Blog 14/Part A
1. The stated purpose of MEMRI is to bridge the language gap between the west - where few speak Arabic - and the Middle East, by "providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, and Hebrew media." This however is different than the purpose that Whitaker claims to expose, which is expose its Israeli bias. MEMRIs offices are in Washington, London, Berlin, and Jerusalem.
2. A former employee of MEMRI claims that the secrecy is to protect its current members, particularly from suicide bombers. The author thinks that the precautions imply the institution is not as unbiased as it claims, for they are excessive for an organization merely trying to bridge the cultural gap.
3. Whitaker believes MEMRI is biased because, primarily, it is staffed almost solely by Israelis, particularly ex-military Israelis. It translates stories that paint a negative view of Arab character and directly or indirectly further Israel's cause--often through alienating the Western world by painting an extreme but fragmentary picture of Arabic views. It has not, according to Whitaker, published translations from Hebrew media. It also has attributed independent, extremist views to the Saudi government.
4. The Hudson Institute portrays itself as an unbiased think tank, yet it is supported by foundations that are known for supporting other conservative movements. Prior to 911, the Institute focused primarily on domestic policies, but after 911, it shifted the focus of its research to international and particularly Middle Eastern politics. Perle is known in Washington as the, "Prince of Darkness," and has been strongly associated with the Bush Administration's Iraq War policy. He is known also for his criticism of Saudi Arabia and support of Israel.
5. Yes. He used to be a member of an exiled group opposed to the Iraqi government, and he had personal interest as well. When he first made the claim, he was trying to gain "political asylum" in the U.S.
6. N/A (accidently leaving out the number that ancient Judaism considers a symbol of man's imperfection could possibly be inferred as bias.....OR maybe it's just ironic. )
7. The first of the two "propaganda successes," was the translation describing an Israeli festival in which the Israelis supposedly eat the blood of their enemies' children. This showed the author of the original article to be biased and uneducated, relying on an unverified myth. The key reason this was a "success," is that MEMRI claimed that the Saudi government published the story while it was in fact published in an independent paper.
8. MEMRI's objective mission is being exploited because there are few people in the Western world who speak the Middle Eastern languages, and so they are not under as much scrutiny and can print what they like. People likewise (are supposed to) trust MEMRI as an objective organization, and so take the biased reports as being truth--thus skewing reality and stirring up Western favor for the Israeli cause. This is the reason why their mission is exploited, in fact. The organization has strong Israeli leanings, and so use the translations as a tool to negatively influence Western perception of Arabs.
9. The Arab population could use MEMRI's tactics themselves, and translate balanced articles to offset MEMRI's more extreme ones.
MEMRI itself could improve its image by hiring staff that represent a more diverse background and political agenda, printing more balanced sections/or at least the entire article of the extreme portions concerning Arabic publications, and translating a balanced cross-section of Israeli papers as well.
Blog 14/PART B:
1. CNN
(delegates)
Obama 1,520
Clinton 1,424
McCain 1,289
Huckabee 267
2. New York Times
(delegates)
Obama 1,456.5
Clinton 1,370
McCain 1,110
Huckabee 225
3. Chicago Tribune
(delegates)
Obama 1,567
Clinton 1,462
McCain 1,253
Huckabee 271
4. LA Times
(delegates)
Obama 1,567
Clinton 1,462
McCain 1,253
Huckabee 271
5. USA Today
(delegates)
Obama 1567
Clinton 1462
McCain 1253
Huckabee 271
6. Washington Post
(Presidential Nomination)
Obama 44%
Clinton 48%
McCain 63%
Huckabee 20%
7. Rasmussen Reports
(Presidential Nomination}
Obama 43%
Clinton 48%
McCain 52%
Huckabee not listed
8. Fox News
(Presidential Nomination)
Obama 46.2%
Clinton 44.8%
McCain 56.7%
Huckabee 26.3%
Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and the New York Times all seemed to get their stats from the AP. Washington Post, Fox News, and Rasmussen all had slightly differing statistics, and Clinton seemed to score markedly lower on Fox News, getting 44.8% as averse to the other sites 48%. In fact, Fox News presented the greatest discrepancy between the other sites, for Clinton's stats were lower and Obama's higher than on both Washington Post or the Rasmussen Reports. All of the statistics New York Times presented were lower than those on the other sites. CNN on the other hand gave McCain a higher percentage than what was listed on the other sites. It was interesting to note that Huckabee was not listed - an "x" by his name - in the Rasmusen Reports, while McCain received the lowest stats their as well. All in all, there were many, though relatively small, discrepancies between the news sites.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
CLEARLY-LABELED ASSIGNMENT 11
1.
"Anybody here a bike rider???"
Story Ideas: The benefits of commuting on bike--health, environmental, parking--versus the inconvenience of commuting on bike, such as flat tires, inclement weather, and spandex.
OR: Commuting on bike: the Dutch way of life. Explore mentalities, city systems, why you see elderly men in business suits commuting on bike over there compared to our mental picture of college-students or people in neon spandex. Could be compared to California commuting habits
Fiction Idea (:
A Dutch man in his late-50s has recently lost his wife. Although they separated 2 years previous, he is devastated. He tries to cope by exploring Holland via bicycle, and early-on decides to write a guide to the intercity bike paths that includes the best places to stop for gebakje and koffie (Dutch pastries and coffee,) as well as brief descriptions of the best pubs and historical sites. He unwittingly gravitates toward the places that he spent time with his late wife. The written journey through Holland parallels the story of how he met his wife, their courtship, the different cities they visited through the years as they raised 2 children together, and their late separation.
Could culminate in:
A revelation of how alive she really is to him, despite the fact that she's no longer physically alive, and despite the misunderstanding that shadowed the last few years they were together. "I see her in the flowers of the Bloemstraat. In the cafes shadowing the canal. In Delft's squares, and Utrecht's corners, and Amsterdam's busy markets and hollow cathedrals." Could include his realization that the history he has been writing actually has been about his life with her--in a symbolic way--or not.
OR:
A physical condition renders him unable to bike. But he's so attached to the project that he can't bear to give it up. So he goes to the Hostel Jordaan in Amsterdam. "Anybody here a bike rider?" Meets a young American girl who has recently lost her Dutch aunt to cancer and is in Holland over the summer with her aunt's diary trying to "discover" her. The aunt lived in Holland before the girl was born. She volunteers to take him through the cities, (they have bike-"taxis" there, but hiring one would be expensive,) to help him finish his book. She cancels her return trip, and ends up spending several months in Holland, since he has offered bed-and-board.
Character development: She starts out bitter and frustrated with her life and her aunt's death; he is reluctant to talk about he and his late wife's problems, and won't even mention that they were separated. They both "discover" their dead loved-ones in the journey through the cities, and open up and become friends/begin to heal in the process.
Note: would have to be handled carefully to not be cliche and/or sickly-sweet
(And yes: I always try to ground my writings in something personal....)
2.
"I'm majoring in philosophy....it will help me go in to my field...."
"Oh! What field are you going in to?"
"I'm going to rule the world."
Could culminate in:
A revelation of how alive she really is to him, despite the fact that she's no longer physically alive, and despite the misunderstanding that shadowed the last few years they were together. "I see her in the flowers of the Bloemstraat. In the cafes shadowing the canal. In Delft's squares, and Utrecht's corners, and Amsterdam's busy markets and hollow cathedrals." Could include his realization that the history he has been writing actually has been about his life with her--in a symbolic way--or not.
OR:
A physical condition renders him unable to bike. But he's so attached to the project that he can't bear to give it up. So he goes to the Hostel Jordaan in Amsterdam. "Anybody here a bike rider?" Meets a young American girl who has recently lost her Dutch aunt to cancer and is in Holland over the summer with her aunt's diary trying to "discover" her. The aunt lived in Holland before the girl was born. She volunteers to take him through the cities, (they have bike-"taxis" there, but hiring one would be expensive,) to help him finish his book. She cancels her return trip, and ends up spending several months in Holland, since he has offered bed-and-board.
Character development: She starts out bitter and frustrated with her life and her aunt's death; he is reluctant to talk about he and his late wife's problems, and won't even mention that they were separated. They both "discover" their dead loved-ones in the journey through the cities, and open up and become friends/begin to heal in the process.
Note: would have to be handled carefully to not be cliche and/or sickly-sweet
(And yes: I always try to ground my writings in something personal....)
2.
"I'm majoring in philosophy....it will help me go in to my field...."
"Oh! What field are you going in to?"
"I'm going to rule the world."
Story Ideas:
Why students major in what they major in. Image, jobs, parents, friends, and other influences. Cal Poly specifically or the CSU system overall.
OR: Stereo-typing of majors. Computer-science "nerds" and lazy business majors.
Possible plots:
He's just your average, happy-go-lucky barista. Working his way through school. Partying with the guys. Hitting up Chili Peppers at 3am. Avoiding a clean room or actually reading his textbooks with as much vehemence as the best of his World of Warcraft-playing buddies. With one exception: he actually plans to rule the world. And he'll do anything to get there.
(Unique twists: protagonist applies philosophical theories to everything, from the best way to do laundry to the particular route he plans to take in achieving world domination.
Note: Must be handled very seriously and matter-of-factly to achieve the full ludicrous effect. Also, it would have to be handled very carefully and with enough attention to detail/character development that it could stand on its own as a tale about college life.)
3.
"...Is that really bad? But it's for a manager's position, which has a lot more pay for not as many hours. I don't know.....I'm nervous now. Really nervous. It wouldn't be good. It would be bad. I don't know...I'd get in trouble. I think i'm going to go in to the store across this store and try and look for....something."
Story ideas: Shifting morals in the corporate world.
OR: "How-To" tips for getting a job when you get out of school. (Focus audience the college-aged crowd.)
OR: Ways we deal with stress: shopping, denial, sugar, etc. Compare to ways we SHOULD deal with stress: nutrition, sleep, friends, quiet time, and exercise.
Possible plots:
He's an English major whose been out of school for 6 months. He can't find a "real" job, and has had to move back in with his Reformed Baptist parents who live in downtown San Luis Obispo. His little sister's already found a position with an editor in San Francisco. His girlfriend's a Type-A mechanical engineering junior who doesn't get why he can't find work. OR why he majored in English in the first place. Story opens with her trying to convince him over the phone to go back to school: something he desperately doesn't want to do. His rebuttal is that he has the chance to get a manager's position at Downtown Brew, but he'd have to "edit" his birth certificate to put him over 21.
4.
"Look for me in 14 or so years running under the Clothing-Is-Optional party."
Story Idea: Candidates' shifting moral base: what lengths politicians will go to to appeal to the masses
Possible Plot:
He didn't want to go to Harvard. He doesn't want anything to do with politics. But as the only son of a line of famous senators, there isn't much chance to do anything else. At least, not while his parents are alive. Or know what continent he is on. The 17-year-old first-year Harvard student decides to "turn off" his Type-A nature and learn how to be a gracefully incompetent and barely average student. Leave his laundry on the floor; actually--gasp--skip a few classes. Hopefully then his parents will give up on him. The problem is, he's not just fighting his parents: he's fighting his own personality.
5.
"Um. I don't know. Cuz that's what they said that they were looking for. I don't know. It seemed like it went really well. It was really short and...ya.... Which was wierd. You know what I mean?.... I'm all nervous now! Now I'm thinking of everything I did! Now I'm thinking I did it all wrong."
Story Ideas: Suggestions for a successful interview. What's good; what's bad; what's in-between. What bosses are looking for, from wardrobe to attitude to word choice.
OR: Cell phone etiquette in public places....
Possible plot:
Definitely a neurotic. A neurotic, out-of-work, 20-something-year-old therapist. With a passion for collecting orchids and cooking Italian food. Her life collides with that of a returning Iraq-war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder when the 24-year-old veteran responds to the therapist's online ad. The therapist puts on a professional front with her clients, and has been successful in fooling them.... until she meets the veteran. He sees through her ruse, picks up on her neuroticism, but can't afford a "real" therapist and promised his girlfriend he'd see one; the therapist can't afford to drop him. He ends up counseling the therapist using the same experiences in Iraq that bothered him--which also helps him work through them. He also drops the pushy girlfriend (somewhat helped by her discovery that the therapist is female.) At his suggestion, the therapist starts a nursery for rare flowers and finally puts her neurotic attention to detail to good use.
Romance optional.
Monday, February 25, 2008
CLEARLY-LABELED BLOG 10
I: Starbucks:
Not so easy to navigate. PR didn't seem very eager to disclose how much they make
1.
Starbucks Media Relations
Valerie O’Neil, 206-318-7100
2.
Top Executive (and co-founder) Howard Schultz
Headquarters Address: 2401 Utah Avenue South. Seattle WA.
3.
Starbucks talks ALOT about their fair-trade, earth-friendly practices and health food moves such as the shift to 2% milk and ban of trans fats in their pastries. They have a lot to combat for they generally have a negative image in both of those areas--both as a huge corporation eating up the little organic-type coffee shops, and the fact that most of their product is high in sugar/fat. Also noted a lot are expansion in to other countries, both from the production and commercial angle, and the introduction of new food items/beverages
4.
"Consolidated net revenues of $2.3 billion, an increase of 20 percent. Net earnings of $151 million, an increase of 18 percent"
5.
6.
public: www.starbucks.com
media: http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/press.asp
II: BMW:
Fairly easy to find information. Nice, clean-cut site with information readily available
1.
Andrew Cutler / Telephone: 201-307-3784
2.
Dr. - Ing. Norbert Reithofer
Chairman of the Board of Management
BMW of North America, LLC
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675
3. International racing events and car shows/reviews on new models
4. 2007 "sales revenue up by 14.3% to euro 56,018 million"
5.
6.
Not so easy to navigate. PR didn't seem very eager to disclose how much they make
1.
Starbucks Media Relations
Valerie O’Neil, 206-318-7100
2.
Top Executive (and co-founder) Howard Schultz
Headquarters Address: 2401 Utah Avenue South. Seattle WA.
3.
Starbucks talks ALOT about their fair-trade, earth-friendly practices and health food moves such as the shift to 2% milk and ban of trans fats in their pastries. They have a lot to combat for they generally have a negative image in both of those areas--both as a huge corporation eating up the little organic-type coffee shops, and the fact that most of their product is high in sugar/fat. Also noted a lot are expansion in to other countries, both from the production and commercial angle, and the introduction of new food items/beverages
4.
"Consolidated net revenues of $2.3 billion, an increase of 20 percent. Net earnings of $151 million, an increase of 18 percent"
5.
6.
public: www.starbucks.com
media: http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/press.asp
II: BMW:
Fairly easy to find information. Nice, clean-cut site with information readily available
1.
Andrew Cutler / Telephone: 201-307-3784
2.
Dr. - Ing. Norbert Reithofer
Chairman of the Board of Management
BMW of North America, LLC
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675
3. International racing events and car shows/reviews on new models
4. 2007 "sales revenue up by 14.3% to euro 56,018 million"
5.
6.public: www.bmw.com
media: http://www.press.bmw.com/pressclub/us02.nsf
III: Peets Coffee and Tea
An amazing site. It was simple to find the necessary information, even compared to the clean-cut but slightly complex BMW site (though that matches its image fairly well...)
1. Patsy Barich / Phone 415.848.8114
2.
Doug Welsh, "Vice President of Coffee"
Headquarters Address: 1400 Park Ave/ Emeryville, CA 94608
3. Primarily quarterly earning reports, but also company expansion and conferences, and introduction of new products and beverages
4. "Reports net revenue of $70.9 million, an increase of 17.7% versus last
year"
5.
media: http://www.press.bmw.com/pressclub/us02.nsf
III: Peets Coffee and Tea
An amazing site. It was simple to find the necessary information, even compared to the clean-cut but slightly complex BMW site (though that matches its image fairly well...)
1. Patsy Barich / Phone 415.848.8114
2.
Doug Welsh, "Vice President of Coffee"
Headquarters Address: 1400 Park Ave/ Emeryville, CA 94608
3. Primarily quarterly earning reports, but also company expansion and conferences, and introduction of new products and beverages
4. "Reports net revenue of $70.9 million, an increase of 17.7% versus last
year"
5.
6.
public: www.peets.com
media: http://investor.peets.com/releases.cfm
IV: Apple:
Fairly easy to navigate, though not as simple as Peets
1.
Steve Dowling, Director of Corporate PR/ Telephone: (408) 974-1896
2.
Daniel Cooperman, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Headquarters Address: 1 Infinite Loop/ Cupertino, CA 95014
3.LOTS of information about new products from software to laptops to updates. Also, releases about their quarterly reports
4. Apple "generated $24 billion in revenue and $3.5 billion in net income in fiscal 2007"
5.
6.
public: www.peets.com
media: http://investor.peets.com/releases.cfm
IV: Apple:
Fairly easy to navigate, though not as simple as Peets
1.
Steve Dowling, Director of Corporate PR/ Telephone: (408) 974-1896
2.
Daniel Cooperman, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Headquarters Address: 1 Infinite Loop/ Cupertino, CA 95014
3.LOTS of information about new products from software to laptops to updates. Also, releases about their quarterly reports
4. Apple "generated $24 billion in revenue and $3.5 billion in net income in fiscal 2007"
5.
6.public: www.apple.com
media: http://www.apple.com/pr/
V: Ahold (Dutch Company/owner of Albert Heijn chain stores):
The information was all simple to find. Easy-to-navigate site.
1.
Caro Bamforth, Director Media Relations / Phone:+31(0)20 509 53 43
2.
John Rishton, President and Chief Executive Officer
Address: Piet Heinkade 167 - 173 / 1019 GM Amsterdam / The Netherlands
3. There are a lot of press releases on Ahold's "share buy back program," a goal released August 2007 to buy back 1billion euro worth of Ahold's shares. There are also many press releases about their chains in countries such as the U.S. and Poland
4.
For 2007: "Consolidated net sales of €28.2 billion were 1.2% higher
compared to 2006. At constant exchange rates, consolidated net sales were up 6.1%"
5.
media: http://www.apple.com/pr/
V: Ahold (Dutch Company/owner of Albert Heijn chain stores):
The information was all simple to find. Easy-to-navigate site.
1.
Caro Bamforth, Director Media Relations / Phone:+31(0)20 509 53 43
2.
John Rishton, President and Chief Executive Officer
Address: Piet Heinkade 167 - 173 / 1019 GM Amsterdam / The Netherlands
3. There are a lot of press releases on Ahold's "share buy back program," a goal released August 2007 to buy back 1billion euro worth of Ahold's shares. There are also many press releases about their chains in countries such as the U.S. and Poland
4.
For 2007: "Consolidated net sales of €28.2 billion were 1.2% higher
compared to 2006. At constant exchange rates, consolidated net sales were up 6.1%"
5.
6.
public: http://www.ahold.com/
media: http://www.ahold.com/page/44.aspx
public: http://www.ahold.com/
media: http://www.ahold.com/page/44.aspx
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
CLEARLY LABELED Blog 9B
(What i desperately want to name the)
"SOUND OF SILENCE"
(but something in my psyche prevents me)
Scattering gravel. Crunching, grinding, scattering gravel. I break. Hard. The sound of flying gravel drowns out the moaning of the ocean for a brief second. The automatic windows squeak unwillingly to a close. Click of the key in the ignition; rattle of the keychain going around my neck; hoodie rustling over my head. I slam the car door, but the sound is insignificant in the greater stillness of the dunes. A few crickets chirp around me, but other than that the sounds are all beach. Beach and forest. "The quiet's amazing," I say under my breath, startled by how edgy my voice sounds in this great, muffled, whispering place. "I wish Brian could hear it."
Silence is an interesting phenomenon. In this case, it isn't silent at all. It just seems silent. Maybe it is the lack of man-made clatter. Of exploding mortars; of jets and helicopters overhead; of sirens and shouted orders, and boots muted by hard sand or clipping sharp across runway cement. The ocean moans to itself. The breeze croons to itself. The crickets chirp, and the branches of the eucalyptus creak and shiver like rustling grass. Random sharp cracks; high-pitched rubbing branches; silver rustle of leaves. And beyond that, the rolling murmur of the ocean.
The trees seem to be stooping down to listen to me as my feet crunch over leaves and crack branches. Man-made clatter. My clumsy sounds are the intruders, and their discord carries more clearly over the dunes than the sound of the distant ocean. Moaning ocean; it sounds unhappy. Crickets hush as my feet crash by. Now I'm crunching iceplant; the sound is crisp and juicy—like the first bite of a Granny Smith, but smaller. Ever onward, toward that plaintive ocean. I can almost hear Brian's voice, when it was still the crackling pitch of a teenage boy, "Come on. Get up sleepyhead. Mom's still asleep." Sound of sizzling eggs; of cartoons in the front room. Now his voice is the voice of a man, and mine cracks as the memory forces a sigh into the whispering breeze. I won't hear his voice again for a long, long time. The breeze sounds sympathetic, soft and rustling as it crawls among the dune grass. The eucalyptus creak behind me; and the crickets are chirping merrily again, now that my footsteps are muffled in the sand.
How different from what Brian must be hearing. I've heard stories of Balad. How it is never quiet. How all you want is a moment of quiet. How the incessant noise is worse than anything—the danger, the loneliness, the heat. All you want is a moment of quiet, or you feel as if you'll go crazy. But it never is quiet. The mortars explode all day and night; the sandstorms sweep through and drown the world in dull and rushing thunder. Loudspeakers blare when the enemy rumble overhead, and the sound of boots slap across the runways, and then even the loudspeakers are drowned out in the roar of their own jets taking off. They thunder like the ocean, but much, much louder.
Soft, slithering sand falling down the dunes. It's a soft sound in every sense. I would not hear it, if I were not thinking so much about Silence. Brian always talked quietly. He liked quiet things, he always said. They help you think deeper. Funny how he speaks so quietly, yet flies so loud a plane. Louder than the ocean during storm.
My feet pad across the sand. It has a different tone now. The padding turns to slapping, then splashing. Gentle murmur of the ocean around me; fills the air. I don't sound like an outsider anymore: the waves drown out my feeble dissonance. Drown out the crickets and the breeze and the trees and my noisome thoughts. It sounds like peace. Brian's across this ocean. Someday again, and here I hold my breath so all I can hear is the ocean. Someday again—I'll pretend it's soon—I'll take Brian to hear my dunes. They sound like Silence.
Monday, February 18, 2008
BLOG 8
Aimee Vasquez
18 February 2008
Journalism 203
Professor B. Teufel
The conflict of February 2003 thrust Darfur into international consciousness, and, for some, conscience; but Sudan's intricate and volatile war, like a knot with many threads, traces back much further (Salih). The war is actually a cumulation of events dating from Sudan's independence from Turco-Egyptian rule in 1956, set against centuries of racial tension (Salih). Further, the war is more nuanced than merely an ethnic clash between African rebel movements and the largely Arabic Sudanese government (Tar). Widening racial polarity and constant war over poorly-distributed, poorly-developed resources are recurring themes in Darfur's turbulent history (Salih). Yet prior to 2003, these conflicts went largely unnoticed (Tar). Deemed a genocide by Congress, and, "the world's worst humanitarian crisis," by the United Nations (Willemse), these terms really only scratch the surface of the conflict in Darfur (Tar; Salih). While the race-factor is a catalyst that turned a recurring conflict over resources into an internationally-famous "genocide", the war itself is rooted in a tangle of religious diversity, shortage of goods, poorly-distributed resources, ill-handled government, ethnic conflict, and Sudanese politic (Tar; Salih).
The diversity of Sudan makes it an unusually unstable region of Africa. It is not only Africa's "largest nation-state," but it is also one of its most diverse (Tar). The population of 28 million is comprised of over 20 linguistic groups, as well as a variety of religions including Islam and Christianity (Tar). Since Sudan's independence from Turco-Egyptian rule, one of the key themes of its troubled history has been domestic conflict (Salih). This domestic conflict escalated to the internationally-renowned clash beginning in 2003 (Tar). The immediate reasons for this clash were the competition of Darfur's two main ethnic groups—Arabic and African—in a struggle over natural resources (Tar). The Sudanese government furthered this conflict by arming the largely Arabic militia, turning a competition over resources in to a venue for long-standing racial hatred (Tar). Two rebel movements, The Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) joined forces to demand the development of the neglected regions of Darfur, as well as equal representation in government (Tar). The rebellion escalated as the Sudanese government met their request not with diplomacy, but with war (Tar). This war began to resemble genocide, for the Sudanese government armed and then lost control of a militia force whose brutal reputation soon earned them the title of the Janjaweed, or "Devil Horseman" (Willemse). This militia is largely comprised of nomadic Arabs, while the rebellion forces are mostly made up of stationary African farmers (Salih). This racial polarization of forces turned a conflict over resources into a war waged largely over race, a venue for centuries of hatred, and which has since earned the term of genocide (Tar).
While tribal conflict in Sudan began to brew centuries ago, the current racial polarization is most relevantly traced back to 1956, when Sudan gained independence from Turco-Egyptian rule (Salih). A side-effect of Sudan's independence was the intensification of Darfur's politically-based ethnic divisions, as well as a shortage of provisions due to concurrent urbanization and population growth (Salih). Sudan's liberation from Turco-Egyptian rule thus brought not stability, but increased conflict to the already volatile region (Salih). The military coups of 1958, 1969, and 1989 further destabilized the region, while racial divides were increasingly drawn along political lines (Salih). The coup of 1989 was largely propagated by the National Islamic Front, or NIF, and led to the current Sudanese government (Willemse; Salih). Darfur's incessant civil war during this period led to the Sudanese government's creation of the Popular Defense Force, or PDF (Salih). The PDF is an extreme Islamic group, which by 1996 outnumbered the regular army (Salih). It was through this increasingly popular use of tribal militias that the current Janjaweed came into being (Willemse; Salih). Janjaweed is a term used to describe the NIF's militias which, as aforesaid, are largely comprised of nomadic Arabic groups (Salih). The creation of the militias led to the increased polarization of ethnic groups, an already hair-trigger relationship due to steadily increasing conflict over Darfur's resources (Salih).
Shortage of resources became yet another source of racial polarization between the nomadic Arab groups and the mostly African farmers (Tar). However, the line from resource shortage to ethnic cleansing bears some explanation. Several prolonged droughts led to an increasingly fierce competition for the region's natural resources (Tar). Darfur's African tribal groups, such as the Fur, the Masalit, and the Zaghawa, are comprised mostly of stationary farmers (Tar). The majority of the Arabic peoples of northern Darfur are shepherds, rearing camels and cattle (Tar). During times of drought and subsequent famine, the Arabic pastoralists ranged further afield, seeking food and water for their livestock (Salih). Although there were many droughts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a particularly severe drought-induced famine ravaged Darfur between 1984 and 1985, and led to large-scale losses of Arabic livestock (Tar). The Arab pastoralists turned increasingly to grazing their dwindling flocks upon the farmlands of the African settlers (Tar). The African farmers fought back, for grazing animals wreak havoc upon farmland (Tar). As the famine worsened, nomadic Arabic pastoralists' turned increasingly to raiding African farmers as well (Tar). This violent competition between the Arab shepherd groups and African farming communities set up an extremely volatile situation. It only needed the introduction of firearms to edge it on the bloody road to genocide (Tar).
While this competition and the resulting conflict were not unusual for Darfur, the late 1980s conflict would prove unique due to the almost simultaneous introduction of firearms to both the Arabic and the African factions (Tar). By January 1988, "there were at least 50,000 automatic weapons in Darfur—one for every sixteen adult men." (Tar). The introduction of firearms proved to be a match upon dry tender; the "deadly combination," of firearms and a state rife with instability and racial hatred proved to be the first active steps toward the current-day genocide (Tar).
Successive Sudanese political parties furthered Darfur's already volatile state by promising firearms to "loyal," groups (Tar). However, the Sudanese government is largely comprised of the Arabic elite, while the African farmers increasingly and correspondingly aligned themselves with the rebellion (Willemse). The African tribes of the Fur, the Masalit, and the Zaghawa were among the first to align themselves with the rebellion, but as it was increasingly drawn-out in racial lines, smaller African tribes followed suit (Willemse). Perhaps the match to the tender was the discovery of petroleum in 1999 (Tar). While the increase in fortune could have been used to improve the country of Darfur, the Sudanese government instead poured the extra funds in to the military (Tar). This "military," however was comprised in large-part by a the vindictive Arabic Janjaweed (Tar). The conflict over scarce resources catapulted into a racial vendetta and climaxed with the revolt of the African Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement in 2002-2003 (Tar). The Sudanese government refused, and the genocide began (Tar).
18 February 2008
Journalism 203
Professor B. Teufel
The conflict of February 2003 thrust Darfur into international consciousness, and, for some, conscience; but Sudan's intricate and volatile war, like a knot with many threads, traces back much further (Salih). The war is actually a cumulation of events dating from Sudan's independence from Turco-Egyptian rule in 1956, set against centuries of racial tension (Salih). Further, the war is more nuanced than merely an ethnic clash between African rebel movements and the largely Arabic Sudanese government (Tar). Widening racial polarity and constant war over poorly-distributed, poorly-developed resources are recurring themes in Darfur's turbulent history (Salih). Yet prior to 2003, these conflicts went largely unnoticed (Tar). Deemed a genocide by Congress, and, "the world's worst humanitarian crisis," by the United Nations (Willemse), these terms really only scratch the surface of the conflict in Darfur (Tar; Salih). While the race-factor is a catalyst that turned a recurring conflict over resources into an internationally-famous "genocide", the war itself is rooted in a tangle of religious diversity, shortage of goods, poorly-distributed resources, ill-handled government, ethnic conflict, and Sudanese politic (Tar; Salih).
The diversity of Sudan makes it an unusually unstable region of Africa. It is not only Africa's "largest nation-state," but it is also one of its most diverse (Tar). The population of 28 million is comprised of over 20 linguistic groups, as well as a variety of religions including Islam and Christianity (Tar). Since Sudan's independence from Turco-Egyptian rule, one of the key themes of its troubled history has been domestic conflict (Salih). This domestic conflict escalated to the internationally-renowned clash beginning in 2003 (Tar). The immediate reasons for this clash were the competition of Darfur's two main ethnic groups—Arabic and African—in a struggle over natural resources (Tar). The Sudanese government furthered this conflict by arming the largely Arabic militia, turning a competition over resources in to a venue for long-standing racial hatred (Tar). Two rebel movements, The Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) joined forces to demand the development of the neglected regions of Darfur, as well as equal representation in government (Tar). The rebellion escalated as the Sudanese government met their request not with diplomacy, but with war (Tar). This war began to resemble genocide, for the Sudanese government armed and then lost control of a militia force whose brutal reputation soon earned them the title of the Janjaweed, or "Devil Horseman" (Willemse). This militia is largely comprised of nomadic Arabs, while the rebellion forces are mostly made up of stationary African farmers (Salih). This racial polarization of forces turned a conflict over resources into a war waged largely over race, a venue for centuries of hatred, and which has since earned the term of genocide (Tar).
While tribal conflict in Sudan began to brew centuries ago, the current racial polarization is most relevantly traced back to 1956, when Sudan gained independence from Turco-Egyptian rule (Salih). A side-effect of Sudan's independence was the intensification of Darfur's politically-based ethnic divisions, as well as a shortage of provisions due to concurrent urbanization and population growth (Salih). Sudan's liberation from Turco-Egyptian rule thus brought not stability, but increased conflict to the already volatile region (Salih). The military coups of 1958, 1969, and 1989 further destabilized the region, while racial divides were increasingly drawn along political lines (Salih). The coup of 1989 was largely propagated by the National Islamic Front, or NIF, and led to the current Sudanese government (Willemse; Salih). Darfur's incessant civil war during this period led to the Sudanese government's creation of the Popular Defense Force, or PDF (Salih). The PDF is an extreme Islamic group, which by 1996 outnumbered the regular army (Salih). It was through this increasingly popular use of tribal militias that the current Janjaweed came into being (Willemse; Salih). Janjaweed is a term used to describe the NIF's militias which, as aforesaid, are largely comprised of nomadic Arabic groups (Salih). The creation of the militias led to the increased polarization of ethnic groups, an already hair-trigger relationship due to steadily increasing conflict over Darfur's resources (Salih).
Shortage of resources became yet another source of racial polarization between the nomadic Arab groups and the mostly African farmers (Tar). However, the line from resource shortage to ethnic cleansing bears some explanation. Several prolonged droughts led to an increasingly fierce competition for the region's natural resources (Tar). Darfur's African tribal groups, such as the Fur, the Masalit, and the Zaghawa, are comprised mostly of stationary farmers (Tar). The majority of the Arabic peoples of northern Darfur are shepherds, rearing camels and cattle (Tar). During times of drought and subsequent famine, the Arabic pastoralists ranged further afield, seeking food and water for their livestock (Salih). Although there were many droughts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a particularly severe drought-induced famine ravaged Darfur between 1984 and 1985, and led to large-scale losses of Arabic livestock (Tar). The Arab pastoralists turned increasingly to grazing their dwindling flocks upon the farmlands of the African settlers (Tar). The African farmers fought back, for grazing animals wreak havoc upon farmland (Tar). As the famine worsened, nomadic Arabic pastoralists' turned increasingly to raiding African farmers as well (Tar). This violent competition between the Arab shepherd groups and African farming communities set up an extremely volatile situation. It only needed the introduction of firearms to edge it on the bloody road to genocide (Tar).
While this competition and the resulting conflict were not unusual for Darfur, the late 1980s conflict would prove unique due to the almost simultaneous introduction of firearms to both the Arabic and the African factions (Tar). By January 1988, "there were at least 50,000 automatic weapons in Darfur—one for every sixteen adult men." (Tar). The introduction of firearms proved to be a match upon dry tender; the "deadly combination," of firearms and a state rife with instability and racial hatred proved to be the first active steps toward the current-day genocide (Tar).
Successive Sudanese political parties furthered Darfur's already volatile state by promising firearms to "loyal," groups (Tar). However, the Sudanese government is largely comprised of the Arabic elite, while the African farmers increasingly and correspondingly aligned themselves with the rebellion (Willemse). The African tribes of the Fur, the Masalit, and the Zaghawa were among the first to align themselves with the rebellion, but as it was increasingly drawn-out in racial lines, smaller African tribes followed suit (Willemse). Perhaps the match to the tender was the discovery of petroleum in 1999 (Tar). While the increase in fortune could have been used to improve the country of Darfur, the Sudanese government instead poured the extra funds in to the military (Tar). This "military," however was comprised in large-part by a the vindictive Arabic Janjaweed (Tar). The conflict over scarce resources catapulted into a racial vendetta and climaxed with the revolt of the African Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement in 2002-2003 (Tar). The Sudanese government refused, and the genocide began (Tar).
Salih, M.A. Mohamed. (2005). Understanding the Conflict in Darfur. Occasional Papers from the Centre of African Studies, University of Copenhagen. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from http://www.teol.ku.dk/cas/nyhomepage/mapper/Occasional%20Papers/
Muhamed_Salih%20samlet%20paper.pdf
Tar, Usman. (2006). Old Conflict, New Complex Emergency: An Analysis of Darfur Crisis, Western Sudan [Electronic version]. Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3), 406-427. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from http://www.njas.helsinki.fi/
Willemse, Karen. (2005). Darfur in War: The Politicization of Ethnic Identities [Electronic version]. ISIM Review, 15. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from http://www.isim.nl/
Willemse, Karen. (2005). Darfur in War: The Politicization of Ethnic Identities [Electronic version]. ISIM Review, 15. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from http://www.isim.nl/
files/Review_15/Review_15-14.pdf>
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Creative LEDES Assignment
LEDES:
1. Actual article/Profile
2. Contrast
A young lady leaves a set of silk boxers at his hotel lobby. Another spends $6,000 for a day at his house. Movie star? No. Dirt bike racer.
3. Teaser
His mother hired armed guards to escort him off the plane.This should have been a fairly simple task, considering his right leg was held together with duct-tape. He got away.
4. Mystery
The body plummeting toward the earth was that of a teenage boy without a parachute. They took a picture of him as he fell. He plans to hang it in his living room.
5. Quote
They were not the words that Debbie Pastrana wanted to hear. "Mom, if I die, I die doing what I love."
6. List
He's suffered more than 25 concussions. He's broken more than 60 bones. He's had over 23 surgeries. But those are minor details to Travis Pastrana, compared to the roster of his accomplishments.
7. Question
Why do some people possess the pathological desire to - almost - kill themselves for the sake of fun? Travis Pastrana takes this drive a step further, and that extra step has forever immortalized him. His stunts surpass even the boldest base-jumper. Pastrana, at just past 20, has already flipped a bike off the Grand Canyon, jumped out of a plane without a parachute, and pulled a double back-flip on a dirt bike.
8. Cliche
They say that opportunity doesn't knock more than once. For Travis Pastrana, that might be a good thing.
1. Actual article/Profile
2. Contrast
A young lady leaves a set of silk boxers at his hotel lobby. Another spends $6,000 for a day at his house. Movie star? No. Dirt bike racer.
3. Teaser
His mother hired armed guards to escort him off the plane.This should have been a fairly simple task, considering his right leg was held together with duct-tape. He got away.
4. Mystery
The body plummeting toward the earth was that of a teenage boy without a parachute. They took a picture of him as he fell. He plans to hang it in his living room.
5. Quote
They were not the words that Debbie Pastrana wanted to hear. "Mom, if I die, I die doing what I love."
6. List
He's suffered more than 25 concussions. He's broken more than 60 bones. He's had over 23 surgeries. But those are minor details to Travis Pastrana, compared to the roster of his accomplishments.
7. Question
Why do some people possess the pathological desire to - almost - kill themselves for the sake of fun? Travis Pastrana takes this drive a step further, and that extra step has forever immortalized him. His stunts surpass even the boldest base-jumper. Pastrana, at just past 20, has already flipped a bike off the Grand Canyon, jumped out of a plane without a parachute, and pulled a double back-flip on a dirt bike.
8. Cliche
They say that opportunity doesn't knock more than once. For Travis Pastrana, that might be a good thing.
FEATURE OUTLINE
Headline: SLO County Coalition Works to Overcome Childhood Obesity
Focus: An up-and-coming San Luis Obispo County coalition known as HEAL SLO (Healthy Eating Active Living San Luis Obispo,) seeks to stem the tide of childhood obesity.
Theme: Make a difference! A large and worthwhile movement is underway. Hop on board.
Idea for Lede:
Slow and steady wins the race; and SLO is steadily winning the race - against childhood obesity, that is. While childhood obesity, and its resulting health concerns, is of national importance, dealing with it might be done most effectively at the community-level. At least, that's what leaders of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force believe.
Outline. (Probably will need to tweak it as I write)
I. The problem: Childhood Obesity (nationwide, but focus is SLO county) Epidemic
A. What percentage of our children are obese/overweight?
i. Statistics of childhood obesity
ii. What is classified as "obese" vs. "overweight"
iii. What percentage of children are obese/overweight
iv. 20-25 years ago/now
v. compared to European stats
B. Why should we care?
i. Health problems. Obesity causes increased risk of:
a. Diabetes. Cardiovascular disease. etc. higher death rate/reduced life expectancy
C. Why obesity is a "growing" problem
i. Lack of physical activity/overconsumption of calories due to:
ii. Lack of education, in this case parents/school programs targeted, to encourage/teach better food choices among children
iii. Widespread availability of fast/processed food, especially in school settings
iv. Increase in sedentary activities
a. Children used to play outside with friends/now chat online
b. Competitive sport emphasized over "play." Children who lack competency in particular sports end up hating it and dropping it when old enough (Interview: Prof. Milner of Westmont College?)
c. TV/internet/video games.
II. Combating the problem: (this section will be expanded upon after the interviews)
A. Community-wide Task Force under acronym: "HEAL SLO"
i. Stands for Healthy Eating Active Living San Luis Obispo
B. Who it involves?
i. Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force:
a. Widespread Coalition of Schools/Health Centers/Community Centers/parents/children
b. Santa Barbara, Ventura, and other counties implementing or already have similar programs
i. List goals
a. Goals of organization.
C. What are their methods?
i. Socio-Ecological model
ii. Emphasizes holistic wellness: healthy eating, active living. Balanced, healthy, and long-term lifestyle choices. III. How does this involve you? Don't have to be a parent.
III. How to get involved
A. Personal level:
i. Set good example
a. If you're overweight/practice unhealthy eating habits, how can you expect your child/child's life to be any different? Children emulate the adults in their life
ii. Learn about healthy eating choices
a. Through sites such as the Gold Coast Regional Nutrition Network, American Health Association, Mayo Clinic
b. Community classes
c. Newsletters/books/reading materials (list top few)
iii. If parent, talk to children about healthy eating choices and only buy healthy food
iv. Encourage active lifestyle:
a. By taking walks with them rather than watching TV or other more sedentary activities
b. Take to national/regional parks to explore nature
c. Help them understand that even if they're not good at, for instance, ball sports, they might love something like hiking or rock climbing. Alternative activities
B. At a community level
i. Encourage local schools to incorporate healthier eating options into lunches/snack machines
ii. List community programs that parents/adults can get involved in for a more action-oriented approach
iii. Donate to: (list links)
Sources:
Rachael Willey
SLO Public Health Department
Contact for Obesity Prevention Task Force
Tel: (805) 215-9524
email: rmwilley@gmail.com
Gold Coast Regional Nutrition Network
Ramona Sloan, MPH, GCRNN Director
Tel: 805.677.5279
Contact: Amy Gilman
email: acgillman@yahoo.com
Phyllis Bramson-Paul, MPPA
Director, Nutrition Services Division (NSD), California Department of Education
Tel: (916) 323-7311
Email: pbramson@cde.ca.gov
Pat Crawford, DrPH, RD
Adjunct Professor, Nutrition Specialist, and Co-Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health
Tel: (510) 642-5572
Email: crawford@socrates.berkeley.edu
Scott Gee, MD
Medical Director of Prevention and Health Information at Kaiser Permanente – Northern California
Telephone: (510) 987-4358
Email: scott.gee@kp.org
Nancy Gelbard, MPH, RD
Chief of California Obesity Prevention Initiative at the Department of Health Services (COPI)
Tel: (916) 552-9949 or (530) 220-7859
Email: ngelbard@dhs.ca.gov
Focus: An up-and-coming San Luis Obispo County coalition known as HEAL SLO (Healthy Eating Active Living San Luis Obispo,) seeks to stem the tide of childhood obesity.
Theme: Make a difference! A large and worthwhile movement is underway. Hop on board.
Idea for Lede:
Slow and steady wins the race; and SLO is steadily winning the race - against childhood obesity, that is. While childhood obesity, and its resulting health concerns, is of national importance, dealing with it might be done most effectively at the community-level. At least, that's what leaders of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force believe.
Outline. (Probably will need to tweak it as I write)
I. The problem: Childhood Obesity (nationwide, but focus is SLO county) Epidemic
A. What percentage of our children are obese/overweight?
i. Statistics of childhood obesity
ii. What is classified as "obese" vs. "overweight"
iii. What percentage of children are obese/overweight
iv. 20-25 years ago/now
v. compared to European stats
B. Why should we care?
i. Health problems. Obesity causes increased risk of:
a. Diabetes. Cardiovascular disease. etc. higher death rate/reduced life expectancy
C. Why obesity is a "growing" problem
i. Lack of physical activity/overconsumption of calories due to:
ii. Lack of education, in this case parents/school programs targeted, to encourage/teach better food choices among children
iii. Widespread availability of fast/processed food, especially in school settings
iv. Increase in sedentary activities
a. Children used to play outside with friends/now chat online
b. Competitive sport emphasized over "play." Children who lack competency in particular sports end up hating it and dropping it when old enough (Interview: Prof. Milner of Westmont College?)
c. TV/internet/video games.
II. Combating the problem: (this section will be expanded upon after the interviews)
A. Community-wide Task Force under acronym: "HEAL SLO"
i. Stands for Healthy Eating Active Living San Luis Obispo
B. Who it involves?
i. Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force:
a. Widespread Coalition of Schools/Health Centers/Community Centers/parents/children
b. Santa Barbara, Ventura, and other counties implementing or already have similar programs
i. List goals
a. Goals of organization.
C. What are their methods?
i. Socio-Ecological model
ii. Emphasizes holistic wellness: healthy eating, active living. Balanced, healthy, and long-term lifestyle choices. III. How does this involve you? Don't have to be a parent.
III. How to get involved
A. Personal level:
i. Set good example
a. If you're overweight/practice unhealthy eating habits, how can you expect your child/child's life to be any different? Children emulate the adults in their life
ii. Learn about healthy eating choices
a. Through sites such as the Gold Coast Regional Nutrition Network, American Health Association, Mayo Clinic
b. Community classes
c. Newsletters/books/reading materials (list top few)
iii. If parent, talk to children about healthy eating choices and only buy healthy food
iv. Encourage active lifestyle:
a. By taking walks with them rather than watching TV or other more sedentary activities
b. Take to national/regional parks to explore nature
c. Help them understand that even if they're not good at, for instance, ball sports, they might love something like hiking or rock climbing. Alternative activities
B. At a community level
i. Encourage local schools to incorporate healthier eating options into lunches/snack machines
ii. List community programs that parents/adults can get involved in for a more action-oriented approach
iii. Donate to: (list links)
Sources:
Rachael Willey
SLO Public Health Department
Contact for Obesity Prevention Task Force
Tel: (805) 215-9524
email: rmwilley@gmail.com
Gold Coast Regional Nutrition Network
Ramona Sloan, MPH, GCRNN Director
Tel: 805.677.5279
Contact: Amy Gilman
email: acgillman@yahoo.com
Phyllis Bramson-Paul, MPPA
Director, Nutrition Services Division (NSD), California Department of Education
Tel: (916) 323-7311
Email: pbramson@cde.ca.gov
Pat Crawford, DrPH, RD
Adjunct Professor, Nutrition Specialist, and Co-Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health
Tel: (510) 642-5572
Email: crawford@socrates.berkeley.edu
Scott Gee, MD
Medical Director of Prevention and Health Information at Kaiser Permanente – Northern California
Telephone: (510) 987-4358
Email: scott.gee@kp.org
Nancy Gelbard, MPH, RD
Chief of California Obesity Prevention Initiative at the Department of Health Services (COPI)
Tel: (916) 552-9949 or (530) 220-7859
Email: ngelbard@dhs.ca.gov
Monday, February 11, 2008
FRESH AIR ASSIGNMENT
1.
a. The subject of, "Sean Michael Flynn, 'From Ground Zero to Baghdad' " was the Fighting 69th: the New York National Guard who started out as a sloppy, rough-shod force and ended up fighting in Baghdad.
b. My favorite interviewing technique in this interview was the depth of knowledge the interviewer had about the subject. This enabled her to ask questions that were pertinent and concise. My favorite question however was merely, "Like?" This was the most open-ended question, and allowed the commander to go off on a slight side-note about roadside bombs that I found more interesting than many of the more thought-out answers. On the flip side, I didn't like how the focus limited the breadth of the interviewees' answers. Everything seemed rather cut-and-dried. If anything, I learned to have a thorough knowledge of the subject, but to let the interviewee volunteer more information.
"Sean Michael Flynn, 'From Ground Zero to Baghdad' "
Fresh Air from WHYY, January 24, 2008
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18373499
2.
a. The subject of, "Held Captive: Hostages Share Their Experience," was the personal experiences of two guests who had at some time or other been held hostage, as well as call-in interviews with other people of similar experience.
b. I liked how open-ended the interviewer's questions were. This led to a more interesting conversation than the previous piece. Some of my favorite questions were, "Tell us briefly what happened to you." "What was that like?" and "Were you afraid for your life?" All of these questions opened up the door for elaboration and personal testimony. I didn't like how the call-in aspect let people who perhaps didn't have as relevant of experience comment. Such as the woman who called in and talked about being held for 4 hours by a sheriff's deputy. I learned that if you ask open-ended questions, you seem to get more interesting answers, but at the same time it is good to have a grasp on the subject and, perhaps more importantly, to have a never-ending stream of pertinent questions on the back-burner to keep the interview flowing, no matter what turn it might take.
"Held Captive: Hostages Share Their Experience"
Talk of the Nation, January 21, 2008
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18286860
3.
a. The subject of, "Sean Michael Flynn, 'From Ground Zero to Baghdad' " was the Fighting 69th: the New York National Guard who started out as a sloppy, rough-shod force and ended up fighting in Baghdad.
b. My favorite interviewing technique in this interview was the depth of knowledge the interviewer had about the subject. This enabled her to ask questions that were pertinent and concise. My favorite question however was merely, "Like?" This was the most open-ended question, and allowed the commander to go off on a slight side-note about roadside bombs that I found more interesting than many of the more thought-out answers. On the flip side, I didn't like how the focus limited the breadth of the interviewees' answers. Everything seemed rather cut-and-dried. If anything, I learned to have a thorough knowledge of the subject, but to let the interviewee volunteer more information.
"Sean Michael Flynn, 'From Ground Zero to Baghdad' "
Fresh Air from WHYY, January 24, 2008
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18373499
2.
a. The subject of, "Held Captive: Hostages Share Their Experience," was the personal experiences of two guests who had at some time or other been held hostage, as well as call-in interviews with other people of similar experience.
b. I liked how open-ended the interviewer's questions were. This led to a more interesting conversation than the previous piece. Some of my favorite questions were, "Tell us briefly what happened to you." "What was that like?" and "Were you afraid for your life?" All of these questions opened up the door for elaboration and personal testimony. I didn't like how the call-in aspect let people who perhaps didn't have as relevant of experience comment. Such as the woman who called in and talked about being held for 4 hours by a sheriff's deputy. I learned that if you ask open-ended questions, you seem to get more interesting answers, but at the same time it is good to have a grasp on the subject and, perhaps more importantly, to have a never-ending stream of pertinent questions on the back-burner to keep the interview flowing, no matter what turn it might take.
"Held Captive: Hostages Share Their Experience"
Talk of the Nation, January 21, 2008
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18286860
3.
a. The subject of "Heavyweight George Foreman" was divided between boxing, his grill, finances, and business. But everything seemed to come back to business, for the show's focus was a financial one.
b. My favorite question was, "What type of boy was George Foreman?" My favorite technique was the interviewer's ability for controlling the conversation and bringing a rambling George Foreman back to the central issue - which was finances and business investments. It seems like a handy skill to have when interviewing people who like to ramble or have trouble focusing. On the flip side, I didn't like how the interviewers handled this skill, for it seemed like they overused it in this particular interview. This made the interview feel very restrained and dry, and made the hosts seem a bit condescending. I also didn't like how the hosts interrupted Foreman fairly often. It seemed to stifle the more interesting facts and stories just as Foreman was getting in to them. I did however learn how important it is to be able to bring your interviewee's talk back in to focus, but to not be so focused that it kills their true voice/opinions. It seems like a fine line to walk.
"Heavyweight George Foreman"
The Motley Fool, March 31, 2006
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5317123
b. My favorite question was, "What type of boy was George Foreman?" My favorite technique was the interviewer's ability for controlling the conversation and bringing a rambling George Foreman back to the central issue - which was finances and business investments. It seems like a handy skill to have when interviewing people who like to ramble or have trouble focusing. On the flip side, I didn't like how the interviewers handled this skill, for it seemed like they overused it in this particular interview. This made the interview feel very restrained and dry, and made the hosts seem a bit condescending. I also didn't like how the hosts interrupted Foreman fairly often. It seemed to stifle the more interesting facts and stories just as Foreman was getting in to them. I did however learn how important it is to be able to bring your interviewee's talk back in to focus, but to not be so focused that it kills their true voice/opinions. It seems like a fine line to walk.
"Heavyweight George Foreman"
The Motley Fool, March 31, 2006
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5317123
CLEARLY-LABELED Assignment 9: Interview
He came out from the door at the back of the decorative, rectangular shop and hunched over the glass counter, both lower lip and graying eyebrows protruding slightly. He didn't have time to interview. The meeting had run late; they were busy. He paused a grudging second: "Well....what do you want to know?"
Rich Dziedzic is the owner of 5 Cities Florist, a small, full-service flower shop on Grand Avenue in Arroyo Grande. While his wife has been a florist for 40 years, Dziedzic is a relative newcomer to the business. A native of Chicago, Dziedzic retired from commercial printing several years ago, but he wasn't ready to quit just yet. The Dziedzics' decided to purchase a small flower shop in the temperate climate of the Central California coast. "We'd been thinking about it for years," he said. "So when the opportunity came about, we bought it." They've now owned the shop on East Grand for 6 years, and are kept busy providing arrangements for weddings, funerals, wire-outs, wire-ins, and banquets. Dziedzic is first-generation Polish; his wife is Polish-Norwedgian. A brief smile flickered across his face as he glanced back through the door, "My wife is very beautiful," he added in a temporarily raised voice.
Dziedzic believes that this Polish upbringing influences the way that he does business. His, "roots go a little bit deeper" than many of the families he knows. For instance, his parents celebrated every holiday - even the smaller ones. "People are generally not as festive out here," he said. "The little holidays seem to fall through the cracks." For instance, while Valentine's Day sees plentiful business, the Dziedzics were in for a surprise their first California Easter. They were, as Dziedzic said, "all ready for Easter - we ordered lots of lilies." But Easter came and went, and no one bought them. Regardless of differences in background, Dziedzic says that the relationships he gets to develop with his customers are the best part of being a small-town florist. The Dziedzics' cosy, ornamental shop sees lots of regulars, of all ages and backgrounds. He likes the temperate California climate too. It's ideal for growing his favorite flower - the orchid.
He straightened up a bit, eyebrows protruding again. "Is that all you wanted?" The interview was over.
Dziedzic believes that this Polish upbringing influences the way that he does business. His, "roots go a little bit deeper" than many of the families he knows. For instance, his parents celebrated every holiday - even the smaller ones. "People are generally not as festive out here," he said. "The little holidays seem to fall through the cracks." For instance, while Valentine's Day sees plentiful business, the Dziedzics were in for a surprise their first California Easter. They were, as Dziedzic said, "all ready for Easter - we ordered lots of lilies." But Easter came and went, and no one bought them. Regardless of differences in background, Dziedzic says that the relationships he gets to develop with his customers are the best part of being a small-town florist. The Dziedzics' cosy, ornamental shop sees lots of regulars, of all ages and backgrounds. He likes the temperate California climate too. It's ideal for growing his favorite flower - the orchid.
He straightened up a bit, eyebrows protruding again. "Is that all you wanted?" The interview was over.
Contact Info:
Five Cities Florist
917 Grand Ave.
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Phone:
(805) 489-5502 Store
Monday, February 4, 2008
CLEARLY-LABELED ASSIGNMENT 7
Originally Hard Ledes:
1. CHICAGO -- Baby shampoos, lotions and powders may expose infants to chemicals that have been linked with possible reproductive problems, a small study suggests. (hard)
1a. Parents beware: clean children may seem to be synonymous with good health, but a recent study finds that this might not always be the case. (soft)
Tanner, Lindsay. "Chemicals in Baby Products Raise Concern." Washington Post Online. 4 Feb 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020400073.html
2. TINLEY PARK, Ill. -- As police continued their search Sunday for a gunman who killed five women at a suburban Chicago strip mall a day earlier, passers-by erected a memorial of five white crosses and flowers to the victims. (hard)
2a. You usually don't think to bring a bullet-proof vest to shop for clothes. Five white crosses outside a suburban Chicago strip mall says that might not be a bad idea. (soft)
Tarm, Michael. "Gunman Sought in Deadly Store Shooting." Washington Post Online. 3 Feb 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020300529_pf.html
3. After weeks of stalled talks, negotiators in the entertainment writers' strike have suddenly made "substantial progress" in their discussions, people with knowledge of the talks said yesterday, raising hopes in Hollywood that a settlement could come as early as this week.
3a. Reruns beware: Striking writers of our tremulous entertainment industry might finally have learned to, "talk it out."
Farhi, Paul and Lisa de Moraes. "Major Progress in Writers' Strike Talks
Deal." Washington Post Online. 3 Feb 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2008/02/02/AR2008020202390_pf.html
Originally Soft Ledes/Features
1. Poinsettias carpet the carefully tended gardens of Oaxaca's arch-ringed main plaza, where smoking wreckage and barricades stood just over a year ago. Local bands and marimbas have replaced the sound of explosions, and the smell of gasoline bombs and tear gas have given way to the scent of coffee and mole sauce, two of Oaxaca's specialties. (soft)
1a. Oaxaca's tourist culture makes a comeback after a year of leftist anti-government striking and violence, but its accustomed tourist crowds are slow to follow. (hard)
Stevenson, Mark. "Tourists Return To Oaxaca, Mexico." New York Daily News Online. 29 Jan 2008.http://breakingnews.nydailynews.com/dynamic/stories/T/TRAVEL_TRIP_MEXI
1. CHICAGO -- Baby shampoos, lotions and powders may expose infants to chemicals that have been linked with possible reproductive problems, a small study suggests. (hard)
1a. Parents beware: clean children may seem to be synonymous with good health, but a recent study finds that this might not always be the case. (soft)
Tanner, Lindsay. "Chemicals in Baby Products Raise Concern." Washington Post Online. 4 Feb 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020400073.html
2. TINLEY PARK, Ill. -- As police continued their search Sunday for a gunman who killed five women at a suburban Chicago strip mall a day earlier, passers-by erected a memorial of five white crosses and flowers to the victims. (hard)
2a. You usually don't think to bring a bullet-proof vest to shop for clothes. Five white crosses outside a suburban Chicago strip mall says that might not be a bad idea. (soft)
Tarm, Michael. "Gunman Sought in Deadly Store Shooting." Washington Post Online. 3 Feb 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020300529_pf.html
3. After weeks of stalled talks, negotiators in the entertainment writers' strike have suddenly made "substantial progress" in their discussions, people with knowledge of the talks said yesterday, raising hopes in Hollywood that a settlement could come as early as this week.
3a. Reruns beware: Striking writers of our tremulous entertainment industry might finally have learned to, "talk it out."
Farhi, Paul and Lisa de Moraes. "Major Progress in Writers' Strike Talks
Deal." Washington Post Online. 3 Feb 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2008/02/02/AR2008020202390_pf.html
Originally Soft Ledes/Features
1. Poinsettias carpet the carefully tended gardens of Oaxaca's arch-ringed main plaza, where smoking wreckage and barricades stood just over a year ago. Local bands and marimbas have replaced the sound of explosions, and the smell of gasoline bombs and tear gas have given way to the scent of coffee and mole sauce, two of Oaxaca's specialties. (soft)
1a. Oaxaca's tourist culture makes a comeback after a year of leftist anti-government striking and violence, but its accustomed tourist crowds are slow to follow. (hard)
Stevenson, Mark. "Tourists Return To Oaxaca, Mexico." New York Daily News Online. 29 Jan 2008.http://breakingnews.nydailynews.com/dynamic/stories/T/TRAVEL_TRIP_MEXI
CO_OAXACA_REBIRTH_TRVOL?SITE=NYNYD&SECTION=HEALTH&TEMPLATE
=DEFAULT
2. Tucked into a valley 1,600 feet above sea level and framed by the purple-hued foothills of the Andes Mountains, the quaint northern Argentine town of Cafayate is home to some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the world. (soft)
2a. High-altitude Argentinean vineyards ideal setting for guests to drink, eat, and relax at Michel Torino's luxurious Wine Spa, located just outside of Cafayate. (hard)
Ramani, Sandra. "Wine Flourishes in Argentina." New York Daily News Online. 27 Jan 2008. http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/travel/2008/01/27/2008-01- 27_wine_flourishes_in_argentina-1.html
3. Edgar Freemantle made millions in the construction business and then was crushed nearly to death by one of his own cranes. But hey, that's Stephen King's world. (soft)
3a. Stephen King's new novel, Duma Key, bears a striking resemblance to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, but takes readers much longer to get through. (hard)
Hinckley, David. " 'Duma Key,' Stephen King's Latest, Is a Slow Read Indeed." New York Daily News Online. 2 Feb 2008. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2008/02/03/2008-02- 03_duma_key_stephen_kings_latest_is_a_slow_.html
2. Tucked into a valley 1,600 feet above sea level and framed by the purple-hued foothills of the Andes Mountains, the quaint northern Argentine town of Cafayate is home to some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the world. (soft)
2a. High-altitude Argentinean vineyards ideal setting for guests to drink, eat, and relax at Michel Torino's luxurious Wine Spa, located just outside of Cafayate. (hard)
Ramani, Sandra. "Wine Flourishes in Argentina." New York Daily News Online. 27 Jan 2008. http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/travel/2008/01/27/2008-01- 27_wine_flourishes_in_argentina-1.html
3. Edgar Freemantle made millions in the construction business and then was crushed nearly to death by one of his own cranes. But hey, that's Stephen King's world. (soft)
3a. Stephen King's new novel, Duma Key, bears a striking resemblance to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, but takes readers much longer to get through. (hard)
Hinckley, David. " 'Duma Key,' Stephen King's Latest, Is a Slow Read Indeed." New York Daily News Online. 2 Feb 2008. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2008/02/03/2008-02- 03_duma_key_stephen_kings_latest_is_a_slow_.html
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Surfing. Reflections in the Sea.
A long time ago, I went out on a run.
It was a cold, foggy morning. Like running in a moving gray sphere that is a shadow of the world. I crossed the 1 and cut through a trailer home park and found the beach. The beach on a foggy morning is a very silent place. Even the sounds seem to contribute to the greater overall Silence. Then I saw them: a horde of black seals. Human seals. Hooded up against the cold; floating on a gray sea that itself floated in a sea of gray. Floating out there to appreciate the silence, the power, the surge of a sea at dawn when there is no sun.
I ran along the beach. My run seemed rather lame. I was pretty darn proud of my running abilities - this long before the specter of knee injury - but I was running on solid ground; they seemed to walk on liquid. Walk? Some danced--skidded, slid, tripped, down the front of the waves--only to kick out, sink, and disappear into the gray. The gray that is the sea at dawn.
It was a cold, foggy morning. Like running in a moving gray sphere that is a shadow of the world. I crossed the 1 and cut through a trailer home park and found the beach. The beach on a foggy morning is a very silent place. Even the sounds seem to contribute to the greater overall Silence. Then I saw them: a horde of black seals. Human seals. Hooded up against the cold; floating on a gray sea that itself floated in a sea of gray. Floating out there to appreciate the silence, the power, the surge of a sea at dawn when there is no sun.
I ran along the beach. My run seemed rather lame. I was pretty darn proud of my running abilities - this long before the specter of knee injury - but I was running on solid ground; they seemed to walk on liquid. Walk? Some danced--skidded, slid, tripped, down the front of the waves--only to kick out, sink, and disappear into the gray. The gray that is the sea at dawn.
And I think that's what I like about surfing. It's not only the aspect of speed, adventure, activity. Don't get me wrong: I like the adventure too. The intensity of a wipeout. The feeling of taking flight when you slide down the front of a curling green wall. The sense that your horizon is alive, seething, picking itself up, doubling over on top of itself. I find I even like getting hurt - if it means I've done something out of the ordinary.
But that surface of adrenalin is not the only reason I like surfing. I can get that with a score of other sports. With surfing, it's the ability to emerge myself in something so much greater than myself. The ability to play, like a mouse with a wolf, and escape unharmed or with only a few bruises that are something like medals. The ability to ride raw power on a piece of foam and fiberglass. There's nothing quite like the feeling when it takes, and the board becomes spring-loaded on the wave, and you're crouched - poised, in control.....okay so totally and completely out of control. You can't control the ocean, silly. Even when it feels like it.
That run was a long time ago. Now I'm the person out on the waves. Only I don't wear a hood. And I don't surf in the morning. I used to. I tried to like it....but seriously, the waves die down, the sunrise fades to day, the day starts up and everything else is a let-down. Race to class, work, homework. Even hanging out is a let-down after surfing. That might be the hypothermic effect though....Perhaps things will be better now that I have a wetsuit without holes.
But sunset-surfing? Things just get better. Like a life well-lived. You look forward to it all day. You run across the beach just as the waves are starting to pick up. Chill sand; freezing cold water that laps up your legs, waist, chest. Ouch. Gasp. Ice-water. Literally breath-snatching cold. Dunk your head. Crap. Cold. Gasp. Breathe...ahhh. That's better. Forget about the cold and paddle out gleefully. Pungent taste of salt and brine; smell like old sushi soaked in the salty ocean breeze. Shrivel your lips; scour your face; dread your hair. Salt and sun. The surf picks up, better and better, until the best waves and the most incredible part of the day coincide: sunset on an ocean. The world might be reversed for all you know, and you floating in the sunset and looking up at a sea. And then the moon comes out and you're in the middle of day and night--the juncture of the last glow of coral sun and a trembling moonpath spider-webbed across the water.
I don't know about you, but I can never seem to get close enough to the sunset. It's over-awing, breathtaking--but painfully distant. Makes me ache with an odd sort of pain that seems to burrow out my soul and make it bigger; reveals depths that presumably will make me a better person. It's the same part that you become aware of the more passionately you pray, or love, or try not to love....or begin to miss someone as you watch them die. Perhaps I can never get close enough to the sunset, because it IS perfection--and while our souls are eternal, our minds are still finite--and so the sunset will never fit, and that squeeze is painful. Just like when we pray, or love, or miss someone, we're not dealing with the finite anymore. It's something bigger, grander, eternal--and it's not human, and it doesn't fit in our finite humanity. So it's painful, like trying to fit a foot in a shoe that is too small.
I recently came face to face with death. It was horrific, drawn-out, painful. I sat there at my loved one's bedside, holding her hand and promising that it was not an end....not an end but a change. I told her that I would be there with her until that change, and that I would join her before too long. We all would. There was no reason to be scared. I told myself that when she was gone I'd go out and sit on my surfboard, and stare at the sunset. Remind myself of the eternity that I believe in indubitably enough to promise it to a sane but dying person--but that I can't experience tangibly but for my sunset surf. Burrowing out the depths of my soul. Painful beauty; beautiful pain, for it presumably makes me a better person. The drawing back of the veil - as if the sunset were drawing back its curtain and showing what it is beyond that makes us ache and wish to be closer.
So surfing is not only sport, as I intuited that long-ago day I first saw the surfers dancing in the gray. There is something much grander, bigger, further-reaching about floating in the upside-down sky. Like being face-to-face with eternity. The beauty beyond the ache and the pain. Like the rainbow promises the earth won't again be flooded, the reflection of the sunset in the flood promises the earth is not our bound of reality.
So while surfing improves reality; what I'm surfing in proves what I know to come after. Past the struggling break. Immersed in the ocean; submerged in the sunset. The closest thing to eternity I know of. And I get to play in it. And the shadow of the fog-bound earth slips away. Stillness. Vastness. Silence. Indescribable beauty and a peace that passes all understanding.
It's the closest thing I know to getting the shoe on.
But that surface of adrenalin is not the only reason I like surfing. I can get that with a score of other sports. With surfing, it's the ability to emerge myself in something so much greater than myself. The ability to play, like a mouse with a wolf, and escape unharmed or with only a few bruises that are something like medals. The ability to ride raw power on a piece of foam and fiberglass. There's nothing quite like the feeling when it takes, and the board becomes spring-loaded on the wave, and you're crouched - poised, in control.....okay so totally and completely out of control. You can't control the ocean, silly. Even when it feels like it.That run was a long time ago. Now I'm the person out on the waves. Only I don't wear a hood. And I don't surf in the morning. I used to. I tried to like it....but seriously, the waves die down, the sunrise fades to day, the day starts up and everything else is a let-down. Race to class, work, homework. Even hanging out is a let-down after surfing. That might be the hypothermic effect though....Perhaps things will be better now that I have a wetsuit without holes.
But sunset-surfing? Things just get better. Like a life well-lived. You look forward to it all day. You run across the beach just as the waves are starting to pick up. Chill sand; freezing cold water that laps up your legs, waist, chest. Ouch. Gasp. Ice-water. Literally breath-snatching cold. Dunk your head. Crap. Cold. Gasp. Breathe...ahhh. That's better. Forget about the cold and paddle out gleefully. Pungent taste of salt and brine; smell like old sushi soaked in the salty ocean breeze. Shrivel your lips; scour your face; dread your hair. Salt and sun. The surf picks up, better and better, until the best waves and the most incredible part of the day coincide: sunset on an ocean. The world might be reversed for all you know, and you floating in the sunset and looking up at a sea. And then the moon comes out and you're in the middle of day and night--the juncture of the last glow of coral sun and a trembling moonpath spider-webbed across the water.I don't know about you, but I can never seem to get close enough to the sunset. It's over-awing, breathtaking--but painfully distant. Makes me ache with an odd sort of pain that seems to burrow out my soul and make it bigger; reveals depths that presumably will make me a better person. It's the same part that you become aware of the more passionately you pray, or love, or try not to love....or begin to miss someone as you watch them die. Perhaps I can never get close enough to the sunset, because it IS perfection--and while our souls are eternal, our minds are still finite--and so the sunset will never fit, and that squeeze is painful. Just like when we pray, or love, or miss someone, we're not dealing with the finite anymore. It's something bigger, grander, eternal--and it's not human, and it doesn't fit in our finite humanity. So it's painful, like trying to fit a foot in a shoe that is too small.
I recently came face to face with death. It was horrific, drawn-out, painful. I sat there at my loved one's bedside, holding her hand and promising that it was not an end....not an end but a change. I told her that I would be there with her until that change, and that I would join her before too long. We all would. There was no reason to be scared. I told myself that when she was gone I'd go out and sit on my surfboard, and stare at the sunset. Remind myself of the eternity that I believe in indubitably enough to promise it to a sane but dying person--but that I can't experience tangibly but for my sunset surf. Burrowing out the depths of my soul. Painful beauty; beautiful pain, for it presumably makes me a better person. The drawing back of the veil - as if the sunset were drawing back its curtain and showing what it is beyond that makes us ache and wish to be closer.
So surfing is not only sport, as I intuited that long-ago day I first saw the surfers dancing in the gray. There is something much grander, bigger, further-reaching about floating in the upside-down sky. Like being face-to-face with eternity. The beauty beyond the ache and the pain. Like the rainbow promises the earth won't again be flooded, the reflection of the sunset in the flood promises the earth is not our bound of reality.
So while surfing improves reality; what I'm surfing in proves what I know to come after. Past the struggling break. Immersed in the ocean; submerged in the sunset. The closest thing to eternity I know of. And I get to play in it. And the shadow of the fog-bound earth slips away. Stillness. Vastness. Silence. Indescribable beauty and a peace that passes all understanding.
It's the closest thing I know to getting the shoe on.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
CLEARLY-LABELED ASSIGNMENT 6
I. If the paths of glory lead but to the grave, the path to journalistic success isn't exempt. Unfortunately, in the case of the above journalists, their shot at immortality killed the very name they sought. Listed from left to right, Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, Jack Kelley, and Janet Cooke are notorious for betraying the trust of their readers and fellow journalists alike. Stephen Glass, formerly on staff of the famed New Republic, lost his job when Adam Penenberg discovered several holes in Glass's feature, "Hack Heaven." Penenberg, a reporter for Forbes.com, pursued the story and found that most of Glass's feature was unverifiable. As Penenberg pursued the investigation, it became apparent that not only had Glass invented companies, people, and even fake newsletters in an effort to prove "Hack Heaven's" veracity, but he had fabricated material for other pieces as well. Glass promptly lost his job (Penenberg; Shattered Glass).
Jayson Blair worked his way up from intern to reporter on the staff of the New York Times. However, several colleagues questioned his professional reliability, and in April 2002 Blair's articles were so full of error that he pled personal problems and took leave. Shortly after he began working again, the extent to which he had used false information began to come out. Not only had Blair lied about his whereabouts, but in many instances, he had also fabricated quotes and events, and stolen material from other newspapers. Blair was fired shortly after, but the breach in the Time's reputation would take much longer to repair ("Times Reporter").
Former star-reporter Jack Kelley also pleads guilty of fabricating materials, stealing quotes, and even lying in his speeches. While reporting for USA Today, he even scripted speeches to help other people mislead the investigators USA Today sent to check up on his facts. One of his antics was using the picture of a hotel worker to embellish his feature on Cuban refugees, even going so far as to declare that the women in question had died in her attempt. An anonymous complaint about the reporter's veracity started an investigation that would leave Kelley's reputation as full of holes as his stories had been. On January 5, 2004, Kelley was asked to resign (Morrison; Banville).
Janet Cooke, as reporter for the Washington Post, wrote a feature called, "Jimmy's World." This vivid, heart-stirring piece about a young heroin addict was so moving that it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. However, when it turned out that most of her story was a hodgepodge of second-hand information, rather than being eye-witness as the piece made it out to be, the Pulitzer Prize was withdrawn. Ironically, her story was so moving that the Mayor Barry of "Jimmy's" city assigned a task force to find the child. Jimmy could not be found, for Jimmy did not exist. Cooke resigned on April 15, 1981 (Maraniss).
II. Even colleges are not immune to plagiaristic journalists. For instance, in 2005, California Polytechnic State University's Mustang Daily was soiled with the scandal of plagiarism. Up-and-coming journalist Rebecca Laman was caught plagiarizing online materials that were then printed in the student paper. Her decision back-fired however, when the plagiarism became known. The scandal took hold not only of the school paper, but of the local SLO Tribune and New Times as well. While the Mustang Daily declined to state the name of the student, the information soon got out. An editorial in the New Times praised the Tribune for discovering and printing Laman's real name ("Don't Mark My Words"). Matt Mackey, once a Mustang Daily writer, parried that the, "Student's name should not have been released" (Mackey). All in all, it seems that the question of revealing the student plagiarist's name was of more concern than the act of plagiarism itself. This aspect became a central feature in the ethical debate surrounding the controversy.
III. Of course, knowing that an article such as "Hack Heaven," is false makes it seem that much easier to spot its weak points. For instance, it seems improbable that "graying corporate executives," would be high-fiving a bratty teenager because he was so good at hacking (Glass). Or that companies would trust hackers to work for them, even seek them out, and resist legislation to outlaw the practice (Glass). "Jimmy's World," seemed much more realistic, and it would be hard to spot error in the piece without a familiar knowledge of the location or lifestyle. The only thing that seemed relatively unlikely would be that the adult dealers would waste such an expensive drug on children who present no--or at least, no immediate--financial advantage (Cooke).
As an editor, there seem to be many indications that a piece is plagiarized--in hindsight. Before it is confirmed however, skilled plagiarism seems difficult to spot without extensive background and source checks. Source checks seem to be particularly valuable.
The degree to which journalists should be punished for plagiarism should relate to the degree of plagiarism used. The use of intentional plagiarism, of false or intentionally misleading information, is much more serious than an unintentional paraphrase. Journalists who deliberately create fake sources, make up quotes, or write as if they are eye-witnessing a remote situation--or anything else that suggests fabrication--should not be allowed to undertake news-writing again, for they have violated the trust that is at the core of journalism, and particularly news-writing. An editor who retains a dishonest journalist brings the character of the whole paper into question, for it can be wondered what else is being tolerated. On a more practical level, the field of journalism is highly competitive, such that there will always be another reporter to step up to the plate. Further, the competition for readers is fierce. There is no reason to jeopardize the character--and thus the circulation figures--of the paper.
IV. If a picture is worth a thousand words, Brian Walksi's image of a British soldier gesturing Iraqi citizens to cover would be worth 2000. It also cost him his job. In an age of rampant photoshop, the temptation to mess with news photographs must still be restrained to cropping, cutting, playing with the exposure...editing that does not change the actual content of the picture. The facts of the piece however--since they are taken by the readers to be a true-to-life rendition of the situation--should not be altered. While what Walski did in combining two photos perhaps did not change the message of this particular image--very much--condoning his action would open the door to others to do the same, but perhaps with more subversive intent. In other words, photographs might digress to the same reliability as the hand-drawn illustrations of the Yellow Journalism era. Further, in publishing the manipulated photo as the original, Walksi effectively lied to his audience and his editor, in the same way that a traditional journalist would lie by changing the facts of a story. This alone is grounds for dismissal.
In direct contrast to journalists who would barter truth for a more sensational story, Michael Kelly's reputation lives on: a journalist who was not only brilliant in work, but who refused to compromise his beliefs--whether they were favored by the mainstream or not. After Kelly was fired by New Republic for his undisguised disapproval of the Clinton administration, he worked for the Washington Post, the National Journal, and the Atlantic Monthly. In 2003, he also became the first American journalist to die in the war in Iraq. Despite his editorial genius and solid, not to mention safe, career at home, he went to Iraq in order to capture events there for future generations as well as current readers. One of 600 journalists embedded among the US Military in Iraq, he supposedly died in a humvee crash on April 3, 2003. Kelly left behind a wife and two young sons, a stunning collection of editorials, and the open admiration of his peers and readers alike. His legend as a brilliant journalist, however, will live on.
SOURCES CITED
Banville, Lee. PBS Online NewsHour. 10 December 2004. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/media_ethics/casestudy_usatoday.php
Cooke, Janet. "Jimmy's World." 28 September 1980. Class Hand-out
Cornejo, Mark. "Student Accused of Plagiarism." SLO Tribune. 3 August 2005.
http://www.google.com/search?=qcache:nz4A6Ii LVPQJ:mysite.verizon.net/res8dhka/mcpaul/plag.html+cornejo+%22student+accused+of +plagiarism%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=safari
"Don't Mark My Words." Editorial. New Times. 4 August 2005. http://newtimesslo.com/index.php?p=showarticle&id=1234
Glass, Stephen. "Hack Heaven." 18 May 1998. Class Hand-out.
Mackey, Matt. "Student's Name Should Not Have Been Released." Letters to the Editor. New Times. 18 August 2005. http://newtimesslo.com/index.php?p=showarticle&id=1267
Maraniss, David A. "Post Reporter's Pulitzer Prize Is Withdrawn." Washington Post. 16 April 1981. http://academics.smcvt.edu/dmindich/Jimmy's%20World.htm
Morrison, Blake. "Ex-USA TODAY Reporter Faked Major Stories." USA TODAY. 19 March 2004.
Noonan, Peggy. "Michael Kelly, RIP." Wall Street Journal Opinion Archives. 4 April 2003. http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110003298
Penenberg, Adam L. "Lies, Damn Lies and Fiction." Forbes.com. 11 May 1998
http://www.forbes.com/1998/05/11/otw3.html
Porteus, Liza. "American Journalist Michael Kelly Killed in Iraq." FoxNews.com. 4 April 2003.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83204,00.html
Shattered Glass: in-class movie
"Times Reporter Who Resigned Leaves Long Trail of Deception." The New York Times Online. 11 May 2003. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/national/11PAPE.html? ei=5007&en=d6f511319c259463&ex=1367985600&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=
"Don't Mark My Words." Editorial. New Times. 4 August 2005. http://newtimesslo.com/index.php?p=showarticle&id=1234
Glass, Stephen. "Hack Heaven." 18 May 1998. Class Hand-out.
Mackey, Matt. "Student's Name Should Not Have Been Released." Letters to the Editor. New Times. 18 August 2005. http://newtimesslo.com/index.php?p=showarticle&id=1267
Maraniss, David A. "Post Reporter's Pulitzer Prize Is Withdrawn." Washington Post. 16 April 1981. http://academics.smcvt.edu/dmindich/Jimmy's%20World.htm
Morrison, Blake. "Ex-USA TODAY Reporter Faked Major Stories." USA TODAY. 19 March 2004.
Noonan, Peggy. "Michael Kelly, RIP." Wall Street Journal Opinion Archives. 4 April 2003. http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110003298
Penenberg, Adam L. "Lies, Damn Lies and Fiction." Forbes.com. 11 May 1998
http://www.forbes.com/1998/05/11/otw3.html
Porteus, Liza. "American Journalist Michael Kelly Killed in Iraq." FoxNews.com. 4 April 2003.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83204,00.html
Shattered Glass: in-class movie
"Times Reporter Who Resigned Leaves Long Trail of Deception." The New York Times Online. 11 May 2003. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/national/11PAPE.html? ei=5007&en=d6f511319c259463&ex=1367985600&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=
print&position=#top
Van Riper, Frank. "Manipulating Truth, Losing Credibility." Washington Post.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/essays/vanRiper/030409.htm
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wanderlust and Rain
I didn't realize how stifling a foot fracture would be. A foot fracture and rain. Can't surf; can run; can't get away. Today was a really bad day. Rain. Rain and gray. Rain and gray and a pronounced lack of freedom. Late to class, 2 hours in a doctor's office full of sick people to get my foot x-rayed. Apparently I should be using crutches. Freedom. Ha ha. Lack thereof. Miss Netto. How could she die? She was always so ALIVE! Sick of class. Wish I was a different person altogether. Seem to be doing everything wrong lately. AND my car CD player broke.
I finally got home, so pissed at everything and mostly at myself that I felt like just going straight coming 'round the curve toward Pismo.....parked and I stepped out of the car. Burst of air like dry-ice; hard, cold, bracing. The rain had broken. The clouds had broken. Up above, through a cold rift, a glitter of stars in a dark velvet sky. Faintly glowing billows of cloud parted like the Red Sea around them. Glimpse of Heaven.
And flash of freedom. Flash of the reminder of why I live, or at least why life is a wonderful thing and not merely a forced march through rote and routine. And rain.
That essence of wildness and wild joy that I get like a wave overwhelming me when I get to the top of Bishops, or lose myself in some back Yosemite highland, or find myself on a bus in Spain with no money and no destination and no companions--and no reason to care. The feeling that you can make your bed anywhere and don't have to be anywhere.
It's the feeling I try to capture on those random drives up the 1, or of being awake when all the world's asleep (ahem. as in, now.)
The feeling of total independence from people, yet no vestige of loneliness.
The feeling of a moonlit beach.
The feeling of pushing to your feet as the board suddenly becomes alive and spring-loaded on the wave.
The feeling of watching a sunset in the Mediterranean ocean and knowing that no one who knows you knows where you are. And that you could stay out there all night if you want, or sleep on the beach, or catch a bus and get off when the sun came up in a totally different location--even country.
The crinkle along your back at the eerie, lonely call of the imams to prayer--thin, wailing over a dusky bazaar squatting in the sunset dust of centuries.
The feeling of running to the edge of Bishop's Peak and looking back and seeing the school and school life far, far behind you. Right at sunset. Lay on the rock by the entrance. Look up at the sky. Free.
I always craved that freedom growing up. Running for me was the essence of it, the suggestion of it--captured the longing and sometimes fulfilled it. I still remember the first time I discovered a muddy trail up the side of one of the bare-leaved mountain peaks. Chilly November day. Cold gray clouds breaking to the frosty blue of winter sky. Freedom. I'd just moved from Colorado to a land of stores and Gucci bags and car-crammed streets. But now I'd escaped the city. Escaped rote and business and chain stores and money and all the things i hate to deal with but can't live without.
Freedom. I was stoked.
Cold sky. Cold stars. Cold glittering white stars. Moan of the ocean. Yearn for the ocean. I held my things indecisively in my arms: what a perfect night for a starlight ramble. Cold. Very, very cold. Another hesitation, and I turned to go inside. Stupid foot. Maybe in a few weeks? Maybe I'll buy a brace. The beach a la crutches: that would be amusing. A few weeks to freedom. Hunker down 'til the rain stops. Hunker down and pray for it to stop. Or spend my financial aid on a plane ticket....?
Sigh.
RE-DONE ASSIGNMENT 5/with INTERVIEWS
Not all of the buildings on-campus are named after alumni. Nor do all staff know who their building is named for. According to the plaque across from the main entrance, the Bert and Candace Forbes Center (Building 20A,) is named after a couple who employed many California Polytechnic State University grads, but who didn't actually attend the university itself. Bert was an electrical engineer who came to Cal Poly (as California Polytechnic State University is known by its students,) in 1979. He and his wife Candace founded the Ziatech Corporation. They were known for managing Cal Poly's Internet servers, donating Cal Poly's pipe organ, and giving the largest cash grant Cal Poly has ever received. The gift was sufficient for two endowed professorships, and also included a fund for equipment and upgrades in the Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering labs.
I interviewed several people on-staff, looking for someone--anyone--who had any idea of who Kennedy was and why the library is named after him. The most informative answer I got was from Doug Gates of Archives, "Ya. There's something on our website here, if I remember correctly." He did remember correctly, and he also gave me a print-out of the short biographies of all of the building's namesakes. Kennedy Library, for instance, was named for one of California Polytechnic's former presidents. Kennedy was born in Portland, Oregon, shortly after the turn of the century. He presided over California Polytechnic State University from 1967 to 1979. Cal Poly's name was officially changed to California Polytechnic State University during Kennedy's administration. When the new library opened in 1981, it was named after Robert E. Kennedy, its former and respected President Emeritus. The retired Kennedy currently lives in San Luis Obispo.
It was easier to find staff members who knew about the Cotchett and the Frank E. Pilling educational buildings. According to Administration Staff member Tom Skelton, Joseph W. Cotchett is, "An alum from Cal Poly. He's an attorney in the Bay Area." He mentioned that there, "Used to be a Cal Poly Report," (online,) "that featured him." Instead, Skelton spent about 5 minutes rummaging around in a back room to find an alumni magazine featuring an article on Cotchett. He found it, and made a copy for me. Apparently Cotchett graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 1960. He was born in Brooklyn in the late 30s/early 40s, and founded Phi Kappa Sigma--Cal Poly's first integrated Greek fraternity. Throughout his career as a trial lawyer, he was known for fighting for minorities and, "the little guys," according to Jeff Winter's 2007 article in the Cal Poly's online magazine.* Cotchett donated 7 million dollars to Cal Poly on April 16, 2004, in order to promote the education of math and science teachers. The Cotchett Educational Building was named after him in recognition of his generosity. On a more humorous note, I found out why they only serve Pepsi on-campus. According to Skelton, it's because, "Pepsi donated a million," to the school.
California Polytechnic State University looks forward to future growth in the construction of new buildings, such as the student housing development known as Poly Canyon Village. The Poly Canyon apartments are scheduled to be completed in Fall 2006. Other development can be seen in the renovation of older buildings such as the Engineering and Architecture Building, scheduled to be completed in March 2008. This renovation, which began in July 2006, will make the building more fire-resistant and protect its 39,000 usable square feet with an extensive sprinkler system in the event a fire should break out.**
*http://calpolynews.calpoly.edu/magazine/summer'02/cotchett.html
**Construction Management Services RFQ 05-1318
www.facilities.calpoly.edu/campusprojects contract="" maj051318cm="" pdf=""
***All other information obtained from California Polytechnic State University building plaques, website, University Union Information Desk, and interviews with administration, professors, and staff-members
I interviewed several people on-staff, looking for someone--anyone--who had any idea of who Kennedy was and why the library is named after him. The most informative answer I got was from Doug Gates of Archives, "Ya. There's something on our website here, if I remember correctly." He did remember correctly, and he also gave me a print-out of the short biographies of all of the building's namesakes. Kennedy Library, for instance, was named for one of California Polytechnic's former presidents. Kennedy was born in Portland, Oregon, shortly after the turn of the century. He presided over California Polytechnic State University from 1967 to 1979. Cal Poly's name was officially changed to California Polytechnic State University during Kennedy's administration. When the new library opened in 1981, it was named after Robert E. Kennedy, its former and respected President Emeritus. The retired Kennedy currently lives in San Luis Obispo.
It was easier to find staff members who knew about the Cotchett and the Frank E. Pilling educational buildings. According to Administration Staff member Tom Skelton, Joseph W. Cotchett is, "An alum from Cal Poly. He's an attorney in the Bay Area." He mentioned that there, "Used to be a Cal Poly Report," (online,) "that featured him." Instead, Skelton spent about 5 minutes rummaging around in a back room to find an alumni magazine featuring an article on Cotchett. He found it, and made a copy for me. Apparently Cotchett graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 1960. He was born in Brooklyn in the late 30s/early 40s, and founded Phi Kappa Sigma--Cal Poly's first integrated Greek fraternity. Throughout his career as a trial lawyer, he was known for fighting for minorities and, "the little guys," according to Jeff Winter's 2007 article in the Cal Poly's online magazine.* Cotchett donated 7 million dollars to Cal Poly on April 16, 2004, in order to promote the education of math and science teachers. The Cotchett Educational Building was named after him in recognition of his generosity. On a more humorous note, I found out why they only serve Pepsi on-campus. According to Skelton, it's because, "Pepsi donated a million," to the school.
Frank E. "Bud" Pilling is notable for attending Cal Poly on the GI Bill. According to Professor Chris Buckalew, the building was named after Pilling, "Because he donated a million bucks." Buckalew elaborated that if you make a donation of, "One-fourth the building's value, you can have the building named after you. Or at least, that's how it used to be." Pilling graduated in 1950, and became president of the Borg-Warnes' Automative Group. He donated $50,000 to the establishment of the Frank E. Pilling Endowment in support of the College of Engineering. Cal Poly named its Computer Science building after him in 1994 in recognition of his generous gift and support.
California Polytechnic State University looks forward to future growth in the construction of new buildings, such as the student housing development known as Poly Canyon Village. The Poly Canyon apartments are scheduled to be completed in Fall 2006. Other development can be seen in the renovation of older buildings such as the Engineering and Architecture Building, scheduled to be completed in March 2008. This renovation, which began in July 2006, will make the building more fire-resistant and protect its 39,000 usable square feet with an extensive sprinkler system in the event a fire should break out.**
*http://calpolynews.calpoly.edu/magazine/summer'02/cotchett.html
**Construction Management Services RFQ 05-1318
www.facilities.calpoly.edu/campusprojects contract="" maj051318cm="" pdf=""
***All other information obtained from California Polytechnic State University building plaques, website, University Union Information Desk, and interviews with administration, professors, and staff-members
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
CLEARLY-LABELED ASSIGNMENT 4/Story Ideas
1. The Freshman 15: Is this effect over-exaggerated? Reasons why students gain weight entering college. Means to prevent weight gain, both personally and campus-wide, starting with a list of improvements for campus dining installments such as VGs (VGs has already started to implement this list, as I wrote it and discussed it with the manager when I transferred here last year. I planned on/studied to be a dietitian before I entered Poly.) [Interview potential: Campus Dining managers. Dietitians and Food Science Majors. Athletes. Freshman. Seniors.]
2. Caffeine usage among students: social, survival, or somewhere in-between? Would/might cover: the most effective way to use caffeine (based on Air Force and other studies), potential health-concerns of caffeine/energy drink users, and a comparison of caffeine to the various synthetic ingredients in energy drinks. [Interview potential: Students of different classes and majors (freshman vs. seniors; architecture vs, for instance, business majors,) Food Science majors/Registered Dietitians, Starbucks/Peets/smaller shops' baristas]
3. Stress: its negative effects, what causes it and to what extent, cause and degree of stressors for students, and--most importantly--what can be done to combat or at least minimize the effects of stress. [Interview potential: Students of different classes and majors (freshman vs. seniors; architecture vs, for instance, business majors,) Food Science majors/Registered Dietitians, Doctors, School Councilors and Social Workers.
(also posted as comment on Journalism 203 site)
2. Caffeine usage among students: social, survival, or somewhere in-between? Would/might cover: the most effective way to use caffeine (based on Air Force and other studies), potential health-concerns of caffeine/energy drink users, and a comparison of caffeine to the various synthetic ingredients in energy drinks. [Interview potential: Students of different classes and majors (freshman vs. seniors; architecture vs, for instance, business majors,) Food Science majors/Registered Dietitians, Starbucks/Peets/smaller shops' baristas]
3. Stress: its negative effects, what causes it and to what extent, cause and degree of stressors for students, and--most importantly--what can be done to combat or at least minimize the effects of stress. [Interview potential: Students of different classes and majors (freshman vs. seniors; architecture vs, for instance, business majors,) Food Science majors/Registered Dietitians, Doctors, School Councilors and Social Workers.
(also posted as comment on Journalism 203 site)
CLEARLY-LABELED ASSIGNMENT 3/Ledes
1. When George Orwell, a child during the First World War, looked back on his early life, he confessed that his chief memory was not of all the deaths, but of all the margarine. The butter shortages caused by the Great War meant that margarine switched from being the food of the poor to being a universally used substitute – even for privileged pupils at Eton, such as Orwell.
From The Times/January 19, 2008/Swindled: the story of artificial food
I liked this lede because not only is the perspective humorous, it effectively lightens up a topic that is generally handled more seriously--providing mental contrast and an element of mild surprise. It is well-worded, and packs a lot of information about the coming article into the space of two sentences, while not losing the tone or artistic effect of the rest of the article. I also liked the subtle use of alliteration in, "privileged pupils," "universally used," and the near-alliteration of, "Eton... Orwell," in the second sentence.
2. The cavernous, dingy interior of the National Stadium in Kabul has echoed with many sounds during its eventful history. Communist rallies roared from its terraces, the condemned screamed for mercy at Taleban executions, and in recent years it has even heard the cheers and catcalls of the sports for which it was built.
From The Times/January 19, 2008/Girl boxers are a knockout at the Taleban’s former stadium of death
This lede has an feeling of fiction rather than of news to it, making for a very engaging and gripping intro. The wording is vivid and strong, and appeals strongly to the senses and emotions. At the same time it gives a time and a place and even a brief history in the space of only two sentences. While I tend to appreciate humor more than drama, I thought this an effective and interesting lede, for it gripped my attention and made me want to read the rest of the article immediately.
3. There are two things in the world over which I think it is important to take great care: food and spelling. Which is why my recent trip to Jamaica was spoilt utterly in its first, tender hours by one of Britain’s most fêted living novelists.
From The Times/January 19, 2008/Jamaica
This author starts with a surprisingly general but humorous observation. While it is the author's opinion, it is given in such a manner that it is humorous rather than obnoxious, and which also reveals much about the tone of the piece and personality of the protagonist. The prose is almost floral in nature--very delicate and decorative--yet somehow avoids being frivolous. Once again, the lede captures the unique tone of the piece while at the same time conveying the essentials about the piece in just two, relatively brief sentences. Overall, this had a very engaging, personal tone and made good use of the humor that would sprinkle the rest of the article.
From The Times/January 19, 2008/Swindled: the story of artificial food
I liked this lede because not only is the perspective humorous, it effectively lightens up a topic that is generally handled more seriously--providing mental contrast and an element of mild surprise. It is well-worded, and packs a lot of information about the coming article into the space of two sentences, while not losing the tone or artistic effect of the rest of the article. I also liked the subtle use of alliteration in, "privileged pupils," "universally used," and the near-alliteration of, "Eton... Orwell," in the second sentence.
2. The cavernous, dingy interior of the National Stadium in Kabul has echoed with many sounds during its eventful history. Communist rallies roared from its terraces, the condemned screamed for mercy at Taleban executions, and in recent years it has even heard the cheers and catcalls of the sports for which it was built.
From The Times/January 19, 2008/Girl boxers are a knockout at the Taleban’s former stadium of death
This lede has an feeling of fiction rather than of news to it, making for a very engaging and gripping intro. The wording is vivid and strong, and appeals strongly to the senses and emotions. At the same time it gives a time and a place and even a brief history in the space of only two sentences. While I tend to appreciate humor more than drama, I thought this an effective and interesting lede, for it gripped my attention and made me want to read the rest of the article immediately.
3. There are two things in the world over which I think it is important to take great care: food and spelling. Which is why my recent trip to Jamaica was spoilt utterly in its first, tender hours by one of Britain’s most fêted living novelists.
From The Times/January 19, 2008/Jamaica
This author starts with a surprisingly general but humorous observation. While it is the author's opinion, it is given in such a manner that it is humorous rather than obnoxious, and which also reveals much about the tone of the piece and personality of the protagonist. The prose is almost floral in nature--very delicate and decorative--yet somehow avoids being frivolous. Once again, the lede captures the unique tone of the piece while at the same time conveying the essentials about the piece in just two, relatively brief sentences. Overall, this had a very engaging, personal tone and made good use of the humor that would sprinkle the rest of the article.
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