get information on the radio. That could be from home, in a car or on a computer, among other things. They have radio stations that give news all the time. Even the music stations give news updates throughout the day.””
Finneas picked on the next raised hand, nodding along and grinning big. "The radio! In recent times it has lost its initial popularity, but still a good news source if one is commuting."
SPOILER!!: phoebe and bernie
Quote:
Originally Posted by Castaspell
"No, Professor, I'm not..." Phoebe wrinkled her nose at him when he dismissed her, but she DID write 'no murder' on the board. And added 'especially by Headmasters', since that was the only person trying to kill her at the moment. The guy in charge. Hello???
Phoebe flopped into her seat as class finally began, raising only an eyebrow at the question about NEWS. Muggles were wild, weren't they? Like... "What about nets? They communicate with nets? How does that even work?" Maybe they worked like antennae or something? "Radios. They use those too, right?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
"Phoebe is referring to the INTERnets, Professor," Bernie piped up helpfully, her hand in the air as always. "Muggles get their news off the internets, and social media. It has LOTs of news. Sometimes even FAKE news."
Bernie wiggled in her chair because she felt like she could give 57 answers here, being the all-knowledgeable TA she was and all. AND it was against the rules to hit her in the head with a book this lesson, so. She could be slightly more annoying but slightly less chaotic this class.
Uh.................... Finneas blinked. Four times. He silently blinked four and a half times before Bernadette jumped in with clarification.
"The internet," he nodded in agreement. Emphasis on the INTER, Phoebe. "It isn't a physical net persay, but er.... Yes. Very good." The point on social media as well. For better or for worse. "As with anything, one cannot take news for face value. It's important to fact check, yes?" Not everything you read on the net is true, kids!
SPOILER!!: serena
Quote:
Originally Posted by mellamaet
Everyone had already given perfect answers to the questions, and she was a bit bummed about not being able to answer first, but there were more sources of information around the world. Serena raised her hand, and answered "Word of mouth, professor. Before everything else is printed, published or broadcasted, it usually starts as verbal passing of information from one person to another." Sometimes it was news, often times it was gossip.
Finneas always enjoyed the out-of-the-box answers. He nodded gratefully at this next one and blinked profusely a few times. "News is always a reliable topic for small talk," he nodded knowingly.
SPOILER!!: avalon
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireheart
The Daily Prophet. She should have known - it was undoubtedly the most popular wizarding publication. Raising her hand, Avalon decided to add on to Claudine's answer. "Muggles do have their own newspapers, like Claudine said. Even though a lot of the news has moved to the Internet, some people still like the paper copies. But they don't have moving pictures," Avalon said, recalling how her brother and his wife, who lived in the United States, got a paper copy of The New York Times delivered to his flat each week.
Finneas beamed at Avalon with PRIDE. She made for an excellent prefect, did she know? Perhaps he ought to tell her. AnYwAy. "Excellent points, Ms. Sinclair." He nodded. "Newspapers especially come in handy when you are trying to squash a bug." The internet couldn't help with that.
SPOILER!!: Heath
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMummyMalfoy
Heath's face lit up at the sight of Claudine's smile. There was no way he could not smile along with her! The question got a shrug in reply. "No idea," he said. Technically that wasn't true. He did have one idea but it was too weird to voice; other students might make fun of him if they overheard! The orange peel and pine scents made him think they contained soaps or scented candles. Maybe they were making one of those things… or not.
Heath jumped slightly at the sound of Schmoe's voice. Wow, that was loud! He looked up, focusing his attention on the professor. Muggle news… well, that certainly wasn't where he thought this was going! How did that relate to the pine and orange peel smells? Consider his curiosity piqued!
He considered the question, immediately thinking of things like newspapers, television, and the internet. But all of those had already been said. Then his thoughts turned to olden times before any of those things existed. How did people get their news then? By word of mouth, he supposed. Was that a news source? Apparently so, as someone else (Serena) just gave that answer. Now he was getting really frustrated! Other people beat him to every idea he had, so now what? He didn't want to repeat answers, but he couldn't just not say anything. Come on! Think, Heath! he mentally told himself.
Eventually something came to mind, and his hand shot into the air. "Some muggle television and newspaper companies have mobile apps," he said. "These allow for easy news viewing on the go from devices like smartphones or tablets." Okay, maybe that answer was a bit of a stretch, but at least it wasn't a repeat!
Finneas was quite proud to hear the depth of knowledge his students had. Sometimes he worried that they didn't do their readings. Other times, however, he had no such worries. He didn't worry about this student in particular, anyway. AnYwAy. "Very good! Many news sources have found other ways to distribute their materials so that they do not simply rely upon a television program."
SPOILER!!: emmerson
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNarDOOM
Brought her what?
"But Professor, this isn't my imagin--I AGREE!!" She yelled suddenly, seeing the way Phoebe added the end note by that murder rule. She'd had enough of things trying to kill her before the summer could come and she could participate in the recital on the summer solstice, thanks.
Emmerson took her seat, begrudgingly accepting that in this lesson, there would be no red faced Schmoe and anarchy.
At the question, the little' girl's hand shot up.
"I know! Their iNtUiTiOn!! They THINK something is happening then they convince themselves it's real then they tell everyone else and then the rumour mill kicks in and it all goes from there."
She would know. It happened all the time.
................. Er.
Maybe next time he would add 'no yelling' to the rules list. All things to think about.
"Errr... Yes, I suppose that does occur on occasion." Or more than just occasion. He had heard the horror stories including family whatsapp groups and the spread of misinformation. YiKeS. Amiright!? However, er, wizards are also just as likely to succumb to rumormill, Ms. Cambridge!" She did know this, yes?
SPOILER!!: valencia
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilFox06
Valencia was curious about all the boxes. Were they supplies for the lesson? Was the lesson about news? That would be fun. Today's news was tomorrow's history and she LOVED history.
"The important stuff shows up instantly on their phones."
"Excellent point! They call those 'push notifications'," he replied with a big grin before making his way back to the center of the room.
"Errr, as you can see... Muggles have many options to turn to when looking for their fix of news!" Both a blessing and a curse, some would say. The quantity of choices did not always translate to quality of choices, y'know? AnYwAy. He paused for a long while before continue to forge forth. "One of the ways that was touched upon is via the TELEVISION." They were supposed to read about that for homework. Did they do it?
"Cable television has been around in the UK since the late 1980s, in order to gain access to all the channels that come along with it, muggles will buy a Cable Television subscription and then they can watch all the programs their hearts desire all with the convenience of clicking a button on a remote control!" More on this later though. This lesson was about NEWS. The EVENING NEWS. "Many of the programs that air on TV are dedicated to the news! All sorts of news, that is. Some networks are dedicated to national politics, while others focus on international affairs. There's sports news and celebrity news. There's local news, news about the weather, and evening news!" He paused again to make sure people were following. "There are, er, lots of options." That was the main takeaway.
"For each of these news programs, there is typically an anchor. An anchor is the news presenter... Er, the person who will report on the stories that need to be delivered to their audience. As we think about news anchors, what might be a quality that is important for them to have? What qualities might be important for someone who is delivering the news?"
OOC: hello! sorry for the delay. You'll have around 20-24 hours before we move along again. <3
"Not all wizard news is reliable either," she mumbled quietly, barely audibly. It was something that needed to be said. Ashley always felt the need to defend muggles, especially... NOPE. Not going to think about her friends who she left behind. NOPE. But anyway, the teacher was asking about news anchors. "They have to be charismatic. Otherwise people wouldn't listen to them." They should also be smart and reliable, but it wasn't a perfect world. But she was pretty sure that anchors were specifically selected to get people to believe them.
Professor Pink | Mrs. Bruce Wayne | I'm on a Goat | Glitterpuff | Dumbledore's Defense Squad | BHB
Oh the NEWS, yes, they were going to talk about the TV news! Well Bernie's dad liked to fall asleep to that every night around 6:30 or whenever he sat down in his recliner. She wiggled in her seat as she thought up an answer for what a GOOD NEWS ANCHOR should be like.
"They should have a VIBE of authority," she settled on as an answer, popping her hand in the air. "If they have a silly voice and face, no one will listen to them. That's why a lot of news anchors have a DEEP voice and a THICK mustache." She'd seen the American documentary Anchorman. She knew things.
__________________
yeah, there's one thing about me that you should know________________________________ __________________________________________that I can't help from speaking my mind
curly haired prefect - "sometimes I get angry!" - 30/90 - *chicken emoji* - probably @ Disney - I speak dog
They were talking about the NEWS? How incredibly boring.
Adam had been keeping his mouth shut for the most part, because the news didn't interest him one bit. His dad usually just told him if there was anything going on in the world that he needed to be concerned with. Although...his dad WASN'T here at school with him. So maybe he should start paying attention on his own? But what good would that do? He was only twelve, after all. What impact did the news really have on him? Really?
He raised his hand though, in response to the question, because an answer just popped into his head and he figured he might as well show he was at least sort of paying attention. "They need to be able to read! Because of that thing that shows them all the words when they're on TV," he explained. You know, that thing! With the words!
__________________
I'm still standin'________________________________________ better than I ever did
Lookin' like a true survivor_________________________________feelin' like a little kid
Stealthy Ninja Queen | Snake For Life | waddling baker | binge royalty ♚
Charlie had listened as people described all of the ways in which muggles might communicate and all she could think of was how her family often told each other what was happening through letters because her parents were always traveling and didn't have access to reliable internet or news paper. She didn't raise that point simply because it was a bit weird to those who weren't always having to do that sort of thing.
Ah news anchors, she knew a bit about these. Raising her hand "they should have a soothing yet commanding voice. That way people will listen to them." At least those were the kind of voices that she didn't mind listening to when she had to watch the news.
Not able to resist that she had seemed to get the question RIGHT for once in this crazy school, Ivy straightened up in her seat and her anger seemed to fade away. Ivy had gone to a news studio on a field trip at her Muggle school, so she knew some stuff about how the news worked. As some of her classmates mentioned, they had to be able to read and have a nice tone to their voice, but they were forgetting something. ”They have to look nice,” she said with her hand in the air. ”They all do their hair and their makeup, even the men! And they have to be careful about which clothes they pick so they look good together on the camera.”
__________________
It's the way you're smiling at me. It's in the way you hold my hand.
It's the way I've watched you change me from a boy into a man.
It's a million things about you, and I don't know what it is. I have never known a love like this.
~ Mrs. Steve Harrington ~ Claimed by Bits ❤️ ~ Queen of Typos ❄ Magical Mosh Pit ❄
Claudine nodded as Schmoe elaborated on her answer. The professor was right, of course: elaborating was something she rarely did and it was only because being in the spotlight made her uncomfortable. Maybe that would change someday. Maybe. As it was, the Slytherin paid attention to the other answers, noting that a lot of them had to do with the internet. The internet was yet another topic she was somewhat foggy on.
Ah, yes. The television. This was a topic that she had a good amount of knowledge on thanks to the homework reading. As for an anchor’s qualities? “A sense of humour possibly. The news can be depressing and for certain not-so-serious topics, the anchors should be able to lighten the mood. Perhaps if the segment is about pets, for example, they can make a few puns.’’ Claudine eyed Schmoe. Puns were his life, were they not?
"And they should look and sound honest and objective, like someone people can trust," added Violet. Even though she felt that most of them were biased toward the one view or another.
Yeah I broke that mirror, so what? ll NOT backward ll Official Gryfferin ll Lemon's favourite
Well, yeah. Of course she knew wizards did it too but there was lots muggles and wizards had in common and lots they both did. It was hard to not have overlap.
Rumours were anyone's friends, muggle or magical.
Emm rocked back and forth in her seat, listening to the others talk about anchors. It took her a bit but she did figure out what they were on about and had the p e r f e c t~ answer so of course, her hand shot up again.
"They gotta be drop dead gorgeous, Professor! They gotta look so good that even people who hate the news wanna be like 'oh Patrice, turn on the 7 o'clock news. That fit anchor is covering the story on kittens that nearly drowned'--because they don't really care about the news, see? They just wanna see what suit he's wearing or what shade of lipstick the sassy blonde anchor lady has on."
Then they'd flip to some other channel and carry on with their evening.
__________________
Imma say all the words inside my head____________________________________
______________________________I'm fired up and tired of the way that things are said.
❄ Chasing Waterfalls & Wonder ❄ | Mama Badger | Eva's Soul Sister | An OG™ | It's all in the Numbers
Talking about the news? Carsyn wondered briefly about why Schmoe was reading the daily prophet and was slightly surprised by it cause like why wouldn't he be reading a muggle newspaper? Didn't he like muggles ??? Also as far as her answer went, the internet and phone thing was taken, and the seventh year added to her notes about friends and families, which sort of was what Emmerson had said. Cause there was some people she was certain received their news only from other people and not actual factual sources.
Moving on though, what were qualities that a news anchor needed to have ? Why was half her classmates superficial in caring about physical qualities? Oh, probably cause of first impressions and all, but Carsyn was 90% sure that while first impressions might get one the job, if what comes out of your mouth doesn't measure up, they wouldn't be able to keep the job. Raising her hand, "A positive attitude but more than that, they need to be open-minded to be able to objectively look at all sides of an argument, even if on a personal level they can be judgmental and know that one side is right. They can't offer their opinion on the matter either, but needs to not show bias or favoritism." Kind of like parents with their kids, which they all knew favoritism existed there even when parents would deny it.
__________________
___________________You should take your littlefinger and just point it in the mirror. ________________________________________Baby, maybe you're the problem✯
elephant-astic•wanderlust•stay in the ninedaaays the original Taco Belle•look at the flowers✿
”l think they’ve gotta be likable, Professor.” Which meant being a lot of the other things her classmates had already mentioned. Trustworthy, well groomed, charismatic. ”And I also think they’ve gotta be able to tell the news in a way that makes it easy to understand, you know? Like the way your mom or dad might tell you what’s happening in the world rather than some scientific genius. They gotta be able to make it clear for every viewer watching them..” If...that made sense.
Serena snorted in barely concealed giggles at the first year's (Emmerson) answer. Looks were definitely a major factor in choosing an anchor, she heard that exact same phrase coming from her mother whenever she asked Serena to turn on the telly at for the evening news.
"They have to have a clear, speaking voice. and they have to be able to pronounce words very clearly." She volunteered as she raised her hand to answer. It wouldn't do anyone good if the announcer couldn't enunciate his words properly - no one would understand the news!
Made of Awesome | Ern-la the Best-wa | TZ's Apogee
That Emm was a real hoot, and Phoebe smothered her grin as the younger girl answered ol' Schmoe's question. The thing about her answer, though, was that it was absolutely certain that she really believed her answer, no matter how absolutely wrong it might be.
And since the professor hadn't minded her edit to the class rules, Phoebe decided that ol' Schmoe probably already knew that the Headmaster was a murderous fiend. So no reason to worry about that anymore.
"Do anchors report their own news or just the news that someone else gives to them? 'Cause people who gather the news should be super duper honest and trustworthy, but if you're reading someone else's news, then I suppose you can be a big liar."
Rhibear ~ Madam Solo ~ ❄ Showtunes > Everything ❄ ~ Accio Jedi ~ Gryffinclaw ~ Just a doll
Truth be told, Heath knew about mobile news apps long before he read the muggle studies textbook. He knew about them because he’d actually used them before! Anyway, apparently they were talking about television news programs today. He looked up, paying attention as Professor Schmoe spoke, and he had to stifle a giggle at the mention of celebrity news. HIs dad would know all about that… well, not so much television, but he was the editor of an entertainment news magazine.
The next question piqued his interest. If they were talking about news anchors, did that mean they were going to put on their own news show later? Because he was so here for that! The more he thought about the qualities of a good anchor, the more he thought they weren’t much different from the qualities of a good actor. When approaching the question from that angle, it wasn’t hard to come up with an answer. The problem was that his brain was buzzing with so many ideas, he had a hard time narrowing it down to one answer!
His hand shot into the air like a rocket, and he said, “They should have compassion and empathy for their audience and the people involved in the stories they cover. It’s easier to convey a story respectfully and accurately when you can put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” Did that make any sense? That was the case in acting; it seemed the same principle would apply to news anchors.
__________________
Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true...
dream until your • dreams come true ~ Human pygmy puff
Naya listened attentively as her classmates gave their answers. She jotted down a few notes with her pen while the conversation progressed. Then it was time to move on to a more specific topic and the next question. Ahhh, the news. Naya had seen her share of news broadcasts on muggle television. When the professor mentioned news anchors, the Gryffindor thought about those she had seen over the years. They were very different and yet similar at the same time. They definitely did have a “type”.
Naya tried to think of an answer that hadn’t already been given. Finally she raised her hand to give her thoughts. “News anchors have to be in control of their emotions. Some stories they report on may be sad or upsetting or even funny. They have to be able to tell the story without letting their feelings about it show.” Although Naya had seen more than one news anchor burst into uncontrollable laughter at something that they were reporting, that was definitely not the norm.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Salt!
doesn't proofread tweets | #wrongaboutcereal | #siriusly? | emo to the extremo
SPOILER!!: friends
Quote:
Originally Posted by astrocat
"Not all wizard news is reliable either," she mumbled quietly, barely audibly. It was something that needed to be said. Ashley always felt the need to defend muggles, especially... NOPE. Not going to think about her friends who she left behind. NOPE. But anyway, the teacher was asking about news anchors. "They have to be charismatic. Otherwise people wouldn't listen to them." They should also be smart and reliable, but it wasn't a perfect world. But she was pretty sure that anchors were specifically selected to get people to believe them.
Finneas hadn't heard the mumbling, but if he had he would have been disappointed that she believed him to be implying anything else. Of course there were reliability issues on all ends. Furthermore, Finneas Schmoe is a staunch muggle supporter. Ms. Fox ought to have picked up on this at this point in the year. "Very good, point!"
Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
Oh the NEWS, yes, they were going to talk about the TV news! Well Bernie's dad liked to fall asleep to that every night around 6:30 or whenever he sat down in his recliner. She wiggled in her seat as she thought up an answer for what a GOOD NEWS ANCHOR should be like.
"They should have a VIBE of authority," she settled on as an answer, popping her hand in the air. "If they have a silly voice and face, no one will listen to them. That's why a lot of news anchors have a DEEP voice and a THICK mustache." She'd seen the American documentary Anchorman. She knew things.
Finneas then turned his attention to Ms. Grantham, pleased to see that she was following rules this time around. Coincidentally, a vibe of authority was also something Finneas Schmoe was trying to have some more of #thanksWilliamson. "This is an interesting observation," he nodded. "Such quality would certainly render them more convincing."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom
They were talking about the NEWS? How incredibly boring.
Adam had been keeping his mouth shut for the most part, because the news didn't interest him one bit. His dad usually just told him if there was anything going on in the world that he needed to be concerned with. Although...his dad WASN'T here at school with him. So maybe he should start paying attention on his own? But what good would that do? He was only twelve, after all. What impact did the news really have on him? Really?
He raised his hand though, in response to the question, because an answer just popped into his head and he figured he might as well show he was at least sort of paying attention. "They need to be able to read! Because of that thing that shows them all the words when they're on TV," he explained. You know, that thing! With the words!
Pity that Mr. Luck thought so. Finneas actually found the news to be quite riveting! Though, er, he found a lot of conventionally tiresome things to be riveting. Perhaps he was not the best judge. "The teleprompter," he added helpfully. "Right you are, Mr. Luck! Their delivery of the news depends on it."
Quote:
Originally Posted by siriusblackliveson
Charlie had listened as people described all of the ways in which muggles might communicate and all she could think of was how her family often told each other what was happening through letters because her parents were always traveling and didn't have access to reliable internet or news paper. She didn't raise that point simply because it was a bit weird to those who weren't always having to do that sort of thing.
Ah news anchors, she knew a bit about these. Raising her hand "they should have a soothing yet commanding voice. That way people will listen to them." At least those were the kind of voices that she didn't mind listening to when she had to watch the news.
Soothing yet commanding. Finneas grinned. "Though I'm, er, not sure that soothing is required, it certainly helps their case!" Perhaps this is why he often fell asleep whilst watching. It was Alina's least favorite thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CruppieMom89
Not able to resist that she had seemed to get the question RIGHT for once in this crazy school, Ivy straightened up in her seat and her anger seemed to fade away. Ivy had gone to a news studio on a field trip at her Muggle school, so she knew some stuff about how the news worked. As some of her classmates mentioned, they had to be able to read and have a nice tone to their voice, but they were forgetting something. ”They have to look nice,” she said with her hand in the air. ”They all do their hair and their makeup, even the men! And they have to be careful about which clothes they pick so they look good together on the camera.”
Finneas was relieved to see Ivy feeling much better. This meant he wouldn't have to intervene in that professor sort of way. That much he was very thankful for. "Excellent point, Ms. Taylor!" He grinned at her. Makeup? Say less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19
Claudine nodded as Schmoe elaborated on her answer. The professor was right, of course: elaborating was something she rarely did and it was only because being in the spotlight made her uncomfortable. Maybe that would change someday. Maybe. As it was, the Slytherin paid attention to the other answers, noting that a lot of them had to do with the internet. The internet was yet another topic she was somewhat foggy on.
Ah, yes. The television. This was a topic that she had a good amount of knowledge on thanks to the homework reading. As for an anchor’s qualities? “A sense of humour possibly. The news can be depressing and for certain not-so-serious topics, the anchors should be able to lighten the mood. Perhaps if the segment is about pets, for example, they can make a few puns.’’ Claudine eyed Schmoe. Puns were his life, were they not?
"Punderful ideas, Ms. Blaze." Geddit? Everyone loved a good pun. Schmoe? REALLY loved a good pun. Did they see his puns of the week? Did people read those? Oh, he sure hoped they did. Claudine got a huge awkward grin for her answer. And.... Finneas forgot to respond to it properly because now he was thinking about puns.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadAlice
"And they should look and sound honest and objective, like someone people can trust," added Violet. Even though she felt that most of them were biased toward the one view or another.
The next student to answer brought him back to reality. "Objectivity is vital, but this depends on the network and show they are on. Sometimes objectivity is rather scarce on particular programs." He wouldn't be naming any names, but er... It was always good to double check. Don't want to be getting the wrong spin on a story, amiright?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo
Well, yeah. Of course she knew wizards did it too but there was lots muggles and wizards had in common and lots they both did. It was hard to not have overlap.
Rumours were anyone's friends, muggle or magical.
Emm rocked back and forth in her seat, listening to the others talk about anchors. It took her a bit but she did figure out what they were on about and had the p e r f e c t~ answer so of course, her hand shot up again.
"They gotta be drop dead gorgeous, Professor! They gotta look so good that even people who hate the news wanna be like 'oh Patrice, turn on the 7 o'clock news. That fit anchor is covering the story on kittens that nearly drowned'--because they don't really care about the news, see? They just wanna see what suit he's wearing or what shade of lipstick the sassy blonde anchor lady has on."
Then they'd flip to some other channel and carry on with their evening.
Drop dead gorgeous? Finneas blinked a few several times. He could always count on Ms. Cambridge for her creativity, if nothing else. "I'm sure some people may tune into the news for that reason." Emphasis on the some because, er, some of them were in committed relationships and did not care about the shade of lipstick the fit blonde anchor lady had on. Some of them cared about the NEWS OF THE WORLD. Er. Right. AnYwAy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixRising
Talking about the news? Carsyn wondered briefly about why Schmoe was reading the daily prophet and was slightly surprised by it cause like why wouldn't he be reading a muggle newspaper? Didn't he like muggles ??? Also as far as her answer went, the internet and phone thing was taken, and the seventh year added to her notes about friends and families, which sort of was what Emmerson had said. Cause there was some people she was certain received their news only from other people and not actual factual sources.
Moving on though, what were qualities that a news anchor needed to have ? Why was half her classmates superficial in caring about physical qualities? Oh, probably cause of first impressions and all, but Carsyn was 90% sure that while first impressions might get one the job, if what comes out of your mouth doesn't measure up, they wouldn't be able to keep the job. Raising her hand, "A positive attitude but more than that, they need to be open-minded to be able to objectively look at all sides of an argument, even if on a personal level they can be judgmental and know that one side is right. They can't offer their opinion on the matter either, but needs to not show bias or favoritism." Kind of like parents with their kids, which they all knew favoritism existed there even when parents would deny it.
Schmoe wasn't reading the Daily Prophet, actually. Perhaps it appeared that way, but he was actually reading a paper copy of a local, muggle newspaper. He enjoyed dabbling in it all. "Those are all excellent qualities to touch up on," he replied with the bobbing of his head. Perhaps not all anchors were as objective as they could be, but striving for such was always a good thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow
”l think they’ve gotta be likable, Professor.” Which meant being a lot of the other things her classmates had already mentioned. Trustworthy, well groomed, charismatic. ”And I also think they’ve gotta be able to tell the news in a way that makes it easy to understand, you know? Like the way your mom or dad might tell you what’s happening in the world rather than some scientific genius. They gotta be able to make it clear for every viewer watching them..” If...that made sense.
Finneas smiled at Cecelia as she began to answer the question. "Excellent points," he agreed. "Anchors are our vessels to the news. It's their job to deliver so that any ol' Joe Schmoe can understand, after all!" Heh. Joe Schmoe? That was his great grandfather's name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mellamaet
Serena snorted in barely concealed giggles at the first year's (Emmerson) answer. Looks were definitely a major factor in choosing an anchor, she heard that exact same phrase coming from her mother whenever she asked Serena to turn on the telly at for the evening news.
"They have to have a clear, speaking voice. and they have to be able to pronounce words very clearly." She volunteered as she raised her hand to answer. It wouldn't do anyone good if the announcer couldn't enunciate his words properly - no one would understand the news!
Finneas was quite pleased with the range of answers so far. Something which did not change as the next student answered. "Enunciating properly is vital, you are absolutely correct!"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin
That Emm was a real hoot, and Phoebe smothered her grin as the younger girl answered ol' Schmoe's question. The thing about her answer, though, was that it was absolutely certain that she really believed her answer, no matter how absolutely wrong it might be.
And since the professor hadn't minded her edit to the class rules, Phoebe decided that ol' Schmoe probably already knew that the Headmaster was a murderous fiend. So no reason to worry about that anymore.
"Do anchors report their own news or just the news that someone else gives to them? 'Cause people who gather the news should be super duper honest and trustworthy, but if you're reading someone else's news, then I suppose you can be a big liar."
Finneas grinned awkwardly at Phoebe James. "Perhaps there are instances in which anchors can gather their own news, in general, however that job is allocated to others... Though, er, truth is an important bedrock for news delivery." Despite truth being called into question on occasion... And the, er, inherent biases. But uhhhhhhh. That conversation would open a whole can of worms. So. AnYwAy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy
Truth be told, Heath knew about mobile news apps long before he read the muggle studies textbook. He knew about them because he’d actually used them before! Anyway, apparently they were talking about television news programs today. He looked up, paying attention as Professor Schmoe spoke, and he had to stifle a giggle at the mention of celebrity news. HIs dad would know all about that… well, not so much television, but he was the editor of an entertainment news magazine.
The next question piqued his interest. If they were talking about news anchors, did that mean they were going to put on their own news show later? Because he was so here for that! The more he thought about the qualities of a good anchor, the more he thought they weren’t much different from the qualities of a good actor. When approaching the question from that angle, it wasn’t hard to come up with an answer. The problem was that his brain was buzzing with so many ideas, he had a hard time narrowing it down to one answer!
His hand shot into the air like a rocket, and he said, “They should have compassion and empathy for their audience and the people involved in the stories they cover. It’s easier to convey a story respectfully and accurately when you can put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” Did that make any sense? That was the case in acting; it seemed the same principle would apply to news anchors.
Finneas gave Heath a thoughtful look as he answered. He quite liked creative answers like this. Out of the box thinking, it was. "Knowing one's audience is surely essential," he nodded.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer11
Naya listened attentively as her classmates gave their answers. She jotted down a few notes with her pen while the conversation progressed. Then it was time to move on to a more specific topic and the next question. Ahhh, the news. Naya had seen her share of news broadcasts on muggle television. When the professor mentioned news anchors, the Gryffindor thought about those she had seen over the years. They were very different and yet similar at the same time. They definitely did have a “type”.
Naya tried to think of an answer that hadn’t already been given. Finally she raised her hand to give her thoughts. “News anchors have to be in control of their emotions. Some stories they report on may be sad or upsetting or even funny. They have to be able to tell the story without letting their feelings about it show.” Although Naya had seen more than one news anchor burst into uncontrollable laughter at something that they were reporting, that was definitely not the norm.
And last, but certainly not least! "Excellent point! It is key to reign in your personal emotions so that they do not affect the delivery of news in any way. Excellent, Ms. Lindsay."
Alright, alright, alright.
"Excellent answers, everyone," he beamed. "Er, hopefully you were paying attention, as you will all get your turn to be a news anchor today. For now though, er, we'll be doing a little bit of arts and crafts to help set the scene. Unfortunately, err, as you know, technology doesn't work well at Hogwarts, so we'll be making our own televisions!"
Sort of.
"Grab yourself a box from over yonder," he motioned to the side of the room where there were a stack of empty cardboard boxes. "I have some scissors and other supplies up front. You can partner up or make your TV on your own. Feel free to, er, use the example I made as a guide." He paused to set it on top of his desk.
"Take the next ten minutes to do that! And errrr... Once you've made your television, come up to the front of the room and get yourself TV ready! Your classmates have touched upon the importance of looking put together, so er, make use of the supplies we have at the front of the room!" Remember those boxes in front of his desk? They held lots of makeup, hair brushes, pretend microphones, blazers, ties, bowties, ETCETERA. Anything they needed to be the best news anchor, all there!
OOC: Time for the mini-activity! You'll have at least 48 hours for this.
In summary, have your charrie grab a box and cut out a cardboard TV for themselves. When they're done they can play with makeup / all the extra newsworthy accessories they might want to use for the next part of class! It's okay if they don't finish up before we move to the next part of the activity, there will still be time to get caught up as we move forward!
As always, let me (or Finneas) know if you've got any questions. We'll be around!
Ashley took a box and turned it into a flatscreen. A new television.She smoothed down her hair together and fixed her outfit. Then she put the "television" up to her face. "This is the afternoon show. Today, we will be interviewing Ashley Solitude Fox about her life experiences." She giggled. This was fun. Maybe she would be an anchor someday. She laughed again at the thought. Just kidding. She wanted to be a healer. But this was fun. She looked around for any of her friends to see what their shows were like, and what their tvs looked like. Wait... had everyone in this room seen a tv before? Because there was like a 25% chance of someone not knowing what a tv looked like before today.
Ivy looked curiously at the cardboard television they were to be using as an example. ”Professor Schmoe, that’s NOT what a television looks like,” she said defiantly. ”Maybe like 200 years ago. How old ARE you Professor?” He had to be at least 50, right?
Sighing and rolling her eyes, Ivy put her artistic skills to work, though honestly it wasn’t much of a challenge. She just cut a rectangle in one side of the box and cut off all the sides. Holding it up to show the professor, she called, ”They look like this now. Flat. And they don’t have knobs and buttons and sticks out of the top. Ooh! It needs a remote!” she realized suddenly, putting down her TV. Taking a scrap of cardboard, she cut it into a rectangle and began drawing a very elaborate looking remote control on the surface.
__________________
It's the way you're smiling at me. It's in the way you hold my hand.
It's the way I've watched you change me from a boy into a man.
It's a million things about you, and I don't know what it is. I have never known a love like this.
Professor Pink | Mrs. Bruce Wayne | I'm on a Goat | Glitterpuff | Dumbledore's Defense Squad | BHB
Maybe Professor Schmoe should grow a mustache, to help with his authority problem? #ThanksBernadette #ThanksWilliamson After all, that handsome professor he was taking professoring lessons from could DEFINITELY grow a mustache. And a beard. Very manly. Bigly facial hair. Much distinguished. He was CLEARLY an authority figure, and Bernadette didn't even take his class.
Anyway, back to the teeeeeveeeeeees. Bernie giggled as that first-year Hufflepuff told him his TV looked old. This was true, BUT, "It's also VERY well done. My gran has one JUST like that, sir. Its side are covered in wood paneling, too."
But her TV was going to look a LOT better. Bernie got to work on a box, cuttin off just one side of it and then attempting to smooth the sides down by trimming them with her scissors. She was building a flat-screen plasma TV, obvi.
__________________
yeah, there's one thing about me that you should know________________________________ __________________________________________that I can't help from speaking my mind
~ Mrs. Steve Harrington ~ Claimed by Bits ❤️ ~ Queen of Typos ❄ Magical Mosh Pit ❄
Claudine had a feeling that Schmoe really liked her answer… even if the man made no further comment. Never mind, his brain was probably off thinking about one thing or the other. Smiling slightly in return to his grin, she lowered her head to make notes. It was truly fascinating, all the possibility of being an anchor. This was not a career she would choose for herself-
The Snakette’s eyes darted to Schmoe again. Of course he wanted them to be an anchor. Ugh. She really loathe being in the spotlight. She’d deal with that later for now… there was a craft project! Colour her excited. Finally, they knew what the boxes were for. Once all her notes were made, Claudine grabbed herself a box and other necessary supplies. For this project, she’d be working on her own.
Hearing Ivy’s words, Claudine paused in her work and threw the girl a scornful look. “Maybe there are improvements now ones but old school isn’t always a bad thing,’’ she said, coming to Schmoe’s defense. She’d been noticing this first year all through the term and had categorised her as a drama queen.
Anyway. Back to work.
Claudine had seen images of televisions in her textbook and had opted to go for an old fashioned TV, much like Schmoe's. The main reason for this choice was that most of the others seemed to be going for the modern versions and well, Claudine wasn't one to always follow the crowd.
"Objectivity is vital, but this depends on the network and show they are on. Sometimes objectivity is rather scarce on particular programs."
No kidding, Violet thought--that's why she had said the anchor should seem objective and honest; she doubted any of it was real, any more than the stories about Muggle aurors and hospitals were.
No more real than these cardboard televisions they were about to make in class were. And Violet was afraid Ivy was right--Professor Schmoe's television didn't look anything like the ones in the hotel rooms her father had took her to. Those were flat and thin, like a windowscreen, and they all had little control boxes you used to work them. So that's the kind of TV Violet was going to make. Try to make, that is--she had never been very good at art.
Made of Awesome | Ern-la the Best-wa | TZ's Apogee
If the professor wanted them to make a big clunky television, then that's what they should do. The boxes suited the activity. Phoebe rescued one of the boxes and set to work turning it into a lovely massive T.V. Just the way ol' Schmoe suggested.
"Probably gonna put it on our head to do our anchor bit. Or get shrunk down. Oh, get shrunk down! Professor! Are you shrinking us?" Phoebe glued down the buttons with a flourish before returning to smooth the edges of her screen. Didn't want to paper cut her face. "Imagine being the dummy who has to fit in a flat box because they wanted to prove the professor wrong so bad."
Muggle Studies Lesson 2: The Evening News 
x12 
x12
