1. When referring to the allegation that Mayor Jim West was pursuing underage boys
online, why do you think editor Steven Smith differentiated between a legitimate news
story and one that is not legitimate when he said, "If he's [Mayor Jim West] engaged in this activity … we need to know that. If he's not -- there's no story" ?
The story is only legitimate if the mayor is breaking the law. If he is not breaking the law and engaging in this immoral activity, then there is no story. Is a mayor chasing young but legal men a story?
2. How did reporter Bill Morlin justify the use of a concealed identity on Gay.com as part
of The Spokesman-Review's and the FBI's "sting operation"? Why didn't Morlin himself
create the assumed identity to engage Mayor West online?
He justified concealing an identity on Gay.com because the Spokesman-Review believed that this was the only way to really find out if the person online is the mayor. They chose to make thier fake identity a 17-year-old boy to see if the mayor would go after a boy opposed to a man. When the boy turned 18, the conversation turned sexual.
3. Why do you think The Spokesman-Review ultimately published so many articles on
Mayor West's alleged improprieties?
The story was not about the mayor being gay, the Review said, the story was about public abuse of office; offering young men jobs/internships for sexual favors. I think the Spokesman-Review believed more was hidden beneath West's personal life. Steven Smith suspected that more victims would accuse West, but following the initial stories, no one came forth. The paper continued to publish stories about abuse of office.
4. In the final analysis, who benefited from The Spokesman-Review's decision to expose
Mayor West and his alleged improprieties? Who was hurt? Do you think the outcome was worth it? Explain your reasoning.
The case against the mayor was much more than about his sexual orientation. Representatives from both major parties were involved in the committee to take Jim West out of office. The mayor and the gay community of Spokane were affected and hurt by this story. The small gay community trying to become accepted in a conservative town were hurt because the mayor felt ashamed. The gay community were angry because in order to protect his identity, the mayor went out of his way to inhibit the gay communities rights. Jim West introduced a bill into the legislature to prohibit gay teachers from teaching in the community. West believes his anti-gay record was overstated.
No one said that Jim West sexually abused them. Morlin eventually dug up sources who accused West, but one source had already accused another deputy and made a claim for damages. The source would only contact the Spokesman-Review and would talk to no other media.
Jim West was exiled and basically fell from power. West was "outed," admitted to being gay, and did admit that he opposed certain gay rights movements, but there was never any proof of truth behind the harmful allegations the paper wrote about concerning abusing young boys. I think the outcome came about in an inappropriate way and pieces of the process were unethical.
5. The Spokesman-Review has been criticized as conducting a "witch hunt" in its reporting on the private lives of some city officials. Below is a link to another recent article on Spokane Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch. Do you think that there are any ethical problems in the reporting in this story? Why or why not?
I think there is a limit to investigating stories about private lives. It is important for journalists to report the news for the community, but to draw out allegations and really hurt people for no reason is unethical.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Second Life Story
Emily Taflan
Second Life
The Virtual In-World Experience
A Second Life representative announced a new interactive feature called Showcase Thursday morning that will be available to residents of their virtual world.
“The purpose for Showcase is to connect people who are users of this world to the pool content,” Brett Atwood, Web editor for Linden Lab, the creators of Second Life, said. “Second Life is full of exciting 3-D spaces that are created entirely by Residents, but some of the best content and communities have been difficult to find until now.”
Atwood said Showcase is like a TV guide for the virtual world of Second Life. The guide features locations such as Weather Channel Island, Virtual Mexico, “CSI: NY” Island and Thomson Reuters Island.
Atwood said that Second Life is not a game. “It is more of a social engagement area,” he said. “There are actual classrooms and training sessions in-world.”
A 3-D voice function was introduced recently to enhance in-world tools and interactions. Second Life residents can talk to each other in addition to communicating via Instant Messaging and through chat functions.
Organizations are taking advantage of the Second Life experience and 3-D voice function through the Second Life Grid. This area is a Website that shows you how you can use 3-D voice for business, education, and non-profit organizational purposes.
Atwood said business organizations like IBM and Nissan are currently using Second Life as a promotional outlet. Nissan’s space even allows Residents to test drive new models of their cars.
Universities and libraries are doing more than just test driving their plot in the virtual world, according to Linden Lab’s Website. Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society opened a campus extension in Second Life. Educational entities make use of the large amphitheaters available in-world to teach classes and give lectures.
The public areas available to business and education are also open to artists said Atwood. U2, a rock group from Dublin, Ireland, recently performed in-world to raise money for ONE organization. This non-profit, humanitarian association utilized this benefit event to help fund their efforts to fight AIDS and extreme poverty.
While organizations make use of their spaces to better their groups, individuals are also attempting to flourish in the virtual world. Atwood said architects often display their work in-world and Residents can pay to have their land developed by these designers. “One woman really took to the space and built sort of a real estate tycoon,” Atwood said. “Some people’s primary income in the real world is from the virtual world.”
According to Linden Lab, Second Life is growing throughout the world with more than 100 countries utilizing the space. On a bad day 45,000 people will visit Second Life, Atwood said. On a good day, the peak nears 65,000. Its business, educational, non-profit, and creative aspects may be used as a unique tool to further global relations.
###
Second Life
The Virtual In-World Experience
A Second Life representative announced a new interactive feature called Showcase Thursday morning that will be available to residents of their virtual world.
“The purpose for Showcase is to connect people who are users of this world to the pool content,” Brett Atwood, Web editor for Linden Lab, the creators of Second Life, said. “Second Life is full of exciting 3-D spaces that are created entirely by Residents, but some of the best content and communities have been difficult to find until now.”
Atwood said Showcase is like a TV guide for the virtual world of Second Life. The guide features locations such as Weather Channel Island, Virtual Mexico, “CSI: NY” Island and Thomson Reuters Island.
Atwood said that Second Life is not a game. “It is more of a social engagement area,” he said. “There are actual classrooms and training sessions in-world.”
A 3-D voice function was introduced recently to enhance in-world tools and interactions. Second Life residents can talk to each other in addition to communicating via Instant Messaging and through chat functions.
Organizations are taking advantage of the Second Life experience and 3-D voice function through the Second Life Grid. This area is a Website that shows you how you can use 3-D voice for business, education, and non-profit organizational purposes.
Atwood said business organizations like IBM and Nissan are currently using Second Life as a promotional outlet. Nissan’s space even allows Residents to test drive new models of their cars.
Universities and libraries are doing more than just test driving their plot in the virtual world, according to Linden Lab’s Website. Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society opened a campus extension in Second Life. Educational entities make use of the large amphitheaters available in-world to teach classes and give lectures.
The public areas available to business and education are also open to artists said Atwood. U2, a rock group from Dublin, Ireland, recently performed in-world to raise money for ONE organization. This non-profit, humanitarian association utilized this benefit event to help fund their efforts to fight AIDS and extreme poverty.
While organizations make use of their spaces to better their groups, individuals are also attempting to flourish in the virtual world. Atwood said architects often display their work in-world and Residents can pay to have their land developed by these designers. “One woman really took to the space and built sort of a real estate tycoon,” Atwood said. “Some people’s primary income in the real world is from the virtual world.”
According to Linden Lab, Second Life is growing throughout the world with more than 100 countries utilizing the space. On a bad day 45,000 people will visit Second Life, Atwood said. On a good day, the peak nears 65,000. Its business, educational, non-profit, and creative aspects may be used as a unique tool to further global relations.
###
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
In-Class Research Exercise
1. Several crime statistics are available at the FBI's "Uniform Crime Report" Web site:
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.
At this site, you should be able to search for crime statistics by year.
Write a brief paragraph detailing the crime statistics for "Offenses Known" at Washington State University (Pullman campus) in 2006. How does WSU compare to other Washington universities?
Washington State University in Pullman, WA, had 23,544 students enrolled in 2006. Crime offenses known at WSU included 6 violent crimes, 4 forcible rapes, 2 aggravated assaults, 200 property crimes, 30 burglaries, 167 larceny-thefts, 3 motor vehicle thefts, 3 arson cases, and no murders or cases of robbery. WSU falls about mid-way between the other Washington universities on the known offenses crimes. The University of Washington has the most crimes and Eastern Washington University has the least (close to Evergreen State College, but this is a college).
2. Followthemoney.org is a Web site that allows you to track flow of money in state politics. Use the site to research and answer the following questions:
- Which Washington state house candidate and senate candidate received the most political donations in 2006? How much did each of them receive in total tracked donations for 2006?
Washington state house candidate Troy Kelley received the most political donations in 2006, an amount totaling $305,599.
Washington state senate candidate Christopher J. Marr received the most political donations in 2006, an amount totaling $565,880.
- For each of these candidates, what individual or organization was the largest donor (aside from their donations to themselves)? How much did they give?
For candidate Troy Kelley, the largest donor was the Washington State Democratic Party contributing $42,974.
For candidate Christopher J. Marr, the largest donor was the Washington State Democratic Party contributing $46,615.
- Use the same tool to investigate how donations play a role in politics. Use the "Explore" and then "Industry Influence" button to load in charts by each industry topic. What political party was the recipient of more donated money for anti-gun control regulations in Washington state in 2006? What political party received the most donated money for "women's issues" in Washington state over the past few years?
The political party that received more donated money for anti-gun control regulations in Washington state in 2006 was the Republican party (a donation totaling $72,000).
The political party that has received the most donated money for "women's issues" over the past few years has been the Democrats.
3. Use Google's Patent Search to find the patent application with the FIRST REFERENCES to these technologies:
* Digital Video Recorder
http://www.google.com/patents?id=TGeNAAAAEBAJ&dq=digital+video+recorder&as_psra=1
* Social Networking
http://www.google.com/patents?id=QMCGAAAAEBAJ&dq=social+networking&as_psra=1
* Automobile
http://www.google.com/patents?id=C_qEAAAAEBAJ&dq=automobile&as_psra=1
For your response, simply include the Web link to each patent filing. Please note that in your search results, you may need to sort by date.
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.
At this site, you should be able to search for crime statistics by year.
Write a brief paragraph detailing the crime statistics for "Offenses Known" at Washington State University (Pullman campus) in 2006. How does WSU compare to other Washington universities?
Washington State University in Pullman, WA, had 23,544 students enrolled in 2006. Crime offenses known at WSU included 6 violent crimes, 4 forcible rapes, 2 aggravated assaults, 200 property crimes, 30 burglaries, 167 larceny-thefts, 3 motor vehicle thefts, 3 arson cases, and no murders or cases of robbery. WSU falls about mid-way between the other Washington universities on the known offenses crimes. The University of Washington has the most crimes and Eastern Washington University has the least (close to Evergreen State College, but this is a college).
2. Followthemoney.org is a Web site that allows you to track flow of money in state politics. Use the site to research and answer the following questions:
- Which Washington state house candidate and senate candidate received the most political donations in 2006? How much did each of them receive in total tracked donations for 2006?
Washington state house candidate Troy Kelley received the most political donations in 2006, an amount totaling $305,599.
Washington state senate candidate Christopher J. Marr received the most political donations in 2006, an amount totaling $565,880.
- For each of these candidates, what individual or organization was the largest donor (aside from their donations to themselves)? How much did they give?
For candidate Troy Kelley, the largest donor was the Washington State Democratic Party contributing $42,974.
For candidate Christopher J. Marr, the largest donor was the Washington State Democratic Party contributing $46,615.
- Use the same tool to investigate how donations play a role in politics. Use the "Explore" and then "Industry Influence" button to load in charts by each industry topic. What political party was the recipient of more donated money for anti-gun control regulations in Washington state in 2006? What political party received the most donated money for "women's issues" in Washington state over the past few years?
The political party that received more donated money for anti-gun control regulations in Washington state in 2006 was the Republican party (a donation totaling $72,000).
The political party that has received the most donated money for "women's issues" over the past few years has been the Democrats.
3. Use Google's Patent Search to find the patent application with the FIRST REFERENCES to these technologies:
* Digital Video Recorder
http://www.google.com/patents?id=TGeNAAAAEBAJ&dq=digital+video+recorder&as_psra=1
* Social Networking
http://www.google.com/patents?id=QMCGAAAAEBAJ&dq=social+networking&as_psra=1
* Automobile
http://www.google.com/patents?id=C_qEAAAAEBAJ&dq=automobile&as_psra=1
For your response, simply include the Web link to each patent filing. Please note that in your search results, you may need to sort by date.
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