Libel

After reading the section of Chapter 7 on Libel, I had a couple of thoughts on it.  I understand what Libel is for the most part, but I'm wondering to what extent a liable suit can be made for it.  Suppose a journalist prints a direct quote from someone that defames someone else; can the defamed group or individual make a case for libel against the journalist for printing the quote?  Or would he or she have to file a suit against the quoted individual?
Or what if a journalist receives false information from a source that he or she thought was reliable? Could he or she potentially use this as a defense in a libel suit, or would the judge rule that the journalist should have done better fact checking?
Scenarios similar to this were discussed in the "Print it or Pull it?" section in the chapter, but no direct answer was given.
Either way, I'm glad I now have a more extensive knowledge of what libel is and how to avoid it.

Truth and Trust

After doing some of the reading, I've really begun to realize how important truth and trust are in the world of journalism.  It seems that without these two things, the whole world of reporting would completely crumble.  Journalists have to be able to trust that their sources are good and reliable, editors have to trust that their journalists are doing good and honest reporting, anonymous sources have to trust that journalists will keep their names and information confidential.  And last but certainly not least, readers have to be able to trust that the information they are getting from their news sources is reliable and accurate.

Of course there is fact checking, double checking, and editing, to ensure that trust is not the only thing being relied on; but I believe that having the ability to trust is a key ingredient in being a successful and honorable journalist. 

This also made me think about my previous blog, where I referenced the idea that a journalist's reputation is his or her most important tool.  Thinking about the importance of truth and trust in journalism really makes me understand why this is true.  If you can't be trusted, you're nothing but dead weight to the world of journalism.

Shield Laws

Shortly after beginning Chapter 7, I came across something that really interested me.  Shield Laws.  I didn't have much prior knowledge about these, and to some degree I always assumed that federal courts had more power than the media.  I think it is a great thing that we live in a country where laws like this can exist, even if they are not in affect in all 50 states.  I think there is danger in giving too much power to any one group, and laws like this help to balance things out.
I did a little research and discovered that New Hampshire is not one of the 39 states with Shield laws.  This got me thinking about how nerve-racking it must be to be a journalist or reporter in a state where you are not protected under these laws.  Although it is probably very rare for a journalist to find himself or herself in the position where they would need this type of protection, it is somewhat frightening to think of.  As a potential future journalist, I am not sure what I would do if I found myself in such a position.  Obviously I would not want to go to jail, but revealing confidential information and sources could very likely ruin one's career in the media.  I've often heard that your reputation is the most important thing you have as a journalist, and I can't imagine watching it shatter right before my eyes.  Definitely something to think about when deciding what state to apply for jobs in.

"Facts"

I know in the past I have run into trouble with my stories because I've gotten some of my information from other news sources.  I know this is dangerous considering that there is no way to verify that this information is true, however it hadn't fully hit me until now.
I am still very interested in the Lizzi Marriott case, and I have been searching every online news database I can find in search of new information.  While I haven't had much luck in coming across anything I didn't already know, I did notice something else.  The so called "facts" regarding the case vary slightly from story to story.  For example, while some sources say that Lizzi has been pronounced dead, others say that it is simply an assumption.  In addition, some sources refer to the suspect, Seth Mazzaglia, as a friend of Marriott's, while others say that the two did not know each other.
I know that there is usually some inaccuracy, especially surrounding murder cases, but some of these things seem pretty important.  Noticing this really made me realize just how risky it is to depend on other news sources to provide you with accurate information.  Even well-known news sources such as CNN don't always have their facts straight, and I don't want to end up paying the price for someone else's sloppy reporting.

Hurricane Sandy

I didn't realize how big of an impact Hurricane Sandy is having on the country until earlier this weekend.  After receiving the UNH alert that classes would be canceled Monday and Tuesday, I decided to do a little more research into the storm.
Among other things, I discovered that both presidential candidates have had to severely modify their schedules in anticipation of the hurricane.  Not only did Romney have to cancel his scheduled appearances in Haymarket, VA and Virginia Beach, VA. but first lady Michelle Obama canceled her scheduled visit to Durham, due to the curtailed operations announcement.
Maybe it's just me, but I always find it crazy that one thing can have such an impact on so many other aspects of our lives.
What is even more interesting to think about is whether or not the hurricane will have an affect on the actual presidential election.  While the changes in the candidate's schedules may be too small to really change much, it is hard to know for sure what might impact voters; especially with the election just around the corner.

Balancing Act

After watching the final presidential debate, and reading a story about Mitt Romney and Richard Mourdock, I realized this week just how delicate of a balancing act a campaign is.
I've always known that a campaign takes a lot of effort and careful planning, but it had never occurred to me in the past just how much even one small comment can affect voter's opinions.  I can't even imagine how many hours must be spent planning and practicing before each debate, just to guarantee that there aren't any slips or misunderstandings.  In addition, the candidates must have to be so incredibly good at thinking on their feet, in order to deal with questions or comments they may not have been expecting.
This realization made me respect both of the candidates so much more.  I don't think I would ever have the ability or the patience to manage such a delicate balancing act.

Change of Opinion

I wasn't sure if this was blog worthy or not, but lately I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming presidential election.  The candidates and their campaigning teams put so much time, money, and effort into selling people on their ideas so that they will in turn be elected.  While this makes sense in some ways, I can't help but wonder how many people really have their views changed during the campaigning.  It seems to me that the majority of people I know who are either Pro Romney or Pro Obama, have been that way from the very beginning.  It is rare for me to encounter someone who says, "well, I used to be for Obama, but now I've switched to Romney", or vice versa.
I know that campaigning is an important part of any election, but I can't help but wonder if it is really as important as we make it out to be.  Most voting Americans appear to be set in their beliefs, and it doesn't seem like something like a bad performance during a debate will have much influence on opinion.

Romney's changing views

After watching last night's debate, I found it interesting that Romney's views on contraceptives, abortions, and women in general seemed to have changed slightly from when campaigning first began.
One of my biggest concerns about Romney has always been his views regarding women's access to birth control, abortions, and planned parenthood services.  I believe that these things are important for many American women, and it seemed that Romney was not on the same page.  However, during the debate last night, he seemed to have somewhat changed his views on this topic.  Not only did the debate end with a commercial which stated that Romney did not oppose contraception, but the former governor stated it himself.  His exact words during the debate were “Every woman in America should have access to contraceptives.”

Although I could have misunderstood Romney's stance on these issues in the earlier months of the campaign, it seems to me that he has altered his position.  Whether this is out of personal belief, or simply to gain the votes of more women, it is something that I found hard to ignore.

Elizabeth Marriott Murder Investigation

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been vigorously keeping up with news on the murder of Elizabeth Marriott.  The case fascinated me partly because I am very interested in crime stories, and partly because it seems so out of the ordinary for this part of New Hampshire.  In addition, there are so many aspects of the case that don't seem to add up, and I am eager to find out more.
When writing my news story on this event, I had so much trouble seeking out the information I needed, simply because 9 out of 10 people refused to even comment on any aspect of the case.  While I do understand that many of these people are not at liberty to release information, it was frustrating to not be able to get the answers I so desperately want.  I was hoping that if I kept digging, I would be able to uncover at least something that would put some of my many questions to rest.  However most of my potential leads turned out to be dead ends.
I decided to blog about this this week because writing on this event really gave me a glimpse into the world of journalism that I had never seen before.  I realized just how difficult it can be to obtain the answers you need for a hard-hitting story, when almost no one will agree to talk to you.
While it was quite a frustrating experience, it's one that I'm glad I was exposed to early on.  I still hope to be a journalist some day, and I'm glad I've seen the difficulties of the job as well as the rewards.

Obama and Romney's campaign sites

I thought it would be interesting to explore both presidential candidate's official campaign sites to see some of the similarities and differences between them.  While doing this however, I noticed something that I never had before.
It seemed to me that both candidate's websites focused primarily on discussing the things that are "wrong" with the opposing candidate.  Mitt Romney's website even had entire sections that were labeled "Obama's Failure" in red.  Obama's site had links labeled "The Reality Behind Romney's 5 Point Plan".  It seemed like the website's are almost more geared towards convincing voters why the other candidate is the wrong choice, rather than why the said candidate is the right one.  It occurred to me that perhaps it is equally, if not more important in any election to convince one's voters why they shouldn't go for the competition.
By making potential voters see things they don't like about Romney, Obama is guaranteeing himself not only the votes of those who are in favor of him, but also of those who will vote for him out of default simply because they do not like Romney.  The same is true with Romney regarding Obama.
I'm not sure why I found this to be of interest, but it is something I may want to look into further at some point.

Small Towns and Big Cities

I realized that although I have been pretty good about keeping up with national and world news, I have neglected to keep myself informed of things happening right here in Durham.  I vowed to visit the website of the town of Durham at least 3 times a week.  Today, while browsing through the town news, I came across something very interesting. 

The "featured article" was simply a two line announcement that Trick-Or-Treating in Durham will be held on Tuesday, Oct 30, from 5:00-7:30 PM.  The announcement didn't mention anything about why it would take place then instead of on the actual holiday of Halloween, but that wasn't what struck me about it.  I grew up in a big city, and am still adjusting to living in a small town and learning to take in all the many differences.  I find it quite amazing that it is possible to not only set a specific time for trick-or-treating, but to make it on a day other than Halloween.  Something like this would be impossible to do in a big city because of the large amount of people and the lack of communication between them.  My family has always been close with our neighbors, but I doubt we would even have the manpower to set up a specific time for trick-or treating within our neighborhood; there are simply too many people.  

I have noticed that people who live in small towns tend to be much closer to one another than people who live in big cities.  I am curious as to whether this is simply because of the difference in amount of people, or if it is something deeper than that.  The thought crossed my mind that perhaps people who enjoy interaction and connection with others migrate towards small towns, while people who prefer to keep to themselves migrate towards bigger cities.  It is simply a hypothesis, but it is one I am interested in looking into further.

Frank Schubert and gay marriage

I read a story in the New York times today, that definitely came as a bit of a shock to me.  I know that the controversy against gay marriage has been in full swing for some time now, but I was surprised to discover that there are people going to such extremes to keep it from being legalized.  Frank Schubert believes that gay marriage is wrong for many reasons, and in 2008, he ran a 40 million dollar campaign in California, in support of Proposition 8.  After the election, he continued to head million dollar campaigns in many other states including, Maryland, Minnesota, and Maine.

Personally, I believe that marriage is a right that should be granted to any two people who love each other, regardless of their sex.  Although I do respect that there are many people, such as Schubert, who do not agree with me, I am surprised that people have such a problem with it that they are willing to devote part of their lives to keep it from being legalized.

In addition, this story made me grateful once again to live in a country where we are each entitled to our own opinion, and given the right to express it freely.

Saturday Detentions

Tom and Jerry is blasting through the otherwise calm house, as a teenage boy slings his backpack over his shoulder and angrily heads for the car.  His mother switches off the television and follows closely behind him.  It's a Saturday morning, but these two are headed to school.  
This scenario could end up being a reality for many New Hampshire students if a petition for Saturday School is approved by the Portsmouth School Board.  The idea was proposed last night by School Board member, Tim Steele, who believes that it will result in a reduction of in-house suspensions and make students think twice about misbehaving.
The proposal outraged a large number of parents who feel that the new policy will be ineffective as well as inconvenient.  "I work six days a week--including Saturday Morning--and it's bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday, " said Peggy Bacon, a parent.  "I just don't think it's going to make any difference, and the parents are going to pay for it."
Parents were not the only group upset by the proposal.  Students who attended the meeting seemed to have similar feelings of skepticism.  "I don't like this idea," said high school senior, Lisa Gallagher.  "I think it's just being done to make life easier for the faculty, so they don't have to deal with detentions during the week."
Despite the uproar regarding the proposal, there were a select few attendees who appeared to support Steele.  "Parents can whine all they want about this," said Bob Farley, a town resident.  "But maybe it's time parents in America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids."
Steele addressed some of the concerns raised by parents, explaining that students who skipped their Saturday sessions would not be allowed to return to school until they served their detention.

Woman raped in Tunisia, then charged with indecency

On Sep. 3 in Tunisia, a young woman was raped by 2 police officers in the back of her car.  While this was taking place, a third officer forced her fiancé from the car and took him down to the street to an ATM where he extorted money from the young couple.   Shortly after the incident, the woman filed a complaint against the 3 officers, who retaliated by claiming that they had found the couple in an "immoral position" in the car.  Although it is not clear exactly what is meant by "immoral position", the couple has been charged with "intentional indecent behavior."  A crime which is punishable by up to six months in jail.  

This past Tuesday, hundreds of angry Tunisians protested the charges against the young couple. 

Reading this story made me incredibly grateful to be an American, and to live in a society where we are (for the most part), protected from such barbaric treatment.  In addition, it made me think quite a bit about the upcoming elections.  As Americans we are incredibly grateful to have the right to vote and choose the president of our country.  Although many of us have different opinions regarding the two candidates, I think it's important to take a moment here and there to be grateful for the fact that we live in a democratic society, and more importantly, a free country.

California bans "Gay Cure Therapy"

I read a recent story regarding Governor of California, Jerry Brown banning therapy that is geared towards changing a child's sexual orientation.  Brown told the San Francisco Chronicle that the therapy has been statistically proven to lead to depression and suicide.  California has become the first state to ban this type of therapy. 

This story first caught my eye because it mentioned California, and being from there, I like to keep up with what's going on.  Once I started reading it however, I became incredibly interested in the topic.  I had no idea that these types of therapies even existed, much less that they were previously legal in all 50 states.  Although I find it incredibly wrong and dehumanizing to attempt to change someone's sexual orientation, I am quite interested in finding out more about what goes on in these so-called "therapy" sessions.  This article really peaked my curiosity and I hope to find out much more about this topic.

Underage drinking and our society

Earlier today I read a news story about the wide acceptance of underage drinking in our country's military.  It was written by a man who had served in the military himself, and in it, he discussed how common and even accepted it was to see 19 year old men taking shots and funneling beers on any given Friday night.  He also discussed how alcohol is easily attainable at very low prices, and the fact that many of the men end up using it to self medicate.  Although it is not always so much of an issue, it does bring to light the health risks associated with alcohol; particularly in the military when men and women need to be at their physical bests.
Reading this story made me think quite a bit about underage drinking in other areas of our society.  I feel that the military is not the only place where it is common and even almost accepted.  At UNH, as well as most other college campuses, it is hard to find a place on the weekends where there isn't underage drinking going on in some way, shape, or form.  Although the police do seem to make an effort to control it, most goes on behind closed doors and is out of their reach.  In addition, I've noticed from personal experience that it is not at all uncommon for police to look the other way whenever possible.
Overall, I feel that underage drinking is slowly becoming more and more acceptable in many different areas of our society.  Although I personally don't think it is much of a problem as long as it is mildly controlled and done in moderation, I do understand the concern by others.

Heroic Rescue at Old Orchard Beach

Early this morning, an elderly man was saved from a gruesome death when his stalled vehicle was pushed from the train tracks near Old Orchard Beach by a heroic female police officer.  The combined efforts of the police officer and a young Maine resident led to the discovery and rescue of 80-year old Francois Truffaut, who fell unconscious as his car passed over the railroad crossing.