Student Zone

Media Journal #1: Post-Graffiti “Virgin Mary” Story

This May 7, 2005, Chicago Sun-Times piece (“Mary returns after graffiti attack”) by Rummana Hussain, Staff Reporter, is a follow-up to a story that has been covered for the last month. This piece is 21 short paragraphs. It describes the graffiti attack on the “Virgin Mary” stain under the Kennedy Expressway at Fullerton and the responses to that attack. The Illinois Department of Transportation, per the Chicago Police, painted over the stain for safety reasons, and two women subsequently cleaned off the paint and the graffiti. The reporter, Hussain, quoted some “believers” talking about the holiness of this stain and their convictions. The reporter described who, why, and how the women removed the paint and graffiti to demonstrate the strength of this belief. The reporter also related that a person wrote “Big Lie” in black shoe polish over part of the stain without stating anything about his motive, although Hussain did cite the charge against him and his address. Hussain quoted Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Chicago police spokepersons with regard to the arrest of the vandal, the subsequent painting over the stain, and the cleaning of the stain. Hussain closes by quoting others who skeptical about the holiness of the stain.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this piece. I got some competent, not great, reporting. But the writing itself was a pleasure to read. The first paragraph was excellent at capturing my attention because it described somewhat dramatically the state of the “Virgin Mary.” The second paragraph brought the event down to earth with a thump by talking about the realities of the stain being cleaned, which had a fairly theatrical effect that I really enjoyed. I get the feeling that this piece was written by a non-believer who was trying hard to explain why people were attracted to the “Virgin Mary” stain, but also made sure she included a healthy dose of reality. Hussain did not interview the man who committed the graffiti, but maybe she didn’t have access. She also didn’t cite her source for her information about the women who did the cleaning, nor did she quote them. Neither did Hussain quote a maintenance worker who painted over the stain. The reporter did, however, include a quote from before the stain was cleaned. It seems that most of the reporting may have been at a press conference held at the “Virgin Mary” site.

The Chicago Tribune also ran a story about the “image of what some believe is the Virgin Mary.” Staff reporter, Patrick Rucker, assisted by staff reporter, Charles Sheehan, wrote a 29 paragraph story (Hallowed Encore: Despite graffiti and paint, underpass image returns) covering the “Virgin Mary” stain under the expressway underpass. It discusses the three-week phenomenon, the graffiti attack and responses. These reporters describe in detail the graffiti attack – time, person, age, alleged actions, how he came to be arrested, police response. The policewoman quoted clearly “believes” – given the way the reporters quote her describing the “image of the Blessed Mother.” This piece states that the stain began to show through the paint at midday – before the carwash employees came to clean it. The reporters name and quote a manager of the car wash describing what the women used to clean the stain. Rucker and/or Sheehan interviewed family members of the graffiti attacker, and quoted 17-year old “who identified herself as his niece,” relating what the attacker had told them about his motives. IDOT spokesperson, Mike Claffey, describes the safety concerns and police recommendation to paint. Rucker and Sheehan also state that Chicago police spokesperson, David Bayless, substantiated Claffey’s account of events.

The reporting on this story was fairly complete. The reporters spoke with “believers,” IDOT and Chicago police spokespersons, and members of the vandal’s family. They did not, however, quote any non-believers, which I think is a big mistake. Also, they didn’t talk with any of the maintenance workers who painted over the stain. The writing was solid and clear. The paragraphs were appropriately short. I did not get the feeling that the reporters were believers or non-believers, particularly because they closed their story with a quote from the IDOT spokesperson.

The Associate Press has a story on cbs2chicago.com about the stain (Faithful Try To Restore Virgin Mary Image.) The unnamed reporter gets to the current state of events immediately in the first sentence –“visitors are again able to see a stain on a Chicago expressway underpass that some believe to be an image of the Virgin Mary.” Most of the 20 paragraphs are no more than one line, at the most, almost two lines, making it a breeze to read. The reporters get to the nitty-gritty details without lingering. They reference IDOT spokesperson Matt Vanover, and police spokesperson David Banks. They also quote Victor Gonzalez who did the graffiti. He talked about his motives. The reporters quoted disappointed believers. This story states early on that the car wash workers scrubbed away the paint and shoe polish that covered the stain, but state toward the end that, as of now, the image can’t be seen – “But many who came here today wonder if her image will always be gone.” These reporters do not quote any non-believers or maintenance workers. They do report on the world-wide phenomenon of “Virgin Mary” image sightings, going into detail on a Clearwater, Florida office window sighting.

All of the pieces were on the short side, with the CBS2 piece being the shortest, and the Chicago Tribune piece running the longest. Reading all of them gave me the most complete story, but all of them gave me the basics. What I find intriguing is that this story is being covered at all. I suppose that since Chicago has a large Catholic population, it might appeal to those of strong Catholic faith. For those of us who aren’t Catholic or aren’t even religious, it is an oddity which is faintly interesting to think about. What I kept thinking is “you’ve GOT to be joking. How could anyone take a STAIN seriously?!” I give credit to all the reporters for covering this in an objective way. If they are believers themselves, I don’t pick up on that. If they have the same reaction I do, I don’t quite get that either. I also am stunned that a police spokesperson would be so blatant about voicing her own particular faith. If I were her supervisor, she’d definitely be reprimanded by referring to the stain/image as the “Blessed Mother.” That is SO Catholic-sounding, and I think for the police to sound anything but secular is not quite the image they should be sending. They represent the government. On the other hand, it does reveal something to be careful about.

I read some other versions of this story which were much shorter – the AberdeenNews.com piece being my favorite because it came under the heading of “Weird News” which seemed to be adapted from the Associated Press piece (not surprisingly.) The BBC News website had an interesting sentence about the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago not making any official endorsement of the image. This bit did not appear in any of the stories I discussed above. Probably because they didn’t say anything, and in this case, saying nothing isn’t really very important news.

Chris Saylor
April 6, 2005
News Reporting and Writing

Media Journal and Observations

I have chosen to investigate the differences in regional news coverage of the Roger Maynulet court-martial hearings. I will be comparing stories in the Dallas Morning News, the Chicago Tribune, and the New York Times.

Entry 01

In an article on March 29, the Chicago Tribune covered the first day of the Col. Roger Maynulet court-martial hearings regarding the alleged mercy killing of an Iraqi driver in an article entitled “Court-martial jury views drone's tape of Iraq killing”. The article begins with a description of the central piece of evidence in the trial; a video recording of the incident in question. Carlos Sadovi, a Tribune staff reporter, paints a graphic image of the supposedly graphic tape. “...just after the muzzle flash...the man's body jolts off the ground and a pool of blood quickly grows near his head.” The article also makes conspicuous mention of the fact that Maynulet is a Chicago native. The latter half of the article paints the scene of the courtroom, involving equal parts prosecution and defense. The reporter included quotes that stress the fact that there is no exception for “mercy killing” in military justice, but he makes equally strong mention of Maynulet’s side, “’I told Capt. Maynulet he wasn't going to make it,’ Cassady said.” The story ends with an estimate of how long the trial is expected to last.

I was impressed with the impartiality of the article. Moral and political ideologies are two of the strongest reasons for bias, and this story (like many others) draws on both. Further, Roger Maynulet is a Chicago native. This could have some bearing on the Chicago press, but the only effect it seems to have had regards the newsworthiness of the Tribune article. At 840 words, the story runs longer than any of the others, and this can also be attributed to the fact that Maynulet is a representative of Chicago in the Iraqi conflict. The article makes special mention of the panel in the Wiesbaden, Germany trial, “…the six-member jury, which consists of four colonels and two majors.” This was interesting to me, since it could have been inferred that the panel would be at least predominately military. It seems to have been written in reverse-pyramid, which supports the lack of bias in the report. The humanity, an important aspect of a hearing such as this, is saved for the end. Facts and observations hold the high ground.

Entry 02

The New York Times also published a Maynulet court-marshal story in its March 29 issue, entitled “Witnesses Praise Soldier at Court – Marshal” by the Associated Press. There were no accompanying articles. The story is, hence the title, an ode to the character of Col. Roger Maynulet. In its 660 words, there are eleven quotes exalting Maynulet, and the phrase “a tremendous soldier” is repeated twice. The article does not include any quotes from the prosecution or dissenting opinions. A piece of information is included that did not appear in the Tribune article, however, and that is the name of the driver. “The U.S. military has referred to the Iraqi driver only as an ‘unidentified paramilitary member,’ but relatives named him as Karim Hassan, 36.” The paragraph continues, “The family does not dispute that he was working for al-Sadr.”

This article astounded me simply because I have come to expect the best from the staff at the New York Times. The article gives no clues to the central dispute of the trial; it is doubtful the writer had room after spending so much time on what a great guy Maynulet is. There is so much emphasis on his strong character and the traits that make him “a tremendous soldier” that, if this had been the only article I’d read, I would wonder why there is a hearing at all. This is what I had expected to see in the Dallas or Houston press, decidedly more conservative newspapers. I haven’t quite pieced this hunch together yet, but the Times mention of the panel referred to it as “the equivalent of a civilian jury” while the Tribune made clear mention that it was made up of four colonels and two majors. Not a complete difference in meaning, but the phrasing gives off two different perspectives on the trial.

Entry 03

The Dallas Morning News, one of the largest newspapers in the southern half of the United States, did not publish an article on March 29 regarding the Maynulet court-marshal case. I followed the paper for two days and found nothing. Instead of searching for an alternative paper, I decided to investigate any coverage the newspaper has had on the story. After searching the online article database at www.dallasmorningnews.com, I found the most recent article mentioning Roger (or Rogelio, as the paper referred to him) Maynulet. Published on July 29, 2004, the article was entitled “Military Murder Trial Opens in Germany”. It is a sixty-six word blurb stating that Maynulet “says he’s innocent of fatally shooting a man in June while hunting for Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sahir.” The reporter finishes by saying that the hearings are taking place through August and could potentially lead to a court-marshal.

I’m not adept enough to discern if this is insufficient coverage or some lesser form of censorship, but my instincts lead me to the latter option. I expected to find a Times-esque article glorifying Maynulet for his heroic display of empathy, but instead realized that the Dallas Morning News had opted to mention the story as little as possible. It is my belief that the historically conservative paper did not want to put a bad face on the war, and thus refrained from shedding light on an aspect of the conflict that can be deemed gruesome or controversial. This is not bad reporting, but poor content management; the court-marshal hearing is definitely newsworthy and arguably essential. The article said Maynulet was a captain (not a colonel) and used the name “Rogelio” to refer to him, something that neither the Tribune nor the Times had done. This could simply be a change in the way the public has known him since the first mention of the issue in June, but (that damned) instinct tells me the Dallas Morning News is altering the story through racial profiling, making it seem like it was not a “good American” that committed the act.

Conclusions

Just as I had expected, the regional differences in news coverage and reporting are significant. Some of my assertions (read: assumptions) might have been drastic, but there is a solid foundation for everything I have deduced. I am impressed with the Chicago Tribune Article for its impartiality and strong coverage, even if it is because Maynulet is a Chicago native. I am admittedly not familiar with the exact role/function of the Associated Press, so this is keeping me from making a strong intuitive conclusion on exactly what I think of the Times and its article. While I don’t think Maynulet should be ripped apart with bad ink, I am disappointed in the editing staff at the Times for not offering a more unbiased article, or at least some coverage of the prosecution in the case. The Dallas Morning News is an immense disappointment. Although I might be reaching for a darkside to this media journal, if even one of my suspicions is correct then there is an entire Texan metroplex that is living under (here comes the Gonzo) an Orwellian news source. There is no room for censorship and little room for bias in our newspapers, and if the Dallas Morning News is doing what I think it is, I can understand how an entire public/demographic could remain misinformed. Perhaps the best way to fix this problem is to look toward country-wide newspapers (although these have their own problems) for international and domestic news, and rely on the Dallas Morning News to read about Grapevine, TX’s new mayor or check the next time Pat Green will be playing at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth.

(I was raised in Texas, Grapevine in particular, and yes, Billy Bob’s actually exists.)

--by Chris Saylor

Media Journal #1

The New York Times
March 14, 2005
Article #1
“Kurds Return to City Shakes Politics in Iraq”

Summary:
This article covers the return of Kurdish citizens to the city of Kirkuk after being exiled to Northern Iraq under Sadam Hussien’s rule, now, the question at hand is how to return jobs and homes take from the Kurds without taking away from the Arab employment populace.
The article discusses the possibility of civil war in Iraq as well as political attempts to prevent a civil war. Returnees have been living in makeshift camps, old military camps, as well as an old soccer stadium. The main issue seems to be the Kurds employment at North Oil Co. (which the Kurds made up a high population of employment ) which appears to restrict employment of Kurdish citizens even after the fall of Sadam Hussein.

Response:
This article begins on the front page and what I find interesting involves the other articles which were also given a spot on the front page. For example: articles dealing with the boom of online poker among college students, the new chief executive at Disney. U.S. security, and an article about stem cell research.
It just seems odd to see such important foreign and political issues sharing the front page with articles about Disney and poker. I know there is a reason for this, and that is because not everybody that picks up the paper wants to read only about issues in the Middle-East or some may not want to read about it at all. I suspect that this has to do with newspaper sales. This idea of front page variety most likely catches the attention of many more potential newspaper buyers than it would if it the front page only consisted of certain topics.

The Chicago Tribune
March 15th, 2005
Article #2
“Find their Religion”

Summary:
The word of God apparently is located firmly in the troops in Iraq just about as much as it is found here in the United States presidency. The religious revival seems to be of large diversity among the Christians, Muslims, and the Jews, even those who didn’t believe before are praying, studying religious texts, and attending services in Fallujah, Iraq. Baptism has also been taking place in makeshift pools around military camps.

This article, unlike the article I read for entry #1 was lacking information (I feel), not being particularly informative, but I suppose it could be my overall distant interest from the religious topic at hand.
The article consists generally of the interviewing of a wide range of military officers where they state their hometown, rank, and beliefs. This method brings readers into the story, particularly for small town American readers I presume. This gives the readers something to relate to if they live in or around the cities or states mention throughout the article.
Along with this article on the front page was a picture of the Chicago Tribune-owned Chicago Cubs pitcher, Mark Prior.

The New York Times
April 8th, 2005
Article #3
“Fear and Violence Accompany a Deadly Virus Across Angola”

Summary:
Recently in Luanda, Angola there has been an epidemic of an Ebola-like virus called Marburg. This virus, as declared by epidemiologists, is deadlier than its cousin, the Ebola virus.
The article further explains how the government of Angola plans to handle the situation. Angola has requested 3.1 million dollars from the U.N. in order to cover the costs of mobile medical labs, antibiotics, and a immense campaign to spread information about this virus.
This is the largest outbreak killing of Marburg, claiming 174 lives since the last outbreak that took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Citizens of Angola have been hiding sick relatives in hopes that they won’t be taken away. This causes a greater risk of the spread among immediate family and then to others. The Marburg virus is spread through exchange of bodily fluids such as saliva and blood.

Response:
From the moment I read the title of the article I realized that it has definite news value. The article deals with an epidemic that should concern the whole world because of the spontaneous nature of epidemics, especially in this case with Angolan citizens not offering the most cooperation towards containing the virus.
Also, I feel that this article perhaps could have been larger and included photograph to go along with it, but with the king of all news worthy topics right now (I guess) being at the top, I can see where the New York Times decided where to cut this article short. Of course the article I am referring to is covering the death of Pope John Paul II.

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My overall feelings about the newspaper I have to say are satisfactory. I have a better idea of where to look for information based on what I am looking for. The Chicago Tribune offers good international news, but I find that I prefer to read the New York Times as my international news source, because I find it to be more informative. I will have to investigate other news publications to find further contrast to what I have found reading the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times.

I find the variety of front page articles a little unnerving when I think of what I consider to be “newsworthy.” For example, next to the article about the Marburg virus is an article titled “Miss America Seeks Comeback In Reality TV.” But like I stated before I can understand why newspaper include articles like this and that is, and sadly I might add, because some readers/buyers of the newspaper are interested in garbage like this.

Media Journal
I can remember watching Fox news on March 23rd, which also happens to be my grandmothers birthday. I rarely ever watch any other news broadcast except for CNN. CNN is more accurate than any other news broadcast. The top story was that Terri Schaivos’ feeding tube was removed. There were really no supporting facts as to why, and who specifically ordered the removal of the tube. Tammaron Hall’s demeanor when telling this news story was very “matter of factly“. The news broadcast made me very angry. The portion of the news that took up the most time was the celebrity watch, and the weather. After watching Fox news, it made me thankful for CNN. They devote 80% of time for the vital news, 20% for the regular headlines, and 0% for “BENNIFER”.

Fox news has a way o going around the really important information. They smirk and laugh a lot during the news broadcast. The anchors really need to take their stories, and the victims of their stories more serious. The whole entire newscast seems so scripted and rehearsed. The anchors seem to be faking for the camera. Fox news to me has very little news value. The entire segment was mostly devoted to the sports segment, and the five day forecast.

Next, I read about the Terri Schaivo story in the Chicago Sun-Times. The Sun-Times is a very accurate and professional newspaper. The Sun-Times exclaimed the who, what, when, where, and whys. They do not keep you guessing, even throughout the paper there are guest writers that speak their piece, and even the longtime writers embrace the true essence of the story. The Times give you all the supporting details about the story. One does not have to wonder what happened in between the lines.
The Chicago Sun-Times give you 100% of news value and news worthiness. They always seem to capture the true essence of the story with a captivating picture. They have excellent usage of the pyramid style of writing. In the first 2 lines the reader knows the who, what , when , where, and why. The Chicago Sun-Times is an very easy read.

Lastly I watched another broadcast from CNN. I watched the story on Terri Schaivo. The main story was about how after 13 days without her feeding tube, Terri Schaivo died. The anchor that reported the story gave the time of death, who was in the room with her when she died, and all of the concluding information about the moral and political aftermaths. The main thing that I noticed about Fox was that when they tell bad news stories they have a slight smirk on their faces, but on CNN they are serious. The anchor that reported the story was a young, black guy named Collins Spenser. Mr. Spenser was very professional, and informative.

CNN is know for being the most prestigious news program in the United States. When breaking news happens they don’t just do one segment, they devote the whole program to bringing you up to the minute updates, live interviews, and follow-up information. The anchors don’t laugh or smile when reporting devastating news, they keep a straight face. One can tell that the anchors have a truthful aura about themselves.

In spite of all the bad news broadcast that I watched, only on prevailed on top. The winner was CNN. They care more about the true essence of a story than “sweeps week.“ I believe that other news stations should follow CNNs’ example and take their jobs a little more serious. The Chicago Sun-Times is one of the leading newspapers for a reason, and that is because they tell it like it is and don’t leave the facts out.
There were some likenesses between the news broadcast, and the newspaper medias: such as both reported on major stories, both use very good use of language, and both conveys the stories for different audiences. CNN to me is the best, then the Chicago Sun-Times, and lastly Fox news. Maybe if Fox news had Bill O’Reiley or Larry King on their team the they would gain much needed respect and report.

--Samuels-Akanmu


Owen Gallalee
Media Journal
The Case of Terri Schiavo
For my media journal I chose to follow the story about Terri Schiavo. The articles I looked at were only from CNN.com because if I used more sources I feel there would have been too much material to review.
Entry 1
The first article I looked at was from March 1st, and it was titled Parents Ask Judge To Let Schiavo Divorce Her Husband. The heading reads that Terri Schiavo's parents have filed 11 new motions including one that would allow Terri Schiavo to divorce her husband even after she dies, and there is a picture on the side of Terri's mother giving her a kiss. The article states that Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have accused her husband, Michael Schiavo, of adultery and not acting in his wife's best interest. In the article, Bob Schindler stated that the divorce proceedings have been filed because of Michael Schiavo's disregard for his wife because he is married to Terri, but he lives with another woman and has two kids with her, and this makes it obvious his priorities are not in Terri's best interests. The article goes on to mention that Terri's parents have been fighting wit her husband in court since the late 1990s on whether Terri should live or die. Michael Schiavo says that his wife, who has been in what doctors call a vegetative state for 15 years, once told him that she would never want to be kept alive artificially. Despite her parents efforts, Judge George Greer has ruled to have Terri's feeding tube removed on March 18th. The Schindler's also filed motions that would allow news reporters to see Terri's interactions with her parents because they contend that she respond to them. They also want Terri to be allowed to die at home, and have her body buried rather than cremated like her husband wants.
This article gave me a good overview of what has been going on and what is currently going on in the Terri Schiavo case. One thing I was not aware of is that Terri has been in a vegetative state since the 90s because I had never heard anything about it before this March. I'm sure there had probably been some coverage on it before, but now that a conflict is emerging the AP has decided to give more attention to the story. In the article heading it mentions that the Schindlers have filed 11 new motions, but then only five are mentioned in the article. If their heading says that there are 11 new motions then 11 motions should be mentioned in the article.
Entry 2
The next article I read was from March 17th, and was entitled Supreme Court Rejects Schiavo Appeal. The heading states that less than 18 hours before Terri's feeding tube is to be removed the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Terri's parents to have the procedure stopped. The article states that legislation that would keep Terri alive has stalled in Florida and the U.S. Congress. The article contains a quote from the President that society and the nation's courts “should have a presumption in the favor of life” on such matters. The Schindler's emergency appeal was filed on the grounds that their daughter's religious freedom and due process rights were being violated, but the Supreme Court rejected the appeal without comment. The article mentioned that in Washington the U.S. Congress both passed separate bills giving the federal courts jurisdiction in the Schiavo case. Bills in the Florida legislature had appeared to collapse by Thursday. Lower courts have ruled that Schiavo is in a “persistent vegetative state.” The article goes on to mention the views of Terri's husband and her parents, but says that Schiavo never left anything in writing about what she would want if she ever became incapacitated. The article states that courts have sided with Schiavo's husband more than a dozen times. The courts estimated that upon the removal of her feeding tube Schiavo will live 7 to 14 days. This is the third time her feeding tube has been removed, and in 2003 at the last occurrence Gov. Bush pushed a law through Florida legislation that authorized him to have the tube reinserted six days after it had been removed, but later the Florida Supreme Court ruled that law unconstitutional.
This article gave more details about specific instances and situations that have arose with the pending removal of her feeding tube. The quotes provided by President Bush show how serious and controversial tis situation is because people at the highest levels of the federal government are getting involved. I like that the article mentioned that in the past the feeding tube has been removed also. This article seems to be very bipartisan and doesn't come out and say whether the feeding tube should be removed or not. The article just gives details and descriptions about the circumstances surrounding this case.
Entry 3
The third article I read was from March 25th, and was titled Doctors Debate Over Schiavo's Condition. The heading stated that this is not the first time that the diagnosis that Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state has been challenged, and last time the diagnosis was upheld in front of a judge. The issue arose again when Dr. William Cheshire said that he believed Schiavo is in a “minimally conscious state.” The article said that in a persistent vegetative state a person is not aware of their environment and can only make reflex movements, but in a minimally conscious state a person a person inconsistently sows signs of consciousness like following simple commands. Cheshire contested that Schiavo's face brightens and she smiles in response to familiar voices and fixates her gaze on objects or faces for about 15 seconds at a time. Cheshire went on to mention that although Schiavo didn't demonstrate conscious awareness or volitional behavior, the visitor has the sense of a human being who seems at some level to be aware of her surroundings. Dr. Gene Sung, who has not been involved with the Schiavo case criticized this observation saying that the first part of his statement follows the criteria for a vegetative state. Sung went on to say that Cheshire's feelings and possibly his religious beliefs are affecting his medical decision. Cheshire is listed as director of biotech ethics for the Center for Biotech Ethics and Human Dignity, which mentions on their website that it was founded by Christian bioethicists. Sung said that the original diagnosis was based on repeated examinations by distinguished neurologists and he is very comfortable with the diagnosis without examining Schiavo himself. Dr. Roger Albin agreed with this saying he's not aware of evidence that a person could emerge from a persistent vegetative state to a minimally conscious one, especially in a case where blood flow had been temporarily cut off from the brain. The diagnosis has been a court matter in 2000 and 2002 when a Florida judge agreed with the neurologists that Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state. Dr. William Hammesfahr represented Schiavo's parents in 2002 and in is examination he concluded that Schiavo is “definitely aware of her mother” and communicating by following instructions and looking at people. A radiologist brain scan in 2002 showed more normal appearance than one in 1996 and led Hammesfahr to conclude there was a “significant probability she would improve” with certain treatments. Hammesfahr said that he and other neurologists who have examined Schiavo believe there is a chance she can be helped with treatment.
This article is good because it presents that medical issues that are being looked into on the case, and although the article shows both sides of the story it maintains independence by never taking a stand and saying who is right. This article also gives good background information on what has been going on with Terri Schiavo since the 90s when she had her heart attack. The article presents both sides fairly giving multiple opinions from both sides, and leaving it to the reader to decide which one is right, but I don't believe the article gives enough information and evidence for a reader to make an informed decision because what average person knows anything about neurology anyway. I still feel undecided on whether the patient is in a persistent vegetative state or a minimally conscious state because both sides made valid points, but neither good disregard the other side's observations. I believe more evidence and quotes should have been provided in the article.
Entry 4
The final article I read was also from March 25th, and was titled Background on the Schiavo Case. The article starts by mentioning the cause of Schiavo's current condition. It states that she collapsed in her home from what doctors said was a potassium imbalance, and after this her brain didn't receive oxygen for five minutes which caused severe brain damage. The article goes into discussing Terri's current condition; it mentions that doctors her husband has hired say that she is in a persistent vegetative state, and doctors that Schiavo's parent have hired say that she is not in the vegetative state and has capacity to improve with therapy. When she received therapeutic care her parents say that she uttered a few one syllable words. The article goes on to describe her mental capacity. David Gibbs, Schiavo's parents attorney, says that Terri has the mental capacity of a 6-month-old baby, and Michael Schiavo's attorney says that she lacks all mental capacity and spinal fluid occupies where her cerebral cortex was. The article next mentions the settlement which both sides talk about. In 1992, Michael Schiavo was awarded $300,000 for loss of consortium for the malpractice suit he filed. Terri Schiavo was also awarded $700,000. The article then answers the question about where Terri's money is, and says that it went into a trust that her husband had control of and claims that the money has went to Terri's medical care and his legal expenses, and that it ran out three years ago. Next, the article deals wit why Terri's husband gets to decide her fate and not her parents. It states that Florida law specifies that the spouse of an incapacitated adult is the person's guardian. The article mentions that in 193 the Schindlers petitioned to have Michael removed as Terri's guardian, but they lost. Finally, the article asks why the Schindlers have said that Michael Schiavo should not be their daughter's guardian. The article states that the Schindlers believe there is a conflict of interest because Michael lives with his girlfriend and had two kids with her, and they contend he can't have the best interests of his wife at hand while being in what they describe as an adulterous relationship. Michael Schiavo says he is removing his wife's feeding tube as part of a promise to his wife that he would not let artificial means preserve her. He stated that his new family does not affect his feelings for his wife because he can love more than one person.
This article is very reader friendly and is set up in a question/answer format which makes it very easy to follow. The article also contained the most complete information about the case from how it started to the current state it is in now. I believe this article answers almost all questions that the average reader would need to know about this case to have a good idea about what the whole thing is about.
Conclusion
This was a very interesting story to cover, and I'm glad that I chose it. From all the reading I did about it I was able to obtain a general knowledge about the whole situation. But, there are some questions that I have that none of the articles addressed. For instance, why is there still a debate over Terri Schiavo that has taken more than ten years to solve. Also, the article mentioned several years where investigations were launched or appeals were launched, but what was going on in all those other years. It seems that any decision or conflict should be able to be reached within a span of ten years, and if it was Terri Schiavo's wish to not have artificial help with living why didn't her husband say that when she first went in to the vegetative state. I guess it could be because it is just hearsay that that's what she wanted, but still then according to Florida law he is her legal guardian and he should be allowed to make that decision for her. Another thing I'm curious about is why Michael Schiavo doesn't divorce Terri or let her parents become her guardian even if he does love her. Everything in this case just doesn't add up.
Another thing that this case brings up is why is congress and the President is paying so much attention to this now when it has been going on for over ten years. I believe it is to divert the public's attention from other issues like the state of Iraq and the American troops and issues like social security. I think that's the same reason why congress is giving steroids so much attention right now. This is a very serious and sensitive story and by no means do I feel that Terri Schiavo's life should be devalued, but I think that the President and Congress have to think about the whole country
A story like this can easily be a very sensitive subject for most people to talk about, but I believe that the bottom line is that whatever is best for Terri and what she would want should be done. If she honestly told her husband that she didn't want her life to be artificially sustained then her feeding tube should stay removed, but if she didn't, I think that her husband should pass over the guardianship to her original guardians, her parents, and let them do whatever is possible to help her get better.

COMMENTS
What I’m following is Sudan war and, caused of war and what fuel the war. I used many news on line to survey how the report the war in Sudan.
BBC lays it formats out on Sudan war from the country size to how long the war has been in the country. The also report economic dividends of peace, which fuel the massive killing of civilians. Those are oil, gold cotton, land for cultivation etc. Follow by the cause of recent war in Defur. BBC reports that it is the seeking great autonomy after the government and main rebels Sudan people liberation army reach the point of peace in the country. Then the total number killed, displaced and the people whom the government said to be ethnic cleansing against non-Arab religion in the region. BBC severely follow all the detail about war in Sudan and meaning of Sudan that is “Bilad al-Sudan in Arabic” which mean land of Black in English. BBC covers every thing in Sudan. Its cover also the major language speaking in Sudan, population, major religion, imposition of sharia law to non-Muslim by government etc. This agency also report on background of Sudan dictator leader Bashir when he was born “1944”, and the time he join army and fought with Israel in Egyptian army in 1973 with ISAREL. BBC reports in more detail and also covers all stories and areas in detail.
Sudan net
Sudan nets lay it formats through daily news. It’s mainly report on the daily issues about war and negotiation of peace and Security Council. It also report on particular problem in Sudan such as war between tribes and war between rebel and government.
Tribune
Tribune commonly report for the need of thousand of refugees. Its also report on how long the violence in Western Sudan has force hundred of people out of their villages without food, water, and how long they refugees travel to destination “Chad”. Its cover about what UHCR will do to help and relocate refugees in the camps and the goal that UN should do to help those refugees. Tribune report also the immediate assistants to refugees and what is need to be done and how UNHCR will does it for refugees. Its also report on identify and implementation of political solution to the problems in Sudan and sanction to be imposed on Sudan.
CNN
CNN reports on Sudan oil, atrocities, the human right living in the world’s least developed countries are under threat because of the lack of regulation of big business, the involvement of European companies in human right abuse in oil field, the process of denial of human right abuse through out oil area in Sudan. Its reports on France, UK, Sweden and ludin, which invested in Sudan for, oil that is use by Arab Islamic government to buy gun for killing civilians in oil areas. CNN report of involvement in Sudan oil for human right abuse give information to the world to give pressure to Sudan government for peace.
All African report all branches, which fuel the war. It’s also report for the need of refugees in Sudan and what should be done to help refugees in Sudan.
Based on report of all media in the world about Sudan war, there are no misjudgment and critical of people. They have news values and verification based on the stories they report about Sudan, but some of them report of what needed and action to be taken. Their formats are different based on their layout of stories in Sudan war.
War in Sudan is known to the world because of way media report it. Through out all format media used to cover story in Sudan, I including other readers get information for the daily news and what is fueling the war in Sudan. They don’t give us clue of what should be done to prevent more atrocities and human right abuse. Some media are favoring and some do not really report what is going on there in Sudan.
BY B ENJAMIN AKOL

I chose to follow the news coverage following Syria pulling out Lebanon, and the events around the topic. I used several news outlets to survey this endeavor. I used Newsweek (a news magazine), BBC Online, CNN Online, ABC Online and ABC News broadcast, New York Times and Chicago Tribune. For the purposes of this analysis, however, I’ve decided to contrast my findings with ABC Online and news broadcast, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek and BBC Online. I wanted to see how international/world news is covered after a week of a breaking story—in this case Lebanon.

Newsweek 3/14/2005 “What Bush Got Right—Freedom’s March: The President has been right on some big question. Now if he can get the little stuff right, he’ll change the world.” By Fareed Zakaria

This is actually editorial in style. There is a lead—that all politics are local—but following the lead, the author begins to give insight and rhetoric that lends itself to opinion. He does however include research and thorough reporting.

This editorial/column challenges the reader (at whatever place they are in regarding the Bush administration and its foreign policy, as well as the issues around the Middle East) to really think about history’s place in these current events, as well as allow room for the reader to pontificate the possibilities that history will lend itself in the results of these issues/situations.

The style that this article and its counterpart display is a hybrid of news writing and magazine writing. The paragraphs are longer with a more accelerated choice of words. The views expressed by the author, as well as the arrangement of the article, are aimed at readers that have some knowledge of history and/or current events.

Substory: by Christopher Dickey “An Arabian Spring—Democracy: Many Arabs are fed up and want their freedom. Can people power prevail?”

This story has a focus structure in magazine format with extensive reporting pertaining to the Lebanese people’s zeal to provoke and demand change (especially after seeing the Iraqi’s involvement in Iraq’s change).

This article is very informative. It definitely would be classified as investigative reporting. Though the attributions of U.S. officials, I noticed are only mentioned via their title (no names are mentioned), whereas the names of officials from the UN, Syria, Lebanon or other affiliate offices/governments are mentioned.

Though I feel that this news magazine has offered the general public real facts and information that they can walk away with and feel informed, I still feel that there is some loyalty being expressed on the part of the media and U.S. government.

BBC Online 3/17/2005
BBC offers comprehensively reported stories regarding Lebanon and Syria. The reporting is from BBC reporters and correspondents directly, though there are some references to Reuters’ wire service for quotes or research. BBC offers online links to other related key stories, features and analysis on the situation, related international links, and audience participation space via email posts. The articles use service journalism and pull out quotes to help guide the reader through the article. BBC also offers video footage and photo journals to provide a human interest or first-hand account of protests and general life in Lebanon.

Chicago Tribune 3/18/2005
There was a bombing in the capital of Lebanon that provoked the President to call for and urgent meeting. This is following the first phase of the Syrian military pulling out of Lebanon after almost 30 years of “intervention” by the Syrian government.

First, let me say, that I noticed at one point earlier in the coverage of the overall story of Lebanon—Syria pulling out and ending foreign domination—that the Tribune had a reporter in Beirut, which has reported as late as March 14, 2005, which is just four days before this story of the bombing and call for urgent talks is released. However, since the 14th of March, the stories that Tribune have featured around this subject are from Associated Press wires. They have been rephrased and formatted to become blurbs lost in the Nation/World News section of the paper and the online site for the Tribune. I literally had to search the site just to find one recent Lebanon article and had to search the paper several times before finding a reference to Lebanon.

This is to say that the coverage that Tribune Co. seems to lend to this topic shows inconsistent and perhaps minimal effort to bring continual news on this subject. Even the news that it brings borrowed from news wire services is brief. The stories are dry and don’t lend themselves to captivate any reader’s attention.

ABC News Online and News Broadcast 3/18/2005
On ABC’s website was similar to Chicago Tribune’s site. I still had to search the site to find the recent events and stories on Lebanon. Once I found the stories, they were taken from wires from Reuters. I searched Reuters for the same story and I discovered that ABC online chose to condense the detail-full story to a five, one-sentenced paragraphs.

Furthermore, these “wire-spin offs” weren’t even mentioned on the broadcast. As a matter of fact, like most of the local news stations, ABC has not mentioned Lebanon in days or even weeks.

My response and analysis
The embedded values and points of view displayed in these various forms of coverage regarding a very strategic event occurring in the global community, displays the medias’ biases toward what “sells”. I suppose from this, that Lebanon and related stories are not profitable enough. Especially in contrast to how marketable the Michael Jackson trial—for example—is to such news sources.

This seems to be a prime example of constructed media messages to not attract readers, but to appeal to the readers that they already have. Obviously, those readers are not interested in continual stories regarding events that “indirectly or do not apply directly” to their lives. I saw this by the way that news sources such as CNN, ABC, and Tribune Co. did not do their own reporting and research, but used wires from Reuters or Associated Press, and then still deleted information from the stories that they told from said wires. Perhaps this has to do with their advertisers or parent companies (I am not sure of this, but will continue to search it out).

Lastly, as mentioned in the entry regarding Newsweek, I am coming to grips with the fact that the U.S. government, though not in any way like some governments with repressive measures toward the media, has a hand in what gets told. Perhaps this is just the form of investigative reporting known as reporting on reports (as mentioned in Elements of Journalism), but it could also be ultimatums made to the journalist by Editors via government officials—the names or your story.

--by Stacie Johnson

MEDIA JOURNAL

-Wednesday March 16th, 2005: Chicago Tribune/ Channel 5, 10pm.
Bernard J. Ebbers is convicted in a $11 billion fraud scandal. The fraud caused the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. Mr Ebbers could get up to 85 years in prison. As chief executive of WorldCom Inc. Ebbers conviction is the result of the first trial in a series. Chief executives from Tyco International Ltd. and HealthSouth Corp. and others are also currently charged with fraud. The case will be appealed on the grounds it was the financial chief who was responsible for the fraud. Ebbers defense was referred to by the prosecuting attorney as the “ ‘aw shucks, I’m just not that sophisticated’ defense.” WorldCom had already emerged from bankruptcy and took the name MCI. Inc. last year. Ebbers’ financial portfolio dropped in value as WoldCom shares did. WorldCom did not inform anyone about the drop in their share value.
This piece appeared on the front page of the Tribune. And the story continued to the back page. In the business section was a warning to other executives to the effect that it would be wise for them to clean house. The front page story provided big money amounts tied in with the account of the court case. The fact that is just the latest in a long line of executive fraud was only mentioned. All of these corporate fraud schemes and the number of collapsing companies will have a direct bearing on the man in the street. I couldn’t find a ‘so what?’ in the story. Channel 5 reported the matter more in a ‘Hollywood’ style. It appeared to be directed more to a less monied audience. The idea being to show the ‘poor’ people how much money the rich ones throw around. There was also an element of ‘oh how the mighty have fallen’.

-Thursday March 17th, 2005. Chicago Tribune/ Channel 5, 10pm.
The story today was confined to the business section and had a one sentence reference on Channel 5. The business section is running it as a series titled ‘Executives on Trial’ and has a tie in article saying that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. are to settle a WorldCom suit brought by investors who said that the companies underwriters should have known the books were fraudulent. The settlement was for $2 billion. In the main article reference was made to a concern prosecutors had as to whether the jury would be able to grasp the intricacies of the high finance case. The effect of the Ebbers decision is expected to reverberate throughout corporate America. Prosecutors will be more willing to take such cases and win. However, it also points out that government losses in such cases may cause them to be less inclined to go to court.
Again the contrast is apparent between the media. After thinking about it I realise that, as we said in class, the audience is different. Reading the paper can be done at leisure. One can pick it up at put it down, read as much or little as one wants to, and if necessary save it for the next day. People who watch the news at the o’clock at night are, generally, tired and getting ready for bed. They may just want a recap of the day’s events or they may just want to know the forecast for the next days work.

-Friday March 18th, 2005. Chicago Tribune/Channel 5 news, 11am.
Ebbers conviction is not reported on. However, in a related story, Qwest Communications International Inc. is trying to acquire MCI. Inc. This is reported in the Tribunes business section and in the business news on Channel 5. Reference was made on channel 5 to Mr Ebbers conviction and the fact that MCI Inc was once called WorldCom.
It is fascinating how a front page story, in the space of three days, dies. It is an indication of how fast the pace of life is and how much really happens in a day. Billions of dollars are stolen and it’s old news.

As I said above it is fascinating how this happens. I have come to realise how few news pieces actually remain in the press for three days. It is amazing! I saw how as the story became older other fresher stories replaced them. This journal was a great way to see the progress of a story. It is front page and business section news on day one; day two it has become purely business news and by day three it is mentioned by chance in a somewhat related article.

Observations
It was also interesting to see the different media’s take on the story. I watched other Channel 5 news bulletins at different times and the attention given to the story varied by time of day. The most attention was given to the story in the evening when business people would be home after work. It got minimal attention before the soaps came on in the afternoon.
Another thing that occurred to me with regard to the Tribune was the positioning of the story. On day one the articles were on the front page in both the front and business sections – no need for turning pages. On day two it was front page on the business section but continued on page 3 and by day three no turning at all was necessary since the story had died. All of these scandals in corporate America, it seems to me, deserve analysis. Has this been going on for a long time and no one knew or is it a new phenomenon? If it is a recent occurrence then one has to ask what is causing it. This bears investigating because it is not something that only affects corporate America. The ramifications go on down the line to all of us.
--Deirdre Merriman