caseyjohnsonblog

Media Ethics

2009-12-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

I would say that it is rarely ever ethical to manipulate photos. Pictures are just an extensision of journalistic reporting and should be held to the same ethical standards. The only situation where editing photos pictures seems justified, is when it is done to protect viewers. One example I can think of is when football player Chad Ochocinco did a "Lambeau Leap" when he played the Green Bay Packers. It was the image of the game except for one fan whow was "flipping off" Ochocinco. I think editing this photo would be neccesary.

The media should not use alarmist headlines to grab interest or sell papers. Reporters know that many readers don't get past the headline, sort of making up their own story based off the headline. Alarmist headlines may get people to pick up a paper and read the opening graph, but it does not allow the reader to become more informed.

Journalists are supposed to be unbiased storytellers, presenting a true story to readers. Taking these gifts from companies, whether they admit it or not, will give the reporters a more favorable opinion of the company. I'm not saying every reporter conciously thinks, "Well, they did pay for my hotel room" when they right the story, but if a reporter has a fun and relaxing weekend while reviewing a car, the story will show that.

First, I do not believe any of the pranks pulled by the "Fat Squad" should have been frontpage news, so I feel it was rediculous how much attention they received. Since the media did cover the hoaxes, they should have questioned the events for authenticity. It shows that many journalists will report what falls into their lap without thinking twice about it. If the reporters would have asked questions with any depth, I think they could have seen right through the scam. I believe internet reporters are more likely to fall for these types of stories. In most cases, there is less supervison of internet stories, allowing journalists the freedom to write whatever they feel. These types of media also seem to have less money to spend which might keep them from getting a personal interview, or the money to actually travel to places like the dog brothel.

Press Release Story

2009-11-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO – Who said video games are just for kids? Obviously not the people at Linden Lab, who launched their new product, Second Life Enterprise, on Nov. 4, a beta program designed to provide a private virtual meeting place for companies and organizations.

Second Life Enterprise is designed to be similar to original version with respect to foundational technology. The new version offers identical user interface and 3D interaction, and will also include the spatial voice feature to simulate real-life communication. The Enterprise version also offers one billion virtual items, and is flexible and customizable for each organization. The primary difference though, between the new product and the original, is that each organization has its own server where they can interact outside of the public eye.

“Virtual worlds have the potential to provide a safer, more cost effective approach to some of the Navy’s current mission areas,” said Douglas Maxwell, program technology lead for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC).

According to a Linden Lab press release, over 1,400 organizations currently use second life to hold meetings, conduct training and prototype new technologies in a cost effective manner. Fourteen of those organizations have already made the switch to the new Beta program including IBM, NASA and the NUWC.

“The fact that major corporations such as IBM and Northrop Grumman have embraced Second Life Enterprise Beta is tremendous validation for the product and our enterprise strategy,” said Mark Kingdom, CEO of Linden Lab.

Linden Lab also announced plans to launch a marketplace to sell virtual goods. The product will be called The Second Life Work Marketplace, and is planned to be released during the first quarter of 2010. The marketplace is designed to complement Second Life Enterprise, allowing major companies as well as small businesses to unveil new products they have created behind the firewall.

“Additionally, with the Work Marketplace, Second Life Enterprises users will be able to take the single biggest advantage of working in Second Life, the breadth and quality of content, and use it in environments hosted behind their firewalls,” said Kingdom.

Second Life Enterprise will start at $55,000 which includes seven virtual regions, two conference centers and a set of standard business avatars.

Trent Sanders Profile

2009-11-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

Pullman, Wash. - The nature versus nurture debate has raged on for years with no end in sight. So no one knows whether Trent Sanders can attribute his successful golf career to fortunate genetics, or hard work and dedication. No matter which has been more instrumental, it is easy to see Sanders' commitment and willingness to take on new challenges in all aspects of his life.

Sanders was born and raised in a golfing family in Scottsdale, Ariz. His mother and father still play often, and his older brother Tyler played three years at Fresno State before suffering a wrist injury, which brought his collegiate career to a halt. The makeup of his family makes it is easy to see why Sanders started playing golf at the age of 4.

Sanders had a stellar junior golf career, which started when he was 8 years old, and continued throughout his high school career. He represented Arizona at the International Tournament in China during his junior year at Brophy College Prep High School, and was ranked one of the top 100 golfers in the nation from graduating class of 2008. This success did not surprise the young star.

"It was the accepted thing because my brother did it," he said. "Playing with him for so long made it seem like a normal thing to do."

Sanders narrowed his college choices down to Washington State and Baylor, but chose to go crimson because he wanted to take on a new experience. Not only did he have to make the transition to a college-level curriculum, but he had to give up the tropical climate of Arizona for the nearly year-round chills associated with Pullman.

"The snow was sketchy. It's one thing to play a tournament in cold weather, but living in it is way different," said Sanders.

In his first year at WSU, he played in 12 tournaments and finished with the fourth-best freshman scoring average in school history. Sanders avoided a sophomore slump this season and improved his scoring average from last year by more than two strokes per round.

Many students have a hard enough time balancing schoolwork with their social lives, let alone all the added pressures and responsibilities student-athletes are confronted with. Being a collegiate golfer requires dedication to schoolwork, even when they travel across the country to compete in tournaments. Sanders said he understands and enjoys all the challenges that come with being a student athlete, and that getting a break from classes while on the road is not as painful as some might think.

Sanders has also remained committed to his faith, staying an active member of Athletes In Action, a Christian volunteer group which meets weekly on campus. Staying committed and taking on responsibility is a big part of why the Cougar up-and-comer enjoys the game of golf so much.

"The mental aspect is what separates (golf) from other sports, having to wait and think before each shot," said Sanders. "It's all on you when you mess up and you can't blame it on anyone else."

Though it may be hard to tell if Sanders was born with a gift to succeed at golf, it is easy to see how strong work ethic and dedication has led to his success on and off the course.

Frontline

2009-10-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

One of the first major issues brought up in the Frontline piece was the idea that money is bringing down the quality of journalism. I have to agree with this thought and, honestly, cannot understand how people would argue against it. People may say "today's news is just giving people what they want." This may be true but I think that a journalists with the power of these prime time staffs have, should make decisions on what the people need to here. This doesn't happen, especially in publicly traded companies where profit margins are the main indicator of success, rather than the quality of reporting.

As far as independent journalists, this issue is very complicated and can have strong arguments on either side. These writers can provide insights and opinions that major news companies may not, due to editorial or political policies. On the other hand, I think they should be viewed with slightly less credibility becasue they have not studied journalism and are not monitored with the same scrutiny mainstream sources are. I think these types of journalist are beneficial on an individual basis but only work as part of a bigger system of media outlets.

The LA Times segment was very interesting. I had no idea that some papers were still making that much money. Frontline made it evident to me that publicly traded news companies, while having the some advantages in resourcces, can have serious flaws when it comes to quality reporting. There is no perfect scenario for ownership though because the ethics of the material are only as strong as the ethics of the editor and reporters writing it. It amazes me how much money plays a part in the world of journalism and how editors not only have to make profits, but have plans to increase profits in the furture.

In-Class Research

2009-10-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

According to the FBI website, it looked like Pullman is pretty close to the average number of hate crimes in 2006 and 2007 (per city). In 2006 the primary bias was against sexual orientation, when in 2007, it was race oriented.

Christine Gregoir received the most money in donations with $12,002,778.

An anonymous source donated the largest amount to Christine Gregoire (behind democratic committtees), adding $7,560 to her campaign. Associated General Contractors of Washington donated the most money to Republican candidate Dino Rossi ($5,800).

The "forestry and forest" industry donated more money to the Republican Party in 2008.

The lobbyists and public relations industry donated more than twice as much money to the Democratic Party in Washington during 2008.

Below are the links to each patent filing.

Digital Video Recorder

Social Networking

Automobile

Cougars Struggle at Alister MacKenzie Invitational

2009-10-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Fairfax, Calif. - A California autumn usually consists of clear skies, temperatures in the high-70's and maybe a trip to Disneyland. But as the Washington State men's golf team readied themselves for the final round of the Alister Mackenzie Invitational in Fairfax, Calif., they found menacing clouds, 20 mile-per-hour winds and more rain in a day than the city had seen all month.

A total of 3.55 inches of precipitation fell on Tuesday Oct. 13, and led to standing water on the greens and the cancellation of the final round at the par-71, 6,708-yard Meadow Club. The field was able to squeeze in 36 holes on Monday Oct. 12, which allowed the event to count as an official tournament.

The Cougars fell behind early against the toughest tournament field they had faced all season which was highlighted by No. 2 Oregon State, No. 22 San Diego State and No. 24 Oregon. At the end of the first day WSU was in 11th place with a team score of 571 (+3), and that is how it stayed as mother nature stifled any chance of possible Cougar comeback.

The Cougars were in unfamiliar territory being towards the bottom of the pack. They had finished in the top five in each of their previous three tournaments, including a victory at the Palouse Collegiate and a second-place finish behind No. 2 Oregon State at the Giustina Memorial.

"We did not play as well as we hoped we would in a very strong field," Walt Williams, WSU Men's Head Golf Coach said after the Monday scores were posted. "Ellis and Frame had solid rounds but we needed a breakout score in the afternoon but were not able to get the putts to fall."

Hank Frame was the top Cougar finisher for the first time of his collegiate career, finishing with seven birdies on the day. The freshman was also the most consistent WSU player, posting an even-par 71 in the first round, followed by a career-low score of 70 during the afternoon round. The two-round total of 141 put Frame just outside the top 25, in a tie for 26th. Frame was looking forward to improve his position during the final day but never got the chance.

"It was disappointing because I was really hoping to get a top 25 finish, so when I finished 26th and it was cut short it was kind of like rubbing salt in the wound, but I played well so I can’t be down on myself about it," he said.

Kevin Tucker started the tournament about as hot as he has started his senior season. The Kennewick, Wash., native already notched three top-25 finishes this year, including a win at the season opener in Pullman. He opened the Alister MacKenzie with a 67 (-4), and was fighting for the lead at one time, but the approaching dark clouds served as foreshadowing for Tucker's second round. He posted a four-over par 75 and dropped 29 places to finish the day in a tie for 31st.

Junior Nick Ellis ended his day by carding a season-low score of 70 (-1). He combined that with a one-over, 72 in the first round to join his teammate at even-par for the tournament (142).

Austin Hurt and Trent Sanders finished in the final two spots for the Cougars. Hurt finished in a tie for 47th with a two-round total of 146 (+4) while Sanders posted a 152 for the event.

The Cougars will look to put this finish behind them next week when they take on the field of the Georgetown Intercollegiate in Bealsville, Md. The tournament will mark the team's only trip to the East Coast this season.

Special Leads

2009-10-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

here is the link to the story

This narrative lead from the New York Times emphasizes both the history and tradition of Simmons Beautyrest. I like the choice here because if the writer, used a summary news lead about another business going bankrupt, readers might skip over it thinking its the same old story they have heard too many times.

I don't see how this example could be changed to make it a better narative lead but I think it would also work as a contrast lead. The author could try to condense and combine the second and fourth graphs. In my opinion, both leads would have very similar effects in this case.

here is the link to the story

This quote lead tries to gives a human interest appeal to a story about new war technologies, but also helps flow into the rest of the story. I think the quote is good and the author ties it in well.

He could have easily used this somewhere else in the story and used a summary news lead, but it definitely would have drastically changed the feel of the story. Because he used this lead, it is hard to tell what the purpose of the story is. I think if he got creative enough, the author could have used any of the special leads but this, or the summary news lead, would work best.

Second-Day Lead

2009-09-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

After searching a six block perimeter around the Norton home, police are still searching for 4-year-old Angela Melissa Norton, who went missing from her crib 24 hours ago.

Sport Management Program/ 1st Story

2009-09-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Pullman - After the sport management program was put on the chopping block during last April's preliminary budget cuts, students, faculty and alumni were able to convince Washington State University administrators to save the program with hopes of moving it to the college of business.

The cut would have affected as many as 300 students and eliminated the program from the only school in the northwest that offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees in sport management.

The news came as a major surprise to the sport management faculty because the program has been in such high demand. Even with the program being as competitive as it is, they only allow 30 students to certify each semester said Dr. Cathryn Claussen, the sport management professor in charge of writing a proposal to the business college. This competition has driven the minimum GPA to nearly 3.0.

According to Claussen, the program is a financial asset as well. The program has drawn students from around the country to enroll at WSU, allowing the school to benefit from the out-of-state tuition costs. The university also benefits from student volunteers. The program requires students to complete practicum hours, many of which are done at university sporting events.

“We received a lot of support from Jim Sterk and the whole athletic department,” said Claussen. “They make use of a lot of our students and have saved an estimated $60,000 in staffing at WSU events last year.”

Not only were these points brought to the minds of university administrators, but students and alumni showed an outpour of support to save the program through various actions. A campus protest was organized on the Glen Terrell Mall, letters were mailed to WSU President Elson Floyd and a 1,100-member Facebook group was created in an effort to show support for the once eliminated program.

On June 15, 2009 all the efforts proved successful when Floyd released the finalized budget plan which included a proposal to move sport management to the college of business.

Even though Floyd and university administrators changed their minds, problems still exist with their new decision.

The college of business has seen 16 percent budget cuts over the past two years and has lost 15 percent of its faculty, causing the college's administration to be weary of adding another financial responsibility.

Associate Dean David Whidbee is hesitant about adding a program in tough economic times, especially one that, in his opinion, is not an ideal fit into a business school.

“For us to maintain our business school accreditation through the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), any program we offer must meet a certain set of standards,” Whidbee said. “In its current form, I'm not sure the spot management program would meet those standards.”

Administrators in the college are worried that sport management students do not receive enough business core classes to be accepted to the college without altering the program's curriculum. Claussen has engaged in talks with Whidbee and others, to try and limit these changes.

“The college of business is working with sport management to try to figure out what makes the most sense for both the sport management program and the College of Business,” Whidbee said. “It will take some time, but I am hopeful we will figure out something that enhances both programs.”

Although the change would be new to WSU students, Claussen said more schools around the country are making the switch to the business colleges.

There is no set deadline for an agreement to be made, but Claussen said she hopes to submit an official proposal sometime in October and wants to have the plan in action by next school year.

Livestation

2009-09-22T22:37:00.001-07:00

The first thing I noticed about the channels on Livestation was the primary focus is on global news. This is very different from U.S. stations where the main focus is national events and may not even be important issues. I was actually glad to see these stations commenting on serious world topics instead of things like fashion in the White House. I was also surprised at the quality of production. Each of the channels had high production value and looked of similar quality if not better than American news programs. For some reason I had this idea in my mind, and I think others do as well, that foreign news programs are not as aesthetically pleasing as some in America.

1. I don't think Al Jazeera can reach the forefront of Americans minds if the station is limited to the internet. There are too many news sources and websites(whether they are credible or not) for Al Jazeera to become a prominent outlet in American society. If the station moved to cable, it would be one the 100 or so channels people can choose from.

2. Al Jazeera should be allowed to broadcast in the U.S. The quality of reporting seems acceptable and, in my opinion, has less bias than some stations that are on TV right now. It would provide a more global news source and may get Americans the think about issues outside their nation.

3. The biggest differences in style between Al Jazeera and U.S. stations is that Al Jazeera moves at a quicker pace, and seems to not worry about fun feature stories. American anchors use less time transitioning between topics which made a surprising difference in flow. While this allows a chance for more news in the segment allowed, it might not keep the viewers interest as well as American shows. After watching about 15 minutes of the program, I felt like reporters were sort of droning on.

4. From what I have seen, Al Jazeera follows their own guidelines for the most part. They seem to be fair and unbiased. They really focus on the "victims" or people which is exactly what they say in there code of ethics. The only place they stray is distinguishing between material, opinion and analysis. I feel these three are all blurred in the newscasts.

Summary Lead

2009-09-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

"Clark County's employment picture darkened in August as the jobless rate climbed to 13.9 percent--highest of Washington's 39 counties." --www.columbian.com

This is a summary lead because it tells the when, where, and really emphasizes the what of the story. This statistic is the basis for the whole story and if a reader wanted or needed to take one piece of information from this story, I think this would be it.

Story Ideas

2009-09-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Story 1: Students at WSU have been informed of the swine flu outbreak by a wide variety of sources. Whether it be news reports, WHO Information, or a letter from the president of the university, swine flu has been brought to the forefront of our minds. I would look at different media sources to see how they frame the outbreak and whether it has contributed to some of the paranoia around campus. This would be a Daily Evergreen-type story. I would talk to a few students and Paula Adams, the comunication coordiantor of the Health and Wellness Center to get opinions and information.

Story 2: Martin Stadium was in the middle of being renovated when the economy plummeted. A struggling football team does not help the cause either. I would talk to John David Wicker and see when the construction will be finished and how a bad economy and football team has affected the process. I could also talk to Todd Thrasher with the WSU Athletic Foundation. This is important because Martin Stadium is a focal part our campus to students, alumni and the community in general. This article could proabably post in either the evergreen or the Daily News.

Story 3: The sport management program was on the verge of being cut this year, but with a strong show of support the program was saved. Now the education department is being "encouraged" to take in the SpMgt program. I would like to see how both sides feel about the situation, and how it will affect the sport management program. This is particularly relevant to all SpMgt and Education students and teachers, but might be interesting to all WSU students to see how the economy has affected there school. This would be an article that could be read in the Daily Evergreen. I would talk to Dr. Claussen, a sport management professor and Judy Mitchell, the Dean of the College of Education.

Texaco Vs. Ecuador

2009-09-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

After watching the 60 minutes segment I thought the reporter did fairly well upholding the "Murrow Standard." Most voice over dialogue in this piece were simple facts or statements, and in my opinion, did not show much bias. When the reporter did say something opinionated or controversial, he attributed it to the individual that said it. I also think he asked fair, and straight forward questions, with maybe one or two exceptions in the Texaco attorney interview. The only place where the report strayed from the high standards of traditional journalism is when it omited crucial facts. The second report shows evidence of sewage dumps and the striking similarities between the plaintiff's and court-ordered damage reports. Both of these points should be included in any report on this subject.

While the second report did make some good points, it was hard to ignore the obvious bias in favor of Texaco. The journalist used some phrases that demean the plaintiff and the citizens of Ecuador. But one major spot I had a problem with is when he mentions the photos of the damage report.

"Then there are photos to consider. The man in the red shirt is Donald Muncaillo, apparently assisting Cabrerra's so-called independent search for evidence. Muncaillo is a leading activist with the Amazon Defence Coalition, the designated recipient of any court awarded damages in Ecuador. In this shot, Muncaillo is wearing a yellow shirt, Cabrerra is seen leaning against a tree."

These photos do not provide significant evidence of anything, and the reporter should not have implied that corruption seems obvious. Even if they did prove something, it is not a reporter's job to make assumptions.