Austin Wiebe's JOUR3101 News Blog

The Pioneer Press recently published an article on the Surenos, a Latino gang that the city of St. Paul is attempting to ban from Cinco de Mayo celebrations next month. The article profiles Jorge Vargas, one of the supposed 10 most dangerous members of the group, who would be banned from the festival. It presents him as a victim, quoting him saying that he has cleaned up his act since high school and that the actions by the city are "defamation." It also looks into the crime records of the other "most dangerous" members, showing a notable lack of serious criminal activity. Thus, the author did a lot to break stereotypes about gang members as well as prejudices people may hold against Latinos in general. It gives a background on the gang and presents information many people likely did not know about them.

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a recent AP article published in the Star Tribune, the author used numbers multiple ways to tell the story. He tells the number of weeks disemployed individuals can receive benefits, the number of people who may exhaust their benefits this year, projected percents on layoffs, numbers of people who have lost jobs, and other statistics. Because they are woven in to expert storytelling, the numbers do not become overwhelming and greatly add to the story. He did some math himself, comparing statistics from previous dates. Not all are listed- at times he says things such as "about a fourth" or "nearly twice as many." Also, he says that current numbers are the highest since the 1981-1982 recession, but he does not give those numbers. He does not give attribution to the sources of his data.

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times recently published an obituary for John Hope Franklin, an African American history scholar at Duke University. It followed almost exactly the format we learned in class- a lead with interesting details then age, second paragraph with cause of death, claims to fame, then narrative. Sources included a Duke spokesperson, President Bill Clinton, and a Nobel Prize wining acquaintance. I thought the style worked really well because it didn't get bogged won in years or specific details like a resume. Instead, it gave an overview of his life, honoring him and bringing out key accomplishments.

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Associated Press recently published a brief story on an upcoming tour being given by the band No Doubt. Rather then just announcing the tour, the AP writer emphasizes a newsworthy promotion the band is using. The band is giving away digital copies of their entire music catalog to fans who buy premium seats to their concerts. It creates an interesting angle, but raises the question of marketing vs. newswriting. Though it is interesting that the band will be giving away its seven-album catalog, it might have seemed like less of a marketing campaign if the author had emphasized that the band was reunited after several years. In this case, it seems almost like a channeled press release from the band itself.

Posted by wieb0055 at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USA Today published a story in early February on a press conference New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez gave regarding recently surfaced drug tests from several years ago. The tests showed that Rodriguez had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. Major League Baseball officials released a statement to the press the day before regarding the issue. The release said that the organization did not support Rodriguez's actions, but that they stood behind him and respected him for speaking honestly. The story did not include any information from the release, but instead focused on the reactions of those at the conference and the statements Rodriguez made. The author could have included the official stance of MLB on his drug use and their commitment to support him in the upcoming season. Instead, he chose to discus Rodriguez's salary and statistics. Depending on the audience, the decision not to include that information could change the entire tone of the story.

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This weekend two articles appeared on the Pioneer Press website about a shootout at a house wedding in Roseville. The first-day article talks about the case going to court and the proceedings, and the second-day article outlines the jury's decision and the overall outcomes. The headline and lead of the first explained the case and what happened at the shootout. The article gives basic details as well as outlining the charges in the court case. The second article starts out with a headline and lead that explain how the defendant was acquitted in court. It then goes into further detail about the shootout, based on the testimonies of those present. The first included a dialogue from the court case, while the second was more descriptive of the overall scene. The first seemed to get the information out with the details that were known at the time. The second, on the other hand, served to give established details and make sense of the case, including laying out the verdict. An article in the Star Tribune on the case was not published until one day after the second article in the Pioneer Press.

Posted by wieb0055 at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In CNN's article on Norah al-Faiz becoming Saudi Arabia's first woman minister, the structure has a very clear inverted pyramid format. The author starts with the most important information: That al-Faiz was chosen for the position and that some are questioning whether she will truly have power on the council. He sidetracks a bit with a quote from an activist, then gives the hard facts on the appointment. I believe the quote is affective, because it notes the gravity of the decision without distracting from the important facts. The author then leads into a quote from al-Faiz herself, which arguably could have been used before the activist's out of respect. However, the story flows logically. After this, the author describes women's rights in the country, which is still very pertinent to the story. After a couple of quotes on this subject, the author moves on to information on the king and his politics, which is clearly the least "important" subject in this article. I think the organization works well- it goes from most to least news-worthy, with quotes inserted to give personality and perspective on the issue. The only difference I noticed was possibly not quoting the activist at the very beginning, and sticking to the hard news.

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the Reuters article on the drug-dealing milkman, over 75% of the copy was made up of quotes or paraphrasing. Overall, five sources were attributed: the prosecutor, the defendant, the defense lawyer, the judge, another prosecuting lawyer, and the Press Association. All but the last were quoted directly. They appear throughout the story, from the third paragraph to the last. Of the thirteen total paragraphs, only three did not contain a quote or attribution. This construction made reading the article cumbersome, because the reader had to continually be aware of who was speaking and from what point of view. The author had to start several paragraphs with an introduction of the quoted person and his or her title. More paraphrasing or original copy with fewer direct quotes would have made the article much easier to manage.

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 72-year-old milkman in Burnley, England, was sentenced Friday on the conviction of selling and delivering marijuana to his elderly patrons.
Robert Holding admitted to selling the drug to 17 of his customers. He claimed the sales were to aid his elderly patrons with their aches and pains.
Upon investigation, detectives found nearly six ounces of cannabis in Holding's delivery van.
According to Rueters, Holding received a 36-month prison sentence suspended for a year at Burnley Crown Court.
Holding's defense lawyer claimed there was no profit garnered from the marijuana sales and that Holding only had his customers' best interests in mind.
However, prosecutors argued that Holding was indeed profiting from the endeavors, adding that there was no proof he was selling the drug exclusively to the elderly.
"You were not some philanthropist helping out the elderly out of the good of your heart. You dealt drugs for profit in a calculated way. It was a business," Judge Beverly Lunt was quoted as saying.
Holding's oldest client was 92 years old.

Posted by wieb0055 at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)