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Analysis: Computer Assisted Reporting

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I looked at an article called "High radon levels persisted in basement where Ann Arbor police officers worked, records show" that I found on the nicar website.

There are several links throughout the article that lead the reader to websites with additional information. For example, one sentence discusses the radon that was present and it is also a URL to a site containing information about radon and how to be safe and preventative. The next couple links in the article are placed in paragraphs of two men who died because of the high radon levels. When the reader clicks on "died April 6" it brings up an article all about that man and what happened to him. Other links contain information and data that are relevant to the story.

This reporter would have to know some basic HTML in order to turn sentences into links with URLS. There is also HTML used to make some sentences bold or different colors. The reporter would also need to know how to use a blog, upload photos, and organize all of that information.

Analysis: Article on Ageism in the Workplace

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I read an article about age discrimination in the workplace today from CBS News, titled "Baby Boomers: America's new unemployables." The article discussed that it's extremely difficult for people over the age of 50 to get hired at a new job. While they are less likely to be laid off, it's more difficult to be hired into a new position. The report uses many statistics and testimonials of people experiencing this now. It does not stereotype older workers, it only presents statistical problems that they may face.

I talked to Jim, 54, who works as a computer programmer. He said the report presents issues somewhat similar to what is going on at his workplace. There have been many lay-offs, including young and old. His company does not show age discrimination. They have been trying to equally fire younger and older employees, so not to create an ageism problem. The information in the article is accurate in some areas, such as the difficulty for someone over 50 to find a new job.

Analysis: Numbers in Alzeimer's Article

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I read the article "Discovery doubles genetic clues to Alzheimer's" from CNN. The article refers to numbers from two different medical reports about Alzheimer's disease. It talks about the amount of genetic markers that researchers previously knew about, which was five, and how it now has been doubled to 10. The reporter also talks about the number of research groups doing this work and the number of patients they have information from. The number of people who currently have Alzheimer's in America is talked about, as well as a predicted number for the future.

The writer presented the numbers in a clear, easily understandable way. She crunched the numbers to convey them in the simplest form. For example, she said something doubled. She attributed all of the numbers and information she used. One source was a survey from Nature Genetics, other sources were professors from universities working on the research, and the Alzheimer's Association.

Analysis: Elizabeth Taylor's Obituary

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On March 23, 2011, actress Elizabeth Taylor passed away. Her obituary in the New York Times, A Lustrous Pinnacle of Hollywood Glamour, starts with a standard lead. It lists her name, her prominence and what she was known for, when and where she died, followed by another sentence saying her age.

The second paragraph of the obituary describes how she died. The reporter used Taylor's publicist as a source, along with a spokeswoman from the hospital. Later in the obituary they quote a director she worked with for one of the movies she acted in.

This obituary differs greatly from a resume because it is told in a story-like way. It does not simply list out facts and numbers from Taylor's life. Instead, it captures her personality, achievements, and how she lived her life. The obituary quotes people who knew her to describe and commemorate her. The obituary goes into long detail about how she was as a person.

Analysis: Press Releases vs. Conferences

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Vice President Biden will be traveling to three different countries in the next week to discuss issues with leaders of those nations. In the press release the information is clear and concise. It details where exactly he wiil go, who he is traveling with, who he will talk to and what they will discuss. The press release is short and too the point, containing all the key facts.

The article about the press conference is much longer in length than the press release. The reporter included quotes from several different officials about Biden's trip. The article also included more background information on the issue. It expanded on what Biden plans to discuss. Compared to the press release, the article is more colorful and includes information that is not essential.

The New York Times has a multimedia page called the Lens, in which they post pictures of the day with cut lines describing the photo. Users can choose to view the photos in fullscreen. The captions explain what is going on in the photo, along with news worthy information about what is happening. The writing explains the story and relates the news to the photo.

CNN has a multimedia page called NewsPulse. This page has a chart set up listing news stories in order of popularity, which they have a meter on the left side for. Each story has a photo and a title. If you click on the story, the photo enlarges slightly and a small description of the story is displayed, along with the option to read more.

The two multimedia sites allow for the readers to interact more closely with each story, with photographs along with the news. They provide informational writing and a more visual experience.

Analysis: Spot and Follow on Cuban Mother Story

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The leads of the two stories are similarly written but the key information released is very different. The first CNN story, which is titled, "Mother of dead Cuban hunger striker detained, family said," has a lead describing how the mother was detained. The next day a second CNN article, "Mother of dead Cuban hunger striker released," explains in the lead that the mother was released. The updated lead is the most recent news on the story. The information in the two leads differs greatly.

The information in the first article explains what happened to the woman's "hunger striker" son, along with background information on the story. The second and updated article explains what happened to her while she was detained and discusses the arrest in more detail. The second story has more updated information, which makes it more advanced. For example, it confirms that two of the three people detained were released, sharing the most current information.

Analysis: Information Order in Drug Arrest Story

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The reporter of the Star Tribune article, "83-year-old arrested over 4-plus pounds of khat," opens the story with all of the key details. The lead includes who, what, where, when and why. The reporter presented all of the information in one long sentence. This method is effective because it tells what happened quickly and keeps the reader interested in the story.

Next, the reporter explains a quick background about the drug khat and links it to issues Minneapolis is having with it. Then the reporter explains how the 83-year-old was arrested and where he was being held. Finally, the reporter ends by explaining more about the drug khat. The reporter summarized all of the important facts in the first sentence, which was effective. However, the order of the rest of the story does not seem to flow. It would have made more sense to explain how the man was arrested directly after the lead, and then clump the two fact blocks about khat together after.

There are about two or three different sources used in the Star Tribune story titled, "Gym roof at Apple Valley church collapses." The writer uses a fire official, employees and Apple Valley Fire Chief Nealon Thompson as three separate sources. All of the sources are from people, there weren't any documents or records referenced in the article.

The attributions are somewhat scattered throughout the article, however almost all of them are from statements from Thompson. The writer used the method of using "Thompson said" at the end of most sentences. Also, direct quotations from Thompson were used and attributed to him. The attributions throughout the story are presented in an effective way because it keeps the information clear and concise.

The story titled, "Tribe mourns woman, children dead in N.D. shootings," has a clear and concise news lead. The Star Tribune reported, "RAPID CITY, S.D. - A South Dakota tribe mourned Sunday after three of its members, a mother and two children, were found dead in shootings at two separate North Dakota homes." This news lead contains all of the essential details of the story in one quick sentence. It contains a "where," "when," "who," and "what" in the lead. The news lead is general enough to summarize the story, yet at the same time it is not too general or vague.

The lead gives the reader all of the details they must know to understand what happened. It does not go too in depth about the how, which would make the lead too lengthy and detailed. It simply says "...found dead in shootings at two separate North Dakota homes." By keeping it general, the lead gets directly to the point and allows the rest of the story to explain how the shootings took place at two separate homes. It gives enough detail to know who was hurt and where this incident took place. The news lead gives the most important facts first, that people died, and then explains where. The lead successfully captures the reader's attention and sets up the rest of the story for more detail.

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