"Are You Better Off?"

Apparently this question has become a central them of the upcoming presidential elections; however the way it is interpreted varies greatly depending on who you are.  Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has stated that “this president cannot tell us that you are better off today than when he took office,” referring, of course, to President Obama.  This statement made me think quite a bit about both candidates and whether or not I feel "better off" now then I did four years ago when President Obama took office.  I also found it interesting that this simple statement can be taken in so many different ways.  Although many commentators have applied it to the financial aspect and unemployment rate, I thought about it in a different way.  Obviously the economic situation of our country is incredibly important, but I feel that as Americans, our emotional feelings towards our president are equally as important.  As a citizen, I want to feel as if I can trust my president to do more than just financially stabilize our country. I want to know that I can trust whoever is in office to make ethically good decisions that benefit more than just one group of people.  I think that this is an important thing to consider when deciding who to vote for and I hope that when it comes time to vote, Americans will be able to look at more than just the financial situation in our country.

Rosa Jimenez: Trouble With our Justice System

Yesterday I read a very interesting story regarding the American Justice System.  About 6 months ago, Rosa Jimenez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was charged with choking and killing a young child in her care.  Ms. Jimenez claims that she did not commit the crime and has been falsely imprisoned, but her case deals with much more than a question of guilt or innocence.  At her trial, the prosecutor remarked about Ms. Jimenez, “Despite being from Mexico, she’s very intelligent.”  This comment infuriated the mayor of her hometown and contributed to her becoming "a symbol of the inequality of the American criminal justice system."  In addition to this comment, the medical witness provided by the defense was determined to be an amateur in the areas of pediatrics and choking.  Although the U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing Ms. Jimenezs' request for a retrial, she still will have spent at least a year in prison for a crime she may not have committed.  

Whether or not Ms. Jimenez committed the crime, her story really makes me wonder about our country's criminal justice system.  I can't help but wonder if the suspect had been an American citizen, would she have been given a better attorney, better treatment, and a more knowledgeable medical witness.  In a country where we pride ourselves on acceptance, freedom, and equality, it seems wrong to me that an immigrant, illegal or not, would be treated in such a dismissive and unfair manner.

Interrogation Techniques Taking a Turn for the Worst?

Recently, I read an article in the New York Times regarding the current and future interrogation techniques permitted in the United States.  The article discussed the idea that the upcoming elections will likely determine whether or not torture, or "enhanced interrogation techniques" will eventually be legalized.  As of now, President Obama has issued an executive order banning any form of physically abusive interrogation techniques, which he plans to uphold should he be re-elected.  On the contrary, however, presidential candidate, Mitt Romney has been urged by his advisors to "rescind and replace President Obama's executive order".  Although Romney has said that if he were to do this, all interrogation techniques will remain safe, legal and effective in generating intelligence to save American lives,” I can't help but question Romney's true intentions, as well as his character.

As someone who is already quite skeptical of Romney, this story definitely did not help him out a lot in my book.  I firmly believe that any form of physically abusive interrogation is barbaric and wrong, and should definitely not be legal in our 21st century American society.  In addition, the fact that Romney is being so vague about what these "enhanced interrogation techniques" would involve, makes me very nervous.  All I can hope is that enough Romney supporters read this story and hopefully question the character of the man they want to run our country.

Juveniles and Life Sentences

Recently, I have been following the news on the Steven Spader trial and thinking a lot about whether or not I believe that juveniles should ever be given life sentences.  Although in most cases, I think life sentences are a bit harsh and unfair for juvenile offenders, there are certain cases in which I see no other   options.  Some crimes are so mind-blowingly horrible that it seems almost unconstitutional to ever consider letting the offender walk the streets again.
There are cases in which I believe juvenile offenders are troubled and can be helped.  In situations like these, I think all possible efforts should be made to help the young offenders turn their lives around and give them another shot at adulthood.
In the case of Steven Spader, I don't believe his life sentence should be revoked simply because of his age at the time.  The crime he committed at 17 years old, was incredibly sadistic and clearly shows his need for either intense psychological help, or a lifetime behind bars.  Either way, he should never be allowed to roam the streets as a free man.

News Stories

While exploring downtown Durham for story ideas, I came across a number of very interesting things.  My team and I begun our search by focusing on the new businesses that have opened up in the area.  We spoke to employees at Aroma Joe's Coffee, and discovered that they don't seem to be very concerned with other competitors in the area, and are very confident in their ability to satisfy customer needs in a way that other coffee shops don't.  We also spoke to an employee at the Candy Bar, and learned that one of the ways they are increasing business is by partnering with Hayden Sports.  Customers who spend over $25 at Hayden Sports receive a $5 gift certificate to the Candy Bar.  After gathering information about new businesses, we had some time left over and decided we would visit a local liquor store to inquire about the fake ID problem on campus.  We spoke to an employee who told us that there has been an influx of fake IDs since the beginning of the school year, and even had a couple that had been confiscated.  I realized that the problem is much larger than I knew, and that the consequences are becoming quite extreme.
I discovered just how important it is to go into a search with questions already in your head, and to ask as many as you can to as many people as you can get in contact with.  Sometimes you uncover things that you never expected and meet people you didn't think you would.

So far, I think that the following story is the most interesting one I have come across.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/health/research/using-the-body-to-incubate-replacement-organs.html?_r=1&hp

To Lead or to Be Led: Different Types of Leads

"President Obama, under renewed fire from Mitt Romney for not standing up to China on behalf of American workers, used a rally in this battleground state on Monday to announce a new trade case against Beijing. " 

I found this lead to be very interesting as well as effective, because it managed to incorporate the who, the what, and the when.  Although it technically begins with "the who", it gives readers a small preview of the main point of the story, without being too wordy or confusing.  I think that a lead like this would be most effective when writing longer, more detailed pieces.  This way readers have a good idea of what they will be reading about, and might be more likely to commit to a longer piece.  

"Despite a well-documented increase in the abuse of alcohol and prescription medications among military personnel over the past decade, the Defense Department’s strategies for screening, treating and preventing those problems remains behind the times, a major new report finds." 

I thought that this lead was also quite effective.  By starting with "the what", it cuts right to the chase and leaves little room for confusion or questions.  I think that a lead like this would be most effective when used with a shorter, informative, and less creative piece.  It gives readers the information they want very quickly and without any extra detail. 

 "Justice Clarence Thomas has not asked a question from the bench in more than six years, and he seldom appears in public in Washington, a city he says is full of cynics, smart alecks and people who have agendas rather than convictions." 

Personally, I did not find this lead to be as effective as many of the others I came across.  After reading the lead in this story, I found myself already losing interest in the piece.  I think that leading with "the who" is a bit risky and should be saved for stories revolving around more well-known names, and much larger events.  

Obama Erases Romney's Edge on Economy

Last night I read a very interesting news story regarding the upcoming presidential election.  Prior to a recent poll conducted among potential voters, it was widely believed that presidential candidate, Mitt Romney held a large advantage over President Obama.  Many Americans, have been consistently unhappy with President Obama's efforts to fix our plunging economy, and Romney's fresh approach on achieving economic greatness seemed to pull in a large number of voters.  However, a recent poll among potential voters revealed that Romney may not actually have an advantage over Obama at all.

This story was quite shocking to me, because up until reading it, I was beginning to have quite a bit of doubt that President Obama would be able to achieve another win.  It was also very interesting to me to learn that the poll was conducted earlier this week.  The story touched briefly on the fact that this past week has been very "turbulent" in the political world; with violent attacks taking place not only in Libya, but also in Egypt and Arabia.  In addition, American televisions were flooded with new campaign ads, all encouraging voters to choose Romney and save the economy. I am curious as to whether or not these events affected the results of the poll, and would they have been different had it been conducted at another, less hectic time?

Deadly Embassy Assault in Libya

This morning I read a story in the New York Times about the attack that occurred in Benghazi, Libya early yesterday morning.  The American Ambassador, as well as three other diplomats were killed in this vicious attack, and officials are now beginning to suspect that the attack, once believed to be an unfortunate accident, may have actually been strategically planned.
While reading this story, I was very impressed with the level of detail and care that seems to have gone into the reporting.  Not only was the piece incredibly descriptive and informative, it also incorporated direct quotes from President Obama, Mohammed Magarief (the president of Libya's national assembly) , and other Libyan officials who were present during the attack.  In addition, the story was covered from not only Washington D.C, but also Cairo and London.
Although I do know that much effort and careful detail usually goes into reporting, this story seemed particularly well covered and I was very impressed with it.
I was wondering however, how would a reporter for a newspaper like the New York Times go about getting direct quotes from President Obama? And making sure that they are completely accurate?

My News Diet

To make sure I stay informed and fully exposed to the news, I constructed a news diet that I hope will work out well with my somewhat hectic schedule.  Part of the problem I've had with keeping up with the news in the past, is that I rarely have the time to sit and read the newspaper, or scroll though online sources.  I did realize however, that I spend a great deal of time scrolling through Twitter and other social networking sites on my phone throughout the day.  Because of this, I downloaded both the New York Times and the CNN News apps for the iPhone.  Together, these apps give me access to current news stories both in the U.S. and beyond.  This way, I can check easily throughout the day without needing to be behind a newspaper or in front of a computer.
In addition, I started following NPR News and the San Francisco Chronicle on Twitter.  San Francisco is my hometown, so I really enjoy being informed of things going on there.  Although these don't give me access to full news stories, they tweet important headlines which often peak my interest and inspire me to go online and do more research later on.
For the last part of my diet, I changed my internet's homepage to the New York Times official website. I almost always check my E-mail and Facebook accounts over breakfast, so I thought this would be a convenient way to start my day off with current events.

What is "News"?

                A story, a thought, an event, an idea.  News is what we are all talking about.  As its name suggests, it typically centers on new and noteworthy content that, for whatever reason, holds a certain amount of interest to the general public.  News catches our eye and fires up our minds; everything else is just information.