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Twitter: a great place to locate sources

Twitter is a very popular social media site used for online news and social networking service where people interact with each other using “tweets”. People could use twitter for personal reasons like connecting with friends and also big brands, celebrities, and famous sports icons.

Many people use Twitter for many different things. For example, journalist they use Twitter as a way to locate sources and also report their information as well. Twitter has come up with many new tools.  A journalist could use twitter do to a whole site search for topics they choose or even breaking news. They can organize their tweets with #hashtags, photos, or videos.

Twitter is known to have a very big aducanice that why its a great place for journalists to find resources and also help put out their information. Its also very helpful for journalist to know what verified and what is not by having a blue checkmark next to sources and news outlets.

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Overall twitter is a great social media platform for journalists to find sources expand their stoires and interact with other people.

Sources used in my data story

Child obesity is the topic I chose to do my data story about. I picked it due to the big effects it can have on a child’s life in the long run. In my curated data story I used a lot of interesting sources that were full of information that really educates people on the importance of child obesity.

One of the sources I chose to use was an interview with Dr. Chunn and he discussed his concerns with child obesity. He talks about in his interview how there is a difference between putting a child on a diet than an adult. And explains how helping a child stick to eating as much as the child can handle. I felt like using a source straight from a doctor will really inform people the serious health consequences their child might have.

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Another great source I used was statistics on how many children are obese in the United States and it is proven that three in 10 kids in the U.S are obese or overweight. That is a lot of overweight children. This is a great source to inform people that it could happen to any child if they are not put on the right diet or exercise enough.

The last important source that I used and felt that had beneficial information was The department of health.  I used this source because I believe that people don’t look at future consequences when it comes to their health. The department of health talks about how obese can limit the length of your life if you do not take care of your body at a young age. Also says how its the parent’s responsibility to put their child on track for a healthy lifestyle.

I scream, I scream for mexican!

 The top 5 Mexican Resturants in the Downriver area.

I love Mexican food, so why not write an aggregation on the top restaurants near my house. I live in Rockwood Mi, so if you are around the area check them out!

#1)  3 Hermanos

It is a small family ran and owned Mexican restaurant in Rockwood Mi. I eat here often and love it. However; it’s a little pricey. They have received 4.5 out of 5 stars

#2) BYOB- Build Your Own Burrito

This is a new restaurant that opened in Flat Rock MI. I have yet to try it but every time I drive by I want to stop. Even though they have only been open a short time they have received 4.7 out of 5 stars. Due to them only being open a year I listed them as #2

 

#3) Amigo’s Mexican Restaurant

Amigos is a family owned and operated restaurant. They have the best wet burritos around. This is one of my Favorite Mexican places around. Needs a little updating and a bigger building!  They received 4.1 out of 5 stars

#4) Fiesta Grande Flat Rock

A Mexican restaurant that is full of Mexican decor. It has a lot to look at plus delicious food!  They received 3.8 out of 5 stars.

#5) Blue Margarita 

They have a variety of Margaritas to try. They have a good variety of food along with American options. They received 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Ten Tools

There are many tools that are used to collect data, from many sources. One tool that I took an great interest in was Ushahidi. This is an amazing website because it collects data via cell phones to map out where events are happening. This is great because most people have a cell phone. I really liked how Syria Tracker, a humanitarian website, utilized Ushahidi to show reports of different issues occurring to Syrians i.e. the spread of disease, chemical poisoning, and missing/detained individuals. This source gives the ability to get the real story from those who have a cell phone.

https://syriatracker.crowdmap.com/iframemap

FOIA powered migration story

FOIA stands for the Freedom of Information Act (1967), and this act gives the public the right to disclose public information controlled by the U.S. government. FOIA helps the public such as journalists to request public information from the government that could support their stories and inform the reader.

Looking through different public stories that are FOIA powered stories, and these public stories were disclosed by the U.S. government. The story I chose to discuss is titled As Central American Gangs Increasingly Target Children More Minors are Fleeing the U.S.

This story is talking about student gang members in central El Salvador. A gang has sexually assaulted a 12 year old girl and killed her cousin. The article goes on to talk about how the girl’s parents had to migrate to the U.S. and wanted to have their kids join them mainly for safety reasons. However, the family didn’t end up having the kids come to the U.S. because at the time the U.S. government paid $130 million to increase security on the U.S. Mexican borders.

As an American, I want to have protected borders; however, reading migrants’ stories and knowing the reasons behind their immigration make me have mixed feelings especially if that could help a child’s life.

FOIA