Broadcast Re-Write

JOURNALISM ATLAS MERGE-PKG

Reporter—Brittany Anas
Anchor—Mindy Rappoport

Anchor (on set in studio)—From “Cuts in” to “at ATLAS.”

Shot of students working in an ATLAS lab (during a class) with reporter VO—From “Last year” to “also journalism students.”

A-roll of Voakes, but with reporter VO—From “Journalism school Dean” to “future,” but when get to Voakes’s quote, enable sound from the clip so he can say it (in other words, Voakes is talking in background but viewers can’t hear him until reporter finishes her VO and he says, “There’s…”)

Shot of Lauren working in ATLAS lab and talking to reporter, but with reporter VO (so it’s also A-roll)—From “Lauren Brown” to “candidate,” but again, when get to Brown’s quote, enable sound from the clip so she can say it (in other words, Brown is talking in the background while working in the lab but viewers can’t hear her until the reporter finishes VO and Brown says, “I think.”)

Reporter in front of ATLAS: Entire “According to budget” sentence.

Cuts in Colorado’s higher education budget may soon be affecting the way journalism and technology students earn their degrees.

The University of Colorado may combine the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society in order to save money.

Both programs are facing dramatic budget cuts—by about 8 percent in the journalism school and 10 percent at ATLAS.

Last year, a CU Boulder task force started studying whether the journalism school should merge with other parts of the university like ATLAS to form a broader “school of information.”

According to a preliminary task force report, more than 25 schools of information have been created at similar universities across the nation.

The proposed merge is a natural extension of the direction that the two programs are taking now. Of more than 402 ATLAS students, more than a quarter are also journalism students.

Journalism school Dean Paul Voakes said that many journalism students are interested in technology’s role in the media.

Paul Voakes: There’s a very active interest that our students have in the Technology, Arts and Media program. It’s a very good sign for things we can accomplish in the future.

Lauren Brown is one of those journalism advertising students involved in the Technology, Arts and Media program.

Lauren Brown: I think that with emerging digital media being so present in advertising and journalism, you have to have these skills to be a marketable candidate.

According to budget documents, the proposed merge could result in at least one job loss.

1:20

Hard New Ledes

1. The number of child abuse or neglect cases in America rose from 2.5 million to 2.7 million at the end of 2009, according to a Baltimore Child Abuse Prevention Center survey released Wednesday. The survey showed that three to four children die from child abuse every day in America.

2. MILWAUKEE – Police arrested nearly 150 anti-abortion protesters who were blocking the entrances to an abortion clinic Wednesday. Nearly 2,500 people, who have been protesting outside the clinic for three days, said that they plan to demonstrate for six weeks.

3. A man robbed a Great Wall of China Restaurant delivery driver at gunpoint Wednesday at an apartment complex on Western Ave., police said. The man, who opened the complex's outside security door for the driver, threatened to kill him unless he handed over the Chinese food.

4. BOULDER, Colo. - One person was injured Wednesday morning in a fire that caused $45,000 in damages to a two-bedroom home on Main Street, fire officials said.

5. The number of murders and violent crimes committed has increased while the number of rapes and robberies has decreased significantly, according to a Colorado Bureau of Investigation report of crime rates from January to March 2010.

6. United Nations Environment Program researchers found that damage to the earth's ozone layer is increasing, according to a United Nations scientific panel report released Wednesday. The ozone layer, which absorbs some of the sun's cancer-causing ultraviolet rays, could decrease 3 percent in the next decade, researchers said.

7. SANTA ANA, Calif. - Police arrested a 71-year-old woman after she doused her husband with rubbing alcohol and lit him on fire Wednesday. June Carter called paramedics six hours after she allegedly tried to murder Paul Carter, 62, who was confined to a wheelchair and had cancer, police said.

8. Lower broadband prices caused the American broadband user rate to surpass that of dial-up users in 2009, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

9. Princeton University officials decided that each department cannot award more than 35 percent of its students with A's.

10: Up to 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, health and behavior problems because they aren't meeting their minimum sleep needs, the National Sleep Foundation said. About 70 million Americans are affected by a sleep problem, the foundation said.

Editing needless words

PANORA, Ia. – 525 mourners met the deceased Army Spec. Michael Mills Friday at the crowded United Methodist Church.

Instead of a parade down Main Street, there was a stream of cars that stretched from the church to the West Cemetery outside of town.

There were flags at half-staff, and red, white and blue ribbons tied to flower sprays that surrounded the altar. There were also tears – of grief, not joy.

To the rest of the country, Mills was one of 191 Americans killed in the war and one of 28 people killed Feb. 25 when an Iraqi suicide bomb exploded.

To the 1,100 people here, Mike Mills was the 23-year-old hometown boy who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army.

Mill’s funeral provided a somber contrast to the joyous reunions held for returning troops throughout the country.

Blogging a scene

Warm, yellow light floods out through the big windows of the olive green and brick building and spills onto the surrounding grey sidewalk, empty wooden benches and half-filled parking lot. As you approach the door, the familiar black-and-white face of a crowned woman greets you.

As you pass through the first set of windowed doors and walk over the speckled maroon and turquoise linoleum, the faint smell of coffee wafts by you. Overhead, small, black speakers hang on the tan walls a few feet below the brown, flat ceiling and silver-and-orange heat lamps. The lyrics of a song you can’t quite place by an up-and-coming male singer/songwriter intermingle with four students’ discussion of chemical bonds. Students huddle around the five wooden and metal tables and sit side-by-side on the wicker and wood couch with chocolate brown cushions. Worksheets, notebooks, coffee cups, cell phones, iPods and laptops litter the square and circular tables.

As you pass through the second set of doors, the walls brighten a shade as warm air and the scent coffee with floral undertones envelopes you. Country music plays overhead as in front of you, row after row of pumpkin scones, slices of cinnamon coffee cake, oatmeal raisin cookies, and doughnuts beg and plead with you to order them as you approach the black and white marbled counter.

A 20-something brunette greets you with a smile and says, “Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?”

You stare at the off-white boards above her head for a few moments, searching among the Caffe Mochas and Cinnamon Dolce Lattes for the holy grail of coffee drinks.

After placing your order, you sink into one of four red-brown, leather chairs as the coffee machine makes a grinding, humming noise to your left. Around you, students sit around big or small mahogany tables, sipping on lattes and iced chais as they read from biology textbooks or scribble down homework in notebooks. To your left, you can hear the click-click of Macbook keys as a scruffy looking man wearing a green and blue flannel types out his essay. A couple sitting in front of you laughs as they reminisce about freshman year.

Suddenly, an upbeat voice announces, “I have an Iced Grande Carmel Macchiato on the bar. Thank you!”

You approach the bar, thank the barista smiling behind the counter, grab your drink, and head for the door. As you step into the cool night and look up, you lose your breath as you take in the snowcapped Flatirons that glisten in front of the setting sun.

Welcome to Boulder.

Story ideas for Rove/Dean debate

1. Story about the actual event. Why is the debate being held in Macky? How many people were there? How many people were in the Glenn Miller Ballroom watching the live broadcast? What questions did students ask? What topics did Rove/Dean cover? What did they say about each topic? What did students attending the debate think about it? Whose position did they agree with more (in relation to each topic or as a whole)? Why? Note any reactions the audience has during the debate (do they gasp? When? Then ask audience members about it afterward). Also, ask professors, Boulder citizens, etc. in the audience what they thought about the debate (see questions for students above).

2. When was the first Rove/Dean debate? Where did it take place? What topics did it cover? Who argued what position? Have any other Rove/Dean debates taken place since then? Where/when etc. If can contact someone who attended those debates in past, do. If not, get student quotes on what they think the CU debate will be like.

3. Interview students to see how they feel about the debate. Are they excited that Rove/Dean are coming to CU, or could they care less? Why or why not? What positions do they think Rove/Dean will take on certain issues? Why? Whose position do they support on each issue? Why?

4. The Battle of Boulder: Why do they think Rove/Dean are coming here in the first place? What makes CU a desirable place to hold a Rove/Dean debate? How long can it go (is there a limit)? What other cities have they done this debate in? Is it part of a series of debates held at colleges? If so, how have they been received on other campuses? Are they getting a kick out of trying to piss each other off? Contact students/student group reps at other colleges, as well as CU’s Distinguished Speakers Board.

5. Story focusing on the difference in Rove/Dean’s political philosophy. What does Rove think about Dean’s/Obama’s position on health care reform? Why does he think it? What does Rove think about the position the middle class is in because of the failing economy and how that translates into the health care sector? What does Dean think about Rove’s/Bush’s position on health care reform? Why does he think it? Does Dean think Rove/Bush are to blame for the death of the middle class? Why? What do students think about Rove/Dean’s position on health care reform?

Basic News Story Assignment

Handedness may affect life span
Study shows that right-handed individuals live longer than lefties
By Mindy Rappoport

Left-handed individuals are four times more likely to die from driving injuries than right-handed people, according to a study featured in Tuesday’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the 2009 study, University of British Columbia researcher Stanley Coren and California State University at San Bernadino psychology professor Diane Halpern reviewed more than 900 Southern California death certificates. Coren and Halpern then asked relatives of the deceased about their ancestor’s dominant hand.

Halpern said that fact that only 10 percent of the U.S. population is left-handed didn’t surprise her.

“We knew for years that there weren’t as many old left-handers,” Halpern said. “Researchers thought that was because in the early years of the century, most people born left-handed were forced to change to their right hands.”

However, Halpern said that the study revealed that fewer left-handed individuals were alive than right-handed ones. On average, right-handed men live 11 years longer than left-handed men, and right-handed women live six years longer than left-handed women, according to the study.

Cars and other engineering, which is designed for right-handed individuals, may be to blame for the higher rate of accidents that result in left-handed individuals’ injuries, Halpern said.

"There are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment,” Halpern said.

Danae Belanger, a 20-year-old junior advertising major, agrees with Halpern.

“It’s because the world is designed for right-handed people,” Belanger said.

Despite her findings, Halpern said that parents of left-handed children should not try to teach their son or daughter to use their right hand instead.

“There are many, many old left-handed people,” she said.

Instead, the psychology professor urged those who review her findings to do so with caution.

“It should not, of course, be used to predict the life span of any one individual,” Halpern said.

Research Methods Part 2

Question 1: U.S. Census Statistics
Q: What is the total population for your state based on the most recent census statistics available?
A: According to the 2000 U.S. census, as of April 1 there were 4,301,261 people living in Colorado. However, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that as of July 1, 2009, 5,024,748 people were living in Colorado.
Q: What was the population of Asian and Pacific Islanders in your state in 2000?
A: According to the 2000 U.S. census, the population of Asian and Pacific Islanders in Colorado is 132,810 (demographic breakdown: 128,135 Asian and 4,675 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander).

Question 2: Crime Story #1
Q. Find a site that lists sex offender registries in the U.S. What is the URL?
A: The United States Department of Justice’s Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Web site: http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/OffenderSearchCriteria.aspx
Colorado Bureau of Investigation Sex Offender Web site: http://sor.state.co.us/index.cfm?SOR=home.caveat
Q: Check the sex offender registry in your state and identify any offenders in your area.
A: There are currently 76 sex offenders registered in Boulder, CO.
Q: Check the Maryland sex offender registry and click on the interactive map to find registered sex offenders near colleges in Maryland. What is the URL? What type of information is available?
A: The Department of Safety and Public Services in Maryland has created an interactive map that anyone can use to find registered sex offenders. The map allows you to search by address, county or place (ex: college, school, library, church, shopping mall, and recreational areas). You can even trace your own parameters on the map and it’ll zoom in on the specified area. Once you’ve picked your area, the map documents child sex offenders, offenders, and sexually violent offenders using a legend made up of different colored shapes.

Question 3: Crime Story #2 

Q: Check the police statistics on your own university’s Web site (if they are listed) and compare them with the ones listed on the education site.
A: It’s interesting to note the differences between CU Police Department’s statistics and those listed on the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education’s Web site. While the OPE reported four instances of forcible rape in 2006, two in 2007 and seven in 2008, CUPD reported ten in 2006, eight in 2007 and seven in 2008. In fact, when you compare one report to the other, you’ll notice discrepancies in almost every column (in relation to the number of times a specific offense took place each year).

Q: How many forcible sex offenses were reported on your campus (from the latest year available)? How many burglaries?
A: Both CUPD and OPE statistics report that seven forcible sex offenses took place in 2008. The OPE reported 59 burglaries in 2008 while the CUPD only reported 44. (Sources linked in previous question).

Question 4: Political Reporting #1
Q: What are the latest totals for money your two senators received?
A: According to Opensecrets.org, in each of their latest campaigns, Sen. Michael Bennet received $3,661,380 and Sen. Mark Udall received $12,015,829.

Question 5: Political Reporting #2
Q: How much money did your governor receive in campaign contributions in his or her last campaign?
A: Gov. Bill Ritter received $984,026 in campaign contributions in his 2008 campaign.
Q: What was the total amount of contributions the governor received in the last election?
A: Gov. Ritter received $4,365,257 in contributions in the 2006 election.
Q: What is the limit on the amount of money for personal contributions to a campaign in your state?
A: According to a table of contribution amount limits created by the National Conference of State Legislatures, an individual can donate $525 to a governor/another statewide candidate’s campaign and $200 to a legislative candidate’s campaign.

Question 6: Government Statistics #1

Q: Find the latest government figures for tuition costs of college and universities. (Check under fast facts for education).
A: Fast Facts: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372
Q: What was the average tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public institutions for the latest year available?
A: At four-year public institutions for the 2007-2008 academic year, tuition and fees amounted to $5,950; room was $4,072 and board cost $3,402.
Q: What was the average tuition, fees, room and board at four-year private colleges and universities?
A: At four-year private colleges and universities for the 2007-2008 academic year, tuition and fees were $21,588; room amounted to $4,812 and board cost $3,993.

Question 7: Government Statistics #2
Q: Find the home page for your state.
A: http://www.colorado.gov/

Question 8: Government Statistics #2
Q: 
Find the home page for your city.
A: http://ci.boulder.co.us/

Research Methods

Question 1: Weather Story #1
Q: Name the costliest hurricane in the United States since 1900.
A: Hurricane Katrina was the costliest hurricane that took place in the U.S. since 1900.
Q: When and where did it occur?
A: Hurricane Katrina hit southeast and southwest Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in Aug. 2005.
Q: How much were the damages?
A: Hurricane Katrina cost $81,000,000,000 in damages.

Source: National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/Deadliest_Costliest.shtml

Question 2: Weather Story #2
Q: Find a site that offers good tips on earthquake preparedness.
A: The U.S. Geological Survey Web site offers very useful tips on what to do before, after, and during an earthquake, a list of frequently asked questions and links to other earthquake preparedness Web sites that cater to more specific audiences (ex: Preparedness tips for families with children).

Source: USGS
Useful tips from USGS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/
FAQs: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/faq/?categoryID=14

Links for specific audiences: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/?topicID=25&topic=Preparedness

Question 3: Plane Crashes
In Colorado (from 1/1/09 to 12/31/09):
Q: How many fatal crashes occurred in the last year?
A: 4 fatal crashes. 1/11/09 in Hayden, 1/15/09 in Wray, 2/1/09 in Elbert, 7/9/09 in Similia.
Q: How many nonfatal crashes occurred in the last year?
A: 41 nonfatal crashes.
Q: If the type of plane or company involved has had more than one fatal crash in the last year or two, check the record of that company using the same query site.
A: N/A.
Q: In 2000 the NTSB conducted a major investigation of an airplane crash in which 88 people died. What was the airline?
A: Alaska Airlines.
Q: In 2006 how many people died in the crash in Lexington, KY?
A: 49 people died.

Source: National Transportation Safety Board
For the first three questions: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/Response2.asp (from 1/1/09 to 12/31/09 in Colorado)
For the last two questions: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/major.asp

Rathergate: mistakes and lessons learned

Sep. 8, 2004 will forever be remembered as Memogate/Rathergate, or the day when CBS aired a 60 Minutes Wednesday report that scrutinized President Bush’s National Guard service just two months before the presidential election. The report focused on documents that were allegedly written by Lieutenant Colonel Jerry B. Killian, Bush’s commander. The documents alleged that President Bush disobeyed orders and received special treatment during his service in the National Guard.

Almost immediately after the report aired, bloggers began questioning and investigating the authenticity of these documents. Several experts, including Joseph M. Newcomer, concluded that the documents could have easily been forged in Microsoft Word due to the ease at which one could copy and paste the allegedly typewritten text. Other bloggers picked up on, contributed to, and spread word that the alleged documents that CBS’s report was based off of were forged, and soon bloggers were demanding for an explanation from CBS.

Facing the pressure of bloggers who questioned their transparency, the network fired Producer Mary Mapes, Executive Producer Josh Howard, Senior Vice President Betsy West, and Senior Broadcast Producer Mary Murphy. However, the most significant change in CBS’s staff took place when longtime anchor Dan Rather resigned a few months after the report aired. Although Rather had not been involved in any of the research for the story, he joined CBS in defending the documents’ authenticity for about two weeks following the broadcast. To this day, many CBS viewers allege that Rather’s resignation is a direct result of his false claims.

It is my belief that if a reporter wants to deliver a message and connect with their audience, the message better be credible. The problem with Rathergate is as simple as that—a lack of credibility. I’ll admit that from a business standpoint, with the struggling state of today’s media, media conglomerates are doing everything they can to improve ratings and increase revenue, and to them that means breaking the next big story before someone else does. However, if conglomerates pressure reporters to race to throw together stories that are based on rumors and half-truths, the public is going to start to see those networks as no more than greedy rating-grabbers who cannot be trusted and will ignore their coverage.

If there’s one good thing that came out of Rathergate, it’s that many networks and news publications are trying to be more careful about fact checking and more transparent. If the media continues on this path, they might just strengthen the public’s trust in the truthfulness of their reporting. After our discussion in class about blogging’s effect on the media over the last century, I believe that blogs may be another tool journalists can utilize in their quest to increase credibility and report the truth. Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust, but verify,” but in relation to the media today and blogging, as a citizen or as a journalist, I wouldn’t even go that far. As a reporter reading a blog post, I want to know just as much about a blogger’s sources as any news reporter’s. As we discussed in class, blogs can be a good source for stories, so long as reporters—in taking a new, more complex angle on the event or situation presented in the post—carefully investigate the information the blogger cites.

To be honest, as a journalism student who really values truth and transparency in today’s media, incidents like Rathergate horrify and embarrass me. One of my primary reasons for choosing a career in journalism is rooted in my desire to be a whistleblower like H.L. Mencken, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein and Joseph C. Wilson. I want to publish accurate reports that are strongly supported by careful research and proven facts. I want to “afflict the comfortable,” as Mencken once said, and inform citizens of injustices that are taking place everyday within our country so that they can take those reports, form their own opinions and make their own decisions. However, if reporters in today’s media continue to rush stories (in other words, trade in careful fact-checking for higher ratings), I’m starting to question what the nature of the journalism industry will be like in two years when I graduate. Although I’ve had my heart set on a career in journalism for over six years now, do I really want to enter into an industry that values ratings over the truth? I’m hopeful that over the next two years, reporters and networks will strive to produce more accurate reports not only to increase my trust in the media, but also to increase the public’s.

Design*Sponge

As an out-of-state journalism student at the University of Colorado, my heart speeds up momentarily every time I come across something that reminds me of my home in the Pacific Northwest. So naturally, when I first visited Design*Sponge, I lit up as I read Wednesday’s post about a Portland-based design studio called Parliament.

After I finally peeled my wide-eyed self away from the pictures of the gorgeous wood floors and log-stacked wall that give Parliament’s studio its Pacific Northwest vibe, I started seriously exploring Design*Sponge. After examining the first page, I was especially impressed by the fact that this blog gives readers a comprehensive look at every aspect of design in today’s world. It doesn’t matter whether or not a reader knows anything about design and visual aesthetics; posts on Design*Sponge cover everything from interior design (home makeovers, office layouts, product reviews and mini trends) to city guides to do-it-yourself projects. There’s even a recipe section!

Design*Sponge is written primarily by Grace Bonney, a Brooklyn writer who contributes to design-based publications like CRAFT Magazine (do-it-yourself projects), Domino Magazine (interior design—when it was still being published), In Style and Better Homes and Gardens, among others. Bonney’s design knowledge also earned her a spot on the Martha Stewart Radio Show and Good Morning America. While Bonney writes a majority of the posts, Design*Sponge is pieced together by a dozen or so writers and editors. Some of the other writers that contribute to the blog include Derek Fagerstrom and Lauren Smith, who write a do-it-yourself column; Kristina Gill, who runs a recipe section; and Amy Merrick, who focuses on products that were inspired by books or movies.

With Design*Sponge, Bonney, along with her team of writers and editors, opens up the world of design to anyone who might want to learn more about any aspect of it. Bonney and her writers use their knowledge of and passion for design to point out to readers what they think are the most interesting and creative products, projects and layouts. That being said, a majority of the posts seem to focus on promoting designers’ products, although a reader with a greater knowledge of and patience for design—as well as a hefty piggy bank—may appreciate Design*Sponge more than others.

Even without much of a foundation in design, readers will immediately notice—as I did—how the Web site draws them in. With its lace-on-textured-fabric layout that makes you want to reach out and touch your screen, bright sidebars, big, bright pictures, and relaxed style of writing, Design*Sponge is an interesting blog that readers could spend days on without running out of content. I encourage you to check it out—although you may want to hide your wallet before you do.

Returning to the truth

Today’s international news coverage not only focuses on the earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday, but also on Rush Limbaugh’s response to the natural disaster and commentary on the country itself.

In Wednesday morning's press conference, President Obama addressed the nation on relief efforts that were already underway and how the government planned to proceed in Haiti in the coming days.

“Military overflights have assessed the damage, and by early afternoon our civilian disaster assistance team are beginning to arrive,” Obama said in the press conference. “Search and rescue teams from Florida, Virginia and California will arrive throughout today and tomorrow, and more rescue and medical equipment and emergency personnel are being prepared."

On his Wednesday show, instead of reporting on the tragedy that had just taken place in Haiti and the relief effort, Limbaugh decided to criticize Obama’s actions and excite the Conservative base against the president. Limbaugh dismissed Obama’s relief efforts for the Haitians as little more than currying favor with the African American community.

“They’ll use this to burnish their, shall we say, ‘credibility’ with the black community—in the both light-skinned and dark-skinned black community in this country,” Limbaugh said on his Wednesday show.

With Americans becoming increasingly sick of the two parties not coming together to work on our nation’s issues, here is yet another example of someone who had a political ax to grind and decided to try and use it to hit Obama over the head. Limbaugh, like many others in the media today, took an international tragedy and turned it into political diatribe.

In fact, this is a phenomenon we’re seeing increasingly in today’s news. Last year in my Principles of Journalism class, Professor Yulsman told us that a journalist’s primary obligation was to tell the truth. Once upon a time, a journalist’s duty, first and foremost, was to inform citizens about disaster, crime, the government’s actions, and other noteworthy current events that might impact their lives in some way.

However, in today’s media, some people choose to take advantage of the news and use it to criticize the opposing team. Every time the president takes a stand on something, no matter how good or bad his position is, there is always someone there to criticize him. It doesn’t even matter if the issue is political or not; when Obama ordered a hamburger with Dijon mustard last May in Virginia, the Chicago Tribune clucked disapprovingly as Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham criticized Limbaugh Obama of being elitist.

Walter Lippman was completely correct in saying that "the task of selecting and ordering the news is one of the truly sacred and priestly offices in a democracy." Journalists like Lippman and H.L. Mencken, who were watchdogs of truth, would be rolling over in their graves if they could see the way people like Limbaugh have bastardized it. But in a 24/7 cable news environment that encourages shouting more than it does thoughtfulness, its unfortunate that radio talk show hosts like Limbaugh can use the news as a platform for their own egomania.