http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/ethics/
http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/ethics/military-issues/tell-the-truth-stay-alive/
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=873531&category=ALBANY
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/business/media/06animate.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=animated%20simulation&st=cse
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Some final thoughts for your final projects
Why do I care?
Make it relevant. Connect this story into the life of the average person.
Ask yourself as many questions as you can about the subject.
Teach me something I didn’t know before.
Get specifics
Look for the exclusive moment. Find the core, the center of the story and write the lede there and work out from that moment.
Find the small, simple unique fact that captures the essence of the story theme.
Step back to see the big picture on what your story was about.
If it is central to the story, get the fun stuff into the lede.
Think about how many possible ways you can report this on the Web. Think about factoids, infographics, maps, video refers, links to related information, ect.
The three source rule is a minimum, but not a restriction. You should talk to anyone who could be relevant to the story. Do the reporting first. Be as complete as possible in the reporting. Then decide what and how much to write. But the writing should encompass and reflect the diversity of sources that you encountered.
Get off campus!
Make sure the video and the written word are unique.
Make sure the subjects in the video are ID’d. Give me complete information on your sources, not just names but background and relevant info: ages, occupation, home town, etc.
For the written story especially think about the future; tell us what’s next. What is likely to happen according to the experts and why.
Attribution needed for any opinion or challengeable fact. No cheerleading.
MAKE SURE YOUR WORK IS ONLINE BY DEADLINE! CHECK IT THE NEXT DAY!
Word count: Aim for 750 to 1250 words
Good luck!
Make it relevant. Connect this story into the life of the average person.
Ask yourself as many questions as you can about the subject.
Teach me something I didn’t know before.
Get specifics
Look for the exclusive moment. Find the core, the center of the story and write the lede there and work out from that moment.
Find the small, simple unique fact that captures the essence of the story theme.
Step back to see the big picture on what your story was about.
If it is central to the story, get the fun stuff into the lede.
Think about how many possible ways you can report this on the Web. Think about factoids, infographics, maps, video refers, links to related information, ect.
The three source rule is a minimum, but not a restriction. You should talk to anyone who could be relevant to the story. Do the reporting first. Be as complete as possible in the reporting. Then decide what and how much to write. But the writing should encompass and reflect the diversity of sources that you encountered.
Get off campus!
Make sure the video and the written word are unique.
Make sure the subjects in the video are ID’d. Give me complete information on your sources, not just names but background and relevant info: ages, occupation, home town, etc.
For the written story especially think about the future; tell us what’s next. What is likely to happen according to the experts and why.
Attribution needed for any opinion or challengeable fact. No cheerleading.
MAKE SURE YOUR WORK IS ONLINE BY DEADLINE! CHECK IT THE NEXT DAY!
Word count: Aim for 750 to 1250 words
Good luck!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Ground rules for embedded reporters
Excerpts from materials sent by Lt. Col. Paul Fanning:
... All local Afghan as well as international, foreign and/or American media representatives must be credentialed by the CPIC and issued a CFC-A Media Badge to cover U.S. Coalition Forces. Expiration dates will vary depending on length of approved coverage dates and embed periods.
All journalists/media representatives are required to have a CFC-A Media Badge and a CPIC/Public Affairs escort while on Camp Eggers. This includes credentialed media leaving through the checkpoints.
Journalists who are granted access on Camp Eggers or other installations falling under CFC-A are automatically bound by the CFC-A Ground Rules governing coverage in Afghanistan. You and your agency must adhere to all rules and accept the risks that exist when covering activities and operations on or around CFC-A installations. ...
....
A weekly joint International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan Press Conference is held every Monday at 10 a.m. at the HQ ISAF compound. Media advisories are issued by ISAF/CFC-A prior to each press conference to confirm time and location. All media wishing to attend the joint press conference are asked to arrive at HQ ISAF’s main gate no later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled press conference to go through security (15 – 20 min). Commercial ground transportation is limited and traffic can be congested. Please be aware of the gate schedules and plan accordingly.
We do not have billeting/housing for journalists. If staying overnight you will be required to make accommodations with a local hotel, unless told otherwise by CPIC personnel.
NOTE: Alcohol, non-prescription drugs, knives and firearms are not allowed on any CFC-A installation/compound. Cellular/satellite phones, cameras/photography, video and computer equipment must be inspected and cleared by Force Protection representatives.
Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan Media Ground Rules
I, __________________________ of _____________________ understand that I am bound to the
(print first, middle initial, last name) (media organization/affiliation)
following CFC-A Media Ground Rules and any violation of these rules will result in the immediate termination of coverage/access to CFC-A units/installations and confiscation of my CFC-A Media Badge. (Please initial) ____________. CFC-A Media Ground Rules:
1. All interviews will be on the record.
2. Media will be escorted by a public affairs representative at all times while in coalition areas, at all tactical or field locations and encampments, unless embedded with a unit. When escorted, media must remain with escorts until released and will follow instructions regarding their activities.
3. When embedded with a unit, media must remain with that unit at all times.
4. Media will not carry or possess personal weapons, knives, firearms or alcohol.
5. The media is responsible for loading and carrying its own equipment at all times.
6. Under no circumstances will media take photographs or video of detainees or persons in custody (to include recognizable face, nametag or other identifying feature), detainee or custody facilities or operations in Afghanistan. No interviews with detainees or persons in custody will be granted.
7. Media will not photograph Special Operations Forces or other equipment. Only photos of personnel in U.S. uniforms will be allowed.
8. The following categories of information are not releasable since their publication or broadcast jeopardize operations and endanger lives:
9. Specific numerical information on troop strength, equipment or critical supplies (e.g. artillery, tanks, landing craft, radars, trucks, water, etc.) for U.S. or coalition units.
10. Names of military installations or specific geographic locations of military units in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, unless released by the Department of Defense.
11. Information regarding future operations, current operations or strikes including postponed or cancelled operations.
12. Information regarding security precautions or force protection measures at military installations or encampments, to include video or still footage. CFC-A PAO may allow photography/video on a case-by-case basis if footage is reviewed prior to release.
13. Photography that shows level of security at military installations or encampments, especially aerial and satellite photography which reveals the name or specific location of military units or installations.
14. Information on intelligence collection activities/operations compromising tactics, techniques and procedures to include targets, methods, analyses and/or results.
15. Information and images of special operations units, U.S. or coalition, unless otherwise directed by the CFC-A public affairs or granted prior approval by Combined Joint Special Operation Task Force (CJSOTF).
16. Rules of engagement details.
17. During an operation, specific information on friendly forces, troop movements, tactical deployments, and dispositions that would jeopardize operational security or lives. Information on ongoing engagements will not be released unless authorized for release by the on-scene commander.
18. Information on effectiveness of enemy electronic warfare.
19. Any additional guidelines the CFC-A PAO determines necessary to protect tactical security.
20. Photos of local nationals employed by the coalition may not be published without written consent of the individual photographed or the Commander of the unit the individual is supporting.
21. Media may terminate coverage and/or embed opportunity at any time and will be offered
transportation from the area of operations, if the tactical situation permits and/or is available.
Hold Harmless/Release from Liability Statement
I recognize that covering combat and other military operations carries with it certain inherent risks to life, limb and equipment. I recognize that U.S. military, in pursuing the successful accomplishment of its mission, cannot guarantee my personal safety or the safety of my equipment. I hereby release the U.S. government and the U.S. military of any liability and hold them harmless for any injuries I may suffer or any equipment that may be damaged as a result of my covering combat or any other military operations. I understand that my agreement to this statement is a condition of being credentialed to cover U.S. military operations and receiving assistance for that coverage.
In consideration of receiving free transportation from the United States Military by land, air or other means that may be reasonably required to cover military operations in Afghanistan, I hereby release the United States Government, including its subdivisions, officers, military personnel, employees, and agents from all liability for any injuries or death that may result to me from this transportation, whether caused by negligence or otherwise.
I understand that in transporting me, the United States Government is not acting as a common carrier for hire and does not bear the liabilities attaching to that status.
I acknowledge that I voluntarily accept such transportation, I incur no obligation toward the United States Government except as imposed by this release.
I agree that this release not only binds me, but also my family, heirs, assigns, administrators, and executors.
... All local Afghan as well as international, foreign and/or American media representatives must be credentialed by the CPIC and issued a CFC-A Media Badge to cover U.S. Coalition Forces. Expiration dates will vary depending on length of approved coverage dates and embed periods.
All journalists/media representatives are required to have a CFC-A Media Badge and a CPIC/Public Affairs escort while on Camp Eggers. This includes credentialed media leaving through the checkpoints.
Journalists who are granted access on Camp Eggers or other installations falling under CFC-A are automatically bound by the CFC-A Ground Rules governing coverage in Afghanistan. You and your agency must adhere to all rules and accept the risks that exist when covering activities and operations on or around CFC-A installations. ...
....
A weekly joint International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan Press Conference is held every Monday at 10 a.m. at the HQ ISAF compound. Media advisories are issued by ISAF/CFC-A prior to each press conference to confirm time and location. All media wishing to attend the joint press conference are asked to arrive at HQ ISAF’s main gate no later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled press conference to go through security (15 – 20 min). Commercial ground transportation is limited and traffic can be congested. Please be aware of the gate schedules and plan accordingly.
We do not have billeting/housing for journalists. If staying overnight you will be required to make accommodations with a local hotel, unless told otherwise by CPIC personnel.
NOTE: Alcohol, non-prescription drugs, knives and firearms are not allowed on any CFC-A installation/compound. Cellular/satellite phones, cameras/photography, video and computer equipment must be inspected and cleared by Force Protection representatives.
Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan Media Ground Rules
I, __________________________ of _____________________ understand that I am bound to the
(print first, middle initial, last name) (media organization/affiliation)
following CFC-A Media Ground Rules and any violation of these rules will result in the immediate termination of coverage/access to CFC-A units/installations and confiscation of my CFC-A Media Badge. (Please initial) ____________. CFC-A Media Ground Rules:
1. All interviews will be on the record.
2. Media will be escorted by a public affairs representative at all times while in coalition areas, at all tactical or field locations and encampments, unless embedded with a unit. When escorted, media must remain with escorts until released and will follow instructions regarding their activities.
3. When embedded with a unit, media must remain with that unit at all times.
4. Media will not carry or possess personal weapons, knives, firearms or alcohol.
5. The media is responsible for loading and carrying its own equipment at all times.
6. Under no circumstances will media take photographs or video of detainees or persons in custody (to include recognizable face, nametag or other identifying feature), detainee or custody facilities or operations in Afghanistan. No interviews with detainees or persons in custody will be granted.
7. Media will not photograph Special Operations Forces or other equipment. Only photos of personnel in U.S. uniforms will be allowed.
8. The following categories of information are not releasable since their publication or broadcast jeopardize operations and endanger lives:
9. Specific numerical information on troop strength, equipment or critical supplies (e.g. artillery, tanks, landing craft, radars, trucks, water, etc.) for U.S. or coalition units.
10. Names of military installations or specific geographic locations of military units in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, unless released by the Department of Defense.
11. Information regarding future operations, current operations or strikes including postponed or cancelled operations.
12. Information regarding security precautions or force protection measures at military installations or encampments, to include video or still footage. CFC-A PAO may allow photography/video on a case-by-case basis if footage is reviewed prior to release.
13. Photography that shows level of security at military installations or encampments, especially aerial and satellite photography which reveals the name or specific location of military units or installations.
14. Information on intelligence collection activities/operations compromising tactics, techniques and procedures to include targets, methods, analyses and/or results.
15. Information and images of special operations units, U.S. or coalition, unless otherwise directed by the CFC-A public affairs or granted prior approval by Combined Joint Special Operation Task Force (CJSOTF).
16. Rules of engagement details.
17. During an operation, specific information on friendly forces, troop movements, tactical deployments, and dispositions that would jeopardize operational security or lives. Information on ongoing engagements will not be released unless authorized for release by the on-scene commander.
18. Information on effectiveness of enemy electronic warfare.
19. Any additional guidelines the CFC-A PAO determines necessary to protect tactical security.
20. Photos of local nationals employed by the coalition may not be published without written consent of the individual photographed or the Commander of the unit the individual is supporting.
21. Media may terminate coverage and/or embed opportunity at any time and will be offered
transportation from the area of operations, if the tactical situation permits and/or is available.
Hold Harmless/Release from Liability Statement
I recognize that covering combat and other military operations carries with it certain inherent risks to life, limb and equipment. I recognize that U.S. military, in pursuing the successful accomplishment of its mission, cannot guarantee my personal safety or the safety of my equipment. I hereby release the U.S. government and the U.S. military of any liability and hold them harmless for any injuries I may suffer or any equipment that may be damaged as a result of my covering combat or any other military operations. I understand that my agreement to this statement is a condition of being credentialed to cover U.S. military operations and receiving assistance for that coverage.
In consideration of receiving free transportation from the United States Military by land, air or other means that may be reasonably required to cover military operations in Afghanistan, I hereby release the United States Government, including its subdivisions, officers, military personnel, employees, and agents from all liability for any injuries or death that may result to me from this transportation, whether caused by negligence or otherwise.
I understand that in transporting me, the United States Government is not acting as a common carrier for hire and does not bear the liabilities attaching to that status.
I acknowledge that I voluntarily accept such transportation, I incur no obligation toward the United States Government except as imposed by this release.
I agree that this release not only binds me, but also my family, heirs, assigns, administrators, and executors.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Final Project
As to the final project, the topic is up to you. But it should be something that allows you to demonstrate all the skills that we've been working on this semester.
It should be on a topic that you believe is important to write about, that has impact, that is unique. It should be something that you have been able to develop out of your education about the Ithaca community.
It should be something that matters.
If you think you have such a story, then great. Let's talk.
It should be on a topic that you believe is important to write about, that has impact, that is unique. It should be something that you have been able to develop out of your education about the Ithaca community.
It should be something that matters.
If you think you have such a story, then great. Let's talk.
Friday, November 20, 2009
A letter from Lt. Col Fanning about embedded reporter Dave Tobin
-----Original Message----- From: Fanning, Paul A CIV USA NGB
Sent: 5/20/2009 9:29 AM John: There were at least two photographers that I am sure have the right shot and I will track them down and get back ASAP. I was the narrator for the ceremony and wasn't taking the shots myself otherwise you would have them now. As for the award, we have complete professional respect for Dave and the Post Standard and as an organization wanted to and felt compelled to express it. More over, our sentiments were shared and driven by the feedback from our military families, veterans groups and from those in the community who reached out to us after reading Dave's reports. This is our way of saluting him and his special contribution to the community. Dave and the paper had a tremendous impact because of what was reported and the way in which it was done. Dave earned -- won the trust of everyone back home and in the combat zone. His reporting was independent, accurate and comprehensive. He was not a guy who stayed at the base. He went out nearly everyday on convoys to get his stories and he went "down range" to remote sites as well. he shared the same risks as the soldiers who went "outside the wire" on a daily basis. He never missed an opportunity, didn't waste any time and I only saw his stories and photos when they were posted on line at the paper's website. I also say his reporting was compelling due to the feedback that came our way. Bottom line -- he was on target. I know a lot of us who are saying "if you want to know what it was really like for us in Afghanistan go to the Post Standard's website Following Orion and read Dave Tobin's reports." I do hope that the paper's Central New York readers appreciate Dave's work and the paper's commitment to the story of our deployment and mission. We believe it was a very important story that needed to be told and he did tell it -- extremely well, THE BEST. We appreciate that all newspapers are under incredible pressure today but are grateful on behalf of the community that Dave and the Post Standard went above and beyond in its mission to serve them. I also mentioned to Dave that I am actively seeking opportunities to engage with academia and news organizations about war coverage and the Army's embedded media program and NY's experience in particular. I think Dave has an important story to tell on his own about his role and that of the Post Standard's. I will try and get photos to you ASAP.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Reporting on war
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/christopherhowse/3647251/First_and_greatest_war_correspondent/
http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/erniepyle/
The Death of Captain Waskow
http://todayshistorylesson.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/ernie-pyle-writer-war-hero/
http://www.bebo.com/BlogView.jsp?MemberId=271453248&BlogId=6376773354
http://college.cengage.com/english/lauter/heath/4e/students/author_pages/contemporary/herr_mi.html
http://www.johnsack.com/company_c_associated_press.htm
http://www.johnsack.com/company_c_scene.htm
http://www.esquire.com/features/vietnam-war-m-company-0365
http://www.esquire.com/features/page-75/greatest-stories
http://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/
My Lai
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/my_lai.html
Geraldo Rivera
http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/erniepyle/
The Death of Captain Waskow
http://todayshistorylesson.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/ernie-pyle-writer-war-hero/
http://www.bebo.com/BlogView.jsp?MemberId=271453248&BlogId=6376773354
http://college.cengage.com/english/lauter/heath/4e/students/author_pages/contemporary/herr_mi.html
http://www.johnsack.com/company_c_associated_press.htm
http://www.johnsack.com/company_c_scene.htm
http://www.esquire.com/features/vietnam-war-m-company-0365
http://www.esquire.com/features/page-75/greatest-stories
http://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/
My Lai
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/my_lai.html
Geraldo Rivera
Friday, November 13, 2009
Cortland Standard job
The Cortland Standard, a 10,000 circulation daily halfway between Ithaca and Syracuse, is seeking candidates for a full-time news reporter job. “ Experience at a smaller daily or large weekly is preferred, but we will consider accomplished college grads with experience at a college newspaper and solid clips.” Send resume, five writing samples and cover letter to the Cortland Standard, Attention: Kevin Conlon, Managing Editor, PO Box 5548, 110 Main St., Cortland, NY 13045
From journalismjobs.com
From journalismjobs.com
Thursday, November 12, 2009
We will have an unexpected guest speaker
Next Wednesday, both of my News II sections will be meeting in Park 220 at 2 p.m. to welcome Lt. Col. Fanning of the New York National Guard. Lt. Col. Fanning handles media relations for his unit which spent a year in Afghanistan. The entire unit came back safely. He had spoken to Ithaca College journalism students in Fall of 2007 before deployment, and now we have a chance to speak to him post-deployment.
Here is a list of links that he suggested you look at in preparation for his talk:
Here is a list of links that he suggested you look at in preparation for his talk:
Here are some links for your consideration. http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/arng/27bct/27bct.php This is our state website page that covers the deplpyment of 1700 NY National guard men and women to Afghanistan in 2008. There is a lot of material there including weekly electronic newsletters (46 in total) so that the public and military families could stay informed. http://www.syracuse.com/following-orion/ this is a fantastic newspaper web journal that was set up and run by a reporter who came over to afghanistan and embedded with our team for nearly 2 months. I understand Dave Tobin is actually an Ithaca College alum. http://www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/brigade/ this is a community blog at another daily newspaper that I contributed to as sort of a web column. Like the page before the latest entry is first. The last entry was actually a story written about me by one of the paper's reporters as a capstone to the nearly year-long exeperience and connection with the Daily Gazette. I spoke candidly in my entries and received postive feedback. I chose to participate in this fashion with the paper on an invitation from them and a calculation on my part to reach out to a different audience and some of the same audiences but in a different way. The effort paid off well. I am prepared to discuss what it was like to serve as an Army public affairs officer in a combat zone, to host and support 30 embedded civilian news media representatives, to conduct telephone and satellite feed media outreach efforts, to generate press releases and respond to media queries and acquire and produce articles, photos and video of military operations for distribution to the press.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Science writing
Dorothy Nelkin
Selling Science
This well-documented study of science writing for the general public in the United States is frequently critical in tone. Nelkin demonstrates through many quotations that science writers frequently act as promoters of science and technology, depicting scientists as miracle workers who are constantly achieving "breakthroughs." She is properly scornful of the superficial, "gee whiz" brand of coverage so often produced by the popular press; she examines the constraints and pressures on science writers and explores the sometimes uneasy relations between research scientists and science writers. A challenging, worthwhile book, recommended for academic and public libraries. Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=K7CFVvgLg4Fdh5SFbMVJGVGn41YQRP5NWFGTvZTpJCxQLyQfpwWQ!-867034830!1795388119?docId=5002554267
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/05/weekinreview/ideas-trends-it-s-alive-it-s-alive.html?scp=4&sq=dorothy%20nelkin&st=cse
Selling Science
This well-documented study of science writing for the general public in the United States is frequently critical in tone. Nelkin demonstrates through many quotations that science writers frequently act as promoters of science and technology, depicting scientists as miracle workers who are constantly achieving "breakthroughs." She is properly scornful of the superficial, "gee whiz" brand of coverage so often produced by the popular press; she examines the constraints and pressures on science writers and explores the sometimes uneasy relations between research scientists and science writers. A challenging, worthwhile book, recommended for academic and public libraries. Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=K7CFVvgLg4Fdh5SFbMVJGVGn41YQRP5NWFGTvZTpJCxQLyQfpwWQ!-867034830!1795388119?docId=5002554267
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/05/weekinreview/ideas-trends-it-s-alive-it-s-alive.html?scp=4&sq=dorothy%20nelkin&st=cse
Award-winning journalism, community journalism
http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Public-Service
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=61526
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/16/us/town-gets-clean-water-as-paper-gets-a-pulitzer.html
http://www.wdnweb.com/our_newspaper/about_us/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/invisible/deaths5.htm
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/5747
http://www.gannett.com/go/newswatch/2002/may/claxton.htm
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=61526
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/16/us/town-gets-clean-water-as-paper-gets-a-pulitzer.html
http://www.wdnweb.com/our_newspaper/about_us/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/invisible/deaths5.htm
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/5747
http://www.gannett.com/go/newswatch/2002/may/claxton.htm
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hoaxes
http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=1277
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/archive/permalink/the_society_for_indecency_to_naked_animals/
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/archive/display/category/alan_abel/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0008433/
http://www.joeyskaggs.com/
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/
http://www.snopes.com/
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/archive/permalink/the_society_for_indecency_to_naked_animals/
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/archive/display/category/alan_abel/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0008433/
http://www.joeyskaggs.com/
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/
http://www.snopes.com/
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Pultizer Prizes
http://info.vassar.edu/news/2009-2010/091116-urbanstu-berzon-pulitzertalk.html
http://www.pulitzer.org/press_releases
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/21/sun-wins-pulitzer-prize/
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/topics/construction-deaths/
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/mar/30/construction-deaths/
http://www.pulitzer.org/press_releases
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/21/sun-wins-pulitzer-prize/
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/topics/construction-deaths/
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/mar/30/construction-deaths/
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Rashomon and Courage Under Fire
In 12th century Japan, a samurai and his wife are attacked by the notorious bandit Tajomaru, and the samurai ends up dead. Tajomaru is captured shortly afterward and is put on trial, but his story and the wife's are so completely different that a psychic is brought in to allow the murdered man to give his own testimony. He tells yet another completely different story. Finally, a woodcutter who found the body reveals that he saw the whole thing, and his version is again completely different from the others.
Monday, November 2, 2009
A new route beyond the Last Frontier
The melting polar ice cap is opening the forbidding waters at the top of the world to shipping -- and intensifying concerns about regulating maritime operations and protecting the fragile environment.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arctic-shipping11-2009oct11,0,4789963.story?page=1
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arctic-shipping11-2009oct11,0,4789963.story?page=1
A Reporting Error Frozen in Time?
Writing about issues such as global warming is complicated, and too few reporters brush up on their science when doing so.
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/a_reporting_error_frozen_in_ti.php
Calculating Emissions Is Problematic
Calculating Emissions Is Problematic
An accounting irregularity in the way some greenhouse gas emissions are calculated could hobble efforts to reduce them, scientists warn in a new report.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/science/earth/23biofuel.html
A Bid to Cut Emissions Looks Away From Coal
A Bid to Cut Emissions Looks Away From Coal
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: November 1, 2009
As Congress debates legislation to slow global warming by limiting emissions, engineers are tinkering with ways to capture and store carbon dioxide, the leading heat-trapping gas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/science/earth/01carbon.html
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: November 1, 2009
As Congress debates legislation to slow global warming by limiting emissions, engineers are tinkering with ways to capture and store carbon dioxide, the leading heat-trapping gas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/science/earth/01carbon.html
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Danger of Hand Sanitizer
http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:58108144-fc76-454f-abab-27005aedce2d&showPlaylist=true
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/Health_Watch_Hand_Sanitizer_Dangers_102609
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&vid=58108144-fc76-454f-abab-27005aedce2d
http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/northwilson-2-sanitizer090624.mov
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/Health_Watch_Hand_Sanitizer_Dangers_102609
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&vid=58108144-fc76-454f-abab-27005aedce2d
http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/northwilson-2-sanitizer090624.mov
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| ThreatDown - Environmentalists, Kang Lee & Mountain Pine Beetles | ||||
| ||||
Natural Gas: Conventional Drilling Areas And Shale Basins
Bad news and news done badly
http://www.mnn.com/technology/research-innovations/stories/media-mayhem-bad-news-and-news-done-badly
http://www.healthjournalism.org/blog/2009/05/former-cnn-producer-on-h1n1-coverage-retaining-audience-through-fear-mongering/
http://www.unisci.com/stories/20022/0523024.htm
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_10_23/en/index.html
http://www.healthjournalism.org/blog/2009/05/former-cnn-producer-on-h1n1-coverage-retaining-audience-through-fear-mongering/
http://www.unisci.com/stories/20022/0523024.htm
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| ||||
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_10_23/en/index.html
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Hospital to Use Precision Device Against Tumors Oncology
Doctors at St. Joseph in Burbank hope the multi-leaf collimator will cause fewer side effects. Skeptics wonder about its $250,000 cost.
ED BOND
The Los Angeles Times
Sep 15, 1993. pg. 1
Copyright, The Times Mirror Company; Los Angeles Times
The mortal game cancer specialists have played for decades goes like this: blast the tumor, not the patient.
A group of doctors at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank are about to begin a new round in that confounding task, armed with a $250,000 device called a multi-leaf collimator.
The complicated-sounding machine has a simple purpose, to shape the beams of radiation so that most of the surrounding tissue is left untouched, sparing the patient nausea, diarrhea, discomfort or other side effects.
Doctors at St. Joseph plan to use its precision to test the effectiveness of higher doses of radiation on tumors. By better channeling the radiation, these doctors say, the machine will allow them to provide a level of care closer to that found in major medical institutions with multi-million-dollar equipment.
St. Joseph will be the first community hospital to use the device in California when patient treatment begins within two weeks, according to its manufacturers and members of the California Radiation Oncology Society. The machine will soon be in use at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.
Some praise the machine as a breakthrough that finally gives the medical community a reliable tool for attacking a tumor. But others are more skeptical, saying that the machine is expensive and unnecessary.
"Right now we do a fairly good job of confining the radiation dose," said Dr. Donald Fuller, a San Diego radiation oncologist, who said most hospitals now use neither the multi-leaf nor its more expensive cousin. "If it is more expensive (to use the multi-leaf), can it be justified? These are the kinds of dilemmas we are wrestling with."
"This needs to be validated," acknowledged Dr. Christopher Rose, associate technical director at St. Joseph's radiation oncology department, who helped push for the technology to be developed in the mid-1980s. "It may be a $250,000 piece of junk."
The National Cancer Institute is planning a nationwide study next year on the effectiveness of multi-leaf collimators in fighting prostate cancer, said Dr. Dwight Kaufman, acting assistant director of the institute's radiation research program.
"Whether it translates into better control of cancer with less toxicity still remains to be seen," Kaufman said.
But supporters of the new procedure say they're betting it will prove an affordable way to focus radiation doses on tumors.
"This is the latest frontier in answering the question of how do we improve radiation treatment," said Dr. Michael Steinberg, of the Santa Monica Cancer Treatment Center, who is president of the California Radiation Oncology Society.
Here's how it works.
Until now, cancer specialists have had to protect the flesh around a tumor with blocks of a lead alloy, shaped to protect vital organs from a field of radiation.
The multi-leaf, however, protects healthy tissue by covering it with overlapping leaves of metal. Each leaf blocks out an area in the field of radiation, allowing only a shape approximately matching that of the tumor for the beam to pass through.
The multi-leaf also improves that way doctors can aim radiation at a tumor, supporters said. Instead of only being able to fire the radiation through the side or through the front, the new equipment uses a computer to continually change that shape of the beam as it rotates around the patient. This way, the tumor can be attacked from every angle.
The multi-leaf is not the only piece of equipment meant to sharpen the stream of radiation. Science has created far more precise tools, such as the equipment used for proton radiation treatment at the cancer center at Loma Linda University Medical Center. But that equipment cost $45 million, and it is one of only two in the United States.
Proton radiation hits only the tumor, said Dr. Jerry Slater, clinical director for the department of radiation medicine at Loma Linda. Radiation from the multi-leaf, by contrast, still must pass through some healthy tissue to get to the tumor.
Compared with conventional treatments, the multi-leaf collimator is expected to do the most good in reaching tumors in the deep, hard-to-access areas of the body, such as the pancreas or the prostate. Those organs are lodged between the bladder and the rectum, which are particularly susceptible to harm by radiation.
It is already clear that the equipment will not be useful for all types of cancer. About 10% of the 700 cancer patients using radiation therapy at St. Joseph will be likely candidates for the new device, said Dr. Leslie Botnick, director of the Radiation Oncology Department at St. Joseph. Cancers such as lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease are not limited to a small area of the body, so patients with these illnesses would not benefit as much from the machine.
At Northridge Hospital Medical Center, it was the bottom line that encouraged hospital administrators to approve the purchase of their own multi-leaf collimator, which will be delivered in December, said Dr. Aaron Fingerhut, the hospital's director of the radiation oncology department at the Thomas and Dorothy Leavy Cancer Center.
"Right now we have a technician who manufactures these lead blocks, which is time-consuming, and then they have to be lifted up to shoulder height and mounted on the machine," Fingerhut said. A full-time technician earns more than $50,000 a year, so in a few years the hospital could recoup the cost on the device, he added.
With the multi-leaf collimator, treatments could eventually be made faster and more cost-effective, Fingerhut said. Some day, having the machine could increase a hospital's business, because insurance companies and health-maintenance organizations might send patients to the less-expensive program, he said.
One thing doctors at St. Joseph hope to do is use the machine to experiment with giving patients higher radiation doses. Researchers there say that if the machine really spares surrounding tissue, higher levels of radiation can be tried on tumors.
"St. Joseph's clearly wants to be a hitter in the high-dose studies," said Dr. Scotte Doggett, medical director of radiation oncology at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, which also plans to use the device. The work at St. Joseph may encourage others, he said.
It is important to note, however, that despite high hopes, the multi-leaf might not be the answer for hospitals struggling to provide appropriate care for patients with cancer.
Loma Linda's Slater said that although he thinks the new machine represents a step forward, proton radiation treatment is "a magnitude ahead."
Buying a high-technology piece of equipment may be an unlikely step for a community hospital in a struggling economy, said Botnick, who came to St. Joseph along with Rose in the early 1980s from the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School, which had begun the nation's first studies in shaping radiation beams.
The two came to St. Joseph to study ways to bring the same level of care found at a university hospital to a community hospital.
"I think if (hospital administrators) had to make the decision in 1992 economics, they wouldn't have done it," Botnick said. "This is not going to help us make more money."
Still, said Rose, the technology is too important to be ignored.
"The issue is, can it be done in a community hospital?" he said. "That's what we're going to try to find out."
[Illustration]
PHOTO: Radiation oncologist Dr. Arnold Malcolm and radiation therapist Carol Nemeth with multi-leaf collimator. Carlos Reyes poses as patient.; PHOTO: Display shows how a beam of radiation is aimed on the cross-section of a patient's body. / RICARDO DeARATANHA / Los Angeles Times
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Section: Metro; PART-B; Zones Desk
ISSN/ISBN: 04583035
Text Word Count 1258
ED BOND
The Los Angeles Times
Sep 15, 1993. pg. 1
Copyright, The Times Mirror Company; Los Angeles Times
The mortal game cancer specialists have played for decades goes like this: blast the tumor, not the patient.
A group of doctors at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank are about to begin a new round in that confounding task, armed with a $250,000 device called a multi-leaf collimator.
The complicated-sounding machine has a simple purpose, to shape the beams of radiation so that most of the surrounding tissue is left untouched, sparing the patient nausea, diarrhea, discomfort or other side effects.
Doctors at St. Joseph plan to use its precision to test the effectiveness of higher doses of radiation on tumors. By better channeling the radiation, these doctors say, the machine will allow them to provide a level of care closer to that found in major medical institutions with multi-million-dollar equipment.
St. Joseph will be the first community hospital to use the device in California when patient treatment begins within two weeks, according to its manufacturers and members of the California Radiation Oncology Society. The machine will soon be in use at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.
Some praise the machine as a breakthrough that finally gives the medical community a reliable tool for attacking a tumor. But others are more skeptical, saying that the machine is expensive and unnecessary.
"Right now we do a fairly good job of confining the radiation dose," said Dr. Donald Fuller, a San Diego radiation oncologist, who said most hospitals now use neither the multi-leaf nor its more expensive cousin. "If it is more expensive (to use the multi-leaf), can it be justified? These are the kinds of dilemmas we are wrestling with."
"This needs to be validated," acknowledged Dr. Christopher Rose, associate technical director at St. Joseph's radiation oncology department, who helped push for the technology to be developed in the mid-1980s. "It may be a $250,000 piece of junk."
The National Cancer Institute is planning a nationwide study next year on the effectiveness of multi-leaf collimators in fighting prostate cancer, said Dr. Dwight Kaufman, acting assistant director of the institute's radiation research program.
"Whether it translates into better control of cancer with less toxicity still remains to be seen," Kaufman said.
But supporters of the new procedure say they're betting it will prove an affordable way to focus radiation doses on tumors.
"This is the latest frontier in answering the question of how do we improve radiation treatment," said Dr. Michael Steinberg, of the Santa Monica Cancer Treatment Center, who is president of the California Radiation Oncology Society.
Here's how it works.
Until now, cancer specialists have had to protect the flesh around a tumor with blocks of a lead alloy, shaped to protect vital organs from a field of radiation.
The multi-leaf, however, protects healthy tissue by covering it with overlapping leaves of metal. Each leaf blocks out an area in the field of radiation, allowing only a shape approximately matching that of the tumor for the beam to pass through.
The multi-leaf also improves that way doctors can aim radiation at a tumor, supporters said. Instead of only being able to fire the radiation through the side or through the front, the new equipment uses a computer to continually change that shape of the beam as it rotates around the patient. This way, the tumor can be attacked from every angle.
The multi-leaf is not the only piece of equipment meant to sharpen the stream of radiation. Science has created far more precise tools, such as the equipment used for proton radiation treatment at the cancer center at Loma Linda University Medical Center. But that equipment cost $45 million, and it is one of only two in the United States.
Proton radiation hits only the tumor, said Dr. Jerry Slater, clinical director for the department of radiation medicine at Loma Linda. Radiation from the multi-leaf, by contrast, still must pass through some healthy tissue to get to the tumor.
Compared with conventional treatments, the multi-leaf collimator is expected to do the most good in reaching tumors in the deep, hard-to-access areas of the body, such as the pancreas or the prostate. Those organs are lodged between the bladder and the rectum, which are particularly susceptible to harm by radiation.
It is already clear that the equipment will not be useful for all types of cancer. About 10% of the 700 cancer patients using radiation therapy at St. Joseph will be likely candidates for the new device, said Dr. Leslie Botnick, director of the Radiation Oncology Department at St. Joseph. Cancers such as lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease are not limited to a small area of the body, so patients with these illnesses would not benefit as much from the machine.
At Northridge Hospital Medical Center, it was the bottom line that encouraged hospital administrators to approve the purchase of their own multi-leaf collimator, which will be delivered in December, said Dr. Aaron Fingerhut, the hospital's director of the radiation oncology department at the Thomas and Dorothy Leavy Cancer Center.
"Right now we have a technician who manufactures these lead blocks, which is time-consuming, and then they have to be lifted up to shoulder height and mounted on the machine," Fingerhut said. A full-time technician earns more than $50,000 a year, so in a few years the hospital could recoup the cost on the device, he added.
With the multi-leaf collimator, treatments could eventually be made faster and more cost-effective, Fingerhut said. Some day, having the machine could increase a hospital's business, because insurance companies and health-maintenance organizations might send patients to the less-expensive program, he said.
One thing doctors at St. Joseph hope to do is use the machine to experiment with giving patients higher radiation doses. Researchers there say that if the machine really spares surrounding tissue, higher levels of radiation can be tried on tumors.
"St. Joseph's clearly wants to be a hitter in the high-dose studies," said Dr. Scotte Doggett, medical director of radiation oncology at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, which also plans to use the device. The work at St. Joseph may encourage others, he said.
It is important to note, however, that despite high hopes, the multi-leaf might not be the answer for hospitals struggling to provide appropriate care for patients with cancer.
Loma Linda's Slater said that although he thinks the new machine represents a step forward, proton radiation treatment is "a magnitude ahead."
Buying a high-technology piece of equipment may be an unlikely step for a community hospital in a struggling economy, said Botnick, who came to St. Joseph along with Rose in the early 1980s from the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School, which had begun the nation's first studies in shaping radiation beams.
The two came to St. Joseph to study ways to bring the same level of care found at a university hospital to a community hospital.
"I think if (hospital administrators) had to make the decision in 1992 economics, they wouldn't have done it," Botnick said. "This is not going to help us make more money."
Still, said Rose, the technology is too important to be ignored.
"The issue is, can it be done in a community hospital?" he said. "That's what we're going to try to find out."
[Illustration]
PHOTO: Radiation oncologist Dr. Arnold Malcolm and radiation therapist Carol Nemeth with multi-leaf collimator. Carlos Reyes poses as patient.; PHOTO: Display shows how a beam of radiation is aimed on the cross-section of a patient's body. / RICARDO DeARATANHA / Los Angeles Times
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Section: Metro; PART-B; Zones Desk
ISSN/ISBN: 04583035
Text Word Count 1258
Monday, October 19, 2009
How to keep the quality of your iMovie work when compressing
How to keep the quality of your iMovie work when compressing
(Using the 2006 Version on OS X)
Thanks to Katie Bataille for sending these in.
1. When finished editing your work, first save what you have, then go to:
• Share (at the top) QuickTime
2. On the QuickTime tab, go to the
• Pull-down menu Expert Settings Share (there’s one more step before it actually starts compressing)
3. In the window that pops up (“Save exported file as…), select where you’d like to save the file, and make sure “Export” says Movie to QuickTime Movie and “Use” says Most Recent Settings.
4. BEFORE HITTING SAVE, select the Options button. A box called “Movie Settings” will pop up.
5. Check all boxes: Video, Sound, Prepare for Internet Streaming.
6. The list under VIDEO should be as follows (use the buttons on the left to adjust if necessary:
• Compression: H.264
• Quality: High
• Key frame rate: 24
• Frame recording: yes
• Encoding mode: multi-pass
• Dimensions: 720x480
7. The list under SOUND should be as follows (again, adjust with the settings button to the left)
• Format: Integer (Little Endian)
• Sample rate: 48.000 kHz
• Sample size: 16-bit
• Channels: Stereo (L R)
8. Under PREPARE FOR INTERNET STREAMING, the pull-down menu should be on
“Fast Start” (again, change with settings button to the right)
9. Click OK, the box should disappear. Click Save.
• Your work should automatically begin compressing with a progress bar.
• It should take much longer to compress (a two minute video on these settings takes about 10 minutes) than it would for CD-ROM or e-mail pre-set compression settings.
(Using the 2006 Version on OS X)
Thanks to Katie Bataille for sending these in.
1. When finished editing your work, first save what you have, then go to:
• Share (at the top) QuickTime
2. On the QuickTime tab, go to the
• Pull-down menu Expert Settings Share (there’s one more step before it actually starts compressing)
3. In the window that pops up (“Save exported file as…), select where you’d like to save the file, and make sure “Export” says Movie to QuickTime Movie and “Use” says Most Recent Settings.
4. BEFORE HITTING SAVE, select the Options button. A box called “Movie Settings” will pop up.
5. Check all boxes: Video, Sound, Prepare for Internet Streaming.
6. The list under VIDEO should be as follows (use the buttons on the left to adjust if necessary:
• Compression: H.264
• Quality: High
• Key frame rate: 24
• Frame recording: yes
• Encoding mode: multi-pass
• Dimensions: 720x480
7. The list under SOUND should be as follows (again, adjust with the settings button to the left)
• Format: Integer (Little Endian)
• Sample rate: 48.000 kHz
• Sample size: 16-bit
• Channels: Stereo (L R)
8. Under PREPARE FOR INTERNET STREAMING, the pull-down menu should be on
“Fast Start” (again, change with settings button to the right)
9. Click OK, the box should disappear. Click Save.
• Your work should automatically begin compressing with a progress bar.
• It should take much longer to compress (a two minute video on these settings takes about 10 minutes) than it would for CD-ROM or e-mail pre-set compression settings.
Making Sense of Science Reporting
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/05/AR2008120502959.html
Blood Test, Statin Afford Potent Shield, Study Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/09/AR2008110900852.htmlSaturday, October 17, 2009
Mahala Gaylord videos
Some more examples of online/video journalism:
http://mahalagaylord.blogspot.com/2009/10/newsday-cranking-out-daily-video.html
http://mahalagaylord.blogspot.com/2009/10/newsday-cranking-out-daily-video.html
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
About press releases and e-mails
I need to talk about press releases and e-mails.
1) You need to understand that a press release represents only the first layer of reporting, gathering information that has been handed you. To accept what has been given to you without challenging it, without questioning it, is not journalism. To simply take what comes from a press release and regurgitate it into your story is lazy and deceptive to the public. They are counting on you to establish the facts for yourself, not to just be a secretary or a relay service for the public official. You need to ask questions. You need to find areas within the press release that must be challenged. And you need to attribute the facts given as coming from the press release.
2) The quotes included in a press release are not reliable quotes. You should be skeptical about using such quotes as if they came out of the mouth of the person that the press release says they came from. Why? Because usually they don't. What often happens is that an assistant, a PR rep or someone within the official's office is asked to generate a press release. They come up with quotes to put in the press release, and then ask the official to review it. The official looks at it, says, "That's fine with me," and the press release goes out without the words actually coming out of their mouth.
Some operations may be a little more ethical, where the assistant asks the official for a quote and the assistant writes it down. But the quote is still one that is sanitized and carefully crafted to express a safe point of view. You are not there in the room to challenge it or ask any kind of follow-up questions.
If you do get a press release that includes quotes, I would use them only in the rare case when you could not reach the person directly. And if you do use the quote, don't use the simple attribution: said. As in "This grant will be a boost to the economy of our fair and noble city," Mayor Joseph Jenkins said.
Instead, you need to write: "This grant will be a boost to the economy of our fair and noble city," Mayor Joseph Jenkins said in a press release. ... or said in a statement.
Let the public know that you did not talk to Joseph Jenkins personally.
The same goes for e-mails.
When you get an e-mail from a lawmaker's office, you are essentially getting a press release and you need to acknowledge that you did not gather this information yourself. Apply the same skepticism I've discussed above. You need to say it came from a press release or prepared statement.
Now, you may actually develop a reliable e-mail relationship with a source or official. Probably you established an in-person contact first, and then for efficiency sake, most of your contact is through e-mail.
You may be confident that the source wrote the e-mail themselves, but you still need to acknowledge that it came from an e-mail. Give the attribute as: "said in an e-mail" or "wrote in an e-mail."
1) You need to understand that a press release represents only the first layer of reporting, gathering information that has been handed you. To accept what has been given to you without challenging it, without questioning it, is not journalism. To simply take what comes from a press release and regurgitate it into your story is lazy and deceptive to the public. They are counting on you to establish the facts for yourself, not to just be a secretary or a relay service for the public official. You need to ask questions. You need to find areas within the press release that must be challenged. And you need to attribute the facts given as coming from the press release.
2) The quotes included in a press release are not reliable quotes. You should be skeptical about using such quotes as if they came out of the mouth of the person that the press release says they came from. Why? Because usually they don't. What often happens is that an assistant, a PR rep or someone within the official's office is asked to generate a press release. They come up with quotes to put in the press release, and then ask the official to review it. The official looks at it, says, "That's fine with me," and the press release goes out without the words actually coming out of their mouth.
Some operations may be a little more ethical, where the assistant asks the official for a quote and the assistant writes it down. But the quote is still one that is sanitized and carefully crafted to express a safe point of view. You are not there in the room to challenge it or ask any kind of follow-up questions.
If you do get a press release that includes quotes, I would use them only in the rare case when you could not reach the person directly. And if you do use the quote, don't use the simple attribution: said. As in "This grant will be a boost to the economy of our fair and noble city," Mayor Joseph Jenkins said.
Instead, you need to write: "This grant will be a boost to the economy of our fair and noble city," Mayor Joseph Jenkins said in a press release. ... or said in a statement.
Let the public know that you did not talk to Joseph Jenkins personally.
The same goes for e-mails.
When you get an e-mail from a lawmaker's office, you are essentially getting a press release and you need to acknowledge that you did not gather this information yourself. Apply the same skepticism I've discussed above. You need to say it came from a press release or prepared statement.
Now, you may actually develop a reliable e-mail relationship with a source or official. Probably you established an in-person contact first, and then for efficiency sake, most of your contact is through e-mail.
You may be confident that the source wrote the e-mail themselves, but you still need to acknowledge that it came from an e-mail. Give the attribute as: "said in an e-mail" or "wrote in an e-mail."
Notes about the beat notes
By now, I have met with most of you about your beat notes. These are a critical tool for a journalist setting out to learn a new community. When you turn in your notes at the end of the semester, your beat notes will reflect how well you have learned this community of Ithaca.
In broad strokes, Ithaca is described as a hippie town or as a college town. The phrase I’ve often heard is “Ten square miles, surrounded by reality.”
There is much truth to that, but what I’ve tried to get across in our individual sessions is that the complexity of a community can’t be expressed in a bumper sticker.
So, in developing your beat notes, I’m asking that you work beyond the stories that you might have in front of you, to look for people to talk to who will help you understand the city and community of Ithaca and what makes it tick.
Everyone in this class needs to make an effort to get off campus and meet contacts who will help them understand the city more. If you are limited by a lack of transportation, my advice is to get out and ride the TCAT around the city. Don’t take it just to get to a destination. Ride it to get an overview and understanding of what the city is about. Look around and ask yourself: “Why is that like that?”
Then, can you find the people who can answer the question?
Above all -- BE CURIOUS!
Talk to the people on the bus. Find a conversation starter and start asking questions about what Ithaca is about. You’ll find there are people out there who live large parts of their lives without even thinking about the colleges or the hippie community.
Now, for the women in the class, you should exercise some caution. Unfortunately, the world is a more dangerous place for a woman than a man. My wife, who teaches self-defense for women, has explained that to me. You need to develop your instincts for danger. But at the same time, to function as a journalist, you need to get out and meet people. So, I would recommend a book called “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin DeBecker. Actually, both men and women need to read this book. More thoughts.
The book is very helpful for journalists and writers because it teaches you about reading body language and other cues that can give you insight into what someone is about to do. Noticing and gathering those details can also enrich your writing.
But, getting back to the beat notes, I would encourage that with everyone you talk to for the rest of this semester, try to find opportunities to ask about Ithaca. What do they think of it? What are the major issues in town? Then are there other people who would know more about those issues who you should talk to? Find an opportunity to ask about this in each interview, if that is practical.
By doing this, you should come up with excellent ideas for final projects.
But ultimately, you will develop the skills needed to learn a community.
This had been my strategy when I set out to cover Burbank, Calif., for the Los Angeles Times. I filled sheets of paper with typewritten and handwritten notes as I drove around the city, making contacts. (Later, I put them all in a computer file.) But I knew I had done enough when I started getting the same names recommended to me. I still kept collecting contacts, but by then I knew the major players, and I knew who I needed to call when a story broke. I also knew who I needed to call to check in with on a regular basis.
Later, I also covered parts of the east San Fernando Valley, and the heavily Latino populations there. I used the same strategy, and I also reached a moment when I knew I had worked the beat effectively.
I received a letter at the L.A. Times that told me how accepted I had become in this community. Not that acceptance is what you drive for as a journalist. Your goal is not to make everyone like you. (That typically fails, anyway.) You want to maintain a professional, respectful relationship with your sources. However, this letter let me know what this source thought of me. But it was not what was in the letter, actually. It was what was on the envelope.
It was addressed to “Ed Bondilla.”
“Wow! I’ve made it,” I said to myself.
In broad strokes, Ithaca is described as a hippie town or as a college town. The phrase I’ve often heard is “Ten square miles, surrounded by reality.”
There is much truth to that, but what I’ve tried to get across in our individual sessions is that the complexity of a community can’t be expressed in a bumper sticker.
So, in developing your beat notes, I’m asking that you work beyond the stories that you might have in front of you, to look for people to talk to who will help you understand the city and community of Ithaca and what makes it tick.
Everyone in this class needs to make an effort to get off campus and meet contacts who will help them understand the city more. If you are limited by a lack of transportation, my advice is to get out and ride the TCAT around the city. Don’t take it just to get to a destination. Ride it to get an overview and understanding of what the city is about. Look around and ask yourself: “Why is that like that?”
Then, can you find the people who can answer the question?
Above all -- BE CURIOUS!
Talk to the people on the bus. Find a conversation starter and start asking questions about what Ithaca is about. You’ll find there are people out there who live large parts of their lives without even thinking about the colleges or the hippie community.
Now, for the women in the class, you should exercise some caution. Unfortunately, the world is a more dangerous place for a woman than a man. My wife, who teaches self-defense for women, has explained that to me. You need to develop your instincts for danger. But at the same time, to function as a journalist, you need to get out and meet people. So, I would recommend a book called “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin DeBecker. Actually, both men and women need to read this book. More thoughts.
The book is very helpful for journalists and writers because it teaches you about reading body language and other cues that can give you insight into what someone is about to do. Noticing and gathering those details can also enrich your writing.
But, getting back to the beat notes, I would encourage that with everyone you talk to for the rest of this semester, try to find opportunities to ask about Ithaca. What do they think of it? What are the major issues in town? Then are there other people who would know more about those issues who you should talk to? Find an opportunity to ask about this in each interview, if that is practical.
By doing this, you should come up with excellent ideas for final projects.
But ultimately, you will develop the skills needed to learn a community.
This had been my strategy when I set out to cover Burbank, Calif., for the Los Angeles Times. I filled sheets of paper with typewritten and handwritten notes as I drove around the city, making contacts. (Later, I put them all in a computer file.) But I knew I had done enough when I started getting the same names recommended to me. I still kept collecting contacts, but by then I knew the major players, and I knew who I needed to call when a story broke. I also knew who I needed to call to check in with on a regular basis.
Later, I also covered parts of the east San Fernando Valley, and the heavily Latino populations there. I used the same strategy, and I also reached a moment when I knew I had worked the beat effectively.
I received a letter at the L.A. Times that told me how accepted I had become in this community. Not that acceptance is what you drive for as a journalist. Your goal is not to make everyone like you. (That typically fails, anyway.) You want to maintain a professional, respectful relationship with your sources. However, this letter let me know what this source thought of me. But it was not what was in the letter, actually. It was what was on the envelope.
It was addressed to “Ed Bondilla.”
“Wow! I’ve made it,” I said to myself.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Apture
I haven't checked this out yet. But it looks interesting.
http://www.apture.com/create/?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=30DayLapse
http://www.apture.com/create/?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=30DayLapse
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Examples of Soundslides
Journalists who have used Soundslides posted their work to their Web site here:
http://forums.soundslides.com/viewforum.php?id=12Here's one from an L.A. Times photographer I used to work with:
Audio slide show: Chasing the dream
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-p2p-vegas-audioslideshow,0,3148597.htmlstoryHomeless World Cup
http://jacopodettoni.altervista.org/kyrgyzstan/
The Music of China's Nomads
http://www.eurasianet.org/music/ss1.shtml
Making magnets
http://www.magnet.fsu.edu/mediacenter/slideshows/makingmagnets2/index.html
Khmer New Year
http://www.charles-fox.net/wpg2?g2_itemId=810#
Monday, October 5, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Writing ledes
Here are links to some of the ledes/stories we discussed in class:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap;_ylt=AnZJ9cVtR1EXl4Tu_gkx438isLYF?gid=20091004017&prov=ap
http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_13485845
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/wires/story/1185412.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSPEK32492120080816
big man.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap;_ylt=AnZJ9cVtR1EXl4Tu_gkx438isLYF?gid=20091004017&prov=ap
http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_13485845
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/wires/story/1185412.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSPEK32492120080816
The City's Eight Road Warriors
Never Bring Them Back Alive;
By: JOHN M. GLIONNA
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Robert Hadnot considered the dead dog's body, examined its
thousand-yard stare and the teeth clenched in an eternal snarl.
"Looks like another homicide," he said.
With a sigh, Hadnot jumped from his truck and pointed to the telltale
tire tracks spun into the dusty shoulder of the Pacoima side street. He
gazed down at the hefty mixed-breed still wearing its tags and kicked the
dust: "Sorry big man, but somebody done you wrong."
Hadnot is a talkative man with a cow-catcher goatee, a former forest
service firefighter who now spends his days driving the streets of the
industrial east San Fernando Valley in search of things that make most
motorists wince and turn away.
He looks for road kills. He inspects them, pokes at them, sometimes
talks to them. And then, one by one, without fanfare, he carries them
away.
At 35, Hadnot is one of the city's eight dead animal collectors,
weighted with the thankless job of annually removing tens of thousands of
bloodied animal remains from city streets. Last year, he and co-collector
Curtis Fontenot disposed of 8,100 carcasses from the East Valley alone.
That averages two dozen bodies a day each, not counting their
twice-daily visits to local animal shelters. It's a cold cargo of dogs,
cats, possums, deer, coyotes, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, monkeys,
snakes, pigs, skunks. Even a gorilla.
Seven of 10 are domestic pets, luckless animals who made one last
ill-timed move onto some Tarmac thoroughfare. All are trucked to a
rendering plant in the bowels of Los Angeles where they are boiled into
ingredients for things like fertilizer and soap.
Hadnot knows his job commands little respect from the general
public--unless, of course, it's their pet he's carting away.
"This job is not important to people," he said, "so I make it important
to myself."
He sees himself as a canine coroner of sorts, an expert investigator
who questions the deaths no one else cares about. He talks in cop jargon,
refers to the animal corpses as his cases. He responds to calls about
anxious pets who have accidentally hanged themselves with their own
leashes, who have been mysteriously shot or beaten with 2-by-4s, animals
dumped at lonely locations in plastic garbage bags. Talking to himself,
he says things like: "This doesn't look right."
And then there are the road kills--not DOA (dead on arrival) but DOR
(dead on road).
Each morning, he arrives at his sanitation department garage in
Sunland and consults the daily dead animal report, which on a recent day
listed some one dozen victims, including a lamb, a goat, three dogs and a
question mark--an animal John Doe.
Two hours and a dozen stops later, his emerald green city truck begins
to reek of death. Hadnot sniffs the air: "This is nothing. Wait until
August."
Veteran road kill collectors trade war stories about the smell that
lingers in the brain, settles rudely onto the tongue, making some
trainees quit after only one day.
"If you could turn that stink into perfume, it would sell for $500 a
ounce, it's that potent," said supervisor and former dead animal
collector C. W. Perkins.
Motorists run red lights when they get a whiff of the collector
trucks. Steely-eyed motorcycle cops back off, return their ticket books
to their pockets. Said Perkins: "A pile of 2-day-old dead animals and a
skunk carcass will drive even the flies away."
At first, Perkins says, the job made him unable to eat ketchup or any
red food. Finally, it turned him into a vegetarian. "I picked up so many
road stiffs that looked like hamburger meat, that when I went to the meat
counter and looked at the real thing, I said to myself, 'Uh-uh. Never
again.' "
Veterans tell of the collector who removed so many dead animals that
he had nightmares about being chased by dogs. "Every morning," Perkins
said, "he woke up tired."
Others have encountered panicked possums who aren't quite dead,
venomous snakes with one last bite in them, cats sacrificed in ritual
killings. Then there was the dead 400-pound pig stuck in the mud and the
gorilla killed by a fall in its cage.
Worse, perhaps, are the distraught pet owners. Like the woman who
cried so violently, her angered husband finally said: "You won't even cry
that hard at my funeral!"
One weeping pet owner asked Perkins what would happen to her dog's
body. He gave no answer. "I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was
going to take her dog to the rendering plant where they would grind it
up, that she would probably be washing her face with her dog one day."
Time was, Vietnam veteran Fontenot could not comprehend the agony
suffered by grown men and women over some dead pet. But five years on the
job have taught him compassion.
"Now I find myself praying for these animals and their owners," he
said. "And when I pick up an animal, I always make a point to say 'I'm
sorry about your pet.' "
*
For his part, Hadnot shakes his head at unleashed pets allowed to run
the streets. Passing some smiley-faced dog running free, he mutters sadly
to himself, "I'll be back for you later."
But the worst part of his job are the visits to the animal shelter,
where he sometimes imagines that the ghosts of dead animals are waiting
for him along with the bodies.
On one recent visit, he tossed 40 carcasses from a holding cooler into
his truck, including the bodies of kittens he cradled in the palm of his
hand.
In one nearby cage sat a large dog ready to be put down. "He's a
biter, so nobody wants him," the attendant said, adding, "Kind of like
putting your grandmother to sleep because she yells at you. That's the
mentality."
big man.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Journalism advice
Be sure to check out this link on tips for editing because it also helps reporters:
http://www.edbond.com/editing/grafs.html
Finding your lede
Look for the smallest element of the story that sums up what the essence of the story is.
Fewer words are better.
Run it through the “Why do I care?” filter.
Tell it to me the way you’d tell your mother.
Read your work aloud.
Layers of sources
Have a diversity of sources, not just on both sides of the story, but different levels of expertise. You should have at least three sources in a story, but some stories demand more sources. For example, an event with a large crowd, a public disaster, a complex, multilayered issue.
Layers of reporting
Surface reporting – source originated reporting
Second-level reporting – spontaneous events/ reportorial enterprise
In-depth reporting/investigative – interpretive and explanation.
Opinion vs. fact
Always attribute anything in a news story that is a matter of opinion
or a challengeable fact. Examples of what needed attribution:
… this is cause for celebration for many college students …
… has always looked for the best …
… are incredibly excited …
… anxiously awaiting …
…This is not only a logistical nightmare …
… making it appealing to local businesses[SC1] …
… it is more risky than ever to open a restaurant …
Advertisements find ways to tell the reader that something is beneficial.
Challenge anything dealing with something being called the best, the worst, etc.
But I can’t challenge this lede:
As Ithaca’s annual Apple Harvest Festival approaches this Friday, the deadline for construction on the 300 block of East State Street is still unclear, leaving businesses and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance confused and frustrated.
Word choices
Hopefully One of the most commonly misused words, in spite of what the dictionary may say. Hopefully should describe the way the subject feels. For instance:
"Hopefully, I shall present the plan to the president." (This means I will be hopeful when I do it) But it is something else again when you attribute hope to a non-person.
You may write: "Hopefully, the war will end soon." You mean you hope the war will end soon, but it is not what you are writing. Write "I hope the war will end soon."
See this link on common writing errors: http://www.edbond.com/editing/errors.html
she feels that, believes, thinks
… he believes that most of the changes have been for the better. …
… it’s apparent that …
located, currently
states vs. said
attribution:
“I adopted a cat,” he said.
“We need more people to adopt cats,” said Sherry Berger, associate vice president of the Tompkins County SPCA.
Unanswered questions
… one of many … one of a few …
Friday, September 25, 2009
Since you asked ...
Monday's AP Style Test will have about 54 multiple choice questions, using mostly sentences from actual news stories.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
News II Web blogs
Here are the links to News II Web blogs, posted here to await discovery by the Googlebot and other search engines.
Ithacan Informer
http://ithacaninformer.wordpress.com/
Ithacourier
http://ithacourier.blogspot.com/
Ithaca Ink Slingers
http://ithacainkslingers.wordpress.com/
The Ithacan Inquirer
http://keenanslusher.wordpress.com/
Tompkins County Ledger
http://tompkinscountyledger.wordpress.com/
Eye See Newz
http://eyeseenewz.wordpress.com/
Ithacan Informer
http://ithacaninformer.wordpress.com/
Ithacourier
http://ithacourier.blogspot.com/
Ithaca Ink Slingers
http://ithacainkslingers.wordpress.com/
The Ithacan Inquirer
http://keenanslusher.wordpress.com/
Tompkins County Ledger
http://tompkinscountyledger.wordpress.com/
Eye See Newz
http://eyeseenewz.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Editing Flip Video in Final Cut Pro
In the 4 p.m. class, I neglected to mention one problem when importing Flip Video into Final Cut Pro.
The problem is that when you bring your clip into the timeline, it will sometimes show up as "unrendered." This means that it will not play properly in the canvas. You'll most likely hear an annoying beep, or you will only see the word "unrendered" on the screen.
You will also know that the clip is unrendered because a red line will appear across the top of the timeline where the clip is located.
There are ways to preview the clip without rendering it, but really the answer for us is that you need to render the clip. To render the clip, go to the SEQUENCE pull-down menu and look for RENDER, when you hit that, you will find different possibilities. Just look for the one that will render the selection needed, and you can render just the audio, just the audio or both.
The problem is that when you bring your clip into the timeline, it will sometimes show up as "unrendered." This means that it will not play properly in the canvas. You'll most likely hear an annoying beep, or you will only see the word "unrendered" on the screen.
You will also know that the clip is unrendered because a red line will appear across the top of the timeline where the clip is located.
There are ways to preview the clip without rendering it, but really the answer for us is that you need to render the clip. To render the clip, go to the SEQUENCE pull-down menu and look for RENDER, when you hit that, you will find different possibilities. Just look for the one that will render the selection needed, and you can render just the audio, just the audio or both.
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