Article Analysis - 6th Week

The article that I've chosen for this week is "Less Homework, More Yoga, From a Principal Who Hates Stress" by Sara Rimer. It was published on the front page of Monday's NYT and can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/education/29stress.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin.

I liked the lede. I thought it was catching and even though it's a soft lede, it gives you enough to draw you in. I do wonder though if the word "affluent" is necessary. There's no other mention of wealth in the article, so it just seems like an unnecessary accessory, so to speak.

I really liked the article idea itself. Stress reduction in high schools where the competition for college admissions gets fierce is an important problem in today's society and brings about the big debate of where we draw the line - when is enough achievement enough?

Rimer initially uses the example of one school to bring in the overall big picture, and I think that it's effective, in this case. If she had started with a hard lede about the number of schools that are trying to add stress-free programs, I don't know if it would've been as alluring.

She does a good job at bringing both sides in. She puts the benefits of the stress-free programs in, but adds information and quotes about how the programs force cuts in curriculum areas. There's also good information at the end about how quickly the programs will be gone if results aren't seen.

It ends with a good kicker quote. I really liked this article, and thought it was really well written.

Speech Revisions

Lede: Cecilia Zarate-Laun urged audience members at Kalamazoo College to take political action and pay attention to what's going on in the United States government during a speech on Wednesday night.

Explanation of Lede: Who Zarate-Laun is and topic of presentation

Back-up Quote

Nut Graf: History of problem and why we should care

Quote

Suggestions for what needs to be done

Kicker Quote

Looking back, I should've gotten more audience response and paid attention to reactions. I got good information, but anyone could've given a summary of her arguments.

Article Analysis - 5th Week

The following is an analysis of Brad Stone's article "Microsoft Buys Stake in Facebook" in today's New York Times. The article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/technology/25facebook.html?ref=todayspaper.

I thought the lede was really good. It was short and to the point, and pulled the reader in with big names like Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Yahoo that affect all of our lives.

There were a lot of parts of the article that I liked. The elaboration of the lede was good, but I was disappointed that there wasn't really much in terms of an actual "battle" between the three companies as had been stated in the lede. There was a little mention of Google, but nothing on Yahoo. There was a good explanation of how much Microsoft is going to be involved, and how much it was important to them.

I also thought that it was good that there was some reference to MySpace, Facebook's leading competitor. It was good to have that comparison between them and learn how each of the companies is considered by leading advertisers.

Overall, I thought that the information in the article was good, though it did not really focus as much on what was stated in the lede.

Press Conference - Ahson Obit

NAVY VETERAN DIES OF EMPHYSEMA
By Jessica R. Maas



KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Jeffrey R. Ahson, navy veteran, died last night at home from emphysema. He was 79.

Mr. Ahson served in World War II as a petty officer, during which he crossed a burning deck to remove four wounded soldiers in the 1942 Battle of Midway. Upon taking over the gunner’s position he shot down three enemy planes. Mr. Ahson was awarded the Purple Heart and Navy Cross when he returned home, and was promoted to the rank of ensign.

“He was a genuine American hero,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeraldine Fyfe.

Born in Chico, Calif., Mr. Ahson was with the navy until 1946 when he moved to Kalamazoo to work was a firefighter. He retired from the job in 1966 and went to work as a car salesman at Seelye Ford until 1985. Known for collecting firefighter memorabilia, Mr. Ahson restored a 1924 fire truck, which is on permanent display at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

During his time in Kalamazoo, Mr. Ahson also served as the post commander of the
American Legion post 702 and VFW 4206.

Mr. Ahson was affiliated with the National Checkers Association, the Elks Lodge, and Gideons International. He was also a member of the John Calvin Presbyterian Church, where he worked as an usher.

Mr. Ahson is survived by his wife, Therese Alpert of Kalamazoo; three children; three siblings; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services for Mr. Ahson will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Littleton Mortuary, followed by the burial at Memorial Park Cemetary. The viewings will occur on Friday evening from 4-5:30 and 7:30-9. The family requests no flowers.

Article Analysis - 4th Week

The following is an analysis of the article "Lifers as Teenagers, Now Seeking Second Chance," that was published on the front page of the NYT today by Adam Liptak. This is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/us/17teenage.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin.

The first thing I noticed was that I don't like the lede. I think that it may be a really good second or third paragraph, but I don't thnk that it gets to the heart of the problem right away; it doesn't mesh right with the headline. Even if one considers it acceptable, I don't think it's a good idea to start with "In December" because I read that and the first thing I thought was "Well if it happened in December why do I care now?" The paragraph itself is very important to the article, but I don't think it's the right way to start.

I thought that the one girl that Liptak used as an example throughout the article was a good one. He was able to show both sides to the story through her - how maybe some teenagers shouldn't get life without possiblility of parole, but it's a case by case basis, because some of them may need to be in there. I thought that it was interesting that he didn't bring up the possibility of mental facilities because that was something I thought of when I was reading the quote by the prosecutor who said that the girl doesn't have a conscience. If she doesn't have a conscience, that's a psychological problem but not necessarily one that's her fault, so should we punish her for life because of it, or try to get her help? I understand that psychological defenses are overused, but I do think that there are cases where it's appropriate. This article was really good at causing people to think about their own opinions, and how they may feel about this issue.

His facts were good and relevant and I thought that his sources (the prosecutor, the grandma, the girl herself, etc.) were well-rounded and unbiasedly portrayed. He also did a good job at taking her case and then talking about the entire country. I also thought that his ending was appropriate - sticking in an opinion of what should happen to the girl's boyfriend, who was also convicted, as it wouldn't really have fit anywhere else in the story. Overall, I really liked the article, and it was very interesting.

Obituary Analysis

The following is a link to an obituary published by Corey Kilgannon in the New York Times on October 13, 2007. The obituary was on Sri Chinmoy, a man famous for combining spirtuality practices with strenuous exercise.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/13/nyregion/13chinmoy.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin.

I thought that the lede was good - it answered four of the five W's and the second paragraph, in further explanation of the lede, answered the "why."
The article went on to mention highlights before it delved into chronological history, which was interuppted with information about the memorial service and burial. I found that irritating, though there was a lead into it, so it may be considered acceptable.
The history was good and I liked the end - a nice quote about Chimnoy from the Gorbachev, the past Soviet leader. However, there was no mention of survivors, which I found odd, but maybe there aren't any?

Article Analysis - 3rd Week

The following analysis is of the article "Guard Awarded $850,000 Over Sexual Harrassment" by the Alan Feuer of the New York Times on October 12, 2007. The article can be found at the this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/nyregion/12harass.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.

The lede answers the 5 W's well, but I wondered, upon reading it again, if it could've been worded in a different order. I feel like it might've been better to start with "A lesbian prison guard" because I think that people's eyes are more like to be drawn in by the word "lesbian" - it catches people's attention more.

The second paragraph is an elaboration of the lede and goes on to explain how the suit was filed and the wrongdoing that occurred. From there Feuer goes on to give a chronological account of what happened. I think that he does a good job of explaining things and keeping the reader interested with details of the harassment, and the story has a good flow.

A lot of his information is taken from the guard herself and the opinion that the judge wrote. He also makes sure to give an space to the opposing side. The ending appeared somewhat abrupt and like he just didn't have anything else to say afterwards, but I really liked the article overall.

Reflection: People on the Street Exercise

I have mixed feelings about yesterday's exercise. It was a good experience, and definitely one that a person can learn a lot from. One of the biggest problems for me was that I'm totally ignorant when it comes to foreign policy, and I'll be the first to admit that. It was a disadvantage in this case, however, because I had to look up a few things before I went out on the street. Even then I'm still not sure that I asked the right questions - I know that the exercise would've been much easier had the subject been something I'm more familiar with.
There were many people hesitant to give answers, even after they knew that what they said wouldn't be published, and it was also awkward because I always felt as if I was interuppting someone's day. I managed to get quotes from a variety of viewpoints though. Once I had them it was a little difficult to format them, and I think that I could have done a better job at that. I was annoyed most by my ending but couldn't figure out a way to change it.
Though uncomfortable, I think that this experience is a beneficial one for everyone to have to go through.

Inverted Pyramid Exercise

A ban on hand-held radar guns used by Connecticut State Police was ordered yesterday in Meridian, Conn. due to concerns that troopers may develop cancer from long-term exposure to radiation waves emitted by the devices, according to Adam Berluti, a state police spokesman.
The ban was ordered as a precaution while researchers study the possible links between cancer and use of the devices. It will affect 70 radar guns, which will be withdrawn from the service. Radar units with transmitters mounted on the outside of the cruisers will continue to be used by state troopers.
"The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue," Berluti said. "The whole situation is under review."
The decision has come two months after three municipal police officers in Connecticut filed workers' compensation claims, saying they had developed cancer from using the hand-held radar guns. The move is the first of its kind.

Effective Hard News Lede

The following is an excerpt from the New York Times' article "Blaze Kills 5 Workers in Colorado," which ran today, 10/3.

DENVER, Oct. 2 — Five workers at a hydroelectric plant outside Georgetown, Colo., were killed on Tuesday when a chemical fire trapped them in a water tunnel where they were working, officials said.


This is an effective hard news lede because it indicates that the story was written in a timely fashion (the event occurred yesterday) and it answers the 5 W's:
Who? Five workers
What? They were killed
When? Tuesday
Where? At a hydroelectric plant outside Georgetown, Colorado
Why? A chemical fire trapped them in a water tunnel
It also has an immediate impact on those people involved and the people who knew or were close to the deceased.