A sophomore at Springfield University claims a chemistry professor has sexually harassed her.
Karen Hart, 123 Hill Hall, says the professor, George O.T. Jungle, has touched her during tutoring sessions in his office and has invited her to his apartment several times. She said she declined his invitations.
"I am having trouble in the class and I have to go see him to get help with my papers and projects," Hart said. "But I am scared to go in his office now."
Jungle denied having an improper contact with the student and threatened this newspaper with a libel suit if it published the story.
Hart said she is thinking of filing a formal complaint with the university.
"I don't know how to do that," she said. "I don't know what to do."
CONSENSUS : I would not publish this article. One student's testimony is not enough evidence to back up a story with such hefty accusations against someone. For all we know the student is trying to get back at her professor by spreading a false rumor about him. I would wait to publish this story when I found out that she was actually serious about filing a report. It would only be safe to proceed with this story once the police get involved and more evidence pops up that strongly suggests she is right. Until then I would take Jungle's libel suit threat very seriously!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Ethical Decision-Making : 3 Questions
Scenario 1
You are interviewing a high government
official about her involvement in a bribery
scheme, when she is called out of her office.
While alone, you notice some documents on
her desk that appear to be related to your
investigation.
Would you read them? Take them? Ask her
about them when she returns?
You are interviewing a high government
official about her involvement in a bribery
scheme, when she is called out of her office.
While alone, you notice some documents on
her desk that appear to be related to your
investigation.
Would you read them? Take them? Ask her
about them when she returns?
CONSENSUS : I would read as much as I could off of them before she got back and then ask her about them. I would admit that I had noticed them while she was gone and that I would like an explanation. If she left them on her desk in plain view it wouldn't be my fault that I happened to notice them!
Scenario 2
Conditions at a local nursing home are
known to be substandard. It’s privately
owned, and efforts to gain admittance or
information have failed.
Your editor asks you to get a job as an
orderly and write a story based on your
first-hand experiences.
Would you do it? Why or why not?
CONSENSUS: Yes I would. I would be honest on my application to work at the nursing home though. If the nursing home hired me and I happened to notice that patients were being maltreated while on the job, whose to stop me from reporting the place to the authorities or write an article about my experiences? As long as you go about it honestly you shouldn't get into too much trouble in the aftermath!
Scenario 3
You are writing a feature story and
find some excellent quotes about your
subject from another written source.
–May you use those quotes as if you
obtained them yourself, or must you
credit the other written source?
–What if you obtained the quotes from a
web site?
Conditions at a local nursing home are
known to be substandard. It’s privately
owned, and efforts to gain admittance or
information have failed.
Your editor asks you to get a job as an
orderly and write a story based on your
first-hand experiences.
Would you do it? Why or why not?
CONSENSUS: Yes I would. I would be honest on my application to work at the nursing home though. If the nursing home hired me and I happened to notice that patients were being maltreated while on the job, whose to stop me from reporting the place to the authorities or write an article about my experiences? As long as you go about it honestly you shouldn't get into too much trouble in the aftermath!
Scenario 3
You are writing a feature story and
find some excellent quotes about your
subject from another written source.
–May you use those quotes as if you
obtained them yourself, or must you
credit the other written source?
–What if you obtained the quotes from a
web site?
CONSENSUS: If they were excellent quotes I would use them, but give credit to the other source. I wouldn't use them overwhelmingly in my article though. If I found them on a website I would use them only if the website was my sources own, personal site. For example, if I was writing an article on Mary Roach I wouldn't think twice about quoting something she wrote herself on her own website. I would also definately mention where I found it.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Fog Index
SAMPLE OF MY WRITING
"The city of San Francisco has recently created a new law that went into effect on the first of January of this year that will help to curb obesity from further manifesting itself in it’s citizens; the Bicycle Tax Credit (BTC). Passed as part of the $700 billion bailout plan, the BTC has granted tax cuts to those who commute to work via bicycle. The law also allows employers to reimburse their bicycle-commuting employees up to twenty dollars per month for bicycle-commuting related expenses that may come up (Westlind 2008). This law helps to fight the obesity epidemic by giving people a monetary incentive to exercise and practice healthy habits."
FOG INDEX :18.1
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS
Wow! I really need to cut my sentences short! Looking back I could have shortened the first sentence into two different sentences and maybe used a couple of simpler words to make this more friendly on the eyes. I need to keep it short and sweet!
"The city of San Francisco has recently created a new law that went into effect on the first of January of this year that will help to curb obesity from further manifesting itself in it’s citizens; the Bicycle Tax Credit (BTC). Passed as part of the $700 billion bailout plan, the BTC has granted tax cuts to those who commute to work via bicycle. The law also allows employers to reimburse their bicycle-commuting employees up to twenty dollars per month for bicycle-commuting related expenses that may come up (Westlind 2008). This law helps to fight the obesity epidemic by giving people a monetary incentive to exercise and practice healthy habits."
FOG INDEX :18.1
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS
Wow! I really need to cut my sentences short! Looking back I could have shortened the first sentence into two different sentences and maybe used a couple of simpler words to make this more friendly on the eyes. I need to keep it short and sweet!
Got What It Takes To Be A Reporter?
MY SCORE: 22
According to this little quiz journalism is overall a good fit for me but I’ll have to “change my attitude or improve some skills” first. This makes total sense to me, since meeting deadlines is a laborious effort for me. I’m a perfectionist, and whipping out news stories under pressure as a career doesn't appeal to me at all. I like writing, but I think that working for a magazine or as an author would be more my pace.
According to this little quiz journalism is overall a good fit for me but I’ll have to “change my attitude or improve some skills” first. This makes total sense to me, since meeting deadlines is a laborious effort for me. I’m a perfectionist, and whipping out news stories under pressure as a career doesn't appeal to me at all. I like writing, but I think that working for a magazine or as an author would be more my pace.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
REVISIONS!
News Story #5
A crash involving a runaway asphalt truck left four people injured, a house in flames and several cities without power in and around El Cerrito today.
The crash happened when the driver of the 10-wheel hauler lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a house on Moeser Lane. Five vehicles were smashed and one power pole snapped in two before the vehicle finally came to a stop after plowing into the residence, causing both the truck and the single-story house to go up in flames.
El Cerrito police Detective Sgt. Shawn Maples was one of the first rescue workers to arrive at the scene and said that he immediately heard cries coming from the burning house and truck. Maples began digging through the debris and found the driver of the truck mangled and unable to move. He and another rescue worker were able to grab his hand and pull him to safety.
Maples said, "We dragged him out in a heartbeat while the truck went up in flames. I just wanted to get him out of there."
The truck also hit a Honda sedan, which was left so crumpled that rescue workers had to slice and peel back its roof in order to free the driver trapped inside. Two other vehicles, including one with a man and boy inside, were also hit by the truck, but no other injuries were reported.
Ruben Sharma, who lives across the street from the house that was hit, said that at first he thought the crash was an earthquake. “This is unbelievable” he said while looking across the street and surveying the smoldering aftermath of the accident.
The driver of the truck, a San Jose man whose name has not yet been released, broke both of his legs in the crash and is currently listed in serious but stable condition at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
First of all, and most importantly, news agencies must not begin to charge their readers for content that they already receive for free. Doing so will only redirect readers to other news sources that offer similar content for nothing at all, especially now during the economic crisis. However, charging people to access a more expansive and innovate version of what they can already access for free is more likely to generate profits by tantalizing people into subscribing to it.
It is also absolutely imperative for news agencies to create creative and entertaining websites if they are to succeed. The more expansive and innovative a website is, the more likely it is to accumulate fans and loyal readers. To gain advertising revenue you have to first become popular and gain viewers; you can’t to that by being like every other news website!
After reading a handful of articles about the fiuture of journalism I have come to the conclusion that creating a small online news website could be a possible career endeavor for me. Judging from Ryan Sholin’s article, “Are we asking the right questions about online revenue models?” I realized that creating a news website dedicated to covering local news could be profitable. If you cover a relatively small area you can use local businesses to advertise on your site; that way they would be able to target people in the area and you would be able to profit from it. He also pointed out that craigslist.com hasn’t completely taken over classified ad sales, and that there is still a dollar to be made selling classified ads. People would also be attracted by the proximity of the stories featured on the site.
2) Lt. Cmdr. John Carpenter was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the 7th Fleet. (4 pts. - this one's tricky, so give it some thought)
3) Twenty-one winners were named two days after the third annual Procrastination Awards Ceremony. (3)
4) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the playoff, when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)
5) Hundreds of people attended Sunday's race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (3)
6) Every winter, the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their summer trip together. This year they’re hoping to go to Panama City, Panama. (3)
The crash happened when the driver of the 10-wheel hauler lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a house on Moeser Lane. Five vehicles were smashed and one power pole snapped in two before the vehicle finally came to a stop after plowing into the residence, causing both the truck and the single-story house to go up in flames.
El Cerrito police Detective Sgt. Shawn Maples was one of the first rescue workers to arrive at the scene and said that he immediately heard cries coming from the burning house and truck. Maples began digging through the debris and found the driver of the truck mangled and unable to move. He and another rescue worker were able to grab his hand and pull him to safety.
Maples said, "We dragged him out in a heartbeat while the truck went up in flames. I just wanted to get him out of there."
The truck also hit a Honda sedan, which was left so crumpled that rescue workers had to slice and peel back its roof in order to free the driver trapped inside. Two other vehicles, including one with a man and boy inside, were also hit by the truck, but no other injuries were reported.
Ruben Sharma, who lives across the street from the house that was hit, said that at first he thought the crash was an earthquake. “This is unbelievable” he said while looking across the street and surveying the smoldering aftermath of the accident.
The driver of the truck, a San Jose man whose name has not yet been released, broke both of his legs in the crash and is currently listed in serious but stable condition at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
The Future of News
The problem with moving the news online is that so far we have not found a way to securely finance and profit from doing so. Judging from the readings we were assigned for this assignment I have come to the conclusion that journalism agencies will only succeed in their online endeavors if they do the following things.First of all, and most importantly, news agencies must not begin to charge their readers for content that they already receive for free. Doing so will only redirect readers to other news sources that offer similar content for nothing at all, especially now during the economic crisis. However, charging people to access a more expansive and innovate version of what they can already access for free is more likely to generate profits by tantalizing people into subscribing to it.
It is also absolutely imperative for news agencies to create creative and entertaining websites if they are to succeed. The more expansive and innovative a website is, the more likely it is to accumulate fans and loyal readers. To gain advertising revenue you have to first become popular and gain viewers; you can’t to that by being like every other news website!
After reading a handful of articles about the fiuture of journalism I have come to the conclusion that creating a small online news website could be a possible career endeavor for me. Judging from Ryan Sholin’s article, “Are we asking the right questions about online revenue models?” I realized that creating a news website dedicated to covering local news could be profitable. If you cover a relatively small area you can use local businesses to advertise on your site; that way they would be able to target people in the area and you would be able to profit from it. He also pointed out that craigslist.com hasn’t completely taken over classified ad sales, and that there is still a dollar to be made selling classified ads. People would also be attracted by the proximity of the stories featured on the site.
AP Style Exercise (M-R)
1) He hopes to make a billion dollars by the time he’s 40. Already he figures his net worth is between $2 million and $3 million, depending on current stock market prices. (3)2) Lt. Cmdr. John Carpenter was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the 7th Fleet. (4 pts. - this one's tricky, so give it some thought)
3) Twenty-one winners were named two days after the third annual Procrastination Awards Ceremony. (3)
4) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the playoff, when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)
5) Hundreds of people attended Sunday's race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (3)
6) Every winter, the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their summer trip together. This year they’re hoping to go to Panama City, Panama. (3)
Math for Journalists
1. COLLEGE BUDGET
*Of the college's budget, 67% comes from the state, 5% comes from student tuition and 28% comes from fees, grants and gifts.
* The average prison term for someone convicted for aggravated assault is 1 year and 1o months.
*The most significant source of funding comes from the state and the least amount comes from tuition.
* About two thirds of the schools budget comes from the state, a little less than a third of it comes from fees, grants and tuition and only 5% comes from student tuition.
2. PRISON TERMS
* The average prison term for someone convicted for aggravated assault is 1 year and 1o months.
* The median prison term for someone convicted for aggravated assault is I year
* The median is more representative, since it shows that most of the inmates are actually sentenced to 1 year in prison, whereas the average isn't equally as representative.
3. California's state sales tax is 8.5%. If restaurants become exempt from the sales tax someone who pays $5 dollars for a meal once a week will save $21.45 a year. Someone who spends $20 dollars for a meal once a week will save $85.80.
JOUR 61 – AP Style Exercise (S-Z)
1) He thought of Smokey Bear every time he got near a smoldering fire or entered a smoky room. (3)
2) The forecast is for lower temperatures, falling to the low 30s by tonight. If the rain continues, as expected, there could be a travelers' advisory. (3)
3) To celebrate Veterans Day, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, troops of former soldiers will march down Main Street carrying U.S. flags. (3)
4) His weeklong ordeal will be finished when finals week is over. Until then, his well-being is in doubt. (2)
5) A 19-year-old youth was arrested Monday for carrying a Saturday night special without a permit. After being released on bond, he disappeared. His whereabouts is unknown. (4)
6) She’d hoped to be able to trade in her car after getting a tuneup, but she totaled it last night. (3)
7) Could you photocopy that invoice for me? I need it for our year-end budget. (2)
2) The forecast is for lower temperatures, falling to the low 30s by tonight. If the rain continues, as expected, there could be a travelers' advisory. (3)
3) To celebrate Veterans Day, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, troops of former soldiers will march down Main Street carrying U.S. flags. (3)
4) His weeklong ordeal will be finished when finals week is over. Until then, his well-being is in doubt. (2)
5) A 19-year-old youth was arrested Monday for carrying a Saturday night special without a permit. After being released on bond, he disappeared. His whereabouts is unknown. (4)
6) She’d hoped to be able to trade in her car after getting a tuneup, but she totaled it last night. (3)
7) Could you photocopy that invoice for me? I need it for our year-end budget. (2)
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