kimmymoss

Straight-news lead: A woman died Sunday after being hit by a tire from a crashing dragster at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022104359.html

Anecdotal lead: Before this past week, Bode Miller‘s reputation and legacy seemed to be all wrapped up in what was missing. Fairly or not, the wide-angle view of Miller was dominated by one 13-day span in 2006, a span in which Miller’s talent dictated that he could win as many as five Olympic medals but his attitude yielded zero.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022104137.html 

Blind lead: A federal judge on Monday morning approved a $150 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of America on narrow legal grounds, but derided the regulator’s decision to settle with the bank over allegations it lied to investors as “half-baked justice.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022202062.html?hpid=topnews

Bad lead: Government data show that the federal Energy Star program, whose familiar logo adorns products from light bulbs to furnaces, can work a bit like Garrison Keillor’s fictional Lake Wobegon, Minn.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022103688.html?hpid=topnews 

In my opinion, this was a bad lead because I did not understand the writer’s reference to Lake Wobegon, Minn.  Of course, in the second paragraph, the writer clarifies the lead by stating that “In Lake Wobegon, every child is above average.  Under the Energy Star program, the same can be said of appliances.”

Considering the second paragraph, the lead obviously makes sense.  However for me personally, the inability to understand the lead’s reference to a fictional place that I am not familiar with made me want to stop reading immediately.

This mini story corresponds to the information from “PROTEST.”

A group of citizens are enraged that Laura Cliff’s University biology class is being taught evolution.

“We believe that the teaching of evolution is against the principles of this Christian country, and we want to put a stop to it,” said Wilbur Straking, pastor of the Ever-Faithful Church of the Living Water.  Straking plans to lead a group of 25 dedicated Christians to the state capital next Monday to speak with legistlators about the problem.

I came across an article in the Washington Post about U.S. Olympic skier Bode Miller that I really enjoyed.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022104137.html?hpid=artslot 

What I liked so much about this article was that I thought the writer did an excellent job of showcasing the turnaround of Miller’s attitude, and the positive results that have come as a result.

I think it’s easy for sports writers in particular to get caught up in the history of athletes and if they have one bad incident at any point in their career, they are continually punished for it.  But with this article, I thought the writer did an excellent job of illuminating Miller’s great turnaround. 

In doing so, it is clear that the media has a huge influence on how they shape the public’s perception of any given celebrity or athlete.

Quotation 2

Marilyn Wall, president of the Walls Tire Co., expressed satisfaction with the company her year.  Orders are up 20 percent over last year, many employees that were layed off have been recalled, and about 20 new jobs have been added to their work force.

Quotation 3

Marsha Moss, director of the local symphony orchestra said that the response of the audience to last night’s concert was particularly gratifying.  She was very happy to feel so appreciated for the hours of work the orchestra had put into the concert.

Quotation 5

Anita Keller, president of the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said that for months MADD has tried to point out to state legistlators that the laws of drunk driving in this state are too lenient.   She expressed frustration that their message has not gotten through yet and alleged it was influence from the alcohol industry.

Quotation 6 

Laura Stewart, president of Stewart Advertising Agency, said that the business climate in this city is very healthy.  Her agency has increased its gross revenues over 20 percent from last year, for the third time.  Business looks good for the local economy, even though as much as 25 percent of it is from out-of-town clients.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Seattle Miles.

This picture captures the image of a nearly frozen seashore.  The sky is dark and cloudy, and the shore appears to be very misty.  There is a strong contrast between light and dark as the abnormally shaped rocks pop out against the frosted sea in a way that unavoidably draws your eyes to them.

There are many footprints on this shoreline.  They are accentuated by the fact that the sand has a light dusting of snow right up to the edge of where the tide runs out.

The water is perfectly still in a way that is both eery and peaceful at the same time.  Even though though the many footprints on the shoreline suggest that many people have looked out upon the water this morning, the entire ocean remains untouched, barren, and cold.

I came across this article today and found it to be pretty interesting: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/12/AR2010021205518.html.

I say interesting because I wonder why something so seemingly unsubstantial such as a remake of a popular song can make a story in the Post.

Honestly, I understand the argument made by the author that the song was rather oversung, but seriously?  At the end of the day, are readers REALLY that interested in how the 25th anniversary version of “We Are the World” has changed from its original?

Sometimes I think the media gets a little in over its head when it goes after stories like this.  Sure, it’s great to spark debate.  When it comes to reporting on the Opening Ceremonies of the winter Olympics in Vancouver this year, though, is criticizing “We Are the World” really the most interesting thing the media can come up with to report on?

I think not.

1. The United States comprises 50 states.

2. A.D. 33

3. Czar

4. QE2

5.  court-martials is incorrect

6. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

7.  In first reference, the term should be written Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.  On all references after, NROTC may be used.

8. liberal

9.  pour

10. Atlanta, Ga.

For our snowpocalypse assignment, I decided it would be most convenient to visit washingtonpost.com to find a worthy article.  And wow, all I can say is the Post is definitely having a riot over there!  Amidst headlines such as “Here we go. Again.” and “S’now joke: Another major storm coming,” I came across what I found to be a uniquely personal touch on the local blizzard conditions.  The article, titled “Pizzamaker braves snow to deliver on Super Bowl Sunday,”  written by Staff Writer Christian Davenport, appeared online today.  Basically it talks about how Todd Wiss, owner of Radius Pizza in Mount Pleasant, went out on his own in dangerous road conditions to deliver pizzas on Super Bowl Sunday when his delivery drivers’ cars were stuck in the snow.  Why?  As Wiss put it, “It’s not what I went to culinary school for, but the bank doesn’t care that it snowed.”  The article can be found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020702972.html.

Davenport presented this storm news in a way that was interesting because he chose to highlight a presumably average citizen display something heroic.  In this case, it was sharing the story of a basic pizza restaurant owner exemplifying great commitment to his business in a time of adversity.  The news values of this piece included the bizarre or unusual and currency.  It pertained to the bizzare or unusual because not very often — correction, EVER — do we hear about pizza OWNERS taking on the delivery role of their lower end employees.  In terms of currency, considering the blizzard that hit the Northern Virginia area is still greatly affecting its inhabitants, the topic of this article is certainly current enough to write about.  Overall, I would definitely say that it succeeded in making me interested in a familar story.

Last week I came across an interesting column by Sally Jenkins:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020102067.html.  

This article talked about a controversial pro-life ad played during the Super Bowl featuring University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.  Essentially, the ad unsurprisingly drew some controversy from pro-choice organizations, considering Tebow is a relatively well-know face, and therefore could potentially have impacted the way millions of people view abortion.

But I didn’t post about this article just to say that I disagree with those who felt the ad should not have been run.

I share it because I think it highlights a future NFL player that will be highly successful with his professional career because he is such an incredibly genuine guy.  And I really enjoyed how Jenkins, a column writer, was able to address a touchy subject and still strongly support her argument.

I really enjoy reading editorials because I think they encourage the reader to take some sort of stand on the issue being addressed… to CARE about what’s going on in the world!  Of course, news articles that just serve to inform us are necessary.  But at the end of the day, I enjoy reading about something that’s going to make me want to talk about what I just read with someone else and have some sort of interesting discussion. 

For me, Sally Jenkins’ column did just that.

4.2 News Values I

“Jury Recommends Death for 69-Year-Old Grandmother”

1.  The most prominent news values present in this story is the bizarre/unusual and conflict, given the story talks about a trial.

2.   WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY AND HOW…

WHO: Faye Copeland, 69-year-old grandmother

WHAT: Copeland has been recommended by a jury to be sentenced to death for the murder.

WHEN: The recommendation was made Tuesday night. No date is given for when the crime occured, but the bodies of those Copeland allegedly killed occured last year.

WHERE: The trial was held in the Lingston County Circuit Court in Chillicothe, Mo.

WHY: Copeland was sentenced to death for the murders of four transient farm workers whose bodies were found buried in northwestern Missouri last year.

HOW: She was sentenced by a jury of 12 people in the Lingston County Circuit Court.

3. Records are the most used type of sources of information used in this story.

4. The only directly quoted and attributed source in this article is Copeland’s attorney, public defender David Miller.  His quotes are mostly paraphrased, so it is not clear if the writer personally interviewed this source or not.  However, it is possible that the writer picked up this information at some sort of press conference or news release record, considering that the issue at stake relates to a trial.  As a result, it seems most likely that anyone who wrote a story on this issue may have had access to a press conference.  Not to mention, it is a bit unlikely that the writer may have had direct access to speaking with any any of the jury members or attorneys from the trial.

5. In terms of accuracy, this article does not appear to contain inaccurate information, but given there is only one directly attributed source, it’s certainly possible that some information was either a) presented from a biased perspective or b) left out… which inadvertently would also suggest a slanted angle.  If I were the editor, I would question the point about where Miller “argued that Faye Copeland was dominated by her 74-year-old husband” because it is not directly quoted by Miller and the writer could be jumping to conclusions.  I would want the writer to double-check the accuracy of all the allegations made by Miller.  I’d also ask the writer to try and get more information about the judge’s involvement in the whole matter.