September 2012 Archives

A story by NBC news took a variation of the "martini glass" approach to structure. The story covers Iranians' angry responses to their government shutting down Google Mail, and details both sides of the argument over Internet use in the country.

The story is summarized in the beginning, explaining that the Iranian government attempted to ban Google Mail, and many Iranians were frustrated, including members of the parliament. It then tells how, in response, the government is proposing a state-run alternative Internet service for Iran.

This story then goes on the explain the conflict in more depth. It gives details Iran's changing population, noting that it now has 32 million regular Internet users. It then contrasts this change in a section explaining religious authorities' condemnation of the World Wide Web. It ends after defining the "electric curtain" that President Obama says Iran is upholding by banning websites.

The story has a structure similar to a "martini glass" in that it offers the hard news format at the beginning, gives some background detail in the middle, and has a clear conclusion. It is unusual because its middle section is not a chronological story like most stories with this structure. Instead, it uses that segment to explain both sides of the argument and give background information on Iran's changing culture. Because this story lacks a chronological story, this format is effective and allows the reader to get the hard facts at the beginning, then optional background information that elaborates but is less crucial. While it could have been done as a simple hard news story focusing on Iranians' responses to the ban, it is more effective when it includes details on the changing role of the Internet as a whole.

The son of former Chinese official Bo Xilai released a statement on Saturday about the many charges his father faces in a political scandal.

Bo Xilai was expelled from the Politiburo Standing Committee on Friday and now faces charges in connection with the death of British businessman Neil Heyward last year, reports CNN news.

Bo's wife Gu Kailai was convicted of killing Heyward and given a commuted death sentence in August, reports the New York Times.

China's state-run news agency Xinhua also reported that Bo had been bribed and been in sexual relations with many women, according to CNN.

Bo Xilai's son Guagua Bo, who recently graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, posted a brief message about the accusations on Tumblr Saturday evening, according to the New York Times.

"Personally, it is hard for me to believe the allegations announced against my father," Guagua Bo said. "They contradict everything I have come to know about him throughout my life."

Guagua Bo has confirmed that the Tumblr account is legitimate but refused to comment further, reports CNN.

"At this point, I expect the legal process to follow its normal course, and I will await the result," he said on Tumblr.

Los Angeles residents were told to brace themselves for traffic as a portion of one of America's busiest highways was shut down for construction, reports NBC news.

Construction crews worked on a section of Interstate 405 near the Mulholland Drive Bridge over the weekend in order to add another carpool lane, according to NBC news.

The shut down is being called "Carmageddon II", reports CBS news, because it is a sequel to last year's Carmageddon which shut down 10 miles of the road for a construction project near Sepulveda Pass.

The closed section of the highway sees approximately 500,000 commuters on an average weekend day, and LA officials say that at least two-thirds would have to stay off the roads, reports NBC news. Officials say that if drivers do not heed the warnings, a citywide traffic jam could occur.

Spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Rick Jagger told CBS Sunday that crews have been working non-stop since last Friday.

Jagger said that construction was on schedule and the road will open as planned on Monday at 5 a.m.

A workplace shooting in the Bryn Mawr Neighborhood wounded several people and killed two, according to Kare 11.

Police are looking for the man who started a shooting in Accent Signage Systems, in the 2300 Block of Chestnut Avenue W, according to the Star Tribune.

Police officers and SWAT teams were called at approximately 4:35 Thursday and surrounded the area around the business, according to WCCO news.

3 people have been taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with critical injuries, Kare 11 reports, and the conditions of other victims have not yet been released.

Police are still searching for the gunman and no one is in custody as of 6:25, according to Kare 11.

The Seahawks won against the Packers Monday night after a disputed call made by replacement referees that ruled simultaneous possession of the ball and overlooked a pass-interference.

The last play in the game was a Hail Mary pass by Seahawks quarter back Russell Wilson that appeared to be an interception by the Packers player Jennings. Referees on the field instead ruled it was simultaneous possession with Seahawks player Tate and deemed it a touchdown, according to NBC sports.

There was so much controversy over who had caught the ball that officials overlooked the pass-interference that occurred during the same play that would have let the Packers win, reports NBC sports.

The uproar from fans and players prompted the National Football League to release a statement, according to the Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel.

"Tate can be seen Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground," the statement said, reports another article by NBC sports. "This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game."

The NFL did defend the ruling that it was simultaneous possession of the ball which goes to the offensive player according to NFL rules, reports the Journal Sentinel.

The NFL also said in the statement that the ruling on the game would not be changed, reports NBC sports.

"Referee Wayne Elliott determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field," the NFL's statement said. "The result of the game is final."

For the first time since Amy Senser's conviction, her husband spoke to the press about her hearing and trial, according to WCCO news.

Joe Senser gave a 16-minute long statement to the press Monday morning in the Hennepin County Courts building.

In the statement he called Hennepin county attorney Mike Freeman a liar and accused him of manipulating the trial process, according to Kare 11.

"I want all Minnesotans to know that at no time during this process did Amy try to hide, did she try to get away with the death of Anousone Phanthavong," he said, according to the Star Tribune. "I want to speak about a process that was manipulated by elected county attorney Freeman."

Senser also said in the statement that Freeman "dehumanized her, and made her public enemy number one" before evidence was presented in the case, Kare 11 reports.

Amy Senser was sentenced to 41 months in prison charged with felony criminalvehicular homicide in August, according to the Star Tribune.

Green Day's lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong is checking into rehab for substance abuse after an onstage outburst in Las Vegas on Friday, the Chicago Tribune reports.

When told that he had one minute left to perform at the iHeartMusic Festival in Las Vegas, Armstrong went into a swearing rant before smashing his guitar and leaving the stage, NBC reports.

This rant came in response to Green Day mistaking that their time had been cut short to allow more time for Usher and Rihanna's performances, according to NBC news.

"Green Day would like everyone to know that their segment was not cut short by Clear Channel and to apologize to those they offended," Armstrong's representative told E! News, the Chicago Tribune reports, "The band must regretfully postpone some of their upcoming promotional appearances."

Green Day is still scheduled to begin its U.S. tour on November 26 in Seattle and release their newest album "Uno!" on Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

An online NBC news article about the riot in at a Foxconn factory in China had an interesting way of attributing its sources.

Because it was breaking news, the reporters have not gotten any direct quotes from spokespeople or experts.

Instead, the article relies heavily on digital sources attributing China's twitter-like website Weibo and a tech blog called engadget. The reporter also references other articles about the company's problems earlier in the year, including articles from the BBC and Bloomberg's websites.

The article spread out its attributions, with several clustered near the top of the article. Because it is mostly referencing websites and other articles, the article does not give any names.

The online article also makes use of hyperlinks to allow the viewer to see the source they are referencing for themselves. When referencing other articles, the does not attribute them in the text of the article and only provides a link.

The giant panda cub born at the National Zoo in Washington a week ago has died, Zoo officials told the press Sunday.

Zoo keepers responded to the sound of the cub's mother Mei Xiang "honking" at approximately 9:28 Sunday morning, zoo officials told CNN. The cub was pronounced dead an hour later.

The cub appeared to be in good condition with no apparent trauma when it was found. The cause of death is still under investigation with a necropsy planned, according to CNN.

"This is devastating for all of us here," National Zoo director Dennis Kelly said Sunday, according to the Star Tribune, "It's hard to describe how much passion and energy and care went into this.

The fourteen-year-old mother Mei Xiang has had five failed pregnancies before birth, according to NBC news.

The cub had not yet been named, and would have been named 100 days after its birth according to Chinese tradition, according to NBC news.

An avalanche in northwestern Nepal killed nine climbers on Sunday, while four others are still missing, according to NBC news.

Rescuers have not identified any of the climbers but have confirmed that at least four of the dead are from France, NBC news reports. The others were from Nepal, Italy, Spain and Germany.

The climbers were about to begin their ascent from their camp at 22,960 feet to the summit of Mount Manaslu, Nepal's eighth largest mountain, according to the Star Tribune.

Climber Andreas Reitero told NBC news that he was asleep in his tent at 4 a.m. local time when the avalanche swept through the camp.

There were 231 people on the mountain at the time, but officials told NBC news that not all of them were at the higher camps by the avalanche site.

"Rescue pilots have spotted seven other bodies on the mountain," Police inspector Basant Mishra told NBC news as rescue teams continued their search.

The cause of the avalanche is under investigation, according to the Star Tribune.

A nearly ten-hour standoff in a Bloomington neighborhood ended in a 50-year-old man's arrest, according to the Star Tribune.

Police had been investigating a report of someone pointing a laser at passersby at 4:15 from within a condemned home on the 8900 block of Nicollet Avenue South. When Police responded, someone from within the house then pointed a laser at an officer, according to WCCO news.

Bloomington police Deputy Chief Rick Hart told WCCO news, "The big concern there is that laser pointers can be attached to firearms."

The standoff forced police to call in the SWAT team and close down many roads including three blocks of Nicollet and 90th street, according to the Star Tribune.

At approximately 8 a.m., Kare 11 reports that the suspect fled into a nearby apartment complex.

The SWAT team then set up a perimeter around the complex, and fired tear gas into the apartment building but the man did not come out according to the Star Tribune.

At 2 p.m. Hart told the Star Tribune that the SWAT team got into the apartment and arrested the man, who was alone.

Police continue to search the apartment for weapons but hope to allow residents back in soon, according to WCCO news.

The National Hockey League entered a lockout late Saturday evening when the league and Players Association's old collective bargaining agreement expired, according to the Pioneer Press.

The lockout comes in response to disagreements between the NHL and Players' Association on "core economics and critical issues", according to the Star Tribune.

"It was almost a foregone conclusion that there was going to be a lockout," Veteran Wilds player Matt Cullen told the Star Tribune on Sunday.

This is the second NHL lockout in eight years, the last one occurring in 2004 that made the league lose the season, according to the Star Tribune.

In response to the lockout, the Wild are offering fans with season tickets 10 percent interest and credit them for any canceled games if they keep their accounts active throughout the lockout, according to NBC Sports.

The Wild supported the NHL's decision and said in a statement to fans on Sunday morning that the team is "as anxious as our fans to see our new team on the ice!"

This lead written by Kare 11 is a straightforward but effective approach to a lead.

The lead, written for a story about a Wisconsin Judge dismissing a law limiting union rights, contained the "who", "what", and "where". It did not include "when" this occurred because that is the least interesting element to discuss and is not crucial to the story. All the reader would need to know that it is recent. The "why" and "how" are explained later in the story both would take up too much space in the lead.

Details are kept vague in the lead. While the name of the judge is not given, this lead condenses the "who" and "where" by simply referring to the judge as "a Wisconsin judge".

The lead does give details on the "what", in this case the law the judge struck down. It specifically states that it is Gov. Scott Walker's bill and that it would limit collective bargaining rights. This element in particular was elaborated on because it is the most interesting part of the story following the Wisconsin recall election this summer.

Overall, the lead is successful. It is simple enough to not overwhelm the reader with information, but gives enough detail on the most interesting element to make them want to continue reading.

La Crosse police are investigating a shooting in a photography store that killed a father and son on Saturday.

Paul Petras, owner of May's Photo, and his 19-year-old son A.J. Petras were shot to death at approximately 2 p.m., Capt. Robert Lawrence told the La Crosse Tribune.

The homicide occurred just before the shop was going to close for the day, according to the Star Tribune.

The police have not made any arrests and Lawrence urged anyone with information on the shooting to contact La Crosse police.

"The key is that anybody who saw anything suspicious in the area of 400 main, somebody running away or driving away fast - even if it seems insignificant - please call La Crosse police," Lawrence told the La Crosse Tribune, "We're not sure if it was a robbery or a robbery-homicide."

Agents from Wisconsin's Department of Criminal Investigations are going to help the investigation, the La Crosse Tribune reports.

Lawrence told the Star Tribune, "We are doing everything we can to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice."

In the wake of protests and demonstrations throughout the Middle East in response to a short film, Google has elected to block the video on YouTube in several countries.

The short film "Innocence of Muslims" has incited protests over its offensive portrayal of Muslims and the prophet Muhammad and is easily available online.

According to NBC, the White House had asked YouTube to investigate whether the video violated any terms of use for the site shortly. YouTube did not find any violations but shortly after violence in Libya broke out it blocked access in Libya and Egypt.

CNN reported that Youtube released in a statement on Friday, "This video - which is widely available on the web - is clearly within our guidelines and so it will stay on YouTube. However, given the very difficult situation in Libya and Egypt we have temporarily restricted access in both countries."

Later, YouTube blocked the video in India and Indonesia as well. Both governments requested that the video be blocked because its content is illegal in their countries, according to NBC.

Other countries will continue to have access to the video for the foreseeable future, according to Google's statement on Friday.

A house in Tracy burst into flame Saturday morning, injuring a mother and her three young daughters.

Sonya Timmons and her daughters, ages 7, 2, and 2 months, were inside when their home exploded.

Neighbor Sheena Schons, who lives across the street from the Timmons's home, described what she saw WCCO news.

Schons said she was woken up by the sound of shattering glass. When she looked out her window, she saw all of the windows had been blown out and the house was on fire.

Schons said that a 7-year-old girl, who appeared to have the worst burns, ran out first and was soon followed by her mother and her 2-year-old sister.

Schons's husband Matt rushed to the scene to rescue the youngest daughter, who was still in her crib in the burning house.

Timmons and her daughters were taken to their local hospital but were later airlifted to Regions Hospital. Schons told Kare 11 that all of them had burnt hair and skin.

Timmons is listed in critical condition but her daughters' conditions have not been released, according to Kare 11.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

The University of Minnesota is in the process of proposing a tuition freeze for undergraduate students in exchange for additional funding from the Minnesota Legislature.

If the Legislature gives an additional $14.2 million to the University, undergraduate students may see tuition relief starting in 2014.

The request, which was released Thursday as part of the Biennial Budget for 2014 and 2015 fiscal year, promised $42.6 million in tuition relief funding, according to the Minnesota Daily.

"If they stay here four years, that saves the student $2565 over their four years at the university," U of M Chief Financial Officer Richard Pfutzenreuter told Kare 11.

U of M President Eric Kaler proposed this change to the University Board of Regents on Friday.

The Board of Regents will not vote on the proposal until October, but Representative for the House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee Bud Nornes is optimistic.

Nornes told television station KAALtv, "I think my entire committee is all for freezing tuition. I think we would probably get 100 percent vote if that was just the one issue we were dealing with."

The conflict between 26,000 Chicago teachers and policy makers may be calming down as both sides continued negotiations on Thursday.

The teachers union, led by Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, has been on strike protesting salary, a longer school day, and larger class sizes according to NBC Chicago.

Lewis told WLS-AM that this strike is "a fight for the very soul of public education", according to the Huffington Post.

Chicago School Board President David Vitale met with Lewis to continue negotiations on Thursday and is optimistic about coming to a compromise on Friday.

Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Becky Carrol told NBC Chicago that after the long night of negotiations that the school board and union were "at the brink" of coming to an understanding.

"I think we made some pretty good progress," Vitale told the Chicago Tribune on Friday morning, adding that classes may resume as soon as Monday.

Lewis, however, said she was unsure if Monday was realistic, though she told NBC Chicago, "Yes, I'm hoping for Monday. That would be good for us."