A View on the News

The recent talk has been all about the snow. The weekend has been pretty horrible weather with not only the powdery white stuff but sleet and ice as well. However, according to forecasters, the worst is yet to come. We should be expecting up to 18 inches of snow and we are discouraged to travel.

The first article is from the Pioneer Press, and is titled "Storm's not over, officials caution." It contains many news values we have discussed in class. Clearly, it is timely, since it is going on right now. It has a huge impact on the readers, being from MN. The lead is catchy and shows the impact:

**Stay home. Have a lazy Sunday. Work on those taxes, if you must, or catch the Oscars tonight on TV.**

It also has an impact because it mentions the possibilty of declaring a snow emergency tonight. That directly affects Minnesota residents. The article also discusses deaths over the last couple days, due to the weather - a direct impact and also the closing of runways at the airport, which impacted and may continue to impact travelers. The event clearly has proximity because of the geographic closeness. The article shows some conflict, with the strife/drama from the deaths Saturday:

**In the metro area, two people died after a van left Interstate 94 about two miles from the Minnesota state line in St. Croix County about 6 a.m. Saturday, the Wisconsin State Patrol said. One passenger was ejected from the westbound van and pronounced dead at the scene, while another person died later at a hospital, the state patrol said. Their identities were withheld.**

This event is not necessarily unusual for Minnesota; it is February and it normally snows a lot in February. However, it is not a part of everyday life. It is not everyday that we get this much snow and it is not everyday that we may get a snow emergency. It is obiviously current, as well, and is worthy of discussion because of the necessity and helpfulness of the article. Because officials are discouraging travel, it is necessary to let people know about the conditions, what has happened on the roads (accidents, deaths, injuries, etc.) and what is to come. This article does a good job of making that a main theme in the story, hence the headline:

**Storm's not over, officials caution
Forecasters expect up to 18 inches of snow, discourage travel."**

This article can be found here: http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16781676.htm

The second article I found is from the Winona Daily News and is titled, "Weather Service warns, 'the worst is yet to come.'" This is a much shorter of an article compared to the first one and concentrates more on the snow itself; how much has fallen and how much is expected. Therefore, the article doesn't show as many news values as the other one. It shows that the event is timely, has somewhat of an impact and proximity - all for the same reasons as the first article. Most of the necessity and currency of the article's events is implied; it doesn't directly say that the events are necessary for the readers to know about, but it is assumed because of the facts the article offers:

**The State Patrol reported close to 200 accidents statewide as of 2 p.m. Saturday, including close to 120 in the Twin Cities metro area, though few involved serious injuries and there were no immediate reports of fatalities.**

(Note: "not immediate reports of fatalities" indicates that this article was written before the first article was..or it didn't receive information from the same source.) This event is unusual and helpful, in terms of knowing what is going on so the reader can decide for himself or herself whether to venture outdoors at all.

This article can be found here: http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2007/02/25/mn/01mnnews0225.txt

I think the first article, from the Pioneer Press, is way more interesting to read and tells us exactly WHY we should care about this. The second article doesn't seem to do that as much - it tells the facts but not much more. With an event like this, I feel it is a reporter's responsibility to show the readers and the citizens of the given city why this is important, as well as give the facts. Minnesotans are fairly used to snowstorms; however if someone just moved here and this is their first winter here, for example, they wouldn't know what is a bad snowstorm and what isn't too bad. The first article clearly has more news values - it relates to the reader, tells them what they want to hear about and it is extremely helpful.

Posted by Allison Hall at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Chimpanzees in the West African savanna are being observed making spears from sticks to hunt small animals. This is reportedly the first time scientists have seen such a thing: animals other than humans making deadly weapons.

The first article, from the Chicago Tribune, has some key news values. It definitely is timely, seeing as this was just reported. It may turn out to be an ongoing study that the public will be updated on. It definitely has an international impact, currency and necessity, although it is implied. The article doesn't really explain why it is important. The article does show that this event is unusual..for it's the first of it's kind and it was not necessarily expected.

This article can be found here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-spears23feb23,1,4250895.story?coll=chi-news-hed

The second article I looked at is from indystar.com. This article explains more of why the event is important. Like the other article shows, the event is timely and has an impact:

**So some experts said it was unclear whether it was a bit of luck or an indication that chimps have a more advanced ability to hunt than was thought.**

The article also snows that this article is unusual because it hasn't been seen to this extend up until now:

**"It's not uncommon to have chimps use tools. But to use them in the context of hunting" is nearly unheard of, said Jill Pruetz, an anthropology professor from Iowa State University who led the research team.**

The subject does have currency and necessity, arguably, because of the impact on science it may have. However, this is all implied.

This article can be found here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070224/LOCAL17/702240468/1012

I felt that both of these articles just reported the facts, which is important and relevent. However, I think it would be more interesting if the reporters had gotten the scientists' opinions on what this means for anthropology, evolution theories and science in general. It was definitely an interesting story but I feel that the readers need to know why this is important. I took an anthropolgy course, so I can grasp the possible implications of this huge find. However, for those who don't know much about human evolution, it may be difficult to understand how huge it is.

Posted by Allison Hall at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ellen DeGeneres is booked to host the 2007 Oscards, airing live on Sunday night. She apparently has "had her eye on" hosting the Oscars for sometime now, especially after hosting the Emmys and the Grammys already. Producers of the show as well as academy members are very confident in DeGeneres and believe that she will be a great host, bringing a good atmosphere to the awards show. The talk show host has been taping two episodes of her show a day in order to prepare for the big night and have the week of the Oscars off.

The article I looked at, from the Cincinnati Post, has many news values. Obviously, the event is timely because the Oscars air Sunday night (tonight). The event may has an impact nationally, since the Oscars bring in so many viewers:

**All that's left are a few final touches and hosting a live, global telecast that in the United States alone generally attracts an audience of at least 40 million.

The event of DeGeneres hosting has prominence because she is a talk show host/comedian that is nationally, if not internationally known. Her name will make news. Although there isn't external conflict shown in the article, it does show some internal conflict for DeGeneres with her nerves of hosting, etc. The Oscars aren't exactly unusual because they take place every year, but it is DeGeneres' first time hosting, therefore it is a "first of their kind," which makes the event a novelty. The article is clearly current and worthy of discussion and it's entertaining. The audience gets to see another view of the awards ceramony, the host's preparation. Usually we hear all about the nominees and the celebrities that will be there.

This article can be found here: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/LIFE/702230342/1005

The second article is from ABC News. Naturally, it has a lot of the same news values since it discusses the same event. It is timely, national impact, prominence, internal conflict for DeGeneres, some novelty, currency and it is entertaining. The one thing different about this article is the mention of Katrina and DeGeneres' involvement in the disaster:

**"I'm determined like you are," DeGeneres told Roberts. "It's Mississippi and New Orleans. & They need our help. They just need, if nothing else, to know that we don't -- we're not forgetting. So it's always, always in my heart to mention them."

It's DeGeneres' goal, she says, to bring joy. Through her show, to the victims of Katrina, and, hopefully, on Sunday night at the Oscars.

"I want to walk out and make everybody feel real good that night." **

The first article didn't say anything about this subject, which makes the article have more of a national impact than ever. I found it interesting that this information came at the end of the article. It isn't the main theme in the article; however its importance was lower than what DeGeneres would be wearing to the awards show.

This article can be found here: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=entertainment&id=5065301

Personally, I prefer the first article. I feel that it really concentrates on the theme of the article, while the second article jumps around a lot. I feel that is really conentrates on DeGeneres' preparation for the awards show, which is interesting for readers; we get a "behind the scenes" look, in a way. I also like the quotes that are used toward the end from the producers of the Oscars and members of the academy. It gives me a better idea of what to expect from the show and gives me confidence in DeGeneres to do a good job.

Posted by Allison Hall at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The article I read was from the Isanti County News website and is called, "Love won't wait." The article reports on a Minnesota Army National Guard member and his fiance home in Minnesota who wed via the Web on Valentine's Day. Keith Swanson, stationed in Iraq, was not able to get back for their July 2007 wedding due to "an extention of wartime service," but him and his fiance, Amanda Watson decided to have the wedding anyway and earlier with an interactive teleconference.

Although this article is on a specific event that took place and may not seem to have a direct relationship with the readers, there are many news values within it. Obviously, the article is timely, seeing as the wedding was on February 14. The story does have an impact on not only Minnesotans but the whole country, as well. The article definitely shows the frustration of the war and the impact that "extension of wartime service" has on those who are serving in the war and those who are close with soldiers:

**“I bought my dress yesterday (Sunday) and I’m on my way to the hair dressers right now,� she said in between classes on Feb. 12. “I think the hardest part is how sick I will be after the ceremony, knowing I won’t be seeing Keith for another long time.�**

The reporter added another tidbit on the couple's relationship while Swanson is in Iraq, which made it hit home:

**She said they mainly talk through e-mails, and once in a blue moon, Keith has time to give her a phone call. Swanson currently works as either a convoy driver or gunner. Recently, his HUMVEE suffered a hit after contacting an IED, but he escaped with a minor injury.**

Everyone in the country is affected in some way, whether it is directly or not, by the war. This article is an example of that. The geographic and emotional closeness is what attracts readers to this story, therefore proximity comes into play. This situation became an "internal conflict" for those involved, therefore the article does have some conflict value. This is a very unusual event, obviously. People don't get married over the internet very often. That makes it a human interest story.

One thing to take into consideration was the audience. Watson is a Cambridge-Isanti grad. Therefore, the article went into more detail about the wedding than other articles might because one of the individuals is a part of that community.

This article can be found here: http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=266&Itemid=1

The second article I looked at is from WCCO.com and is titled, "Soldier Marries Minnesota Woman Via The Web." This article is more of a news story than the other (which seemed to be more of a human interest story). This story is timely, is unusual and has proximity value, seeing as these individuals are from Minnesota - all for the same reasons as the other article. I feel the impact isn't shown as strongly as it is in the other article; however whenever there is a story where soldiers are involved, I feel the reader feels some sort of impact, especially when the individual is from the same area or same state. The lead has some emotional impact:

**National Guard Spec. Keith Swanson and Amanda Watson had planned a July wedding with 500 guests.
Instead, they had a long-distance wedding on Valentine's Day. He blew her a kiss and she puckered up to his image on a 72-inch screen.**

This article can be found here: http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_046072828.html

I feel that these two articles are drastically different from one another. Like I mentioned before, the first one is more of a human interest story and the second is a strict news story, inverted pyramid style. The first one was more interesting to read because of all the details; the reader gets a better idea of what the ceramony would be like and how they managed to make it work. Simply, it answers more questions while the second article from WCCO is very plain and not colorful. The event itself hits home because of the war in general and really is something that the entire country would find interesting.

Posted by Allison Hall at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The first article I looked at was from CNN.com and titled, "Needle-free FluMist protects kids better." It is about FluMist, a nasal spray vaccine that is supposedly, "better at preventing influenza than traditional flu shots in older babies and children, according to a study sponsored by its maker, MedImmune." The article reveals that flu shots don't provide as much protection to children under 5 than to adults. FluMist was tested on 8,400 preschoolers and the study found that those who were given the spray had a much lower rate of getting the flu than those who were given the injection.

This news event is most definitely valuable to the public, containing many elements that we discussed in class. It is timely, seeing as Medlmmune has just released this information. The "event" or "information" is ongoing and upcoming because the U.S. FDA hasn't approved it yet, however the article does say:

**A decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected by the end of May.**

The study that was done will have a definite impact on those who read the article - internationally- because it is health-related, which affects all of us. It affects our decision making when it comes to ourselves as well as for parents when they are trying to keep their kids healthy. In a certain aspect, this information comes as unexpected, because the flu shot is normally given if people want to be protected from developing the flu. The article says:

**"The big difference is the induction of antibodies in the nose, which is important because this is where the flu virus usually enters the body. The nasal spray flu vaccine appears to induce a more complete immune response," Belshe said.**

This kind of information may be something that not everyone knows, which makes it very newsworthy and important. Currency is a value that also comes into play, for it may be an "emerging trend." Like I mentioned before, this concerns humans' health, which is necessary and helpful information.

This article can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/02/15/flumist.reut/

The second article I found on the subject is from businessweek.com and is titled, "Medimmune shares jump on study data." Although this article is basically about the same "newsevent" it takes a different perspective because of the magazine's audience, which is a variable value. So, in that case, some of the values are considered in a different way. Timeliness applies to this article in the same way as the first one- it's recent information that has been revealed. It's ongoing and upcoming as well. From this article's perspective, the impact is different. Not only may it affect people on an individual level as far as health goes, but it is obviously affecting the stock market:

**Medimmune stock gained $2.17, or 6.9 percent, to reach $33.42 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Shares have traded between $24.87 and $37.45 over the last 52 weeks.**

This piece of information was not in the other article from CNN.com because its target audience is different; it's broad, while business week's is very specific. The lead shows this right off the bat:

**Shares of biotechnology company Medimmune Inc. jumped Thursday on news of a published study showing its FluMist nasal spray was more effective in children than the flu vaccine injection.**

The currency value is definitely important because it will become worthy of dicussion amoung those who are investing:

**"The data from this study were previously shown by MedImmune, but exposure in such a high-profile journal is sure to get the attention of many pediatricians who may otherwise have been slow to pick up on the advantage of FluMist over the traditional flu shot," he wrote in a note to investors.**

The fact that Jason Zhang, a Prudential Equity Group analyst, said this in a "note to investors" signifies that this may be something big that investors may want to consider. This article may be a form of entertainment for its readers, since the market audience is so specific.

This article can be found here: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8NAC9600.htm

In my opinion, both articles did a great job of explaining the situation and information to it's specified audience. I, personally, found the first article more intriguing; but that was only because I don't know anything about and don't really have any interest in stocks. The CNN article was for anyone and could be easily understood by almost anyone, while the second wasn't as easy to follow because of the diction. It was interesting to see the differences in reporting and the different angles the reporters took in writing the two stories and needing to market toward their audience.

Posted by Allison Hall at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The article on this topic that I chose is from CNN.com and titled, "Police: Students posted fake snow-day notice on school's Web site." On Monday, two girls who attend Edgewood High School in Trenton, Ohio went onto the school's website and posted an announcement that there would be a snow-day and school was cancelled. This apparently persuaded some parents and students; there were many students who stayed home.

This news story shows that the event has value to the readers on many levels. This article is certainly timely - it took place just yesterday, therefore it is news worthy and people want to hear about it. It's breaking news. The article reassures the readers that the event definitely had an impact on it's community. There were individuals who were persuaded by the posting and students ended up staying home from school that day... that's a definite impact:

**The notice, posted Monday, confused many parents -- snow was not in the forecast -- and persuaded some students to stay home.** (a quote from the article)

As far as novelty goes, this event wasn't a part of everyday life - it was somewhat unexpected. It is a human interest story. The value of currency is prominent because the subject becomes worthy of discussion. The article discusses how the girls got into the online system in the first place:

**The company that runs the Web site, RCH Networks Inc., said the system was not hacked into because no security breach was detected. Administrators say the girls must have somehow gotten the password.**

Perhaps we need to be careful of people's access to Web sites and the use of passwords. To a certain extent, this article is kind of amusing. The fact that those girls were able to do what they did and actually make people believe what they said was somewhat entertaining.

This article can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/02/11/fake.snow.day.ap/

The second article I looked at is from MSNBC.com and titled, "Students allegedly post fake snow day." This article shows a lot of the same values for the event as the first one does in many of the same ways. It is timely, it clearly has an impact and it is something unexpected (not a part of everyday life). Currency is shown to be important, because the article discusses whether the Web site was broken into or if the girls just knew the password. RCH Networks Inc., who runs the Web site is quoted:

**"The Web site wasn't hacked. It was accessed," RCH President Craig Hesson said.**

Last but not least, the article proves to be somewhat entertaining because of the situation. The article, however, makes is a more serious issue, stating in the lead:

**TRENTON, Ohio - Two teenage girls are accused of gaining unauthorized access to their school district's Web site and posting a fake winter school closing, police said.**

Because the article starts off in this way, stating the allegations and the fact that the girls are being charged. Another quote, later in the article states this:

**One of the girls, 16, was charged in Butler County Juvenile Court with delinquency by unauthorized use of a computer and by reason of records tampering. The other girl, 17, was charged with delinquency by reason of complicity to those crimes, Sheriff's Sgt. Monte Mayer said. Their names were not released.**

The other article contains a quote similar to this one; however, because the second article begins by stating in its lead that this is a legal issue, the article immediately becomes more serious.

This article can be found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17116711/

After examining these two articles and learning about this event, I feel that this event has a lot of value mostly because of the unusualness. It made national news, so for us in Minnesota, the event doesn't really have any proximity value. However, the event does have proximity value for those who live in Trenton, Ohio. I think that there is a possibility of discussion about the internet, the use of passwords and students gaining access to Web sites they they shouldn't be. Although RCH Networks Inc. claims the "system was not hacked into because no security breach was detected" and administration of the school says "the girls must have somehow gotten the password," there seems to be something fishy there.

Posted by Allison Hall at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The article I chose is from newsday.com and is titled "Grammys 2007: Making nice to Dixie Chicks." The article discusses the country singing group's album "Taking the Long Way." The album is very controversial and "politically charged," as the article puts it. The Dixie Chicks won album of the year, country album of the year, song of the year, best country group vocal performance and record of the year. This came as a surprise to the singing group and others, as well, since their album was not played on a lot of country radio stations after lead singer Natalie Maines outwardly stated her opposition to the war in Iraq and President Bush.

This article is definitely written in an inverted pyramid style. It starts out with a summary lead, which wraps up the main news event:

**The Dixie Chicks cleaned up last night at the 49th annual Grammy Awards, sweeping the top three categories and taking home five awards for music from their controversial, politically charged "Taking the Long Way" album.**

The article then goes into supporting information, giving the information on the awards the singing group won and a quote from one of the group memebers about the win in general:

**I'm ready to make nice," said Maines, after the sweep was complete. "I think people are using their freedom of speech here tonight with all of these awards. I think people were using their voice the same way this loudmouth did."**

Then, of course there is a lot of backround information about the Chicks at the Grammys, giving some more quotations from before the awards and a quote from one of their acceptance speaches. The rest of the article is a whole secondary theme, giving an overview of the entire awards show Sunday night. It mentions the big winners, a few quotes from them, such as Mary J. Blige. The article ends with "Highs and Lows" of the night, which could potentially be cut off if it was to be put in an actual newspaper and space was limited. However, because this article seems to be only read online, the reporter probably added that to spice it up and give the reader a better feeling of the show, for those who didn't watch it.

This article can be found at: http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-etgrammy125091067feb12,0,448493.story?coll=ny-music-print

The second article on this subject is from the Kansas City Star and is titled "Nice Chicks finish first." This article's first two paragraphs function as the "summary lead," explaining the most relavent news:

**Nearly four years after a flippant comment about their president nearly derailed their careers, the Dixie Chicks are feeling some salvation.
The country trio won five Grammys at the 49th annual award show Sunday night in Los Angeles, including album of the year, song of the year, record of the year and best country album. And the Chicks were feeling redeemed.**

Naturally, the article then gives details about the news event, such as a quote from the group's lead singer Natalie Maines. The article also goes into other artists' wins at the awards who seemed to have redeemed themselves, such as Ludacris. The article mentions former Vice President Al Gore showing up. The article seems to suggest that the show had a underlying political theme. The article seems to take a turn here, talking about the transition the grammy's are going through:

**Like the recording industry it represents, the Grammy Awards show is navigating an unpredictable transition: from the longtime and loyal fans who represent the industry’s lucrative past to the younger, finicky fans who are its uncertain future.**

From there, the article talks about the performances of the night and how the show was geared toward younger audience but the oldies were definitely not absent with a tribute performance for the Eagles, the "In Memoriam" segment and the commercials' appeal to the "boomer generation." These things are definitely a second theme. The reporter definitely could have written an article with these ideas as their main theme, but because the Dixie Chicks were a winner of 5 awards, that is what took priority.

This second article can be found at: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/16678724.htm

In my opinion, I think both articles were informational, but took different routes. The second article focused more on the performances than the first article, which are always big highlights at the Grammys, whether they are good or bad performances. The first article goes into fashion a little bit with its "High and Lows" commentary at the end. Both articles have good and bad things about them, but they seemed to follow the inverted pyramid style pretty closely, putting the most important, news-worthy information at the beginning and the things of less importance at the end.

Posted by Allison Hall at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The article I chose was on WCCO.com, an AP article titled "Twins Sign Mauer For 4 More Years." The headline basically tells it all! Joe Mauer, from the Minnesota Twins, agreed today to sign a four-year contract of $33 million. Because the Twins is the first professional team he has played for, some believe that Mauer may be heading toward the Hall of Fame, seeing as he is following in the footsteps Minnesota's Kirby Puckett, who spend his whole life with the same team.

This article is written in the Inverted Pyramid Style. The lead is very straightforward, a "summary lead" giving the facts that need to be stated right up front. Then, the article continues with facts about Mauer, like his batting average, his records, or anything else that should be noted about him as a baseball player. A quote from his agent concerning this decision followed. For the next few paragraphs, the article has background material, discussing Mauer's rookie season in 2004 with a knee injury and a few quotes from his general manager. The last paragraph is a secondary theme:

**Twins pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., by next Sunday. Ryan has one more player left in arbitration, right fielder and cleanup hitter Michael Cuddyer.**

These statements are not necessarily important to the real story at hand; however, it is related to the twins as a team. It's an update on what the team is doing now, which people may be interested in knowing.

This article can be found here: http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_042123905.html

The second article is from Minnesota Public Radio, by Anne Baxter. It is titled, "Twins sign Mauer through 2010." This article is also written in the Inverted Pyramid style. It starts off with a "summary lead," however this article is a little different in what they consider the most important thing. It talks about what the "arbitration deal" is. This is an interesting aspect to the story and explains it well for those who don't know what it is. The article then gives some explanation, giving Mauer's history with the twins and a quote directly from him. Background material and supporting points are given, with a quote from Mauer about him playing for the Twins and a statement from the general manager. At the end, there are two secondary themes discussed (the opening of the new ballpark in 2010 and spring training). This article seems to cater to those who may not follow baseball real closely, while the other one seems to assume that people know a lot of things already. It makes a huge difference that the second article had direct quotations from Joe Mauer in it, while the other didn't because he "did not respond to calls immediately."

This second article can be found here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/11/mauer_signs/

In my opinion, I think the second article is a bit easier to understand and more interesting with the facts it presents. I follow the Twins during the season and a lot of the things in the first article I didn't understand completely because it wasn't explained fully. I thought the second one did a good job of pointing out things people are going to be intriuged by and giving good quotations from Mauer himself.

Posted by Allison Hall at 5:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The first article with the headline, "Apple vs. Apple: We can work it out" appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times and is about the recent legal dispute that has been settled between the Beatles and Apple Inc. The dispute was about the rights to use the Apple name and the logos on the iTunes online music store. The agreement that the two companies came to in the end was that Apple Inc. will own all of the trademarks related to "Apple;" they would also "license some rights back to the Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd" as well, the article said.

The article is written in the inverted pyramid style, where the information at the beginning is the most important and the info at the end is the least. The article begins discussing the dispute and the agreement that the two companies came to. The "backup" information includes explanation of the dispute and where it originated as well as a quote from Apple Inc.'s Chief Executive:

**Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in the statement that the resolution ''should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future.''**

Then the article goes into some supporting points, discussing what Apple Corps is, some more background on the dispute between the two companies and also some information about iTunes and the fact that the Beatles aren't a part of the iTunes cataloug. Although this info may be interesting, it could easily be taken out if space is needed in the paper, one of the pros of writing an article in the inverted pyramid style.

This article can be found at: http://www.suntimes.com/technology/244661,CST-FIN-Apple06.article

The second article I looked at is from the New York Times and is titled, "After Long Dispute, Two Apples Work It Out." I believe this article is written in the same inverted pyramid style as the first one. The first three paragraphs serve as the lead and the most important information about the news story: the settled dispute and what exactly is the new agreement. After that, the article goes into what speculation is about Beatles' music being available on iTunes now and a quote from the Chief Exectuvie of Apple Inc:

**"We love the Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks,� said Steven P. Jobs, chief executive of Apple Inc., who is widely known as a huge fan of the Beatles’ music.**

As the article continues, there is more "fluff." There is more information that isn't necessary to have but adds some interesting facts to it, such as a quote here:

**“It is great to put this dispute behind us and move on,� Neil Aspinall, manager of Apple Corps, said in a statement. “The years ahead are going to be very exciting times for us.�**

In my opinion, I enjoy the second article because it is more interesting to read due to the details at the end. However, it does have a lot of information that is off the topic. As a reader, I learn more about Apple Inc. than I do about the actual agreement between the two companies. The first article is straight forward, gets the news out there and is pretty much done.

Posted by Allison Hall at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An article appeared in the Houston Chronicle, written by Irwan Firdaus of the Associated Press and titled, "Indonesia floods leave 200,000 homeless." Like the headline suggests, this article is about the massive flooding in Indonesia that has taken place over for four days now. 20 are dead and 200,000 have been forced from their homes. The article discusses the fears of the officials and citizens and what everyone is doing to help.

The article actually doesn't have many quotations in it. Many of the things that were attributed weren't direct quotations at all, but more facts on the matter. What I thought was interesting were the direct quotes that were used, such as this one:

**"We fear that diarrhea and dysentery may break out, as well as illnesses spread by rats," Dr. Rustam Pakaya, from the health ministry's crisis center. "People must be careful not to drink dirty water."**

This quote could have been paraphrased - it is just plain information. And the last part, "People must be careful not to drink dirty water"...of course people shouldn't drink dirty water! It states the obvious. But I do understand the challenge the reporter had to overcome. There wasn't much to chose from obviously because in this situation there can be only so many sources available. This quotation is a little bit better:

**"Fortunately, people here are helping each other," said Yusnizar, who goes by a single name.**

Although it is nothing spectacular, it conveys a little bit of emotion, coming from an individual who is going through this experience and is a witness to all of it. The reporter also mentioned that this individual goes by a single name, which I thought was interesting and smart of him to do, to make sure that readers know it wasn't a misake.

This article can be found at: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4524938.html

The other article I found was on Forbes.com, was written by Irwan Firdaus for the Associated Press (the same reporter for the other article I looked at!) and its healine reads, "Indonesia Floods Leaves 145,000 Homeless." Obviously, the numbers of these two articles are different. The second article was written 5 hours before the other, which is a good example of how quickly things can change in a few hours. The second article sounds a lot like the first one (with word choice and quotations both) probably because the author is the same. One quotation that was in this article and wasn't included in the other was the following:

**"Jakarta is now on the highest alert level," said Sihar Simanjuntak, an official monitoring water levels at key rivers across the city.**

I'm not sure why this wasn't included in the other article. It is not extremely exciting but it definitely reinforces the urgency of the floods. The second article also includes this paragraph:

**Government agencies are struggling to provide aid to the homeless, many of whom are staying with friends or family on higher ground, or at mosques and government agencies. Some are holding out on the second floors of their homes, refusing to be relocated by soldiers in rubber dinghies, officials said.**

The first article only has the last sentence. The reason why the first article didn't include some of these quotes or attributed information was because of a legnth constraint on the article. Maybe the reporter had to weed out some of the details to make his first article shorter.

This second article can be found at: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/04/ap3392562.html

Both articles are well written and give a lot of information within them. They give the important information right away and credit any sources and quotations. However, I felt that the second article is more interesting to read because of those details that I mentioned. It "hits home" when the reporter talks about the people that are living through this horrible time and how they are surviving. That is what is going to spark human interest - thinking about those who are living through it as they read this article.

Posted by Allison Hall at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

An article with the headline reading, "Streisand gives $10K to charter school" was written for the Pioneer Press by Doug Belden and posted on their website on Wed, Jan. 31. The article reports that singer/actress Barbra Streisand donated $10,000 to the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a charter school in downtown St. Paul's Landmakr Cetner. According to the article, the Streisand Foundation will give "an additional $10,000 worth of audio and visual equipment." The article has information about the charter school as well as the Streisand Foundation.

This article can be found at: http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16583665.htm

The reporter quoted Terry Tofte, the executive director of the charter school, a number of times both directly and indirectly. There is a lot of information about this news event; the reporter could have put everything in quotations. Instead, he chose to use the more exciting, colorful quotations from Tofte and paraphrase for the rest of it. For example, the reporter explains how the school will use the money in this indirect quote:

**At the conservatory, Tofte said the equipment will be used to create a recording studio, and the cash donation will be used for staff and curriculum development to support the school's music program, which debuted this school year.**

Then, the reporter mixes is up and actually asks the question he most likely asked Tofte himself and gives Tofte's answer:

**Considering the diva's generosity, will the new recording studio be named after Babs?
"I don't see why not," Tofte said with a laugh. "We're trying to figure out some way to thank her."**

This quotation would not be as meaningful if it was paraphrased. It makes the article more personal and shows how greatful Tofte and the school is for the donation. There is an indirect quotation in the article from Rupa Balasubramanian, an associate at the Streisand Foundation. The information she gives to the article is just that - information; how the conservatory was picked to reveive a contribution and why Streisand decided to donate. This would not make a good quotation because there aren't any colorful words or interesting facts being told that couldn't really be paraphrased. The reporter definitely fought the urge to quote everything everyone said and used indirect quotes instead.

The second article is from the West Central Tribune Online. It is from the Associated Press and posted on Wednesday, as well. This article, with the headline, "Streisand donates $10,000 to St, Paul performing arts school" contains basically the same information as the first article. This article quotes Tofte one time, and the same quote appears in the Pioneer Press article:

**Its executive director, Terry Tofte, said he first learned of the gifts last month, and "my reaction was, 'Well, Merry Christmas!'"**

The rest of the quotations are indirect. One such quote is:

**The Streisand Foundation told the school she identifies an arts organization to support in the cities where she tours. The foundation doesn't say much about its selection criteria, Tofte said.**

This seems like a quotation that didn't need to be put into the article at all. Because it was, it gives a bad conotation and infers that the Foundation doesn't have a criteria for chosing which schools to donate to. There are no quotations from anyone at the Streisand Foundation.

This second article can be found at: http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8N02SQG0&forumcomm_check_return

The Pioneer Press article is more thorough and interesting to read, in my opinion. The quotations were chosen wisely, in comparison to the West Central Tribune article, and the lead is attention-grabbing. I also feel that the first article went into more detail about the school and the foundation, explaining exactly what the charter school is all about and their mission. It is more captivating in general.

Posted by Allison Hall at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)