January 2011 Archives

by Bailey Haack
The news lead is a very important part of a story. It lets readers know what the story is about, and draws them in so they'll want to read more.
The Star Tribune story about the Harvard Market closing begins with this lead:

Harvard Market has never been known for deals.

Except the day it closed.

This lead has some impact, and could be an anecdotal lead, or perhaps a startling statement, if you hadn't heard about the closing previously.
The lead doesn't tell details of who, where, when, or why. It simply tells what: The Harvard Market has closed.
This lead does not take a hard-news approach, but the story is not hard-hitting journalism. The reporter used an attention catching statement to get people to notice the story. The reporter eliminated unnecessary detail, and focused on the main news value: Harvard Market has closed.

by Bailey Haack
Holocaust survivor Henry Oertelt of Little Canada died Thursday at age 90, after spreading his message of tolerance for decades.
Oertelt, a longtime Minnesota resident, was 12 when Hitler came to power, and was 22 when the Nazis came to his house and told him to pack his suitcase.
For a long time, Oertelt did not speak of the ordeals he experienced in the concentration camps. The Star Tribune reported that eventually, a teacher convinced him to speak out about what had happened.
He began lecturing at schools, colleges, and various community events, his main focus being on hate. According to the St. Cloud Times, Oertelt often ended his speeches with the phrase, "If you absolutely have to hate, then hate hate."
Oertelt wrote a book, called "An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust," and he also created podcasts of himself narrating the book.
A friend who worked closely with him, Barry Schreiber, told the St. Cloud Times that "He'd like millions to benefit from learning his story on the Web."
Oertelt died Thursday, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. He was remembered at a funeral Sunday, at Beth Jacob Synagogue in Mendota Heights.

by Bailey Haack
Desiree (Dez) Shelton and Sarah Lindstrom, an openly gay couple from Champlin Park High School, filed a lawsuit on Friday for not being allowed to walk as a couple in a coronation ceremony during a school assembly.
The two girls were voted onto the school's royalty court and wanted to enter the assembly as a couple, but the school administration decided that all the Sno Days royalty would either be escorted by an adult or would enter the ceremony alone.
A decision was made on Saturday, according to the Pioneer Press, that "each member of Royalty Court will select a meaningful person in their life to escort him or her in the coronation procession."
The Star Tribune reported that the lawsuit was dismissed "amicably" and quoted the court statement, saying that "all parties are pleased to announce that we have worked together, collaboratively, to arrive at an arrangement for introductions of elected royalty that is respectful and inclusive of all students."
The couple will be allowed to walk together during the coronation ceremony on Monday.

by Bailey Haack
If all goes as planned, the grocery store will be replaced with a CVS Pharmacy and a new student housing development.
Harvard Market was a staple for the Stadium Village area, as the only grocery store in the vicinity. A university student told the Minnesota Daily that, "I wouldn't buy a week's worth of groceries here just because it is expensive. But once it is gone I'll probably be like, 'OK, where am I going to go now?'"
Many students and locals living in the area agree.While most customers shopped at Harvard Market only occasionally, university student Kelli Dietz told the Star Tribune, "I'll miss the convenience. The store can be pricey, but when I need a certain thing or am craving something, I'll come here."
The owner of Harvard Market since 1996, Brad Mateer told the Star Tribune that it brought him some heartache, but that selling seemed like "the right decision for the community itself."
Construction on the new facilities will begin in February, and plan to be finished by August of 2012.

by Bailey Haack
A bill that would allow same-sex couples to obtain civil marriage rights while still protecting churches' religious freedom was introduced last week in the Maryland state senate, and now in the house of delegates.
According to a Metro Weekly report, the bill protects the rights of religious establishments by allowing them to govern issues of equality however they prefer.
The bill is expected to meet some resistance from groups including the Maryland Catholic Conference, the National Organization for Marriage, and Protect Marriage Maryland, but has many groups backing it, Advocate reports.
A director of Freedom to Marry, Sean Eldridge, told Advocate that "same-sex couples are now free to marry in five states... and in each of these places, the sky has not fallen, and families have been helped, with no one hurt."
Advocate reports that the bill was introduced in the senate last week, and needs 24 senators' votes to pass. There is expected to be a vote in the full senate sometime in February.

By Bailey Haack
35 people were killed and many more injured in a suicide bombing last Monday at Russia's Domodedovo airport.
The explosion took place in the international arrivals section of the airport, according to CNN reporter Ivan Watson.
Yelena Galanova, a spokeswoman for the airport told the New York Times that the international arrivals area is not enforced by security, and is open to the general public.
Passengers from Italy, Germany, and Tajikistan were arriving from customs at the time of the blast, which authorities determined to be 4:32 p.m. local time, according to the New York Times.
There have been multiple other attacks in the Moscow area recently, including bombers attacking several trains and airplanes. According to a CNN report, over the past decade, the death toll for these attacks has reached over 100 victims.
Several of these attacks have been linked to the Chechen rebel group. There is no word yet on who was behind Monday's explosion.

Hello there. My name is Bailey Haack and I'm writing this blog for my JOUR 3101 class.