Tidbits from the 2008 election

I didn’t find any huge issue in the 2008 presidential election that was of great interest to me to cover this week, so I decided to gather some small notes from around the web.

CNN/YouTube debate

According to the CNN Political Ticker, the next CNN/YouTube debate will feature all eight major Republican presidential candidates. The debate, scheduled to take place Nov. 28 in St. Petersburg, Fl., will be driven by questions submitted on YouTube. CNN’s Anderson Cooper will moderate the debate.

Stephen Colbert’s presidential run gains support

Comic Stephen Colbert announced his presidential candidacy on his satirical news show “The Colbert Report” on Oct. 16. Although the candidacy is a joke, a facebook group has now sprung up with more than a million members in less than a week – all in support of the pseudo-candidacy.

The group was created by Raj Vachhani. According to a New York Times article, Mr. Vachhani was surprised that the group has become so popular.

“What amazed me the most was how Barack Obama's 1 Million Strong Group took more than 8 months to get about 380,000 members, but Colbert’s 1 Million Strong Group took less than a week to get 750,000 members,” he wrote in an e-mail message Wednesday.

Iowa Caucus is crazy early

It was make official yesterday by the Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee that the Iowa Democratic Caucus will take place on January 3. Now both the Republican and Democratic parties will hold their caucuses on the same – very early – date

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/iowa-primary/index.html?ref=politics

Thoughts on the readings

Chapter 14

I personally think that writing a city beat is one of the hardest kinds of reporting. The reporter has to navigate records, numbers and office politics - and often make a rather dull meeting into an interesting column. But through following an office closely, getting to know the players, beat reporters can ultimately make connections that others would not be able to.

Forging relationships with the people journalists write about is extremely difficult. I would think it would be very easy to hurt a relationship with a source when you are writing so many stories about them. For example, if a reporter is assigned to cover the school board, it would be hard to keep good relationships with the members while publishing any kind of critical article. I think a strong level of professionalism will help in these instances. If a reporter and source have a strictly professional relationship during both critical and non critical pieces, it is easier to ensure solid reporting.

It sounds simple, but especially in cases of beat reporting, it is important to remember that your loyalty is to the community comes first.

Online Reading
Chapters 8 and 9 -

I think it's really important for all reporters to understand the workings of the court because at some time, most will have to cover a story there. The courts can become really confusing and it is better to be versed in the legal jargon and proceedings prior to getting an assignment that deals with them. A reporter will never be able to understand everything pertaining to the courts, but a general knowledge is helpful.

A few interesting things I didn't know before, but do know now
- Most cases are resolved through plea bargaining.
- Most plea bargains are arranged outside of court between defendants and their lawyers
- It is important for a reporter to pay attention during the jury selection. The reporter will be able to contact the jurors after the announcement of a verdict.
- Civil cases begin with the filing of a complaint, which is also referred to as a petition. The chapter says that is important to remember that some lawsuits may be filed without any legal basis. This can help a reporter decide whether to report the filing of a particular case.
- Reporting numbers can get confusing - especially reporting monetary damages sought. The figures reported may ultimately be more or less than the actual damages.

Thoughts on the readings

Chapter 1: The Crime Beat

The crime story has natural drama - something that I really learned just last night.

Last night at The Ithacan I was editing a public safety story about a string of car break-ins. The writer had written the story so that it was really convoluted and had added suspense. For me, it was the first time that I had edited a public safety story, and I was confused as to where I should start cutting. Ultimately, I started to simplify, and told the story through the quotes from those who were witnesses. And still - without all of the added drama - the story is amazingly interesting. It is written in a clear and concise manner that is easy to read.

I enjoyed journalist Russel Baker's advice for dealing with criticism as a crime reporter: "It happened, didn't it?" He said that keeping it out of the paper can't make it unhappen. Journalists are constantly criticized for what we do print or what we don't print. All that we can really do is print the truth. We can print what happened and do so through the voices of those who were there.

I think it's interesting that the chapter notes the fact that we as journalists may be arrested while covering a story. It's a strange reality, but one that journalists have to be prepared for. The chapter suggests carrying credentials and wearing them prominently, knowing state laws regarding public vs. private property, have a plan of action prepared in case of a conflict with an officer and don't use verbal or physical abuse. Finally, they remind us to BE A JOURNALIST, and take notes about the circumstance of your arrest. I suppose you should follow the event as though you were writing a story on it.


Chapter 5: Covering Crime and its Victims

I think it's important to remember that there are a lot of victims when crime occurs. There are the obvious - the ones involved in the police report. But then there are less obvious victims. There are neighbors who's streets may be swarmed with reporters. There are family members who's lives may be completely disrupted. It is important to consider everyone who is being inconvenienced by a crime.

The chapters tips for interviewing in crime stories were really helpful to me. I think compassion can go a long way when interviewing victims of crime. Allowing people to take their time and reminding them that they can do so will create a much easier environment and allow the person to feel comfortable. Also, letting them narrate after asking a simple - tell me what happened - question, may be the best way to get information from a source. It allows them to take you back to the crime and candidly tell you what happened.

Chapter 7: Covering the Courts

Truthfully, I hope that I never have to cover court cases. It really sounds like tedious reporting to me, reporting that would be riddled with a lot of legal jargon which I would have to interpret. Still, I realize the importance of knowing how to cover the courts, because journalists can no designate where and when news happens.

I think that journalists who cover the court have a unique responsibility to readers. Because so many court cases are closed to the public, it is the journalists job to translate the workings and inform the public. Furthermore, because the language used in courts can be very lofty and hard to understand, journalists have to translate the workings into easier thoughts.

I think it's interesting that while reporters have the right to free press, given by the First Amendment, those on court have the right to a fair trial, given by the Sixth Amendment. The two clearly come in conflict quite often. Information journalists may report on could sway public opinion and therefore sway a case. Because of this, some cases may be closed to journalists. The chapter points out that journalists should not be afraid to stand up, approach the bench and make an objection to the closing of a proceeding. It says we should as for a recess to consult with our editors about legal representation in seeking to oppose the closure. I really would have never considered that journalists could be that vocal in a court room.

Comments on blogs

• http://thestorysofar-jt.blogspot.com/ - Separation of Church and State
• http://thestorysofar-jt.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html - The O's Have It
• http://thestorysofar-jt.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html - Road Trip with Hilliary
• http://emokenews.blogspot.com/2007/10/truest-republican-of-republican-wing-of.html - The truest Republican of the Republican wing of the Republican Party ... or something like that
• https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3167739809901828543&postID=8681346809597784093- Romney's water race adventures
• http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/ - $$$
• http://seagullatemycheetos.blogspot.com/ - NYT Campaign Map
• http://archanatalk.blogspot.com/ - Showdown Hilliary and Michelle ... just verbally
  
  

  
  

Thoughts on the readings

While it is important in any news story, I think it is even more true with crime coverage:

Accuracy is key.

In sensitive cases like this, gathering information correctly and in a timely fashion is so important. Crime stories are normally breaking news. They get posted online as soon after the event as possible. The room for error in these situations is large. Especially because information in crime cases is sometimes hard to come by and takes a lot of prodding. The room for libel is much larger.

On a side note - I don't think i ever realized just how much crime stories can hook the reader into a story. They're sensational without us having to do any work. They have drama, heroics, good vs. evil. It's great stuff.

I like the fact that the book says it is important to try to reach the friends and relatives of the victims. While in many cases the issue is sensitive, information from these individuals adds depth and accuracy to a story.

Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize

Yesterday it was announced that former vice president Al Gore won this years Nobel Peace Prize for his work against global warming.

According to the Chicago Tribune, he will share the award with a United Nations-sponsored group which is also working toward stopping climate change. This win brings up questions of Gore possibly using the award as a platform to run for president in 2008, a possibility that many say seems unlikely.

From the LA Times:

But Gore, 59, has laid no groundwork to build the vast organization needed to run for president. He has repeatedly said he has no plans to run for public office again. And longtime advisors say he should be taken at his word when he says he wants to stay focused on a crusade to persuade the world to take stronger steps against global warming.

I think the win is so interesting after Gore's narrow loss in the 2000 election. He has taken his loss and come to a point where he is 10x more popular than the man who beat him.

Yay, Al Gore.

Fox News has used the prize as an opportunity to attack Gore. Check out the video at the top of the post.

Personally, the FOX news clip really bothers me. I couldn't even watch the whole thing, because the anchors questioning was so skewed and one sided. It was clear that he had his mind made up. He thought Al Gore did not deserve the award. And he made it clear. By not allowing varying opinions to be shown on his show. Why even invite someone with another view to be on your show if you are literally going to interrupt them every time they try to talk?

Ridiculous.

Just another reason for me to not like Fox News.

Thoughts on the readings

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

I thoroughly enjoyed this reading, not so much because of what it said about political writing, but because of what it said about writing in general.

It is my firm belief that students in grammar and high school are not taught to write. Standards are not high enough, which leads to convoluted and unclear prose.

Orwell lists 4 writing sins: dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction, and meaningless words.

I think one of the reasons I enjoy journalism so much is because it isn't convoluted (for the most part.) We are taught to simplify. Good journalists are experts and taking a complicated topic and putting it into words that a reader who has no knowledge of the subject can understand.

Five characteristics of academic or scholarly prose

According to the reading, they are:
1. Academic prose emphasizes nouns rather than verbs.
2. Academic prose uses static verbs rather than action verbs.
3. Inflation and embellishment characterize academic prose.
4. and 5. Academic prose is also characterized by long and complex sentences.

As I mentioned above, I think that many of these characteristics make writing unnecessarily complex. Too often, people write with the intent of sounding smart, not making sense.

Again, this is why I like jornalism. We would never say :

A fumigation occurred.

Rather than:

The farmer fumigated his field.

Chapter 8

"Short is beautiful. Short and simple is more beautiful. Short, simple and interesting
is most beautiful."
- Don Gibb, educator

Soooooooo true.

I think it is important that the book points out that good writing begins with good reporting. I think that too many reporters don't get detail. It's the small things that make a story special. Small descriptives sprinkled throughout a story make for easier reading and a more enjoyable experience for the reader.

I also liked the section on making numbers powerful. I have found that it is best to hold numbers unless you can write it in a way that is truly astounding. Numbers in lede's rarely work. They cause the reader to get stuck unless they are written in a way which they flow well.

Three Mile Island Report

Observations:
I love the fact that in the five hours between the press conferences, Livingood talked to another reporter who could explain the terminology. He found a way to understand something that was completely foreign to him. The other reporter told him to ask a question which Livingood didn't understand, but he did it anyway. The anwer to that question ended up showing the reporters that the accident was far worse than they had thought. He made sure he had his bases covered and decided that he could get a better grasp on it later.

I think it was really interesting to see that different papers assigned drastically different numbers of reporters to the scene. The Philadelphia Inquirer had 2 dozen reporters on the story. A vast majority of papers simply relied on 1 or no reporters and AP or other major news sources for coverage.

I thought the section on sensationalism was very interesting. Because the TMI incident had so many unanswered questions, speculation was bound to occur. And with speculation comes misinformation, possibly misinformation taken as fact. It also mentioned that because so many reporters were on the scene, the need for new information was huge. Every paper and broadcast station was trying to find a unique angle on the accident, which lead to sensational reporting.

In the section about what reporters would have done differently, I think it is interesting that they say they wished they had had more technical information. I think that with clear information, especially in a situation that was as confusing as this one, covering a story is much easier.

9.11 in 2008

According to the New York Post, Hillary Clinton released a "darkly emotional" television add this week.

The add, aimed to raise support for her health care plan, show scenes of her at ground zero after 9/11 and criticizes Rudy Gulliani's handling of the situation, in regards to injured workers.

From the NY Daily News:

"She stood by Ground Zero workers who sacrificed their health after so many sacrificed their lives," the script says, with a stark photo of Clinton wearing a mask near the wreckage of the twin towers.

While the video does not say Guliani's name, it is clear that the add does not look kindly upon the former NYC mayor, who has come under critisizm by many for not doing more to help workers.

According to Anorak, President Bush was criticized during the 2004 election for using 9.11 images in his campaign.