Frontline Video Response

The information presented in this video about the new media wave pointed out why people are going to internet bloggers and other sources to receive their news because media today is driven by profit. Bloggers on the internet have no limitation besides what they personally are willing to spend. It's unfortunate that the media has gotten away from broadcasting what the public may NEED to hear over what they would WANT to hear, but the new blogging era is seeming to reverse that concept.

The parody of The Daily Show is a bittersweet story. Their story of success comes from the failure of mainstream media to do its job. The focus of money being the main driver behind mainstream media is limiting what they can and cannot broadcast given they are on such tight budgets. This is not what media was orginally intended to be like when Murrow was doing his footwork to pave the path for media today. The hold money has on this business will soon be lost to the bloggers looking to correct the wrongs mainstream media is presenting to the public.

Feature Profile

Call Me Rocket

The apartment is small, but quaint. The tour took all of two minutes to see the living room, kitchen and bedroom. Perched on the couch was a cat she called Jackson. Pictures lined the wall filled with WSU football players, Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand who captain the Time Bandit from the Deadliest Catch, and plenty of other friends having a good time with the one they call Rocket.

Rocket is what her friends fondly call her, but Katharina Cooper, 45, found a fuel to power her rocket personality that would lead her down a road she said she never imagined. She earned her GED at the age of 16 to move to Seattle to work with bands as their fan clubs’ president. Now she has found herself living in Pullman and has been completely drug and alcohol free for almost five months.

Originally from Colfax, Cooper found herself going toward a career working with bands like Poison, until the Alaskan Pipeline days brought a new adventure for her.

“Poison was one of the bigger bands I worked with,” said Cooper. “We lived in this warehouse in Los Angeles, Calif. while they were recording their first album ‘Look What the Cat Dragged In’.

“I don’t tell many people this but I let a friend talk me into moving to Alaska and working as a go-go dancer,” said Cooper. “Poison had signed with Enigma Records so they didn’t need my help anymore. So I left for Alaska.

“In my first three weeks as a dancer I made over $9,000 all in cash. When I told this to the members of Poison, they told me to stay where the money was instead of going on the road with them.”

Dancing had consequences for Cooper. She said she couldn’t take the stage without drinking, which was how it was for most of the dancers.

“We’d sneak bottles in when we had to dance and that has been my down fall,” she said. “I was drinking and doing coke while dancing. People would tip with slips of coke. I’d dance for maybe three months of the year, and then just take the rest of the time off partying and selling coke on the side to make some extra money.”

After seeing many friends die from the drugs she used to share with them, Cooper said she quit the drugs, but couldn’t stay away from the booze. She said her first experience with alcohol was when she was 14. According to www.abovetheinfluence.com, 40 percent of people who drink before the age of 15 are more likely to become alcoholics.

Cooper said she had gone to outpatient counseling multiple times when they were court mandated after receiving two DWI’s in Alaska and one in Pullman. This was the first time she said that she truly wanted to quit drinking and gets her life on track.

“I always said I’d live to be 88-years-old,” said Cooper. “The first 44 years were a roller coaster. I mean it’s amazing that I don’t have AIDs or any disease. The next 44 are going to be a new time for me to go back to school, find a life partner and settling down.

“I went from working with rock stars and being famous in my dancing days to working a grocery store and trying to rediscover my roots near my hometown.”

Tami Baump, a co-worker of Cooper’s who met when they lived in Alaska and have both relocated to the lower 48 have remained close friends through all of the struggles Cooper has encountered.

“I was skeptic when Rocket told me she was going to rehab only because she has tried to quit so many times,” said Baump. “But now that she has quit and proved herself I support her so much more.

Baump said she has been with Cooper through the thick and thin and that now she has quit, knows there will be a long road of success ahead of her.

“To know her is to love her,” said Baump. “You can’t not have fun with her. She’s a good person who would give anyone the shirt off her back.

“What could have been horribly done to a person has been done to her, but she just keeps a smile on her face and keeps on trucking.”

Media Hype Response

In the video, there are examples of digital manipulation in photos and videos. When, if ever, is it ethical to alter a photograph or video that accompanies your news reporting?

The only time I can see it as being ethical to alter photos or videos was when the video showed advertisment being added during sporting broadcast. If there is advertisment space available by making it available to more than one advertisor. It is never ok to add people to add diversity to the photo is never ok or ethical.

The video shows examples of "hype"-filled headlines and alarmist reporting. In many cases, this is due to the fact that such reporting tends to get the attention of audiences. Should the news media adjust their news reporting strategies based on reader demand and/or interest?

Yes and no. If reporters aren't catering to the interest of the public, then the news isn't newsworthy to that audience and it varies by location. However, the news shouldn't set the agenda because then the "demand" is a reflection of the agenda reporting has set.

Several publications and media outlets accept "freebies" and "junkets" from PR firms and lobbyists. Under what circumstances, does this present a conflict of interest for the journalists?

This can always present a problem and can sway the final decision of a product review. The excuse that the smaller newspapers take the freebies because they can't afford it otherwise doesn't seem good enough to prove their review wasn't swayed by not having to pay their own way.

Why do you think so many media outlets were fooled by the "Fat Squad" and other fake news stories? Do you think that the Internet news media is more or less likely to fall for such pranks?

I think reporters are always looking for that story that will capture audiences and make them say "wow" but getting fooled I feel is a result of lazy reporting. They get the scoop about this great "story" but only do surface checking of the facts. The Internet makes falling for these pranks much easier. Anyone can blog and post on the Internet creating the likely hood of people trying to pull pranks much greater.

Feature Story Pitch

Feature on Kathi Cooper, A.K.A. Rocket

Rocket is a checker at Dissmore's but isn't orginally from Pullman, WA. Her life has been full of ups and downs anywhere from being a groupie and partying with the best to being in and out of rehab more than once for her addiction to alcohol.

Story #2 - Special Lead

Stand Out, Get Hired

Have you noticed the number of people looking to land that one great summer job? Now that school is over, many college students have put away the books, hoping to replace them with a steady paycheck.

But why is finding a job so difficult in the Pullman/Moscow area?

“There is just not enough business for people to hire more employees in this small area,” said Brya Palmer, the assistant manager at Vanity.

The Pullman/Moscow area has a combined population of almost 50,000 residents as reported in July 2008 according to city-data.com. There is an abundance of people to work, but stores like Vanity and Zumiez only staff between 8-13 people. Job hunters feel the pressure and frustration in finding a way to stand out among the many.

The frustration isn’t just for those looking for jobs. Employers receive applications even when they aren’t hiring and have to narrow down the possible future applicants. They also see many mistakes made that they say could be avoided to land that better job.

“We get a two to three applications a day,” said Lacey Watland, the assistant manager at Zumiez. “It’s important to know you need to make a good first impression and find a way to stand out against all the other applicants.

“We don’t want to see people coming in wearing a hat and sweatshirt. It’s unprofessional. You got to be friendly and persistent. If an applicant keeps coming back to check on their application, it shows us they really want to be hired.”

Palmer said she finds it odd when people come in to apply with groups of friends and boyfriends or girlfriends.

“It’s just not professional,” she said.

The importance of a first impression is no secret in the world of job hunting. Meagan Ruff, 20-year-old Pullman resident, said she has been job hunting for five weeks and submitted about 50 applications

“It’s very important with the way you dress and carry yourself when making a first impression,” said Ruff. “As an employee you are a reflection of your employers.”

The resume may not be critical in the overall hiring process. Some businesses rely more on interviewing and getting to know the person beyond the application.

“We never consider the amount of education a person has when they apply,” said Sara Cody, the assistant manager at Buckle. “A first impression is always important, but is not the end all be all. We look for people willing to work and keep up with our work pace.”

Cody said they are always working around employees school schedules since about 90 percent of their staff are students and they look for people with a competitive drive who are willing to come and do the work. This drive varies person to person.

“Some are really into working, some aren’t,” Palmer said. “It’s frustrating to hire people who don’t want to take it seriously or always cancel their shift and come in hungover.”

An outgoing approach to customer service is an advantage to get one step ahead of the competition. Palmer, Cody and Watland all said they feel that in the end personality will win over experience.

“You got to be friendly,” said Watland. “We can always teach someone how to sell and give them good experience, but in order to fully succeed in sales you need an outgoing personality.”

The only disadvantage Palmer, Cody and Watland could see in hiring students is they are limited in their schedule since classes are set for each semester.

“Students don’t have flexible time frames during school,” said Cody. “That makes scheduling tough, but college students have also shown to be aggressive, hard working, well educated and have a lot of common sense when interacting with customers.”

The retail motto that the customer is always right reflects on the customer service provided. Cody, Palmer and Watland all said they work around school schedules with their employees, but need to be met in the middle.

“Be serious,” said Palmer. “It’s really frustrating to have college students not taking this job seriously and that’s when we get turned off to hiring them.”

Second Story Ideas

Story 1: The frustration of finding a job in Pullman/Moscow

With summer, many students want to find a job, but the job market is scarce. I want to find out what employers are looking for in an employee and what makes students either a desirable or undesirable employee pool to choose from. I also want to know what can students do to make them employable.
Possible sources are: students with jobs and without. Jobs that are hiring in both Moscow and Pullman.

Story 2: Is graduating without debt unavoidable now?

More and more students are taking out loans. I want to know if the goal of graduating without debt been crushed by budget cuts and economic downturn.
Possible sources: students with current loans, students working to avoid loans, financial aid counselors.

Special Lead Findings

This example I found to be a combination of a narrative and contrast lead. Narrative because there is a painting of the picture of these two men, but a contrast between where they are now compared to what appears to be an argument that surfaced back in the 1960s.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/us/politics/26bai.html?hp

This example I found is a staccato lead. While the punches aren't extremely strong and abrupt, the fragments cause the reader to pause and paint a picture with each seperate description.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011952781_cottonwood26m.html