Michael's News Blog

Each year, in spite of integration, the white students of Turner County High School had raised money for their own unofficial prom and black students did the same to throw their own separate party, an annual ritual that divided the southern Georgia peanut-farming county each spring. Students of Turner County High School started what they hope will become a new tradition: Black and white students attended the prom together for the first time on Saturday. Both articles quote students of this school who view this prom is a huge success.

CNN:
"We been separated for a while. I sure appreciate how the school got all of us together, and we had a blast" said John Holmes, 16.

AP:
``This is history, baby, this is history,'' said Noriega McKeller, a 19-year-old senior. ``Somebody had to do it. Why couldn't it be us?''

This story is very interesting because both pieces are comprised almost entirely of quotes. Moreover, the quotes come from students of this school who are 16-19 years of age. None of these people can in any way be identified as race relation experts, but because they are firmly integrated into the story their quotes carry more weight then any experts would. Going along on this theme, both reporters for the AP and CNN decided to include the grammatical errors that the juveniles but into their quotes. In reading all the quotes from both stories it is clear that the reporters wanted to establish that those people being quoted are not credible experts but those students involved in the story. This was a great decision on both reporters’ parts because it intensified the conflict, novelty, and timeliness that are the core journalistic values in this story.

Continue reading "Students attend school's first integrated prom" »

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A preacher's wife accused of murdering her husband testified Wednesday that she doesn't remember picking up the shotgun or pointing it at her husband, but she said she did not pull the trigger. She heard a ``boom'' as the shotgun fired, she said. Mary Winkler told a Tennessee jury on Wednesday about her volatile marriage to a preacher she said berated her, forced her to watch pornography and to wear "slutty" costumes for sex.

The exact same pair of quotes was present early on in both articles.
"You know that pulling a trigger is what makes it go boom?" prosecutor Walter Freeland asked in his cross-examination. "Yes, sir," Winkler replied.

The AP ends its article with:
Last week, prosecutors played an audiotape in which Mary Winkler acknowledged shooting her husband, telling investigators her ``ugly came out.'' She told authorities that her husband criticized her constantly and that she got tired of it and just ``snapped.''

While the CNN article ends with:
Winkler's three daughters are living with her in-laws, who have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her.

While both articles are written in the inverted pyramid style, the tone of each article is different as seen by the ending of each article. The CNN article is fairly free of bias while the AP article is more condemning the accused.
Both articles are full news stories, not briefs, and both articles were filed within five hours of each other on the same day. Also, despite the differences in tone the core journalistic values are present in both stories. Timeliness, impact, and conflict are all present and emphasized in the pieces.

Continue reading "Slain preacher's wife denies pulling trigger" »

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The State Department said Monday it is seeking information from Iran about a private American citizen reported missing while on a business trip to the Islamic republic several weeks ago. Both articles choose to quote The State Departments spokesperson, Sean McCormack, early in their articles.

CNN:
"We don't see any linkage whatsoever between this case and any other ongoing cases that may have been in the news recently," McCormack said,

AP:
``It's an American private citizen who is in Iran on private business about whom we are pursuing welfare and whereabouts (information),'' McCormack told reporters. ``We have been monitoring this situation for a couple of weeks now.''

Both articles are briefs that are written in inverted pyramid style. The CNN article was filed at 1:02 pm on April 2nd and the AP article was filed six hours later. The information is relatively uniform in both articles and they both encompass the same core journalistic values; novelty, timeliness, and conflict. Also, both articles do not completely resolve the circumstances they report on because the story has not been completed.

Continue reading "American reported missing in Iran" »

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Cruise line officials are trying to figure out how two passengers managed to fall at least 50 feet from a ship's balcony into the Gulf of Mexico Sunday, where they were rescued hours later. These articles are very similar in the sense they focus on the same core journalistic values. They both focus their article on novelty, timeliness, and proximity. They are both short articles that focus on just the facts of this unusual news article. The quotes from the respective articles show how the values are integrated into the respective pieces.

CNN:
"You cannot just fall off a ship," said Princess Lines' spokeswoman Julie Benson, describing the occurrence as "extremely rare ... this hasn't happened to Princess, that I can recall."

The AP article has only one direct quote.

AP:
``They appear to be in satisfactory condition and we hope that no further medical attention will be needed,'' Julie Benson, spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said.

Both articles use the inverted pyramid style of news writing. The information in the bottom half of the article is basically background and obscure details.

Continue reading "Passengers' fall puzzles cruise line officials" »

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Authorities issued an Amber Alert for a 12-year-old Boy Scout Michael Auberry on Monday as rescuers tightened their search within the 5,900-acre swath of North Carolina wilderness where they've spent two days looking for the scout. Michael Auberry vanished in the rugged terrain surrounding the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday after lunch. The first exact quote that each article uses shows a great deal about the focus of the article.

AP's first direct quote:
“We’re hopeful he was able to find shelter. There are a number of rock crevasses, and he could have covered himself up with leaves,� said Mike Lambert, a ranger with North Carolina State Parks.

CNN's first direct quote:
"As long as he's able to stay dry, we feel he can survive for several days," said by Dave Bauer of the Blue Ridge Parkway National Park Service

While both these quotes deal with the safety of Michael Auberry, the CNN quote is much more hopeful. It provides the length of time they believe Auberry can survive. It is a more effective quote because it informs the readers about timeliness. This is one of the key journalist values and is extremely important in this case because time is crucial. Other news values that are important in both these articles are proximity and impact. The impact of a missing child is clear to anyone who has children or can understand the pain of a missing child. The proximity the missing child is to the readers is also an important news value that both articles integrate. Both articles use the exact same picture of Michael Auberry and have the image displayed prominently with the article. Also, both articles are written in the inverted pyramid style of reporting, a good choice given the content of the story.

Continue reading "Amber alert issued for lost N.C. Boy Scout" »

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More than a thousand people gathered Sunday to commemorate the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" voting rights march. Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois were among those gathered. It was commented on in both articles that had it not been for the events of "Bloody Sunday" neither of these two senators would be considered a viable presidential candidate.

AP:
Speaker after speaker said that neither Clinton nor Obama would be running for president if it wasn't for the sacrifices made on Bloody Sunday. Clinton is seeking to become the first woman elected president; Obama is trying to become the first black president.

Bloomberg:
Clinton and Obama said they owed a debt to the early leaders in the civil rights struggle. Their sacrifices mean that Obama, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white mother, has ``a chance to run for president of the United States,'' Clinton said. They also gave New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a Hispanic, the opportunity to run, ``and yes, it's is giving me that chance, too,'' she said.

Both articles communicate the same point, that ad the events of "Bloody Sunday" not occurred then the present political landscape would be different. While this point is communicated in both stories the leads of each story are different. The lead in the Bloomberg article focuses on a recap of the events of "Bloody Sunday" while the AP article's lead focuses on the present day gathering. The AP article has more timeliness, impact, and prominence; three of the news values important in good journalism. Instead of leading with dated events, like those of the Bloomberg article, the AP listed the most recent and important information in its lead. It should also be noted that the novelty of each article is the same based on the similar stance each took in regards to the current political landscape. Each article used an inverted pyramid style, despite the fact that the Bloomberg article decided to include summary of a historic event to give greater importance to a more current one. There were no quotes that were the same in either article, but there were many in both from political figures giving there point of view on the current or past importance of civil rights.

Continue reading "Obama, Clinton Commemorate `Bloody Sunday' in Selma" »

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Both articles involve the kidnapping of a child in Florida, but both articles focus much more on the accused kidnapper and police then they do with the child who was kidnapped. This is reflected in the leads of each article.
"A Florida sheriff expressed optimism Sunday that authorities would arrest the suspect in the kidnapping of a 13-year-old Florida boy by the end of the day." This was the lead of the CNN article that was published February 25th.
"Florida police think a man suspected of kidnapping a 13-year-old boy at gunpoint in an apparent ransom attempt may be trying to flee to Mexico." Was the lead of the Fox News article. The discrepancies between the two leads is great, considering that the Fox News article was published a full day after the CNN article.

CNN:
"We've just got the arrest warrant, we've got the evidence, but we want him," Wells said. "I think we do have a sporting chance to bring him back to Manatee County and have him stand trial for this crime."

Fox News:
"We have been able to positively conclude that this was an out-and-out kidnapping and that the person wanted money in exchange for Clay Moore," said Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells said Sunday morning

There is an interesting discrepancy between the two articles. The CNN article has an uplifting bias that the cops are in total control while the Fox News article is more reserved. Both articles go into great deal about the kidnapping and the ramifications it is creating. Both articles choose to use the inverted pyramid style of news writing. Both articles have a large picture of the accused kidnapper prominently placed near the headline of the article. Also, there appears to be bias, especially in the CNN article, expressing a great faith in the police. While this is by no means a negative bias, it is clear that the article is in favor of the police and there abilities to capture the kidnapper.

Continue reading "Florida Teen Kidnapping Suspect May Try to Flee to Mexico" »

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Southampton New York Police were called to a Long Island man's house and discovered that the mummified remains of a man who had been there for more than a year, sitting in front of a television set. Neighbors assumed man was in the hospital or a long-term care facility. Both articles address this unusual story in different ways. The World News gives insight as to how the body became mummified while Reuters focused much more on the unusual circumstances. These styles are shown by the quotes each reporter got from the same source, morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus.

World News:
The medical examiner's office considered his body mummified because the lack of humidity in his home preserved his features, morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus said.

Reuters:
"You could see his face. He still had hair on his head," Newsday quoted morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus as saying.

This story is so unusual that it can stand alone in both the hourglass style and the inverted pyramid style. Both articles go with the inverted pyramid style, but do to the uniqueness of this story a third style leaving the mummification angle at the end can also be used. This could be done in a brief, twist style format. Both of the news story's that reported on this decided to retain conventional methods.

Continue reading "Mummified body found in front of blaring TV" »

Posted by Michael Deeney at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This event was covered in both the AP and Reuters news services. It concerns an explosion near a U.S. military base that police believe was an attempted attack. Police searched the area near the U.S. Army's Camp Zama base southwest of Tokyo and found two pipes about 300 meters from the base. Both articles deal with the incident in very different ways. The perceptions from the AP article imply that this was a deliberate attack on the base. It focuses greatly on the base itself, strategic importance, and the history of attacks on military bases. The Reuters article does not specifically indicate that this was an attack on the base. Since the explosion occurred 300 meters from the base, it is not clear whether this was a deliberate attack or not. This shows bias between the two articles. While one article implies that this was an attack, the other merely states it was an explosion. The AP article, while containing the same basic fact as the Reuters, implies an attack that is unproven. It shows both opinion and favoritism. Both articles were filed on February 12th, so the same information was available to both writers at the time each wrote their articles. Also, both articles choose to paraphrase most of the information, instead of direct quotes. While both articles are briefs, the information is congruent throughout both of the pieces.

Continue reading "Blast Reported Near U.S. Base in Japan" »

Posted by Michael Deeney at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This story involves the Turner Broadcasting Systems and Interference Inc. to pay $2 million for an advertising campaign that caused a widespread bomb scare. In Boston, bomb squads responded to reports of the advertising devices in a subway station, on bridges and elsewhere. The AP article was posted at 11:38 a.m. CT Feb 5, 2007, while the CNN article was posted 1:56 p.m. EST, February 5, 2007, so these articles were only posted an hour apart. They both do a go job staying away from bias and both reporters recognize a good quote when they see one.

This same quote was in both reports on the event:
"Last week's events caused a major disruption in the greater Boston area on many levels -- crippling public transportation, causing serious traffic problems, negatively affecting local businesses, and perhaps most significantly, costing Boston and surrounding communities thousands of dollars," Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a written statement.

It is a good quote that summarizes the major events that transpired, provides some color, and is from a reliable source. While both articles attack the story from the same basic perspective, the CNN article deals more with the financial aspects of the story. They answer the questions of where the money will go and how it will be divided. The reporter for CNN must believe that the money is an important aspect for his story. The AP article looks more at the crime itself, including two men who were arrested for putting up the devices. This discrepancy in reporting the same story can also be seen in the pictures that accompany the stories. The AP article has a picture of Attorney General Martha Coakley and a caption involving the $2 million dollars while the CNN story has a picture of people protesting the arrest of the two men.

Continue reading "Turner, contractor to pay $2M in Boston bomb scare" »

Posted by Michael Deeney at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This story was covered by both the AP and Fox News. Both deal with the death of Barbaro while also reflecting on it's life.The AP story about Barbaro appeared at both CNN.com and MSNBC.com. Both reporters use direct quotes early in their piece to paint a clear picture of reality.

Fox News:
"His memory will live forever," Alex Waldrop, CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said in a statement to FOXNews.com. "America’s compassion and love for Barbaro speak to the incredible bond that people share with thoroughbreds and our sport."

AP:
"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision; it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time."

Both direct quotes are good and, if nothing else, provide color for their respective pieces. A human touch is given through the emotions that all involved in this story experienced. Both story's go into great detail about the life and misfortune of Barbaro. Also, both pieces show terms like "The Barbaro Fan Frenzy" (Fox) and "Devoted fans" (AP) to establish emotional content. To be a fan means you are at least a little bit devoted to something and the clichéd term "Fan Frenzy" is complete jargon that detracts from the professional aspects of the piece. Another similarity between both pieces is that they both have a large, prominently displayed, picture of Barbaro at the head of the piece. Also, while both pieces have numerous quotes, it is the AP story that contains the most. There are so many quotes in the AP story it detracts from the overall quality. Both pieces go extremely in-depth and exam this event from many different times and points of view.

Continue reading "Kentucky Derby Winner Barbaro Euthanized After Numerous Injuries" »

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This article at cnn.com deals with the 11/2 inches of snow that fell on downtown Phoenix and the surrounding area over the last few days. The snow has caused a great deal of damage and inconvenience including stopping traffic and leaving over 17,000 households without power. The article deals with the impact of the snow and how everyone was caught by surprise. In accounting the effects of the snow the article deals with several different consequences. It is accurate and to the point. In comparing the same event to msnbc.com, both articles are very similar. They both deal with the snowfall's damage to property and people. They have encompassed the same information regarding snowfall and how many people are still without power. Also, both articles are noticeably with clichés and jargon. There is a lot to report in each and both articles succinctly do this with being mucked down in confusing or unnecessary phrases.

Continue reading "Rare snowstorm surprises Arizona residents" »

Posted by Michael Deeney at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)