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

Phase 2 Lead

Police knocked on every door in a six-block area, but discovered no new information about Angela Melissa Norton, the 4-year-old girl who has been missing for 24 hours.

First Story

Glowing, Bronzed and Dangerous

Washington State University students continue to seek a “natural” glow despite health warnings associated with artificial tanning.

“I feel like I just can’t get cancer,” said WSU student Danielle Lamre.

Students achieving tanned skin using artificial tanning beds put themselves at a high health risk in one of Pullman’s seven different tanning salons.

“Tanning targets an age group that won’t be thinking about what their skin will look like in 20 years,” said Sandy O’Keefe R.N. at St. Joseph Regional Cancer Center in Lewiston, Idaho. “It is predicted that skin cancer rates will be on the rise with this continued cultural trend.”

According to The Skin Cancer Foundation website, “First exposure to tanning beds in youth increases melanoma risk by 75 percent.” Another statistic found on the website was that 71 percent of those who use tanning beds are 16- to 29-year-old females.

O’Keefe said that the ultraviolet rays, or UVR, used in tanning beds are an additive to oncogenes, a gene that helps turns normal cells into a tumor cell. She said it is important to look at the psychology of this age group.

“College-aged kids are psychologically more prone to risk taking with their disregard of the health warnings presented to them,” said O’Keefe.

This lack of concern for risk is acknowledged in the tanning community. Ruthanna Kure, Rock Star Tan Bar manager; Marti Sherdan, Simply Tanning and Nail employee, and Trina Galli, Glo Tanning employee all said tanners are required to sign a waiver before they can use tanning beds.

Sherdan said the waiver informs clients of risks of not using the protective goggles, overexposure, allergic reaction, premature skin aging, and skin cancer.

There is no more detail besides mentioning at the end that skin cancer is a possible side effect of tanning bed use. Lamre said if she knew someone who had skin cancer it would affect her view on tanning.

“I moved from California where there was always natural sun, but sometimes here it’s not always an option,” said Lamre. “Class can get in the way of being able to lie outside. Instead I tan at Rock Star Tan Bar five days a week, all year round.

“I don’t have that close to home feeling with skin cancer,” she said. “I don’t have anyone I know who has skin cancer to really let it affect me.”

Lamre said she isn’t afraid of getting skin cancer and admitted it’s a naïve way to think, but figures if she does get it there will be a cure by that time. Not everyone is at such a high risk, however.

“It depends on the cell type of the patient,” said O’Keefe. “It also depends on a person’s genetic predisposition to cancer. But with tanning beds, there are areas of the body normally not seen by the light of day are now exposed and don’t have natural protective cells to UVR.”

Women are not the only clients’ risking their health at Pullman’s tanning salons.

“We have lots of guys that come in,” said Galli. “A lot of frat guys will come in groups, but pay only with cash. They say they pay like this because they don’t want their parents seeing tanning purchases on their credit card statements.”

Meghan McCaige, a WSU student, was not surprised that guys “fake and bake” as well.

“Tanning is a cultural thing,” she said. “It’s the new standard of beauty and guys have just as much pressure to be tan that girls do.

McCaige said she doesn’t try to tan because she is too pale and just burns, but still feels a lot of pressure to be tan.

“It’s like when you are swimming with all your friends,” she said. “There is always that point when you put your legs next to each other and compare how tan you are to the others.”

Not everyone is as informed about the effects of UVR exposure on the body, but the lack of risk acknowledgement is well known with students.

“I’m told it’s not good for you, but I didn’t know it was unhealthy,” said WSU student Jason Paul. “I use sunscreen when I’m in the sun, but don’t tan in tanning beds. People who tan probably just think they will be in the percentage that won’t get it and they keep tanning.”

This cultural trend is not going to go away simply because of a few health warnings. McCaige said pale skin needs to be elevated to the same beauty level that tan skin is held at.

“It’s like the Dove Real Beauty Campaign,” she said, “that promoted beauty in the many different shapes and sizes women come in. Pale skin needs to be seen as good and beautiful so we can step away from the pressure to be tan.”

Al Jazeera English News Broadcast

From observing Al Jazeera English and Press TV, it was very interesting to see America not in the spotlight for the news. Both covered world news activity, but from a different perspective than what American news channels show. At one point on Press TV America was criticized about its help with Israel missile projects and that it was America not helping with the Middle East’s peace issue and that it was only going to suck more of Americans money to Israel. Both news stations looked and sounded like something we would see on CNN or MSNBC stations, only from a different world view. Russia Today wasn’t available anymore to watch unfortunately, but BBC World News wasn’t accessible to views in the US, UK or Japan which I found interesting. More interesting was with the views of women being subservient in the Middle Eastern culture and one of the anchors on Press TV was female, granted she was still fully covered, but as someone who was an informant to the public it surprised me that such a culture would allow a woman in that kind of a position.

1. How effective do you think the Internet will be for Al Jazeera as it attempts to reach a U.S. audience?

The Internet could be effective depending on the amount of attention Al Jazeera is able to generate by perfecting their SEO’s and ability to be discovered by an American Audience. Unfortunately, America’s view today on the Middle East might put a stop on the success Al Jazeera is attempting to find as a news source in the U.S. People see a news source from the Middle Eastern point of view dangerous to the publics’ view on the war we are currently fighting.

2. Based on your own observations, do you think that Al Jazeera English should be allowed to broadcast in the U.S.?

In my opinion I don’t see a problem with Al Jazeera English being broadcasted in the U.S. In fact, America is so full of immigrants from all over the world that America may seem more welcoming to other cultures by broadcasting news from their countries as well. Also stereotypes might fall if we able see another countries point of view about our country.

3. What, if anything, do you notice about Al Jazeera's approach to telling the news? How is it different than the U.S.-based TV news outlets that you have experienced?

I see a news style close to what we would see from CNN or MSNBC, only stories that are covered may not be covered by U.S.-based TV. Stories about Afghan political parties working toward peace wouldn’t be broadcasted in the U.S. because it would contradict our presence of war in the Middle East.

4. While on the Al Jazeera site, be sure to check out the network's published Code of Ethics. Based on your own observations, do you think they are adhering to them?

I do believe this site is adhering to their Code of Ethics. We can look at the first code to adhere to the journalistic values of giving not priority to commercial or political considerations with some lenience. Coming from a Middle Eastern point of view, they do a decent job of covering news from around the world, but they showed no media coverage of U.S. issues that would shed the U.S. in good light.

Real Example of Summary Lead

This article from The New York Times contains a simple summary lead of who: The Supreme Court; what: ruled juveniels cannot be sentenced to life in prison when: Monday; why: there must be someone killed otherwise this punishment is considered cruel and unusual; how: a vote of 6-to-3.

Justices Limit Life Sentences for Juveniles
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: May 17, 2010

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that juveniles who commit crimes in which no one is killed may not be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Five justices, in an opinion by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, agreed that the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment forbids such sentences as a categorical matter.

“A state need not guarantee the offender eventual release,” Justice Kennedy wrote, “but if it imposes the sentence of life, it must provide him or her with some realistic opportunity to obtain release before the end of that term.”

The ruling marked the first time that the court excluded an entire class of offenders from a given form of punishment outside the context of the death penalty. “ ‘Death is different’ no longer,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in dissent.

The overall vote was 6-to-3, though that is a little misleading. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. voted with the majority in saying that the inmate who brought the appeal had received a sentence so harsh that it violated the Constitution. But the chief justice endorsed only a case-by-case approach, saying that an offender’s age could be considered in deciding whether a life sentence was so disproportionate to the crime as to violate the Eighth Amendment.

Tag Cloud - TagCrowd

available beds chevron cnn comments different drudge ecuador employees fact going graffis hard hear huffington internet issues kelsi man murrow news opinions people pm possible post public pullman regular report represented residents school session sides sources story students summer tanning texaco today town truth videos viral vs war websites year

created at TagCrowd.com

Tag Cloud - Wordle

First Story Pitches

1. Bronze, Glowing and Dangerous?
Pullman is home to at least 7 locations that offer tanning beds to its many residents. The majority of Pullman being college students are also the majority of tanning bed users, primarily for females. However, in the Summer of 2009, tanning beds were classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Why is there such an appeal to tanning beds for college aged women?
Now that summer is here, trends can be researched if there are more people still using tanning beds during days where there is natural sunlight available. Sunlight isn’t any more healthy, but with proper sunscreen protection not as harmful. Is this price of beauty too available for students? It’s not only pricey financially, but treatments for cancer are far higher. I want to know why something that can be so deadly is still so appeal even with a lot of research available.

Possible sources:
Numerous tanning salon employees
Students on campus – who use and don’t use tanning beds
The Washington State Health Department
Cancer Care Northwest

2. Summer Session
While most students head back to the west side for summer, a handle full stick around and make the choice to attend WSU’s summer session. I’d like opinions from people interviewed why they chose summer session and compare their likes/dislikes of summer session versus the regular school year.
Is there a preference to taking summer classes than working full time or spending time with family and friends during these sunny days? It is the teachers, the work load, the atmosphere?

Possible Sources
Teachers – those who teach both summer and regular school year classes
Students
University Employees
Advisers

3. Pullman will Play while the Students are Away
Many times during the end of the regular school year, Pullman residents will start jumping for joy that the students will be leaving town for three months. There is less clutter, less traffic, less people to step on toes and annoy those who are here all year round. Is there an attitude that students express that make regular Pullman residents bitter? What are a few reasons Pullman residents get so excited to have the town “back to themselves”? Is there still resentment for those students who stay around for summer session or jobs, but still have the title “student” looming over their heads? According to Pullman’s city data, in July 2008, Pullman had a population of 26,920, an increase of 9.1% since the Census 2000. This data claimed that WSU had a full time enrollment of 18,110. This is a significant number of people leaving the town.

Possible Sources
Pullman residents – ranging in age from high school to elderly
Apartment mangers
Local business employees/owners

All three stories are meant for print or Internet release. The information is dense for all three possible stories and would be difficult to accurately portray them through broadcast.

The Huffington Post vs The Drudge Report

News has become available 24/7 with the expansion of the Internet. Along with this expansion, websites leaning either right or left have set up shop, being constantly updated to get news to the public interested in the views of each different site. While very different in their tactics, The Huffington Post and The Drudge Report both adhere to getting out information, mostly political, to keep the public "informed". They rely on other posting through the Associated Press and various newspapers as their sources. One link for a story took me directly to USA Today's website. These websites also use viral videos to link to the stories, editorial pieces, and personal blogs to inform the public. Many of the links I clicked on did match the headline for the story, which made for easy navigation, but it was obvious that agenda-setting is very much a part of these websites. The Huffington Post's major headline was the dealing with the war and high costs of the Afghan war exceeding the costs of the Iraq war. There was picture that was so big, it went far below the scroll with huge headlines in bright red font. The Drudge Report also had an interest catcher piece in the very center of the page, but wasn't of the same context as The Huffington Post's. The names of the websites elude to much different tastes. When I hear, "The Huffington Post" I think of a real paper using the Internet as a media outlet, but when I hear, "The Drudge Report" I think of something I might see on Comedy Central that on right after The Soup. Their layouts are different. The Huffington Post seems more professional and organized like you would see in an online format of USA Today where The Drudge Report seems simple and poorly put together. There is so much going on, like the covers of tabloids, that you get lost in the nonsense...maybe that is the intention? These sites have a very powerful hand in influencing public opinions. It is easy to make editorials and blogs come off as facts or fan the flames of hot political issues by placing a picture of what looks like a soldier aiming at a group of people just looking at map outside their car and happen to be Arab. Photos and viral videos and stories on hot topics are enough to simply sway one reader into a fit about the media and hot issues going on today. Both sites are good at this, but use different tactics to blind their audiences that there is an agenda being set.

Finding the Truth of Chevron Texaco vs. Ecuador

The Chevron Texaco Ecuador lawsuite brings up so many interesting points for the news to capture. Who is right, who is wrong, who is violating contracts, ect., but these two videos clearly did not accurately show any answers to these questions. Instead, it was a finger pointing game done through the news to make personal assumptions seem like fact. CNN, while being the closest to a Murrow Standard newcast still managed to victimize those in Ecuador through leading questions to turn Chevron into the big bad monster who left a terrible oil foot print all over the country. Chevron's viral video did what most viral videos are designed to do...stir the pot. They generalized the people who filed the lawsuits, interviewed only people who had affiliation with Chevron and kept shining a false light on themselves that they were completely innocent. Like most issues in life, there are three sides to every story. In this case it's Chevron Texaco, those in Ecuador filing law suites, and the entire truth. These videos combined would have better portrayed Murrow's standard. There would have been two sides giving their opinions, both sides represented. Silvia, from Chevron, was represented in both videos. In CNN's she was quick to lose her cool at leading questions suggesting Chevron was already guilty, but Chevron portrayed her as mellow headed and quite pleasant and knowledgeable. This makes you wonder who this woman really is? Is she the big bad monster CNN is trying to make Chevron look like, or is she simply some victim caught in the web of lawsuits wrongfully place upon Chevron as the YouTube video suggested. I find it hard to believe Murrow would have been proud to see these videos as hard hitting report. In fact, I would bet he was tossing and turning in his grave to see and hear what people consider "reporting". Unfortunately today, with the Internet being widely accessible, I find it hard to find many reporting done from a completely biased viewpoint where all sides are represented equally. An example of how one sided issues can be represented is a local man doing a cyber campaign to persuade people to reelect a new governor. At www.beatbutch.com you can find one man's opinions about another man's actions as governor. Interesting choices to create a slam campaign by going viral. It reminds me of Chevron going viral with their video after they got wind of the investigation and reporting going on in Ecuador.

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