Who or what is the "beast"?
The "beast" is the audience. The readers, listeners, and viewers who will pay attention to what the news media puts out there.
Why does it need to be fed?
The audience needs to be fed because if they are not, they will turn to another feeding ground. The information and trust that is built between the "beast" and its news source is important and essential to keep the "beast's" attention.
What compromises (if any) might occur in trying to feed the 24-hour news cycle in print, TV and the Internet?
There could be a discrepancy between the original journalistic work and the 24-hour news cycle, TV or the Internet. It is important that the immediate news sources maintain a journalistic approach, give credit where credit is due and report the facts. These sources also need to establish and maintain a trust with other news sources to keep their processes running smoothly. Twenty-four-hour news cycle in print, TV and the Internet have to be careful not to compromise the facts and not to rush potentially harmful/inaccurate information into circulation.
Not only must these outlets maintain a trust with sources, they must also maintain a viewer/reader/listener trust. If this trust is violated, the news outlet's credibility will deteriorate.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Feature Story
Emily Taflan
Pullman Cost of Living
Empty Pockets in Pullman
Cars fill the streets. Pedestrians run through intersections. Luggage. Bedding. Books. School is starting.
Washington State University is practically synonymous with Pullman, WA because it represents a majority of the town’s population when school is in session.
Most businesses’ revenues come from students, but do the students suffer from high prices and little competition?
According to the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association, cost of living in Pullman, WA is 7 percent higher than the national average.
Alexandra A. Bond, a 19-year-old sophomore attending WSU, said she thinks the cost of living in Pullman is high. She said she spends about $500 a month just on rent, utilities and food.
“I’d rather live in a box outside of Safeway and dumpster-dive for my dinners every night,” Bond said. “I think the cost of living in Pullman should be a main concern for students.”
“My rent is pretty cheap,” Cody J. Williams, a 21-year-old junior attending WSU, said. “Before I moved into the house I’m in, I was paying $415 a month just for rent in a one bedroom apartment off campus.”
Williams said he thought the cost of living in Pullman was high, but that it could be a lot higher. He said he was surprised the cost of living was higher than the national average, because Pullman is a college town and students do not have as much money to spend.
“You learn to live like a college student and don’t buy the top brand toilet paper,” Bond said. “Shopping trips are cut down, but there’s really no place to shop in Pullman.”
Williams said he goes to Moscow, ID whenever he really needs anything. He said everything is located in the same general location, the tax is less, and things are cheaper. Gas prices have not affected his trips to Moscow because it is only eight miles from his house, and in any other town, this is a relatively short distance to a shopping center.
Both Bond and Williams said they receive financial aid from their parents.
Bond said most of her money is withdrawn from her personal savings account, but if she needs more her parents contribute.
Williams said, “I’ve never really felt like I’ve had a monetary problem because I’ve always had the bank of Brian and Debbie to back me up.” He said he tries not to purchase many unnecessary items because his parents are providing so much for his education.
Bond said, that as a college student, her one weakness, and the item she considers an extraneous buy, is coffee. She said she spends around $20 a week at Zoë Coffeehouse and Deli on coffee.
“If your parents pay for everything, you may not have the real picture,” Bond said. It is important to make a budget every month now, to prepare for life after college.
While Bond and Williams differ in opinion about the severity of Pullman’s cost of living, both students said they are attending college to ensure financial security for the future and the cost of living associated with it.
###
Pullman Cost of Living
Empty Pockets in Pullman
Cars fill the streets. Pedestrians run through intersections. Luggage. Bedding. Books. School is starting.
Washington State University is practically synonymous with Pullman, WA because it represents a majority of the town’s population when school is in session.
Most businesses’ revenues come from students, but do the students suffer from high prices and little competition?
According to the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association, cost of living in Pullman, WA is 7 percent higher than the national average.
Alexandra A. Bond, a 19-year-old sophomore attending WSU, said she thinks the cost of living in Pullman is high. She said she spends about $500 a month just on rent, utilities and food.
“I’d rather live in a box outside of Safeway and dumpster-dive for my dinners every night,” Bond said. “I think the cost of living in Pullman should be a main concern for students.”
“My rent is pretty cheap,” Cody J. Williams, a 21-year-old junior attending WSU, said. “Before I moved into the house I’m in, I was paying $415 a month just for rent in a one bedroom apartment off campus.”
Williams said he thought the cost of living in Pullman was high, but that it could be a lot higher. He said he was surprised the cost of living was higher than the national average, because Pullman is a college town and students do not have as much money to spend.
“You learn to live like a college student and don’t buy the top brand toilet paper,” Bond said. “Shopping trips are cut down, but there’s really no place to shop in Pullman.”
Williams said he goes to Moscow, ID whenever he really needs anything. He said everything is located in the same general location, the tax is less, and things are cheaper. Gas prices have not affected his trips to Moscow because it is only eight miles from his house, and in any other town, this is a relatively short distance to a shopping center.
Both Bond and Williams said they receive financial aid from their parents.
Bond said most of her money is withdrawn from her personal savings account, but if she needs more her parents contribute.
Williams said, “I’ve never really felt like I’ve had a monetary problem because I’ve always had the bank of Brian and Debbie to back me up.” He said he tries not to purchase many unnecessary items because his parents are providing so much for his education.
Bond said, that as a college student, her one weakness, and the item she considers an extraneous buy, is coffee. She said she spends around $20 a week at Zoë Coffeehouse and Deli on coffee.
“If your parents pay for everything, you may not have the real picture,” Bond said. It is important to make a budget every month now, to prepare for life after college.
While Bond and Williams differ in opinion about the severity of Pullman’s cost of living, both students said they are attending college to ensure financial security for the future and the cost of living associated with it.
###
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Story #2
Emily Taflan
Tourism and Travel
Hospitality Emergency?
How far does America’s economic recession stretch? The slump may be stuck somewhere in the rolling Palouse Hills, but perhaps not. The La Quinta Inn in Moscow, Idaho has felt few repercussions from recent years’ market dive.
“We are not a destination point,” Jason J. Penkacik, general manager of the La Quinta Inn, said. The hotel’s primary source of business results from the University of Idaho and Washington State University.
“If the universities were to close tomorrow, we would have to shut down too,” Christian J. Perry, director of sales at the La Quinta Inn, said. “For us to have that guaranteed business is keeping us alive right now.”
The recent decline in the growth of the tourism and travel industry, from 3.9 percent in 2007 to 3 percent in 2008, has not shaken the United States from its presiding role as the largest tourism economy, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
However, Travel Industry Wire cited a national survey from Access America which says that American’s summer vacations are likely to be down 7 percent this year compared to 2007.
Penkacik said Moscow is not a place where families plan to spend their summer vacations. He said the hotel is not anticipating any new type of customer this summer or in the future. The hotel will remain focused on the existing market and will develop new strategies to beat out the competition.
“Our sales department has been shifting,” said Perry. He said the hotel is reaching out to the sports teams of colleges competing with UI and WSU.
Perry said the hotel wants both universities’ sports teams to do well. With the price of travel today, fans will not spend money to see a losing team.
Here in lies the issue for America. The U.S. may lead the world’s tourism market, but challenges are increasing in the form of a weak dollar, gas prices, and environmental concerns.
Perry said, “We have to shift with economy change, particularly gas prices.”
There is a general annoyance felt by guests as they learn that hotel room rates are rising along with gas prices. Perry said what a customer needs to understand is that hotels are not making money in the off-season. The La Quinta actually loses money a few months out of the year when school is not in session.
The latest trend in lodging hospitality is building, or remodeling, to environmentally safe standards. The U.S. Green Building Council developed a voluntary building certification program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This program rates buildings in several areas, including water efficiency and materials and resources.
Penkacik said the La Quinta encourages guests staying for more than one night to reuse the sheets they slept in the night before. A yellow card located on every bed-side table indicates to the housekeeping staff whether or not to change the sheets.
A majority of hotel owners, developers, and project managers said they will have at least one green hotel in the next five years, according to a survey by Lodging Hospitality magazine. The benefits of going green for the hotel industry are not only environmental but also economical. Changes can result in a lower operating cost and in a nation that is experiencing economic down-fall this is an important factor in decision making.
Penkacik said he will work harder to retain business because although the economy is not directly affecting the La Quinta, many other factors related to economy are. A trip to Moscow, Idaho is easily cancelled Penkacik said, but “People will still visit Disney Land.”
###
Tourism and Travel
Hospitality Emergency?
How far does America’s economic recession stretch? The slump may be stuck somewhere in the rolling Palouse Hills, but perhaps not. The La Quinta Inn in Moscow, Idaho has felt few repercussions from recent years’ market dive.
“We are not a destination point,” Jason J. Penkacik, general manager of the La Quinta Inn, said. The hotel’s primary source of business results from the University of Idaho and Washington State University.
“If the universities were to close tomorrow, we would have to shut down too,” Christian J. Perry, director of sales at the La Quinta Inn, said. “For us to have that guaranteed business is keeping us alive right now.”
The recent decline in the growth of the tourism and travel industry, from 3.9 percent in 2007 to 3 percent in 2008, has not shaken the United States from its presiding role as the largest tourism economy, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
However, Travel Industry Wire cited a national survey from Access America which says that American’s summer vacations are likely to be down 7 percent this year compared to 2007.
Penkacik said Moscow is not a place where families plan to spend their summer vacations. He said the hotel is not anticipating any new type of customer this summer or in the future. The hotel will remain focused on the existing market and will develop new strategies to beat out the competition.
“Our sales department has been shifting,” said Perry. He said the hotel is reaching out to the sports teams of colleges competing with UI and WSU.
Perry said the hotel wants both universities’ sports teams to do well. With the price of travel today, fans will not spend money to see a losing team.
Here in lies the issue for America. The U.S. may lead the world’s tourism market, but challenges are increasing in the form of a weak dollar, gas prices, and environmental concerns.
Perry said, “We have to shift with economy change, particularly gas prices.”
There is a general annoyance felt by guests as they learn that hotel room rates are rising along with gas prices. Perry said what a customer needs to understand is that hotels are not making money in the off-season. The La Quinta actually loses money a few months out of the year when school is not in session.
The latest trend in lodging hospitality is building, or remodeling, to environmentally safe standards. The U.S. Green Building Council developed a voluntary building certification program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This program rates buildings in several areas, including water efficiency and materials and resources.
Penkacik said the La Quinta encourages guests staying for more than one night to reuse the sheets they slept in the night before. A yellow card located on every bed-side table indicates to the housekeeping staff whether or not to change the sheets.
A majority of hotel owners, developers, and project managers said they will have at least one green hotel in the next five years, according to a survey by Lodging Hospitality magazine. The benefits of going green for the hotel industry are not only environmental but also economical. Changes can result in a lower operating cost and in a nation that is experiencing economic down-fall this is an important factor in decision making.
Penkacik said he will work harder to retain business because although the economy is not directly affecting the La Quinta, many other factors related to economy are. A trip to Moscow, Idaho is easily cancelled Penkacik said, but “People will still visit Disney Land.”
###
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Ace in the Hole
1. In "Ace in the Hole," reporter Charles Tatum uncovers a compelling news story when he stumbles upon a man trapped in the rubble of a mine collapse. As a journalist, what responsibility (if any) did Tatum have in helping to rescue the trapped man? What are the ethical considerations faced by Tatum in his pursuit of the "big story"? What should he have done differently?
Technically, Charles Tatum had no responsibility to rescue Leo. As a person with a conscience however, one would think that Charles Tatum would do everything in his power to help. Not to say that he couldn't still get a story. He just should not have emersed himself like he did. The ethical condsiderations that Tatum faced included playing with a man's life, further corrupting the political base of the town, attacking a woman, and trapping (or playing with) the emotions of family, friends, and plain citizens who just wanted the news. I think that Tatum should have reported the story. It was a good human interest story, but it should not have become his "big story." I think Tatum should have taken himself out of the story. He should have simply reported the facts, not created fiction. It was also wrong of him to hinder the other press' ability to report on the story.
2. A carnival-like atmosphere develops amidst the sensationalized media coverage of the mine collapse. Do you think that this 1951 film's depiction of the media offers an accurate representation of how some tabloid journalists operate today? Are there are recent examples you can cite in today's news media coverage?
I definately think that there are corrupt journalists out there who, like Tatum, are always looking for their "big story," and don't think or care about the consequences. At times, the press seems more like a carnival, there for entertainment only, than as an information outlet. The best example I can think of are the press who surround famous people. They take advantage of every mistake they make and sensationalize it to capture attention.
Technically, Charles Tatum had no responsibility to rescue Leo. As a person with a conscience however, one would think that Charles Tatum would do everything in his power to help. Not to say that he couldn't still get a story. He just should not have emersed himself like he did. The ethical condsiderations that Tatum faced included playing with a man's life, further corrupting the political base of the town, attacking a woman, and trapping (or playing with) the emotions of family, friends, and plain citizens who just wanted the news. I think that Tatum should have reported the story. It was a good human interest story, but it should not have become his "big story." I think Tatum should have taken himself out of the story. He should have simply reported the facts, not created fiction. It was also wrong of him to hinder the other press' ability to report on the story.
2. A carnival-like atmosphere develops amidst the sensationalized media coverage of the mine collapse. Do you think that this 1951 film's depiction of the media offers an accurate representation of how some tabloid journalists operate today? Are there are recent examples you can cite in today's news media coverage?
I definately think that there are corrupt journalists out there who, like Tatum, are always looking for their "big story," and don't think or care about the consequences. At times, the press seems more like a carnival, there for entertainment only, than as an information outlet. The best example I can think of are the press who surround famous people. They take advantage of every mistake they make and sensationalize it to capture attention.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Special Leads
Narrative Lead:
A Veteran of the Swimsuit Wars of 1974 on the Swimsuit Wars of 2008
Direct-Address Lead:
Stop the Flow of Junk Mail
A Veteran of the Swimsuit Wars of 1974 on the Swimsuit Wars of 2008
Direct-Address Lead:
Stop the Flow of Junk Mail
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Hourglass Exercise
Twenty-two people were arrested and three university police officers were injured during a protest on campus Friday.
All of the 22 arrested were students, 21 were taken to County Jail and a 17-year-old high school senior was released into his parents’ custody.
More than 200 demonstrators, most of them students, were protesting one of the items on the Board of Regents meeting agenda, a plan to require a class in cultural diversity for all faculty. The protest was organized by two newly formed campus groups, Students Against Racism and the American Student Organization.
“They should not have come at us,” said Jonathan Walterson, president of Students Against Racism. “We would have remained loud, but peaceful. We were doing what we believed in. The university must do more to promote diversity.”
Brian Allen, a senior biology student and president of the American Student Organization, said his group will continue protesting. “We’ll do whatever it takes to keep the regents from caving into every demand that comes along,” he said. “Our faculty do not need additional training in diversity. Many of our faculty aren’t even from this country.”
The regents did not take action on the new requirement. They decided to study the matter more and discuss it again at their next monthly meeting, which will be held May 16 in Regents Hall.
University Police Chief R. Barclay Peterson gave the following account of the events that lead up to the student arrests and the aftermath.
“First they were gathered around the fountain at Central Mall, Peterson said. "One group was chanting, ‘No more racism’ and the other was saying ‘Stop diversity.’ Then they started marching toward Regents Hall, where the regents were meeting. They were disrupting classes. When they were asked to disperse, all hell broke loose.”
“The two groups never began fighting, but they kept screaming at each other as though they would begin a brawl at any second,” Peterson said. “There never would have been a problem if they simply would have moved back when we asked them. Instead, both groups decided to gang up against the police.”
Peterson said the two groups began the rally at noon. The regents had been meeting since 8 a.m. and were on their lunch break in the Student Union from noon to 1:30 p.m. The first item on their afternoon agenda was the class requirement.
At about 1:20 p.m. Peterson said he called in the extra officers because “the demonstrators just got too loud and rowdy. We asked them several times to disperse and go back to the fountain, where the rally was to be held, but they would not. They shouted at each other even louder, and some of them began throwing things.”
Peterson said by 1:25 p.m., the demonstration was at its worst and most of the protesters started shouting directly at the police and began throwing things at them.
Peterson said that three of his officers were injured when they were hit by stones or bottles. Officer Andrea Wilson was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with a gash on her forehead. She was the first officer hit, Peterson said. Officer James Nelson and Sgt. Jerico Turner were taken to Community Hospital with bruises they received from thrown items, Peterson added.
“We’re not against rallies,” Peterson said. “They can hold them all they want, as long as they get a permit from the university. But we don’t want them to get out of hand. We don’t want our officers hurt. They can rally, but other peaceful students also have the right to attend classes without being disrupted by shouting and violent demonstrators.”
All of the 22 arrested were students, 21 were taken to County Jail and a 17-year-old high school senior was released into his parents’ custody.
More than 200 demonstrators, most of them students, were protesting one of the items on the Board of Regents meeting agenda, a plan to require a class in cultural diversity for all faculty. The protest was organized by two newly formed campus groups, Students Against Racism and the American Student Organization.
“They should not have come at us,” said Jonathan Walterson, president of Students Against Racism. “We would have remained loud, but peaceful. We were doing what we believed in. The university must do more to promote diversity.”
Brian Allen, a senior biology student and president of the American Student Organization, said his group will continue protesting. “We’ll do whatever it takes to keep the regents from caving into every demand that comes along,” he said. “Our faculty do not need additional training in diversity. Many of our faculty aren’t even from this country.”
The regents did not take action on the new requirement. They decided to study the matter more and discuss it again at their next monthly meeting, which will be held May 16 in Regents Hall.
University Police Chief R. Barclay Peterson gave the following account of the events that lead up to the student arrests and the aftermath.
“First they were gathered around the fountain at Central Mall, Peterson said. "One group was chanting, ‘No more racism’ and the other was saying ‘Stop diversity.’ Then they started marching toward Regents Hall, where the regents were meeting. They were disrupting classes. When they were asked to disperse, all hell broke loose.”
“The two groups never began fighting, but they kept screaming at each other as though they would begin a brawl at any second,” Peterson said. “There never would have been a problem if they simply would have moved back when we asked them. Instead, both groups decided to gang up against the police.”
Peterson said the two groups began the rally at noon. The regents had been meeting since 8 a.m. and were on their lunch break in the Student Union from noon to 1:30 p.m. The first item on their afternoon agenda was the class requirement.
At about 1:20 p.m. Peterson said he called in the extra officers because “the demonstrators just got too loud and rowdy. We asked them several times to disperse and go back to the fountain, where the rally was to be held, but they would not. They shouted at each other even louder, and some of them began throwing things.”
Peterson said by 1:25 p.m., the demonstration was at its worst and most of the protesters started shouting directly at the police and began throwing things at them.
Peterson said that three of his officers were injured when they were hit by stones or bottles. Officer Andrea Wilson was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with a gash on her forehead. She was the first officer hit, Peterson said. Officer James Nelson and Sgt. Jerico Turner were taken to Community Hospital with bruises they received from thrown items, Peterson added.
“We’re not against rallies,” Peterson said. “They can hold them all they want, as long as they get a permit from the university. But we don’t want them to get out of hand. We don’t want our officers hurt. They can rally, but other peaceful students also have the right to attend classes without being disrupted by shouting and violent demonstrators.”
Friday, May 16, 2008
Second-Day Lead
It has been 24 hours since 4-year-old Angela Melissa Norton went missing from her home on 17th Ave. and police are still questioning her 16-year-old babysitter and parents.
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