My reporting for the public good class focused on learning real world reporting techniques. We kept a wordpress blog, which we had to update several times a week. We learned about writing for online media and creating online packages complete with photos and video. This is a copy of my online portfolio. Some of the stories below were done in class on an hour deadline, others were done outside of class.
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Threats To Our Youth, Our Health, Our Lives
This was my final project for the class. I did a story and layout about the prevalence of STDs in youth. The following link is to issuu which includes the entire class’s work.
An Uncertain Future: Obama’s Goals in the Middle East
5/18/0
President Obama’s commitment to peace within the Middle East will be tested this month with meetings with three important leaders in Washington. Within the next two weeks the president will meet with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and the Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
“At the top of Obama’s agenda is to restart the Middle East peace process,” said Dr. Safia Swimelar a political science professor at Elon University. “I think he has an interest, given what he campaigned on, in trying to rectify human rights abuses and begin developing a more peaceful environment.”
According to presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs, Obama wants to discuss the future relationship between the U.S. and the region as well as action that needs to be taken to repair the relationship between Israel and Palestine. It remains to be seen whether the talks will be successful.
“I think Obama has a better chance than many of his predecessors,” said Alon Ben-Meir, an international relations professor at New York University. “He is very committed to the peace process, and the conditions in the Middle East are ripe for movement forward.”
While the problems in the Middle East top Obama’s agenda, the problems facing his administration are many.
War is raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel’s new more extreme government is reversing much of the progress made between Israel and Palestine and Iran’s nuclear program is an ever-looming threat to most of the western world.
While Iraq is the biggest issue for the U.S. in the Middle East, Obama is taking a different tactic in an attempt to combat the overarching problems in the region.
“I think Obama has come in with a much broader context about how the world works,” said Swimelar. “He has an understanding that if you’re going to deal with Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and the whole rest of it you also have to deal with the Israeli Palestinian issue. Those are all connected.”
Following this line of thought, one of Obama’s main changes will be the relationship between the U.S. and Egypt. Other than the meeting with Mubarak next week, Obama will also deliver a speech in Egypt on June fourth.
“All the Arabs in Egypt have great hope in Obama,” said Ramzy Gagazy, former secretary of the Egyptian People’s Assembly. “Obama is a good man and we are welcoming.”
Whether his tactics will work or not remain to be seen.
Back in the U.S. at Elon University in North Carolina, opinions vary wildly over Obama’s projected success, but one sentiment is shared among everyone: hope.
“We have to have hope that things will change,” said David Wells an Elon Junior. “We definitely need to work on our relations with the Middle East.”
While the relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East is incredibly important, creating a stable environment in the region may be key in its future.
“I think we really need to look at the greater good and think about what both countries want and need,” said Lindsay Hege the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations at Elon University.
One of the largest obstacles facing the Obama administration is the newly elected Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel.
“The new government of Israel is not the best to be negotiating about this issue,” said Swimelar. “Netanyahu said today that he wanted to have a new process, not the two state process but something new. The two state solution seems to be the only thing that would work, but now it may not be able to happen.”
Despite these challenges, Obama has proved unwavering in his desire to improve the conditions in the Middle East. In his short time as president he has already sent more troops into Afghanistan, went on a tour of the Middle East and addressed the region in numerous speeches. All parties remain hopeful that Obama will succeed where his predecessors have failed.
“The Arab world is more open than ever before,” said Ben-Meir. “If there is a time for peace talks the time is now.”
Watch Dr. Safia Swimelar Talk About the Middle Eastern Talks
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Youth For Western Civilization, a Right-Wing Student Movement, Comes to Elon
5/11/0
“America’s right wing youth movement,” has made its way to Elon’s campus. The group, Youth for Western Civilization, was founded at UNC-Chapel Hill in response to the liberal culture on campus.
“I think the campus climate right now is insane, frankly,” said founder Kevin DeAnna. “I think it’s very important we start a counter-balance for that.”
The head of the new un-official Elon chapter, senior Anna Prevette, met DeAnna while interning at the Leadership Institute, a conservative training organization.
“I came back to campus trying to get the organization going. I met with Dean Patterson last semester who said it would take a lot longer for a group that is part of a national chapter to get approved as a campus organization,” said Prevette. “Since then I’ve been working on getting enough members and a faculty advisor for the group so the whole process can go smoothly.”
According to YWC’s website their goals are to promote Western Civilization and Western Heritage, “counter and ultimately defeat leftism on campuses,” and create a conservative subculture on university campuses.
The YWC also claims a desire to fight “radical multiculturalism,” a concept that DeAnna claims is represented in efforts by university’s curriculum to be politically correct.
“It’s not that you’re learning anything about other cultures,” said DeAnna, “it’s that you’re learning the right thing to say. It’s this idea that the West is and always has been the source of everything bad and nothing good. We are trying to counter that.”
Although there are few members nationwide, the organization has already made a controversial splash. In April former congressman Tom Tancredo, YWC’s honorary chairman, appeared on UNC’s campus and was greeted with protests and violence.
Tancredo’s speech revolved around the DREAM Act, a recent law that would give illegal aliens in-state tuition to college. The event was shut down after a brick was thrown through a window where the event was being held. The protestors had signs with statements such as “no one is illegal” and chanted “shut it down no racists in our town.”
This event is not the first time the YWC has been accused of promoting racism. According to the website Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that monitors hate groups, some of the YWC’s missions are “suspect.”
Non-member students at UNC have also expressed their concern about the group in a recent Fox News article, and upon hearing about the presence on Elon’s campus, students here also expressed their concerns.
“When they say ‘Western identity’, it’s pretty obvious they’re not talking about African-Americans or Latinos – they’re talking about white people,” said Daniel Shutt, president of Elon’s chapter of College Democrats. “This isn’t a group about conservative politics, this is about white people who are uncomfortable with minorities.”
The YWC has fiercely worked to dispel these claims. Prevette said there is even a member with a Pakistani background at Vanderbilt’s chapter.
“This is not a ‘white power’ group, a hate group, or a battle or the races like critics would like to claim,” said Prevette. “This group is about how individuals view the issues that face traditional, western culture and anyone can embrace them no matter their race.”
While the group is gathering attention nationwide, the support on Elon’s campus is still minimal. In order to become an official chapter of YWC, Elon’s chapter will need at least four dues paying members, the ability to host speakers and a bank account among other requirements. Prevette hopes that with the right leadership, the group can gain this status soon.
“Our country is heading down a slippery slope and away from traditional values. By enlightening other college students before they venture into the real world, this organization can hopefully impact the future of our nation via higher education,” said Prevette.
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Elon University Holds Lupe Fiasco and Girl Talk Concert
5/01/09
Elon University’s Alumni Gym took on a different appearance Friday night at the school’s annual spring concert. In place of the usual small group of athletes stood a massive glowing crowd of 2,500 swaying in unison to the sounds produced from a small plastic-wrapped computer.
The Concert
The source of this strange site was Elon’s Student Union Board’s annual spring concert, and the men behind the music were Girl Talk, a mash-up artist, and Lupe Fiasco, a rapper.
“We tried to kind of change up the genre of music from what we’ve had in the past,” said Lauren Leonard, the stage chair of SUB. “Normally we’ve had rock singer songwriter people and we wanted to cater to a larger crowd and hopefully get a bigger audience.”
The plan worked. More than 2,500 tickets were sold to the show compared to just over 700 to last year’s show of Sister Hazel and Matt Nathanson.
“I’m excited to see this. It’s probably a show I wouldn’t have seen on my own,” said Elon student Molly Costigan, “I was almost afraid that less people would come but from what I am seeing it seems like there are more people.”
The Challenges of a Bigger Concert
The larger crowd also brought along some new challenges for SUB.
“With a larger concert we’ve faced different challenges in terms of security,” said Leonard, “but we’ve worked through all of them.”
Part of Lupe Fiasco’s contract stipulated that no video recording devices were allowed, this combined with the larger amount of people made for longer security lines. The lines wrapped around the sidewalks in front of the gym, and some waited for as long as 2 hours.
With bigger bands also comes bigger ticket prices. Although tickets for students were only $20 in advance, compared to the $25 last year, the $27 door price was still too expensive for some. Many students elected to attend the university’s Electric Ensemble’s free outdoor concert earlier in the day instead.
“It is just too expensive,” said Melanie Walsh an Elon sophomore at the outdoor concert. “Especially while this is free and it’s so nice outside.”
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Retro Concert Rocks Elon University
5/1/09
Elon University’s usually peaceful and quiet Young Commons was turned into an outdoor rock concert today as crowds gathered for the Electric Ensemble’s Retro Rock Performance.
The program featured music from the ’70s and ’80s and drew a large crowd of Elon students and Burlington residents alike.
“I read about it at the school website,” said Burlington resident Denise Andrews, a social coordinator. “We thought it would be fun to hear the music.”
What is the Electric Ensemble?
The Electric Ensemble, unlike Elon’s other music ensembles, focuses on popular music styles and live music production. It was created in fall of 2008 by music professor Todd Coleman
“I created the ensemble to provide additional performance opportunities for majors in the B.S. in music technology program who played instruments outside the “mainstream” of classical music,” said Coleman.
Their performances include both male and female vocals. It also features guitar, bass and drums.
The electric ensemble also allows students the opportunity to compose their own songs and to arrange a set list.
“The ensemble also provides an opportunity for students to learn more about live sound reinforcement, mixing and monitoring,” said Coleman
The ensemble has performances at the end of each semester. Last semester’s performance focused on the late MTV era. The Retro Rock Performance was their last performance of the year.
“Playing in the Electronic Ensemble is such an amazing experience,” said keyboard and guitarist Stephen Dimuzio. “You are playing music you love with all sorts of talented people. You can’t go wrong.”
The Joys of Low Cost Entertainment
Students also enjoyed the opportunity to get outside for some entertainment free of charge.
“It’s a good way to do a picnic dinner,” said Elon sophomore Kristen Feeney, “ and its free!”
Watch The Electric Ensemble Play the End of Crazy Train
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Carolina String Duo Captivates Audiences at Elon University
4/27/09
When you think of a classical string concert, you may imagine violins, cellos or violas, but what about banjos and guitars? With the Carolina String Duo that is exactly what you get.
The Carolina String Duo plays a song on the guitar and the banjo.
The Carolina String Duo, made up of Elon University music faculty, Kevin Dollar and Carey Harwood, performed Monday night in Yeager Hall presenting a variety of music ranging from the 14th century to today.
A Different Concert Experience
The duo was originally created by the professors as a means for combining their two vastly different guitar interests.
“We decided we wanted to do a different kind of concert for the classical stage,” said Harwood, who began playing the guitar afte he collapsed his lung in high school. “A little bit of a history lesson and little bit of a variety show, combing all of the types of music we like to play.”
While the show was first and foremost a concert, Harwood provided interesting histories about the music and the composers while the duo tuned before each song. These stories ranged from the unfortunate death of one composer from mushroom poisoning to the invention of banjo parlor music.
Two Unique Band Members
Both members of the duo bring their own interesting types of music.
Dollar represents the more classical approach to guitar, playing the steel string, electric and gypsy jazz guitar. His experience is more geared towards chamber music and traditional jazz music.
Harwood on the other hand is experienced in instruments such asthe lute, banjo and mandalin as well as the guitar. Looking at the stage Harwood had an entire rack full of various instruments, while Dollar simply had two different acoustic guitars.
On Tour
The duo has traveled through much of the Southeastern United States performing for audiences at schools as well as concert halls. In the past month they have played at the Tennesee Guitar Festival, a benefit show for the Alamance Arts Council and the Music Academy of North Carolina Guitar Festival.
“My favorite thing about the duo is that it gives us a chance o do a less formal, fun concert in a setting that sometimes takes itself too seriously,” said Harwood. “I really love to play all these instruments, and I hope this duo helps people understand why they’re so cool.
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Jazz Ensemble and Ballroom Dance Team Host Jazz Night
4/17/09
Today Elon University’s McKinnon Hall was transformed from a dull and lifeless conference room into a vibrant dance hall with live jazz music.
In a joint effort Elon’s Jazz Ensemble and the competitive ballroom dance team, Flight of the Phoenix, held the music event, which features dance lessons followed by a jazz performance.
“The competitive ballroom dance team has been around for quite a while,” said captain Jamie Gorsuch. “We have been trying to increase the prevalence club on campus so we were thrilled when the jazz ensemble asked us to come out.”
A Community Event
Students and Burlington residents alike came out to learn the dance steps for salsa and swing. The flight of the phoenix members took the crowd through all of the steps before putting on music and allowing them to try it out.
Beverly Arthurs, a Graham resident and former professional dance teacher, came out after seeing the event on Elon’s cultural calendar.
“We know Elon and how good the band is and we wanted to be a part of it,” said Arthurs. “I still love to dance, even today.”
While this is the last jazz concert of the semester, the entire wind ensemble is playing their last show on May 12. The ballroom dance team also has open dance lessons every Friday night.
Watch the Dancing and the Jazz Ensemble Performance
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Elon University to Hold ‘Earth Week’
4/17/09
As a school that prides itself on being green, Elon University’s Sierra Club and Green Team, are holding Earth Week in honor of the national Earth Day on Tuesday. The goal of Earth Week is to raise awareness and engage the Elon community through community activities and awareness campaigns.
Perceptions Among Elon Students
While many Elon students consider themselves environmentally aware, few feel they can actually make a large impact on the environment.
“I am aware of global warming,” said Kristen Genszler an Elon sophomore, “but I can’t say that I go out of my way to take personal action.”
In fact, in an informal poll of 131 students, less than 10 percent said that they did not consider themselves environmentally aware. Of those who said they were aware, only 74 percent said they try to take personal action to help the environment.
What Students Are and Are Not Doing
Many students feel overwhelmed by the amount of environmental problems, and felt that they personally could not make an impact.
“There is not all that much I can do personally on an individual basis,” said sophomore Marisa Kobus, “but I try.”
Still over 64 percent of correspondents felt that their education at Elon has made a difference in their environmental awareness. Sophomore Camille Demere applauded Elon’s constant employment of environmentally friendly practices.
“Elon has definitely made me more environmentally aware because it is in everything we do from dining halls to residence halls,” she said.
Efforts by the University
Some of these initiatives seem to be making a difference. Of those who said they do take personal action, over 92 percent said they recycled, something respondents said was greatly assisted by the recycling bags in dorm rooms.
Other Elon initiatives include the use of buses partially run on bio-fuel, biodegradable corn cups in dining halls and residence hall competitions for energy conservation.
Watch Elon Student Camille Demere Talk About What She Does to Help The Planet
Watch Griffin Sager-Gellerman Talk About Earth Day Activities
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‘I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist’: Dr. Frank Turek Speaks About the Existence of God at Elon University
4/17/09
Thursday night LaRose Digital Theater was packed. Elon students and Burlington residents filled every seat, every aisle and almost every inch of floor space all to hear a man who claimed to be able to prove the existence of god, Dr. Frank Turek.
Turek addresses the audience during his speech "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist
“I wish I was Jesus and I could do a miracle,” he said, wishing he could seat the crowd.
The Book that Inspired the Speech
Turek, a co-author of the book “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” and founder of The Cross Examined web site, laid out an argument through the use of scientific and logical evidence in an attempt to compel the crowd to believe in god.
“Is life just a glorified monopoly game?” said Turek, “or do we have a purpose?”
How to ‘Prove’ The Existence of God
Turek used logical, scientific and moral facts to argue for the existence of truth and of god In his book, “ I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” Turek uses 12 points to prove that the New Testament is true, but with limited time he was only to get through two.
Turek explained by using the law of non-contradiction to explain that there is an absolute truth. The law of non-contradiction states that it is not possible for something to be both true and non-true at the same time. Turek used this law to refute arguments that people can have different truths.
“God either exists or he doesn’t exist,” he said. “He can’t exist for me and not for you.”
From this point Turek moved on to present evidence supporting the big bang theory. He used five scientific principles and quotes from physicists and astronomers as evidence supporting that, “something once came out of nothing.”
While many see the big bang theory as contradictory to creationism, Turek stated the opposite claiming, “From this point we can reach two possible conclusions; either no one created something out of nothing or someone created something out of nothing.”
With photos of the size of the earth in comparison to the universe and diagrams of DNA, Turek then explained his belief that a world so intricate and complex could not have been produced by chance.
“I don’t have enough faith to believe that there is not intelligence behind life,” said Turek.
What Makes Turek Different
What made his argument unique of other theologians was his rejection of faith as an explanation for the existence of god.
“It’s not true because you have faith,” he said. “It’s true regardless of how you feel about it.”
Rather than using faith as a basis for his argument, Turek presented what he deemed factual evidence of the existence of god.
“I believe that Christians have a lot of good evidence and only need a little faith,” he said. “Atheists, on the other hand, don’t have a lot of evidence and need a lot of faith.”
Even with all of his research and factual evidence, even Turek admits that there is no way to be true of what is really out there.
“I am not absolutely sure that Christianity is true,” he said, “but I have enough evidence that I can believe it beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Watch Part of Dr. Turek’s Speech
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“Investigative Reporter’s Handbook”: Investigating Health Care
4/12/09
The sixteenth chapter of the “Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” talks about methods for investigating the health care system. Methods for doing this are very similar to that of corporations and non-profit organization. Databases, documents and budgets are key to any accurate and significant investigation.
Follow the money is an essential in virtually every investigation and the healthcare system is no exception. It is a sad fact in healthcare that paying patients are overcharged in order to make up for non-paying patients. It is also a fact that medical expenses are often too high for ordinary people to pay.
Another issue worth investigating is where money comes from and where it goes. Some hospitals reap huge profits while not giving patients the amount of care that they deserve. Other times hospitals do not spend enough money and their infrastructure inhibits them from doing their job.
It is also important to look at where money is going to. Sometimes doctors salaries are far larger than they deserve and sometimes hospitals pay bribes for accreditation. By looking at budgets and other documents the Orange County Register produced a Pulitzer Prize investigationabout rampant corruption in several university hospitals.
Another important aspect is the effectiveness of a hospital. Many professionals slip through the cracks by cheating on exams and faking through work. These doctors and nurses end up harming patients because they are unfit for work. Many hospitals are extremely busy and don’t have time to investigate each case properly. Sometimes deaths happen that are not necessary due to the busy schedules of doctor’s and nurses. This is not necessarily the fault of the practitioners but rather the system of the hospitals. Databases can be useful for this. Hospitals have to keep track of deaths due to surgeries and other procedures. If the rates are far higher than other hospitals then a reporter knows that there is a possible investigation opportunity.
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for their investigation into the FDA, which regulates medications as well as food items. They discovered that there were seven deadly drugs that the FDA failed to stop from being sold. This shows that hospitals and regulatory agencies need to be looked into and can make important investigations.
A third important investigation is into medical journals and reports. Much of the medical research out there is out of date or has incorrect methodology but is released to the public who then takes it for truth. This is extremely important for reporter to know for two reasons.
Firstly, reporters have to be extremely careful with what research they use when reporting a story. It is important to check the footnotes and methodology of every study to make sure it is recent and accurate. Secondly, out of date information being used by schools or for funding can make an interesting investigation. The Guardian does an entire column on bad-science, which is about medical research that is false or badly researched.
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Anderson Cooper Speaks at Elon University
4/9/09
No doubt, the face of the media is changing.
Today there are blogs and twitters, multimedia packages, citizen journalists, and politically slanted networks all competing for the waning attention of the masses. Anderson Cooper doesn’t buy into any of this.
“I believe in facts,” he said during a speech at Elon University, Tuesday. “It is my job to relay information.”
Anderson Cooper addresses the packed auditorium at Elon University
The Changing Media
Cooper sees nothing wrong with the rise of web journalism, in fact he keeps a blog and a twitter and is expected to “generate content every second that he is breathing,” by CNN, but he still believes that there is still an important place in society for professional reporting.
“There is value in baring witness to someone’s story,” he said. “There is value in actually going there and reporting what happened.”
The Value of a Story
Cooper explained that he did not believe journalism is intended to improve anything or help anyone. The purpose of reporting on something is not to change what happened, but to tell the stories of those affected.
“The saddest thing to me is to see a body disintegrating on the side of the road and know that they passed without anyone remarking on it,” said Cooper. “They may have been a good person and lived a good life, but no one would ever know.”
Cooper also expressed that he did not believe that news should have a slant or an opinion. He rejected the idea of inserting his own opinions into newscasts or giving advice one what should be done
“It’s not the media’s job to help the government at all it’s to relay information,” he said. “In these days it seems that people expect their news to have a slant. Maybe that is the fault of the media, but I don’t think anyone should have to expect that.”
Hurricane Katrina
Cooper’s career in “relaying information” has taken him everywhere from Burma, where he snuck in with a fake press pass early in his career, to New Orleans, where he covered the events following Hurricane Katrina.
“To me the best example of why reporting is still important is Hurricane Katrina,” said Cooper.
Following the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina, Cooper went to report on the situation and the conditions of the people trying to leave there. In an unusual display of emotion, Cooper was publically distraught and appauled by the lack of government assistance in the area.
“I saw politicians patting each other on the back and saying what a good job they did in Katrina,” he said. “I just thought this was wildly inappropriate.”
In addition to Katrina, Cooper has seen the genocide in Rwanda, the war in Iraq and countless other conflicts. Despite all the death and horror, Cooper said that he still believes in the ability of people to make a difference.
“Governments failed in Katrina,” he said, “but people didn’t. That’s what gives me hope.”
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Investigative Reporter’s Handbook: Investigating Businesses and Non-profits
4/6/09
Chapters 13 and 14 of the “Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” discuss the investigation of businesses and non-profit organizations. While there are distinct differences in investigating these types of entities than governmental organizations there are still many similarities that need to be observed. Like government agencies, corporations and non-profits spend money, leave paper trails and can contain instances of corruption.
Paper Trails
The first step to any investigation is uncovering documents that evidence corruption or foul play. Public corporations are required by law to issue reports about their finances through the SEC. The tricky thing with these documents is that statistics are often overestimated and that fact will only be noted in the footnotes.
Investigators should thoroughly read documents, budgets and their footnotes. Private companies are not required to publicize their records but, most likely, they still leave a paper trail. Looking up licenses and tax forms may point out how much a business is making. Lastly are non-profit organizations that are almost completely unregulated by the government. There are some forms that non-profits must file and most of these will indicate if there is a large amount of un-accounted for money. The WWL-TV station in New Orleans used such documents to discoverthat a housing non-profit was pocketing money donated to help Katrina victims.
Find a People Element
While documents help build the foundation for a story, people are really what makes it important. Because of this it is important both to investigate individuals for the possibility of corruption, as well as to use human sources when investigating a business or non-profit. Many large corporations will have disgruntled fired employees that may act as whistle-blowers. The same goes for non-profits.
As far as investigating individuals, licensing is the most common area of investigation. There are many steps for an individual to receive licensing. It is possible to uncover that someone has illegitimately filled these requirements or deserves to have their credentials revoked. In this same vein, sometimes organizations attempt to claim a religious affiliation when they are not in order to receive tax breaks.
It is important to make sure people are who they claim to be. WRAL-TV in Raleigh won an IRE Award for their investigation on military malpractice. It focused on the licensing of individual doctors who had faked their credentials.
Follow Governmental Agencies
Along with investigating actual individuals and businesses comes investigating the governmental agencies that regulate them. Often times these agencies are overworked and do not have time to do in-depth investigations of each person they license or give tax breaks to. In other instances these agencies are corrupt. Licensing boards are often kept around for the sole purpose of generating revenue.
While more local agencies are investigating non-profits, the IRS still does very little to verify the truthfulness of tax forms filed by most non-profits. One of the best examples of failed government regulation is the currentAIG scandal. The government failed to look at how AIG was spending their money and ended up paying for lofty bonuses for executives.
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School of Communications Advisory Board Members Speak at Elon University
4/3/09
President of weather.com, Debora Wilson, and vice president of Media General, Inc., Graham Woodlief spoke at Elon University today about the future of the media. Both are members of the Elon University School of Communications Advisory Board, a group of professionals in the communications field who help guide the university’s administrators create a program that prepares students for life after college.
Media’s Uncertain Future
“Our company, I feel, has done a lot to prepare for the future,” said Woodlief. “As an industry we are doing a lot of things we didn’t do in the past.”
Media General and the Weather Channel are both very different companies. While Media General owns TV stations, newspapers and websites and focuses primarily on content, the Weather Channel only reports on a single thing and therefore focuses more on distributing that content.
Facing the Future Head On
Because of these differences both Woodlief and Wilson spoke about very different approaches to tackling the future of the media. Woodlief began by explaining newspaper’s efforts to increase efficiency.
“A lot of cooperation and consolidation is going on in our industry today,” said Woodlief. “In delivering the newspapers we were having various crossing overs from different companies so why not have the same carrier to deliver three or four products for three or four different newspapers.”
Woodlief believes that efficiency is essential to providing quality services and products to consumers.
“We are continuing to strive to be the best communication provider that we can be,” he said.
Rather than increasing efficiency, Wilson explained that the Weather Channel’s main focus is to always be on the forefront of new technologies and new methods of distributing information. Weather.com is currently the most accessed content based website on mobiles in the world.
“I think the weather channel has done just about as good of a job as media companies do as anticipating what people are going to need in the future,” she said.
Both Woodlief and Wilson agreed that one of the biggest challenges in the media today is enabling users to choose content that caters to their needs.
“We’re getting there,” said Woodlief, “but it’s a tough thing.”
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Madeline Albright Speaks at Elon University Honors Convocation
3/31/09
Former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright spoke at the Elon University honors convocation ceremony today in Elon, NC. Albright spoke about the importance of international education and Elon’s well-developed study abroad program.
“Elon is a truly global university, with students and faculty from almost everywhere, and one of the most extensive study abroad programs of any college in America,” she said.
The Face of Changing Global Politics
Albright began lightheartedly describing the differences between the time when she was in school and today, a time that she describes as being “halfway between the invention of the handheld blackberry and the discovery of fire.”
Albright said that when she was in school the international community was simpler and the divisionswere clearer.
“We saw clear distinctions between the global good guys – that would be us –,” she said, “and the bad guys, the Communists. I was a member of the class of 1959. The class of 2009 will not find the world quite so simple.”
Albright explained that since 1959 the international community has gone through a great deal of change. Global politics have converted from a system with two massive powers, the U.S. and the USSR, to a system with several countries and super national organizations all competing for power.
The changing times have also brought along advancements in technology and education. While in many ways these have led to advancements, they have also brought with them international terrorism, religious extremism and hatred of the West.
“If we look around our planet today, we can see that in some regions, education is more akin to brainwashing,” said Albright. “Many young people are taught to see the modern world as hostile to their values and dangerous to their faith; they are told to place little value on earthly life, and to equate murder with martyrdom.”
The Unchanging Human Nature
While Albright endorsed the importance of education throughout her entire speech, she was also critical of past generation’s inability to learn from the past.
“The twentieth century was the bloodiest in human history. When the new millennium came, we vowed to make a fresh start, but we have not begun well,” said Albright. “The clashes of religion and culture that traumatized the past remain all too present. And the divides separating East from West, North from South and rich from poor do not seem to be narrowing.”
The Importance of an International Education
Another focus of Albright’s speech was the importance of international education and study abroad. She focused on the lack of emphasis on international education from the government during her time as secretary of state.
“I encountered Members of Congress who boasted that they did not own a passport and had never ventured outside the United States,” she said. “The chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations at the time said there was nothing to be learned from traveling overseas.”
The Responsibility of Future Generations
Albright ended her speech by explaining the incredible opportunities college students have today to become contributing members to the government and the international community.
“In months to come, the president will be reviewing many of the same issues that students here at Elon have been discussing in classes and at campus meetings,” she said. “And as I look around this audience of excellent students and high achievers, I am convinced that we will win – not easily, not immediately, but slowly and surely, we will prevail.”
Watch Madeline Albright Speak at Elon University
Video by Elon’s University Relations
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Education in the Digital Age: Second Life in the Elon Curriculum
3/30/09
Imagine a world where you can fly to class, build an interactive building for your final project and hold meetings with your classmates without even leaving your dorm room. Well, you can with Second Life, an interactive virtual world, and Elon is pioneering its use in education.
Dr. Tony Crider with his Second Life avatar
Second Life in Education
“This is a future technology,” said Dr. Tony Crider, a physics professor who regularly uses Second Life in his classes. “In Second Life you can create visualizations you could not create otherwise.”
In Second Life, users can do almost everything that they can in real life. They can also build buildings and objects, starting with a primitive object, such as a block of wood, and then adding other elements using code.
Starting an account is free, and Elon has received several grants to buy an “island” on the site that students can use to build projects.
“I’ve done it for several semesters,” said Crider. “Instead of having students do a final paper or presentation I have them build something in Second Life.”
A Growing Technology
There are over six million users on Second Life, many of whom use it to meet new people, or even make money with virtual land they have bought. Other schools use Second Life in this manner, to provide a place for students and teachers to meet without having to go to campus. Elon is one of the few universities that uses it to allow their students to build something.
“Most schools build a virtual campus where people can meet,” said Crider. “We have the opposite approach. We provide them with a place to build their own creations.”
With themes provided by Crider, students have created unique and interesting projects that educate other Second Life users that go to the Elon’s island. Last semester’s theme was myths in astronomy, and students had to figure out a way to teach one of their book’s chapters to people on Second Life.
Crider believes that the use of Second Life in the classroom is enabling students to use a technology that will be widely used in the future.
“Something very similar to Second Life is going to be how you deal with things online in the future,” said Crider.
In fact many companies and news organizations have already begun using Second Life as a means for reaching a new audience.
Second Life in Business
CNN has an island and Cisco, the communications company, uses Second Life to reach the network engineers that use it. Other companies also use it to hold meetings and conferences.
Nicole Kiefer, an Elon sophomore, was in Crider’s class last semester and used Second Life. While Kiefer said that using Second Life was fun, she did not agree with Crider’s assertion that it would be so widely used in the future.
“I don’t think that everyone will be on Second Life in the future,” said Kiefer, “but I do think that it will be a business thing where people can meet online.”
Other professors at Elon have also begun requiring their students to use Second Life. Crider plans to continue the use of Second Life and hopes that one day a Second Life class will be available for students.
Take a Tour of Elon’s Island on Second Life
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Investigative Reporter’s Handbook: Investigating the Education System
Chapter twelve of “The Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” explains methods and reasons for investigating the education system. The chapter reminds reporters that the education system is a governmental program; it receives large sums of money and has officials susceptible to corruption. The chapter outlines ways of investigating this large and confusing system, many of which are similar to investigating other governmental systems.
Investigating Flaws in the Education System
Just like any other system the educational system in the U.S. has some glaring flaws. One that has been investigated frequently recently is the No Child Left Behind Act. This new educational law administers mandatory standardized testing to all public schools.
Funding and the graduation of students hinges on how well they do on the tests. For this reason many schools have begun teaching for the sole purpose of passing the tests, ignoring other important educational matters. Violence in schools, class curriculum, special programs, the upkeep of facilities and racial inequalities are also important issues that need to be investigated.
The Miami Herald investigated school facilities in the area and discovered millions of dollars squandered on inefficient programs that were unsuccessful leaving many of the schools in poor condition.
Inefficiency in the System
Another aspect of the education system are the teachers and administrators that control it. There is a power balance and corruption within schools and school boards just like in anything else. Although most teachers and administrators are there for the good of the students and want to make a difference there are some who slipped through the cracks, and unable to enter the workforce began teaching. There are also some superintendents and high administrators with political motives that put their own personal success over the success of the schools.
Follow the Money
Money is also a big issue in education, particularly at the university level. Universities receive millions of dollars in government money, donations and tuition each year. While most of this money goes towards educational purposes it is important to ask how much of this money goes to funding bloated administrations or large scale construction projects.
Just like bureaucracies, the educational system also has budgets and documents open for public examination. Budgets, in particular, can reveal funds going to suspicious places. Journalists should make sure that schools are rewarding contracts to the best and cheapest companies and avoiding conflicts of interest. They should also examine the salaries of teachers and administrators.
These salaries are available on public record for public schools, but may be difficult to obtain for private institutions. Brett Blackledge of the Birmingham News won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation into the Alabama two-year college system. He discovered corruption with the contracts awarded to companies and the salaries of university officials. His work resulted in the firing of a school’s chancellor.
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‘Investigative Reporter’s Handbook’: Investigating the Judicial Branch and the Local Police
3/15/09
Chapters nine and 10 of the “Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” discuss how to cover the judicial branch of the government and the local police force. Many of the tips listed in the book relate to advice from past chapters about covering the government and bureaucracy.
Corruption Within the Judicial Branch
When covering the judicial branch a reporter must remember that judges, just as legislators and the president, are elected officials. Looking at campaign donations, hiring of staff and the actions taken in office are just as important with judges and public attorneys as it is with other members of the government. Looking at what a judge rules on cases is also important when investigating the judicial branch. There may be trends in how the judge rules on certain cases.
Another factor when investigating a judge is whether or not they sit out cases in which they have a conflict of interest. Recently the Wall Street Journal wrote on a case involving a judge in the West Virginia Court of Appeals. Justice Brent Benjamin ruled in favor of the Massey Energy Co. in a $50 million dollar civil suit. The controversy comes from the fact that Massey spent $3 million of his own money helping Benjamin get elected. The Wall Street Journal has begun investigating the case and has written several articles regarding it.
Treat the Judicial System Like a Government Agency
Both chapters also encourage reporters to treat the judicial system like any other governmental agency and the police like any other bureaucracy. The judicial system’s job is to maintain justice and allow for the due process of law, but just like any other governmental agency sometimes resources, corruption and inefficiency prevent this from happening.
The investigation of budgets and personnel is just as important as it is in other governmental agencies. When investigating inefficiency looking at the hours judges keep, the case docket and the numbers of prisoners being held before a court date are all important.
The Virgin Islands Daily News won a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for theirexposure of the inefficiency of the court system. The system was so flooded with cases that prosecutors did not have time to gather the evidence needed to put criminals in jail.
Treat the Local Police as a Bureaucracy
When investigating local police it is also important to investigate it as a bureaucracy. Once again budgets can provide useful information into the operations of the police department. When there are budget cuts police departments have to behave differently. Following where the money goes and comes from is important in almost every investigative piece, police departments are no exception.
Looking at how police departments receive revenue can be used to explain certain crime patterns. For instance, if there is a sudden high influx of traffic violations in a town a reporter could look to see if money from traffic tickets helps fund the police force. This information could lead to the discovery of speed traps or tampering with radar equipment.
Corruption Within the Local Police
Efficiency within the police department is one of the most important factors when investigating it. If police are not responding quickly or at all then people are getting hurt. Corruption and inefficient training are also common problems in police departments. Police officers with inadequate training can damage evidence or botch a case leaving criminals in the streets.
In 1999 the Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for its series on inadequate gun training in Washington D.C. police. The story uncovered disturbing evidence about killings by on and off-duty police officers. The series eventually led to reforms in gun training for D.C. police officers.
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Tensions Continue: The Relationship Between the U.S. and China
3/14/09
Tensions have always run high between the U.S. and China. Before President Reagan opened the gates of communication in 1984 there had been virtually no interaction between the U.S. and China for 25 years. Due to a confrontation between U.S. and Chinese Navy ships in the South China Sea several weeks ago, the U.S. and China currently have no military communication.
Tuesday, March, 3 Major General Bernard Loeffkecame to Elon to speak about the relationship between the U.S. and China. In his speech and his book, “China: Friend or Enemy,” Loeffke emphasized the importance of open communications with Chinese government and creating an unofficial second channel of communication between Chinese civilians and U.S civilians.
Creating the Second Channel
Many Elon students have become a part of this second channel over the years through the winter term study abroad trip. Students on this trip travel all over China and even visit Tibet.
“They were very welcoming,” said Sophomore, Sean Glynn who traveled to China this year for winter term. “They were just excited that foreigners were coming in.”
Despite this use of the second channel, Loeffke still recognized that there is a long way to go before the U.S. and China will have a positive relationship.
“To understand China we need to understand the three T’s,” he said. “Taiwan, Tibet, and the trade imbalance.”
Issue #1: Taiwan
Dr. Hongling Xiao is originally from China and teaches the winter term course abroad every year. Amongst these issues Xiao believes that Taiwan is the biggest source of tension with the U.S.
“To China, Taiwan is a part of China,” he said. “Everyone treats Taiwan as a part of China.”
Taiwan and the Taiwanese people were originally separate from China. In 1887 the Manchu Dynasty declared Taiwan a Chinese Province. Since then Taiwan has traded hands several times. The most recent occupation was by Chiang Kaishek’s Chinese Nationalist Army, the opponents of Mao Zedong’s Communists, after World War II. After Chiang lost to Mao, the communists claimed control of Taiwan while many Taiwanese claim their independence.
While the U.S. now formerly recognizes Taiwan as a part of China, there is still controversy with some of the dialogue used by U.S. officials. Both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have referred to Taiwan as a state in speeches. Miscommunications such as these fuel the fire for further conflict between the U.S. and China.
Issue #2: Tibet
Tibet is also a major issue, not only with the U.S. but all over the world. Little over a year ago news stations and newspapers were flooded with the images of monks being violently pulled through the streets by the Chinese Army, and the ensuing outrage did nothing to improve relations with China.
“The Chinese are going to keep Tibet no matter what we do,” said Loeffke. “It is in a strategic location for them.”
Thus far Loeffke’s statement has proved true. Despite massive worldwide protests prior to the Beijing Olympics, China has done nothing to loosen its hold on Tibet.
While President Bush did little to admonish China for their actions in Tibet, Americans across the country did. The numbers for Free Tibet movements dominated over all other causes at the protests in San Francisco when the Olympic torch came through in early 2008, and Olympic boycott campaigns were prevalent amongst a variety of organizations.
Despite the violence that has occurred in Tibet, Dr. Xiao said that there are many misconceptions about China’s relationship with Tibet. According to Xiao, the Chinese government has provided solar panels to houses with substandard heating and relocated Tibetans living in unsuitable conditions.
“The government has done a lot to improve the way of life in Tibet,” said Xiao. “Tibet has been part of China for centuries.”
Issue #3: Trade Imbalance
The third issue Loeffke mentioned, the trade imbalance, has been an issue for years now. Made in China has become almost a joke phrase amongst Americans. Currently there are over $1 trillion of U.S. bonds in China and a $300 billion dollar trade deficit. On top of this, cheap Chinese labor has contributed to the loss of thousands of American jobs.
Some have suggested that this debt is one of the primary things tying the U.S. and China together. Both Loeffke and Xiao agreed with this theory emphasizing the necessity for cooperation.
“China needs the U.S. and the U.S. needs China,” said Xiao
Despite the numerous points of disagreement between the U.S. and China both Xiao and Loeffke emphasized the importance of patience.
“China has changed a lot in the past 20-30 years and is still evolving,” said Xiao. “Giving more time, China will be close to the country that we all wish it to be.”
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‘China: Friend or Enemy’ Major General Bernard Loeffke Speaks at Elon University About U.S. Relations With China
3/11/09
“The fate of the world relies on how the Americans and the Chinese treat each other,” said Major General Bernard Loeffke, in his speech in LaRose Theatre, Tuesday titled “China: Friend or Enemy?”
Major General Bernard Loeffke spoke in LaRose Digital Theatre, Tuesday.
Lack of Communication
Loeffke served as the military defense attaché in China, and has been trying to build a more positive relationship with China ever since.
Military communication between the U.S. and China has been inconsistent even though diplomatic relationships were restored in the ’70s. Most recently, military communication was ceased due to an encounter between ships in the South China Sea.
“Twenty-three years ago, officials couldn’t shake hands with the Chinese officials,” he said. “We need to develop a second channel.”
Creating a Second Channel
This second channel consists of unofficial communication between ordinary citizens of both countries. Loeffke, now retired from the military, communicates on an unofficial basis with the Chinese regularly. He also encouraged students to help increase positive communications with the Chinese.
“Elon students are the second channel,” he said. “Elon students can go to China and represent the U.S.”
Loeffke emphasized that many of the major historical problems that took place between the U.S. and China were due to lack of communication.
“Two wars that never should have happened: the Korean War and the Vietnam War,” he said.
“The only reason the Chinese even entered on the opposing side in the Vietnam War was because the U.S. was not talking to them. When we stop talking people start dying.”
With the fourth largest economy in the world, over one billion people, nuclear bombs, and a permanent spot on the UN Security Council, there is no doubt that China can count itself amongst one of the most powerful countries in the world. For these same reasons, many consider China one of the largest threats to the United States.
Hope for the Future
Loeffke noted that the trade imbalance, outsourcing, human rights abuses, and communism are all obstacles standing in the way of positive communication between the U.S. and China, especially official communication, but he remains positive at the possibility of developing a dialogue.
“In Chinese, the ideogram for America means beautiful people,” he said. “The people like us over there. The only option with have with China is friendship.”
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RSA Wannabe Competition Gives Elon Students the Chance to Show Off Their Skills
3/10/09
What do you get when you combine five guys dressed in drag, two crazy DJs and popular 90’s music? You get the RSA Wannabe Competition, Elon’s very own lip sync contest.
The Sassy Sophisticated Ladies of Pink and Green took home the top prize at the competition
Teams went head to head in McKinnon Hall, Monday, for the grand prize of $500. The last team, the “Sassy and Sophisticated Ladies of Pink and Green” took home the big prize, performing a mash up of various songs, and ending with Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.”
“I’m now $90 richer,” said senior Cynthia Pope one of the six members of the winning team. “I can get some gas for my car.”
With only three teams in the competition everyone took home a prize. The third place team, the “Ex-Men” won $200, and the second place team “Bewitch” got a prize of $300.
Watch the Sassy Sophististicated Ladies of Pink and Green’s Winning Performance
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Investigative Reporter’s Handbook: Reporting on the Legislative and Executive Branches
3/8/09
The eighth and ninth chapters in the “Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” cover investigating the executive and legislative branches of the government. Both chapters outline different types of corruption within the government, and how to identify and report it. The key in this type of reporting is to “follow the money.”
Budgets
Where money comes from, where money goes out to, and whom the money benefits are all important questions to ask when reporting on the government. Budgets are the first stop to uncovering monetary corruption.
Budgets show both where the money is coming from and where the money goes. A budget outlines expenditures of any agency and also shows what companies are getting contracts from the government. Budgets have so much information and often times are inefficient.Although there may not be direct corruption within an agency, negligence can be just as costly.
The Washington Post did a series of stories on the high cost of homeland security.They looked at government-issued contracts and showed that many of the firms were not fulfilling their contracts and were being overpaid.
Follow the Money
Legislators appropriate money for special projects and other government-funded operations.Following where the money is appropriated and what for is essential when investigating the legislature. While pork-barrel legislation is common at the national and state level, investigating the personal relationships between lawmakers and people who receive the money can point to corruption.
The Albany Times-Union looked at appropriations to several large firms and inflated projects to uncovercorruption of several lawmakers in the New York State Legislature. The reporters used documents showing where money was going and then investigated the personal relationships between the lawmakers and the lobbyists and firms they sent money to.
Investigating Public Officials
Another important aspect of the government that often requires investigation are the actual officials themselves. The personal behavior of a member of congress or even the president often comes under scrutiny, and there are many ethical questions that go along with that. The important question to keep in mind is: does this affect the official’s ability to do their job? If it does have a negative affect on their job, then it is newsworthy.
Lists and databases of employees and salaries are essentials when investigating any agency. Salaries are useful because they can point out employees that are susceptible to corruption. Some civil service agencies do not pay well, and employees will take kickbacks from the private sector to subsidize their income. The LA Times used salaries and individual expenditures to uncover corruption within the National Institute of Health.
Corrupt Legislative Expenditures
Lobbying and campaign contributions are another large source of corruption within the legislature. Contracts are sometimes given to large contributors to a campaign. This can be easily traced since both budgets detailing contracts and lists of campaign contributors are required to be kept on paper. Finding the corruption is simply a matter of investigating it. Lobbyists are also major sources for corruption.
Naturally whenever someone is hired specifically to influence policies there will be corruption. One of the most famous stories on governmental corruption was a story done by the Washington Post about a lobbyist named Jack Abramoff. The story uncovered blatant corruption throughout much of the legislature and led to policies pertaining to lobbying.
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North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program EXPO Comes to Elon University to Spread DWI Awareness
3/07/09
490 people dead.
That is how many people died in alcohol related car accidents in North Carolina in 2006, making North Carolina number eight in the country for highest fatalities from drunk driving. Traffic accidents are the leading killer of 15 to 19-year-olds partially due to underage drinking and driving.
North Carolina’s Solution
In response to these problems, North Carolina has implemented programs and laws to try and curb drunk driving.
One of these programs is the Governor’s Highway Safety Program EXPO, which was held today in the Koury Business Center parking lot at Elon University.
The Program in Action
The Burlington Police Department, Campus Security and Police, Wildlife Officers and MADD were all there to support the cause of preventing drunk driving. There was also a table about alcohol awareness that taught people to calculate how many drinks are too many to drive.
“We are trying to promote awareness about DWIs,” said Brantley Moore of Campus Security. “We can try to educate people and inform them.”
The EXPO featured a wrecked car that was supposed to demonstrate what happens to a car after an accident involving alcohol. Each department had a table with pamphlets and information.
The Burlington Police also brought fatal vision goggles or “drunk goggles”. There were several pairs of goggles each representing different blood alcohol contents. The goggles show the wearer what their vision would be like with that blood alcohol content. The wearer then is asked to walk a line on the street in imitation of a typical roadside drunk driving test.
“The vision feels different,” said Evan Trenkner who attempted the drunk goggles challenge. “Everything was blurry and the line just curved sideways. I was able to do it, but it was extremely difficult.”
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Investigative Reporters Handbook: How to Write an Investigative Story
3/1/09
Chapter Six of “The Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” is all about the actual writing of the story. The chapter gives tips on how to write a compelling story without getting lost in the facts from the investigative portion.Although there are good writers and good investigators, there is no reason that someone cannot be competent in both areas.
Think Multimedia
There is no doubt that journalism is in the process of a huge change. Investigative stories are not immune to this either, and the Pulitzer-winning stories from 10 years ago are extremely different from the ones of today. Everything is going multimedia and an investigative story is one of the best-suited pieces of news to do this with. The Burlington Times-News did a story about the 10-year anniversary of the death of a local girl, Tiffany Long. They put together a multimedia package of court documents, photos and video to create a very in-depth investigation into the girl’s murder and its impact on the community.
Remember the People
Another point made in the chapter is that good investigators often get so absorbed in the facts that they forget the outrage that initially sparked them to write the story. In order to actually make a change, and incite that same outrage in readers, it is important that investigators keep in mind that actual people are being affected, not just statistics.
A story that just rambles off numbers and facts is going to lose a reader, but a story that tells a compelling narrative of someone’s life that was ruined by a failed system will cause people to want to act. In the Pulitzer Prize-winning story “From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine”, writers Walt Bogdanich and Jake Hooker traced unsafe medicine back to a man in China who was using lower-grade poisonous syrup in his medication. The story does give numbers and facts, but it also tells the stories of actual people that were harmed by the medicine.
Resolve the Conflict
The chapter also emphasizes the importance of tension in a story. Every story should have a central conflict and some kind of resolution at the end. Even if there is not actual resolution, it is possible to create it within the story. Failed policies may not be fixed, but there could be resolution amongst the people affected by them, or the resolution of the community to fight for their improvement.
The Blade in Toledo, Ohio did a long investigative piece over several days about a special unit in the Army that committed atrocities in Vietnam. After several days of an inside look into guerilla warfare and the horrors therein, the team wrote a story about the Army’s attempts to improve these problems. This provided some sort of resolution for the crimes committed years previously.
Every story is divided into a beginning, a middle and an end. Virtually every journalism textbook ever printed discusses the importance of leads and endings. While this chapter discusses different approaches to both beginning and ending a story, it also emphasizes the importance of a middle, which often goes ignored.
Rather than just bogging down the middle with facts and statistics, it is important to maintain human elements and anecdotes throughout the entire story. One example of this is the Pulitzer Prize-winning story by Charles Hanley and Martha Mendoza of the Associated Press. The award was giving for a series of stories about South Korean refugees killed by American troops in the Korean War. In each story the writers give specific anecdotes from veterans and do not get caught up in the cold facts that cause many readers to lose interest.
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Elon University Raises Money for Duke Children’s Hospital With ‘Run for the Kids’
2/28/09
It was a rainy, cold and dismal day but themore than 300 runners at Elon University’s “Run for the Kids” were not lacking in enthusiasm.
One runner even brought her dog Bailey to the race. Bailey sported an Elonthon t-shirt and pink toenails for the race.
“If it ain’t raining, you ain’t training,” said Cadet Joseph DeNenno before the race. Standing beside him was nearly the entire ROTC, in uniform ready to run.
The race was held on Friday at Elon’s intramural fields.
“I like running,” said one participant, Sean Glynn, “and it helps kids so it’s a two for one.”
Elon’s chapters of Sigma Chi and Phi Mu hosted the event in association with Elonthon, an annual 24-hour dance marathon held to raise money forDuke’s Children’s Hospital.
All proceeds from the race went to Elonthon and to the Duke Children’s Miracle Network.
“All of the money goes straight to the kids,” said Nancy Russell, an Elonthon volunteer. “It pays for toys for them, and pays insurance fees. It gives them something to look forward to after they leave the hospital.”
Students and groups from all across campus went to show their support. Phi Mu made signs and strung up balloons and one runner even brought her dog, Bailey, along for the jog. Nearly the entire ROTC came in uniform for a run in the rain.
At $10 a person to run, “Race for the Kids” raised more than $3,000 for the cause. For the $10, racers got t-shirts and the challenge to run the 1.8 mile course.
Elonthon will be held in April. The dance marathon and affiliated events have raised $500,000 since its conception six years ago. Since then, Elonthon has expanded to include events such as the “Race for the Kids” that help raise even more money for the cause.
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Bill Schulz Presents His Speech ‘Restoring America’s Credibility: Human Rights Challenges Facing The Obama Administration’ at Elon University
2/27/09
America: a nation of immigrants, the land of opportunity, the land of the free and the home of the brave. These are values that every American holds dear, but according to Bill Schulz, former executive director of Amnesty International, these values have begun to fade after eight years of torture in Guantanamo Bay, restricted liberties under the Patriot Act, and civilian deaths in Iraq.
Bill Shulz delievering his speech in McCrary Theater
Bill Schulz Comes to Elon University
In his speech “Restoring America’s Credibility: Human Rights Challenges Facing the Obama Administration”, delivered at Elon University Thursday, Schulz explained why America’s human rights reputation has taken some hits over the past few years, and how to go about improving human rights policies.
“For all of its faults, the United States has been a model for the rest of the world when it comes to fundamental freedoms,” said Schulz, “but there is a difference between offering a model for others to emulate, and insisting that others use no other model but our own.”
America’s Human Right’s Policy
Most of Schulz’s criticisms could be linked back to the Bush administration and their policies on torture, personal liberties, and the protection of civilians during wartime. Although critical of these policies, Schulz does not believe a change of power is the only solution.
“The hard truth is that the really tough human rights challenges before this country did not dissapear with George Bush, and will not easily be solved by Barack Obama.”
Schulz listed the genocide in Darfur, continued human rights abuses by China and Russia and the Palestinian and Israeli conflict as major human rights challenges facing the Obama administration.
He explained that these are not only huge challenges in ordinary situations, but that the current institutions have handicapped the U.S. in its abilities to intervene in the international community.
“One of the great tragedies of the Iraq war is that it has made it nearly impossible for the United States to use its military power,” said Schulz, “even in the interest of a righteous cause like Darfur, without inviting suspicion.”
How to Fix the Policies
Finally, Schulz gave his input as to how the U.S. can begin taking steps to revitalize its human rights image.He suggested ratifying the Rights of the Child Treaty, a treaty designed to prevent cruelty to children, a document that every country has signed except Somalia and the U.S. He also suggested more long term goals, such as providing health care for every citizen.
Despite all of his criticisms, Schulz also maintained that the long-time dedication of the U.S. to basic human rights make it one of the greatest countries in the world to live in. He described his response to a group of people from other countries at a conference in Switzerland, when asked to defend American policies over the past eight years.
“Few Americans have been as critical of American policies over the past few years as I have been,” he said, “but to you sir from Syria, and to you sir from Benin, and to you madam from Singapore, if you had been as publicly critical of your president or prime minister as I have, then not one of you would be here with us today.You would be in prison or you would be dead.”
Watch the Question-and-Answer Session with Bill Schulz
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‘Bloodline’: Kristen Ashburn’s Quest to Inform the World About AIDS
2/26/09
Some choose a career for money, some for a passionate love of the job, and others, like Kristen Ashburn, for a profound sense of duty and desire for change.
photo courtousey of MediaStorm
Ashburn, an accomplished photojournalist, spoke to a packed auditorium of students, professors, and photographers at the University of North Carolina’s Photo Night on Tuesday about her project“Bloodline”, which focuses on the effects of AIDS in Africa. Ashburn did the project in spite of criticism that it had already been done.
“I really felt with what I had been reading and with the statistics that are out there, that if I didn’t go and I didn’t work on it in my lifetime and cover this crisis, which I consider to be one of the largest crises of our time, then I won’t have done my job,” said Ashburn while her shocking photos flooded the screen behind her.
The Project
“Bloodline” covers various parts of Africa, with specific focuses on Zimbabwe and Malawi. The photographs range from portraits of families to bedside hospital visits, and follow individuals through their personal struggles with HIV and AIDS.
Due to the personal nature of the photographs, Ashburn would usually spend some time with her subjects before beginning to photograph them. She became close with many of her subjects, and even keeps in touch through email. Because of these close relationships, Ashburn said that at times it was difficult to keep her distance and not interfere.
“It’s hard,” she said. “Sometimes people would ask for help, and I would explain that I couldn’t, but I regret that now, I realize that I could have helped them in some way.”
I Am Because We Are
Despite Ashburn’s desire to show the world the devastation of the AIDS crisis, she has difficulty getting the work out there beyond the publication of a few photos.
“I was literally about to put my images on the top shelf. I’d done what I could with this work, it had been published in various magazines and I’d gotten grants for it. I didn’t know what else to do,” she said.
“Bloodline” went on exhibition in 2006, was turned into a multimedia piece through MediaStorm, a multimedia production studio, and was eventually scooped up by Madonna for her project “I Am Because We Are.”
“’I am because we are’ is a clarification of the phrase ‘Ubuntu,’ which means ‘I am who I am because of who we are,’” says Ashburn. “It really illustrates the African sense of community.”
In face of all of the hype and coverage Ashburn’s work has received, she still believes that people need to learn more about the AIDS crisis.
“I don’t really believe that my work has changed anything,” she said. “I just hope that it will bring people to action.”
Watch Kristen Ashburn’s Media Storm Presentation
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Investigative Reporting: How to Find the Right Databases, Sources, and Morals to Write an Investigative Piece
2/22/09
“The Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” offers up some tips and resources in chapters four, five, and seven about how to begin an investigative venture and how to do it the right way.
Chapter four focuses on the use of computer-assisted reporting and the importance of databases in an investigation.
Chapter 5 is focused on finding the right human sources and getting information from them, and chapter 7 is about the ethical dilemmas often encountered in investigative reporting.
Computer Assisted Reporting
Chapter four discusses the use of the Freedom of Information Act to obtain databases from governmental organizations and how to use those databases. The first section describes the tools that are needed to use databases.These include online databases, a spreadsheet program, and manager software. Additional more advanced tools include mapping software, statistical software, and social network analysis software.
Online databases can be found in a variety of places but database libraries and indexes including internal networked sites kept by some newspapers are easy ways to find a large variety of databases.
One database specifically mentioned in the chapter is the Dam Inventory available through the federal government. Newspapers all over the country used this database leading to the discovery that many old and dangerous dams had gone uninspected. The Times-Herald-Record in Hudson Valley, N.Y used this database as well as open records laws to discover that there were seven unsafe dams in the area.
The chapter also mentions that reporters should expect to find a database on any topic for an environmental story. Reporters at The Record in North New Jersey used computer based reporting to uncover documents and databases detailing pollution left by the Ford Motor Company decades ago. Their work resulted in an IRE award in 2007.
Human Sources
Chapter five is a guide of how to find human sources and how to interview them. The first step is finding the sources. It is important to keep a running list of possible interviewees including both people currently involved with the issue at hand, “currents,” and those formerly involved with the issue, “formers.”
Actually locating these sources can be done using the Internet, phonebooks, directories, and if those fail, using common sense and information gathered on a person to find places that they may frequent. Other important sources include whistleblowers and experts on the topic. Although documents are important, often times those documents are useless without the interpretation of someone involved.
A prime example of this is Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s investigation of the Watergate scandal. While documents provided the beginnings of the investigation, it did not become a coherent and valid story until the discovery of their human source, Deep Throat. Another important point made by Steve Luxenberg, a newspaper projects editor, is, “Records don’t tell you why something happened they just tell you what happened.”
This can also relate back to the Watergate scandal, but this time with David Frost’s interview of Richard Nixon after he left office. Americans were frustrated with their government and upset about the corruption discovered. Frost’s interview got beyond the facts and showed Nixon’s motivation for his actions.
The Ethics of Investigation
The seventh chapter is a discussion about ethical conduct during an investigation. Knowledge of media law is incredibly important to a journalist, specifically knowledge of libel and privacy laws, but just because something is legal does not mean it is ethical.
Obviously, accuracy is incredibly important in any story, but treating subjects with respect and dignity is also key to an ethical investigative piece. The use of recording equipment without the consent of a subject or conducting ambush interviews are all in an ethically gray area of journalism.
The chapter also mentions the use of surprise interviews, when the subject is expecting to meet at a location for another purpose and instead is surprised by an interview. One similar example is Perverted-Justice.com, a website that searches chat rooms on the Internet in attempts to find men who could possibly be interested in sexual conversations with minors.
Reporters can then use the names to create an invented scenario with a fictional child to expose the men. This tactic has resulted in lawsuits as well as numerous debates about whether or not the practice is ethical.
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Burlington BMX Track Promotes Competition and a Sense of Community
2/21/09
“You start at the gate, the gate falls, you go as hard as fast as you can to the finish line,” said Jennifer Kincheloe, treasurer of the BMX Parent’s Association.
Racers fly through a turn at Friday's first race of the season.
And that’s exactly what riders aged five to 17 do every Friday when the track holds races. As part of the American Bicycle Association, the Burlington track can send finalists to state and national championships.
The BMX track was built in the 1980s by the Burlington Department of Parks and Recreation, and has been growing ever since. Kincheloe and her husband Brad, the track’s manager, have been involved with BMX for the last four years.
“I’ve seen it get bigger every year,” said Kincheloe. “The Summer Olympics last year was the first time they hadOlympic BMX. I feel that really helped a lot people who had never seen it before.”
Around the courthouse, across the railroad tracks, past the Cruz Thru and next to the Burlington Royals Stadium, you can see a series of large dirt mounds illuminated by huge white lights. This 1,000 feet of red clay track is home to Burlington BMX, Burlington’s most extreme unknown attraction.
The track gets racers from all over North Carolina and from other states in the region as well.
“We get a three-year-old that comes down from Raleigh sometimes, and a 43-year-old that comes from Virginia on a regular basis,” said Kincheloe.
Some of the regular racers at the Burlington track have even made it to the national level. One regular racer even became the national champion for the 11-and-under age group last year.
Kincheloe and her family also feel the track promotes a great sense of community. The track brings together kids from all different age groups to do the thing they love.
“We have really good friends in Charlotte we race with, and really good friends in Raleigh, and our kids are all friends. We’ve just really been able to meet people we never would have otherwise.”
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Elon’s Manager of Moving and Setups, C.C. Cowan is the ‘Right Man For the Job’
2/21/09
It’s 9:30 P.M. on Thursday and C.C. Cowan and his crew are working on a task they would ordinarily have a full day to do. They have a small window of time to convert Elon University’s Alumni Gym from a stadium full of basketball fans to a carpeted arena full of chairs.
The manager of moving and set ups C.C. Cowan
C.C. and one of his guys are pulling a table with 75 pounds of weight on it across the carpet to smooth it out, a task that his body builder’s physique has well suited him for. C.C. moves tentatively letting his partner guide him along, his shoulders squared and his eyes unmoving behind his reflective sunglasses.
C.C. was born with macular degeneration, a medical condition that causes vision loss in the center of the eye.
“I have no depth perception,” he said, “but I’ve been here for so long I know the facilities so I’m not hampered too much.”
C.C. has been at Elon since 1981, when he attended the university as a student. C.C. worked for the physical plant for two years while taking classes and after graduation, began working full time.
“It’s been wonderful to be here and to be part of the success,” he said. “I take pride in the way the place looks, and the way it functions, and having the reputation as a very happy place to be.”
He eventually became the manager of moving and set ups and now is in charge of moving virtually every piece of furniture on campus. He works on every event from graduation to college coffee and even outfits the dorms at the end of each summer.
“I have furniture hidden in practically every building,” said C.C., jokingly adding, “I hide them like a little rat.”
While C.C’s vision is impaired, his brain is not. George Troxler, the Dean of Culural and Special Programs, works with C.C. to plan events on a regular basis. Troxler has been at Elon for 40 years and also taught C.C. when he was a student.
“I remember how intently he listened, and still does,” he said. “He works from memory, absorbing everything.”
Although setting up events seems like it would require an eye for detail, C.C. more than compensates for this with his ability to see the big picture.
“Where I’m not visual and I’m not able to see, my brain operates in a different way,” he said. “There are a lot of good things that have come out of me not being able to see.”
Watch C.C. and his crew convert Alumni Gym for the Night of the Phoenix Video by Lindsay Fendt and Roger Black
C.C. can ramble off where he has tables and chairs set up in every building on campus, he can remember everything that needs to be done without having to consult a list, and he can recite the contents of a work order without looking at one.
“The tasks he has to complete on a daily basis are huge,” said the Director of Moseley Center, Michael Williams. “His work ethic is second to none. He is definitely the right man for the job.”
C.C.’s mind isn’t the only thing built for the job. He has lifted weights for the past 30 years, which has served as great preparation for moving furniture.
“I’ve done power lifting and bodybuilding,” he said. “That’s really my basic passion.”
And it’s a passion that C.C. has been able to draw on everyday at work. Even though he leaves the smaller stuff for his crew, C.C. does his share of the actual setting up.
“When the heat comes, I roll,” he said. “Just like these guys.”
Back at Alumni Gym, barely more than 24 hours later, the crowd is shuffling out after the night’s event. The caterers are hurriedly putting away the glassware and the flower arrangements. C.C. and his crew are standing in the corner surveying the scene. C.C. is listening carefully as one of the guys explains what is going on in the room and how long until they can start breaking everything down. He turns back, smiling, going over what needs to be done in his head.
“20 years ago I had no idea I would be doing this,” he said several days before, “but I’m glad that I am.”
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Ecosystem Enhancement Program to Improve the Water Quality of Little Alamance Creek
2/21/09
Burlington Parks and Recreation and the state of North Carolina are working together to improve the water quality of Little Alamance Creek. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is funding construction that will reduce the amount of erosion and runoff into the stream.
The new Little Alamance Creek
“The stream gets a large flow of runoff water,” said Tony Lawsdirector of Burlington Parks and Recreation. “There are huge problems with flooding.”
The flooding and erosion in the stream has decreased the water quality to the point that Little Alamance Creek has been put on N.C.’s list of impaired streams. This list comprises wetlands that have little use to the public and wildlife because of their low water quality.
City Council Approves Plans, Despite Complaints
The City Council unanimously approved all construction plans in their Feb. 3rd meeting, despite some complaints from residents about the changes to City Park, which sits over much of the creek.
In order to comply with the regulations put out by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the city is now required to let the, regularly cut, grass near the creek to grow in order to filter off runoff, and they will be moving the baseball field to the opposite side of the creek. The carousel and the playgrounds near the front of the park will be unaffected by the changes.
Complaints about the look of the creek began after the city stopped mowing the grass over the summer. Some residents believed that the long grass made the creek look neglected, and the wildlife that began living near it was a nuisance.
Construction to be Completed Before the Summer
While the existing vegetation is already being allowed to grow, the rest of the construction will not begin until the fall. The entire process will take approximately 4 months to complete, and will cost somewhere near $61,000 to complete.
“The program comes in and reworks the flow of the creek,” said Laws. “They’ll also come in and do some reconstruction on the stream.”
The reconstruction will result in making the stream bank more level to combat erosion, and adding vegetation along the sides of the stream to act as buffers for runoff. The runoff that is currently entering the creek is often toxic and has been one of the primary contributors to the creek’s poor water quality.
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Investigative Reporters Handbook: Starting an Investigation
2/17/09
The first three chapters of The Investigative Reporters Handbook provide an introduction of the investigative process and the tools needed to research a subject. The first chapter talks about techniques required for research and investigation and lays out a basic roadmap for writing an investigative piece.
The first piece of instruction in the book is to “work from the outside in” meaning starting with secondary sources, then going to primary documents, and finally ending with interviews with people. One of the best examples of this type of reporting is the work of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein during the Watergate scandal.
The two reporters began investigating a simple burglary but after looking through numerous police reports and payroll lists began to uncover the true story. By starting with secondary documents the investigators were able to find other leads and sources. The next step was finding and analyzing FBI documents, which eventually led the investigators to their main source, Deep Throat.
Another important principle outlined in the first chapter is forming a hypothesis. The Pulitzer Prize winning story, Death on the Tracks by Walt Bogdanich illustrates the importance of a hypothesis. After noting a high amount of railway accidents Bogdanich began investigating the safety practices of railroad companies and discovered numerous cover ups and deceptions used by railroad companies to ignore their safety obligations. Forming a hypothesis involves taking a simple spot news story and then delving deeper into a bigger and more investigative piece. The most important thing with a hypothesis is that the reporter investigates both sides, even those that can disprove their hunch to still provide accurate information.
The last part of the first chapter and the next two chapters all deal with having a “documents state of mind.” A “documents state of mind” means having the belief that somewhere a document exists on any topic. Open-records laws and the Internet makes finding these documents easier than ever, and they are absolutely essential in an investigative piece. One example of this is the Pulitzer Prize winner Brett Blackledge’sinvestigation into corruption in Alabama community colleges. Virtually all of his articles cited a primary document, particularly financial records.
The second chapter discusses different types of secondary sources such as newspapers, newsletters, and books. The last part of the chapter then lists ways to search for those materials. Secondary sources are to be used more for a point in the right direction. Newspaper articles, reference books, and other sources can be incorrect and should always be cross-referenced before being quoted. Secondary sources are often used as means for finding other primary documents are human sources.
The third chapter explains different types of primary sources and their uses. The chapter also talks about different types of libraries and open records laws. The Internet has made finding primary documents easier than it was in the past, although sometimes journalists still need to rely on databases that cost money. Jeff Hirsh did an investigative story about the ease of a DUI offender to obtain a new drivers license. Hirsh used social security numbers, death certificates, and other primary documents to track DUI offenders and recorded their continual offenses.
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The Circus Comes to Greensboro
2/15/09
The greatest show on earth arrived at the Greensboro Coliseum last week complete with acrobats, elephants and rings of fire.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Zing Zang Zoom Circus is currently touring the country, visiting 10 states along the East Coast.
The show followed Alex the ringmaster and his assistant Levitisha in their quest to defy Mr. Gravity the mischievous clown. The attractions included fantastic acrobatics, magic and plenty of clowns.
Spectators could also meet the animals and participate in the clown college before the show.
A trapese artist performs high above the crowd at the Greensboro Colliseum
Acrobats perform on the trapese as part of the circus's theme "Defy Gravity"
Children look at toys at a merchandise stand outside of the circus
Children look at toys at a merchandise stand outside of the circus
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Small Airport Packs a Punch: The Burlington Alamance Airport May Be Small but Has a Lot to Offer
2/15/09
Few students at Elon University, N.C. get off campus and into the Burlington community that surrounds it, leading many people to refer to university life as living in the Elon Bubble.
Few know that the community that surrounds the university, Burlington, N.C. has more to offer than Target, Wal-Mart, and Cookout. For this reason it comes as no surprise that few students know about the Burlington Alamance Airport situated a mere 15 minutes from campus.
An airplane sits waiting to be refueled at the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport
The airport was created in the 1930s when a group of businessmen began flying their planes out on business trips. Now the airport has grown to include a flight school and a number of small businesses.
“We’re a small airport,” said Dan Danieley, the executive director of the airport, “but there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that people don’t know about.”
Among these things is the $27 million jet engine plant built by Honda in 2007, making Burlington the Honda Jet Engine world headquarters. Engine production is set to begin in 2010 and will lead to the creation of up to 140 jobs.
Aside from factory, the airport is primarily used by private companies but it also gets business from private pilots and the occasional VIP. Elon senior Melissa Sienko works for Sky South Aviation, a company that sells aviation products and services to pilots.
“A lot of parents actually fly their kids in and out through here,” she said. “Sarah Palin came through here when she came to Elon.”
Another feature of the airport is the flight school, Burlington Aviation. For around $8,500, Burlington Aviation will train any qualified person to fly.
They give lessons whenever it is convenient for the student and also rent aircrafts. The school is approved by the FAA, meaning that there are shorter time requirements to learn to fly.
“Usually the second time a student is here, they’re airborne,” said Burnice Hilliard, the Flight School Manager.
Although the school does train the occasional military officer, the majority of people training at the flight school are just regular civilians that want to learn to fly.
“There are several college students, especially from Elon, that fly out of here,” said Hilliard.
It takes 41 to 55 hours of training to obtain a pilot’s certificate. According to Burlington Aviation, this training can be done in as little as a month, but more realistically, in three to four months.
You can contact Burlington Aviation at their website or at 336-227-1278.
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C-SPAN Civics Bus Pays a Visit to Elon University
2/13/09
The C-SPAN Civics Bus arrived at Elon University in Burlington, N.C. today as part of its “100 Days, 100 Schools” tour. The bus will be at Elon for the morning before moving onto to the University of North Carolina in Greensboro and then on to other parts of the country.
The tour will cover 17 different states for the first 100 days of the new presidential administration. While at the schools, the bus is open for tours where students and teachers can see the production equipment and learn a little bit about what C-SPAN does.
“It was interesting seeing that you can actually produce things on a bus,” said Elon Freshman Grace Sweeney who toured the bus with her media writing class.
10 communications classes at Elon took tours with C-SPAN marketing representative Jeremy Art throughout the morning. Art explained why C-SPAN is different than other news networks and demonstrated how the bus is used throughout the year.
While many people on the bus were able to pinpoint, which political affiliation other major news networks subscribed to, not one person could say which way C-SPAN leaned.
“We’re C-SPAN,” he said. “We’re non-partisan. Everyone likes us.”
There are two different busses used by C-SPAN that both travel 11 months out of the year. Both busses have been to all 50 states and have been the sites for interviews with politicians such as Bill Clinton, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee.
C-SPAN has been a network for 30 years and is funded solely by Americas cable companies. Unlike other news networks C-SPAN offers unedited coverage of virtually every political event in the country. It is a completely non-partisan network and gives equal coverage to each political party.
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Alex Kreitman Gives Students Advice on Keeping Up in the Information Age
2/10/09
Alex Kreitman provided journalism students with some hard to come by optimism when he spoke about changes in online media today at Elon University in Burlington, NC. Kreitman, an Elon graduate, is now the online editor for the Burlington Times-News and spoke specifically about shifts in the newspaper industry towards online media.
Shifts towards Multimedia
Rather than talking about the lack of journalism jobs available today, Kreitman explained the changing skill sets required for new reporters that give younger generations an opportunity. Video, audio, and photos are being used more and more to communicate where in the past traditional written stories were used. For this reason reporters today are expected to be more than just good writers.
“Reporters now aren’t just going out and writing a regular story,” said Kreitman. “They are trying to be innovative and come up with new things.”
Interactivity is the Future
Kreitman explained that most of these new things are attempts get readers to interact and in turn create new content on the web. The Times-News is trying a number of things to attract and keep users on their Web site including contests, a sports pick-em contest, and user options to submit photos and video.
Kreitman is not the only one that believes in the power of interactivity. Mark Briggs, author of “Journalism 2.0″ said in his book that the new web is full of “Web sites that are no longer isolated information silos with one-way communication channels but rather sources of content and functionality.”
Briggs lists YouTube, MySpace, and Wikipedia as the big examples of interactivity, but Kreitman made it clear that even smaller newspapers are embracing the change.
The Difference with Online
Although it seems that in some ways the web is replacing newspapers, the two mediums are not entirely the same and the content found on the top of a paper’s Web page may not necessarily be the same piece of news on the front page of the next day’s paper.
Feature stories, once the heart and soul of newspapers, are not the main focus online.
“Feature stories don’t do that well on the Web,” said Kreitman but, “breaking news stories through the roof, crime stories through the roof, stories that we might not even put in the newspaper but that are of interest through the roof.”
Advice for Young Journalists
Internships and jobs are hard to come by right now for anyone in the journalism industry, but Kreitman said that he would rather hire a younger web-savy journalist than an older person that would need technology training.
“You guys have the biggest advantage,” Kreitman said, “the way you guys were raised, the way you were brought up with technology.”
Watch Alex Kreitman Talk about Hiring Young Journalists
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Elon Honors Former Basketball Coach, Kay Yow in Pink Zone Game
2/8/09
The fashion choices of the crowd at Saturday’s Elon women’s basketball game can be described in one word: Pink. Pink shirts, pink hats, pink ties, pink shoelaces and even pink whistles for the referees were all worn by the spectators and participants at Elon’s first Pink Zone game.
Junior Urysla Cotton scores a basket against the Davidson defense. Cotton had 10 points and 7 rebounds for the Phoenix
The Pink Zone theme was done in honor of former Elon coach Kay Yowwho died of breast cancer on Jan. 24th. Yow began her coaching career at Elon, where she worked for four years before moving to coach at N.C. State. Despite her short-lived career at Elon, Yow left a lasting legacy by starting the women’s basketball program.
half of the cost of each ticket sold at the game went to benefit the Kay Yow/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Cancer fund. There was also a table of Pink Zone merchandise sold to benefit the fund.
Aside from raising money, another goal of the pink theme was to spread awareness and emphasize the importance of early detection in breast cancer cases.
“It is important for us to come out to events like these,” said Alamance Regional Hospital nurse, Anne Shaver. “We try to get out and educate women in our community and make them more aware about the threat of breast cancer.”
Davidson triumphed over Elon in a 79-65 victory, but the Elon crowd was still happy to get out in support of eradicating breast cancer.
One fan, Mary Jo Festle expressed her enthusiasm, “It was nice to be making people aware of breast cancer and celebrating the legacy of Kay Yow.”
Other schools across the country are also holding Pink Zone games. Last year more than 1,20o organizations participated and this year year every team in the SoCon is holding an event.
Kay Yow Memorial Game Slideshow
Watch NC States Kay Yow Rememberance Video
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The Future of Journalism
1/30/09
Newspapers and magazines across the country are in financial trouble, but is journalism really dead, or is this the beginning of a media revolution.
Traditional Media on the Decline
In today’s world of economic crisis filled with home foreclosures, huge job cuts, and red arrows on stock tickers, it is not surprising that the newspaper industry is also feeling the crunch.
Newspapers across the country have been cutting jobs, reducing print editions, and in some cases declaring bankruptcy. This is largely due to the increase in paper prices, over $60 per ton for newsprint paper, but also because of the decreasing numbers of people buying newspapers.
The decline in readership started prior to the economic decline but it certainly did not help matters. Few people put setting aside time and money to read the morning paper at the top of their priority list when they have just lost their job and are trying to prevent a foreclosure on their house.
There is also the fact that news is now so easily accessible quickly and for free via the Internet. Despite these obstacles, the fact remains that although times are tough the happenings of the world are more newsworthy than ever.
The Rise of New Media
Although people are not necessarily reading newspapers they still get their news from the media. Whether it be turning on the TV or clicking a link from their email, people still want to know what is going on in the world.
The actions of the government are more important than ever and although people may not have time to pick up a newspaper, they certainly do not have time to read the entire stimulus plan bill. So where do they turn? Blogs, online magazines, CNN, YouTube, Facebook, the Daily Show, they turn to quick, multimedia, and often free sources of news.
At a National Press Club panel discussion in Ann Arbor, Michigan one of the moderators Gil Klein said, “I’ve never seen reporters so excited as when they’re talking about their Twitters.” The industry is being hit hard, but journalists are more ready and willing than ever to embrace the changes required for the future.
Journalism is in a transition, and although some innovations may not be breaking the bank it will not be long before they become more lucrative than their predecessors ever were. It is certainly not the best time to be the CEO of Tribune Co., but it is one of the best times to be a journalist. There are more and easier ways to share information than ever before.
More Accessibility Than Ever
You no longer have to be a staff reporter to share news, you can be a student, an Internet junkie, or simply a concerned citizen. Anyone can start a blog, post a video on YouTube, or be a CNN iReporter. For these same reasons people are more informed than they ever have been.
The pale gamer kid who never leaves his computer and who would never dream of picking up a newspaper can just click a link from a blog and end up reading about the genocide in Sudan. In fact it is extremely difficult to surf the Internet these days and remain ignorant of the news. Almost every web site has a link to an article or a poll running on the side.
In 1450 in Germany Gutenberg unveiled the printing press. The impact was not immediate but his invention enlightened millions, changing the world forever. Today we are in the midst of a similar revolution. Journalists may not have the best chances in the job market, but they soon will, and they have more opportunities than any of their predecessors to be heard and to enlighten the world.
