After being assigned to read Farhad Manjoo’s book, True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society, I honestly was not excited about it. Usually, books like these are dull material, filled with monotonous information about events that occurred in the past. Rarely, do I find myself reading the book to actually read it. True Enough was different. Yes, it was an assigned book, but within it, was loads of current events and information relevant to journalism, which is the field that I want to eventually be a part of. The book clarifies how the news media can influence people to believe one thing or another based on how they present a story. Manjoo explains about how the news media has a responsibility to help people understand the world. However, Manjoo makes clear that these processes are often backwards. Depending on which news medium covers a story, the angle or slant of the story could be biased toward Republicans or Democrats.
What Manjoo discusses that I find appealing is his explanation of how media fragmentation has changed the way people use mediums. According to Manjoo, media fragmentation is the way information, everything that you know about the world, was once scattered by a handful of organizations. Today, people can retrieve news from many directions. Television, radio, Internet, iPods, and cameras are just a few ways information is spread. This revolution of media outlets is so different from even twenty years ago, when literally the news markets had control of how people saw and thought of news stories. Manjoo argues that all these media outlets are negative because someone skilled could distort images and video, exaggerate, even fake stories, or even lie to people more effectively than ever before.
The example Manjoo showed was the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, who managed to show Democratic candidate John Kerry in a negative light just by saying questionable things about him. Republicans against Kerry ate up this new information and some media news outlets presented the details as fact, when it was not conclusive whether it was or not. Even some Democratic supporters were wary of Kerry after hearing this information off of news sites, again, with no idea if the information presented had any truth to it. I see examples of the media influencing people all the time. The paparazzi and gossip sites like TMZ.com are always spreading rumors about celebrities. Everything from the mistreating of children to new celebrity lovers is covered, and for some reason, people usually believe what these Web sites are saying. It just shows the power of how media can influence the way a person thinks and feels about another person.
What interested me the most about Manjoo’s book is his explanation of selective perception and how it is prevalent in today’s society. Selective perception refers to the idea that people will react to things differently based on their beliefs. Our minds can block things out unconsciously if the topic is against our ideals or beliefs. An example that happens to me often is when I’m reading a story I’ve written, I often miss a few grammatical errors because my mind, while I reading to myself, corrects the answers my eyes see. I never notice the errors until someone else shows them to me. The example of selective perception that Manjoo uses is very common among sports fans today. He explains how a study was conducted among students from Dartmouth University and Princeton University. Each person was asked to watch a hard-hitting football game between the two schools and write down the number of illegal or questionable infractions by both teams. The results indicated that Princeton students found few infractions by Princeton players, but nearly double as many for Dartmouth players. Conversely, Dartmouth students decided that Princeton football players were playing violently and marked down as many as 10 infractions, compared to very few by their own school players. According to Manjoo, when sports fans claim to witness the opposing team’s players playing dirty, rather than their own team’s players, that is really what people see. Their mind blocks out or shrugs off any questionable plays by their team, but focuses all their attention on the actions of the players on the opposite team. It shows how our beliefs can supplant of perceptions of what is real and what is not.
Overall, I am glad I’ve read this book. The insight and real-world examples are interesting and give me an idea of what things are ahead for the media. Will the news mediums continue to influence the way people perceive news? Will they show objectivity and let the people watching decide whether they agree or disagree with the statements, or will news bias prevail? Time will only tell.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
No Second Chance
Last week, I took a couple hours out of my schedule to go to the county courthouse to cover a trial. I hadn’t planned out what kind of trial I wanted to attend, so I picked one at random. Turns out, it was a drug possession court hearing. A man, in what looked to be his early 20s, was caught with drug paraphernalia in his car. A police officer had pulled him over on suspicion of driving under the influence, and while the young man was handing the officer his driver’s license, the cop noticed two clear bags with white powder in them on the passenger side dashboard. Using probable cause, the police officer searched the man’s vehicle and found a total of three small bags of white powder, which later was confirmed as cocaine.
I entered the courtroom just before the bailiff closed the doors to the public. There were few people present; just the family members of the man, and what looked to be the man’s wife or girlfriend. A few other on-lookers sat in the back of the courtroom as I did. The trial itself started bad for the defendant. First of all, he was late to his hearing. When he did finally meander into the courtroom, it was ten minutes after the judge had been introduced. He came in looking like he had just shot up in the court bathroom minutes before. His clothes were wrinkly, his hair uncombed, and he had bags under his eyes like you would see if someone was sleep deprived. He walked like he was trying so hard to keep his balance and not stumble into a chair or desk. It was pretty pathetic. I could see his public defender talking to him. He looked agitated. I couldn’t make out what was being said, but I knew it probably wasn’t good.
The trial began with the arresting officer on the stand. He gave a detailed report of the incident and the prosecuting attorney in the case presented to the judge the evidence collected at the scene. The evidence and testimony of the police officer was very substantial, and I could sense that the defendant was going to jail. His public defender called the defendant up to the stand and asked the man to give his interpretation of the events. I wouldn’t say the public defender did a good job either. He often fumbled through his notes, mumbled when he spoke, and on two occasions, mispronounced the defendant’s last name. He looked extremely nervous. Maybe it was his first case, or maybe the evidence against his client was so great that he gave up.
After all the evidence was presented and both sides were through with questioning, the judge made her decision. The judge ordered the man be put in jail for six months. Once released, he was ordered to complete 250 hours of community service. A few hugs were exchanged between the defendant’s family members and then the man was put in handcuffs. Another life in shambles because of drugs.
I entered the courtroom just before the bailiff closed the doors to the public. There were few people present; just the family members of the man, and what looked to be the man’s wife or girlfriend. A few other on-lookers sat in the back of the courtroom as I did. The trial itself started bad for the defendant. First of all, he was late to his hearing. When he did finally meander into the courtroom, it was ten minutes after the judge had been introduced. He came in looking like he had just shot up in the court bathroom minutes before. His clothes were wrinkly, his hair uncombed, and he had bags under his eyes like you would see if someone was sleep deprived. He walked like he was trying so hard to keep his balance and not stumble into a chair or desk. It was pretty pathetic. I could see his public defender talking to him. He looked agitated. I couldn’t make out what was being said, but I knew it probably wasn’t good.
The trial began with the arresting officer on the stand. He gave a detailed report of the incident and the prosecuting attorney in the case presented to the judge the evidence collected at the scene. The evidence and testimony of the police officer was very substantial, and I could sense that the defendant was going to jail. His public defender called the defendant up to the stand and asked the man to give his interpretation of the events. I wouldn’t say the public defender did a good job either. He often fumbled through his notes, mumbled when he spoke, and on two occasions, mispronounced the defendant’s last name. He looked extremely nervous. Maybe it was his first case, or maybe the evidence against his client was so great that he gave up.
After all the evidence was presented and both sides were through with questioning, the judge made her decision. The judge ordered the man be put in jail for six months. Once released, he was ordered to complete 250 hours of community service. A few hugs were exchanged between the defendant’s family members and then the man was put in handcuffs. Another life in shambles because of drugs.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Temple Terrace Public Meeting # 2
The second public meeting I covered talked primarily about the Temple Terrace River Watch Task Force, which oversees the water that is being used and makes sure it is regulated. The Task Force Chairman, Jack Westberry was present, along with two members of the unit.
First off, Dr. Marty Kelly from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, known as “SWIFTMUD,” gave a report on how the Temple Terrace water supply is currently fairing. He gave rough data of how much water is flowing through the Temple Terrace dam every day. Slightly more than 200 million gallons of water a day is passing through the dam and the total amount of water being spread out between canals in the area suggest that nearly one billion gallons of water is flowing per day.
The next topic discussed was about the work being done on the Fowler Avenue Bridge. The Task Force Liaison, Joe Gross, explained that the bridge will eventually be widened, but that workers are in the beginning stages. Gross said that the borings and drillings were completed to get an idea of how the bridge would be supported. However, Gross added that the final completion of the bridge is a few years away.
Afterwards, Gross talked about a new topic, area water use. He recapped a water use panel workshop that took place at the University of South Florida on February 15, and explained what new ways to conserve water in the district. Gross also mentioned that Tampa Zoning is considering adopting dock regulations to ensure FEMA compliance with seawalls and structures. Later, Gross talked about a new idea called “watergoat.” It was developed by a group known as New Earth Industries and seems to be a cost-effective idea. Watergoat, as Gross explained, is a basin device that has the ability to clean out debris in lakes. Gross concluded that this idea would be talked about more in the coming meetings.
Finally, Temple Terrace marine officer Richard Scilabro stressed the number of speed zone violations he had been encountering on rivers in the area. The talked about new ways to discourage boat speeding violations, such as boat ramp fees, stricter fines for speeding, and more patrol officers out on the water. The Task Force committee, which included Chairman Westberry and two other members, suggested that Scilabro make his boat striped so that other boaters know that the water is being patrolled. They also suggested the construction of more signs, which in turn, would show boats who may be speeding, that the area which their boat is in is either a “no wake zone” or a slower speed zone.
First off, Dr. Marty Kelly from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, known as “SWIFTMUD,” gave a report on how the Temple Terrace water supply is currently fairing. He gave rough data of how much water is flowing through the Temple Terrace dam every day. Slightly more than 200 million gallons of water a day is passing through the dam and the total amount of water being spread out between canals in the area suggest that nearly one billion gallons of water is flowing per day.
The next topic discussed was about the work being done on the Fowler Avenue Bridge. The Task Force Liaison, Joe Gross, explained that the bridge will eventually be widened, but that workers are in the beginning stages. Gross said that the borings and drillings were completed to get an idea of how the bridge would be supported. However, Gross added that the final completion of the bridge is a few years away.
Afterwards, Gross talked about a new topic, area water use. He recapped a water use panel workshop that took place at the University of South Florida on February 15, and explained what new ways to conserve water in the district. Gross also mentioned that Tampa Zoning is considering adopting dock regulations to ensure FEMA compliance with seawalls and structures. Later, Gross talked about a new idea called “watergoat.” It was developed by a group known as New Earth Industries and seems to be a cost-effective idea. Watergoat, as Gross explained, is a basin device that has the ability to clean out debris in lakes. Gross concluded that this idea would be talked about more in the coming meetings.
Finally, Temple Terrace marine officer Richard Scilabro stressed the number of speed zone violations he had been encountering on rivers in the area. The talked about new ways to discourage boat speeding violations, such as boat ramp fees, stricter fines for speeding, and more patrol officers out on the water. The Task Force committee, which included Chairman Westberry and two other members, suggested that Scilabro make his boat striped so that other boaters know that the water is being patrolled. They also suggested the construction of more signs, which in turn, would show boats who may be speeding, that the area which their boat is in is either a “no wake zone” or a slower speed zone.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
What do all those numbers mean?
Due to the inconsistencies of my Toyota Corolla, I was unable to attend Preston Trigg’s second visit to the Public Affairs Class. However, from the information in his power point presentation, I have all the tools I need to get my point across.
Trigg stressed to the class that anyone who wants to succeed in journalism must know how to identify, read, and understand government budgets. According to Trigg, money is what drives everything and it’s a key to politics. Government budgets are the root of all good—or evil. Every government agency is required by law to have one, and most of them—including all in Florida—are public. Nearly every government budget is obligated to be balanced by the end of the fiscal year (October 1st to September 30th), with few exceptions. One exemption Trigg gave was the federal budget of California. Because California is in the midst of severe economic stress, as well as other factors, they are not required to get their budget balanced.
Government budgets are helpful, but the information is useless if the reader has no idea what numbers correspond to what part of the budget. Trigg mentioned that because government budgets are rather lengthy, and often confusing, his advice is to ask questions if you don’t understand. Don’t fall into the trap of, “I’ll find out the information from a friend or someone I work with.” If you are unclear on something, just ask and help will be provided.
Here are the basics of understand government budgets: money comes in, money goes out. Trigg said that people tend to complicate things and make them more complex than they ever should be. Secondly, budgets must always consist of two (2) parts, Revenues and Expenses. Occasionally, if a budget is spending more than what is coming in, a third category called Debt will be added. The beginning of the budget is like a summary of the fiscal year. Trigg made clear to the class that journalists shouldn’t simply rely on the budget summary because sometimes that is exactly what the agency wants the journalist to report on. Many times, intriguing information will be revealed about a company’s expenses if the reporter is willing to do a little extra research.
The second part of the budget often deals with Revenues, which means the money coming in. Examples of revenue are taxes, fines, user fees, utility payments (electricity, water), and state and federal grants. Expenses are money coming out. Examples include office supplies, education, and travel expenses. According to Trigg, there are three (3) types of expenses: personnel, capital, and operating. Personnel expenses are money associated with people, such as salaries, and benefits. Capital expenses include any purchase made that exceeds $1,000. Operating expenses relate to the things that keep the company going, so to speak. Leases, utilities, and office supplies are all examples.
Overall, Trigg made clear that asking questions is the best way to gather information about a confusing budget. So, whenever you’re asked to cover and write a story on a city or state budget, remember to follow these simple guidelines: keep your writing simple for the reader. Say what you mean, but put it in terms everyone can understand. Second, review all the expense and revenue reports, not just the summary. You never know, with a little extra research, you could find a diamond in the rough. Finally, and most importantly, remember to ask questions if you don’t understand something. A great mystery could be uncovered simply by asking a few questions and getting the right answers.
Trigg stressed to the class that anyone who wants to succeed in journalism must know how to identify, read, and understand government budgets. According to Trigg, money is what drives everything and it’s a key to politics. Government budgets are the root of all good—or evil. Every government agency is required by law to have one, and most of them—including all in Florida—are public. Nearly every government budget is obligated to be balanced by the end of the fiscal year (October 1st to September 30th), with few exceptions. One exemption Trigg gave was the federal budget of California. Because California is in the midst of severe economic stress, as well as other factors, they are not required to get their budget balanced.
Government budgets are helpful, but the information is useless if the reader has no idea what numbers correspond to what part of the budget. Trigg mentioned that because government budgets are rather lengthy, and often confusing, his advice is to ask questions if you don’t understand. Don’t fall into the trap of, “I’ll find out the information from a friend or someone I work with.” If you are unclear on something, just ask and help will be provided.
Here are the basics of understand government budgets: money comes in, money goes out. Trigg said that people tend to complicate things and make them more complex than they ever should be. Secondly, budgets must always consist of two (2) parts, Revenues and Expenses. Occasionally, if a budget is spending more than what is coming in, a third category called Debt will be added. The beginning of the budget is like a summary of the fiscal year. Trigg made clear to the class that journalists shouldn’t simply rely on the budget summary because sometimes that is exactly what the agency wants the journalist to report on. Many times, intriguing information will be revealed about a company’s expenses if the reporter is willing to do a little extra research.
The second part of the budget often deals with Revenues, which means the money coming in. Examples of revenue are taxes, fines, user fees, utility payments (electricity, water), and state and federal grants. Expenses are money coming out. Examples include office supplies, education, and travel expenses. According to Trigg, there are three (3) types of expenses: personnel, capital, and operating. Personnel expenses are money associated with people, such as salaries, and benefits. Capital expenses include any purchase made that exceeds $1,000. Operating expenses relate to the things that keep the company going, so to speak. Leases, utilities, and office supplies are all examples.
Overall, Trigg made clear that asking questions is the best way to gather information about a confusing budget. So, whenever you’re asked to cover and write a story on a city or state budget, remember to follow these simple guidelines: keep your writing simple for the reader. Say what you mean, but put it in terms everyone can understand. Second, review all the expense and revenue reports, not just the summary. You never know, with a little extra research, you could find a diamond in the rough. Finally, and most importantly, remember to ask questions if you don’t understand something. A great mystery could be uncovered simply by asking a few questions and getting the right answers.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Medical Examiner's Office
I was unable to attend the last field trip of the semester due to minor car troubles, but through some research I’ve conducted, I think I can still give you an idea of what the medical examiner’s office does and how they are a vital asset to investigators and journalists.
The first thing I thought of when I heard the term, 'medical examiner,' was characters from the fictional television drama, Crime Scene Investigator (CSI). However, what happens on TV and what happens in real life is not always the same. In televison shows, we often see multiple medical examiners out of the lab during all hours of the day investigating death scenes. However, due to budget cuts, the real life investigators no longer go out at night to handle cases.
It is an examiner’s job to perform autopsies in order to determine the cause of death of an average Joe to a celebrity star. Examiners also work closely with organ donor facilities because they are concerned with human tissue donations. Also, any body that is unidentified is disposed of, meaning they are cremated.
Nearly everything a medical examiner produces is public record. The autopsy reports, the dead individual’s medical records, any evidence or paperwork filled out by the examiner, and any transcripts from county officials are made open to the public. All you have to do to obtain information from an official from the examiners office is file a request for a specific record or records and send the request to the office in a business envelope with TWO stamps on it. If the request is for a public record, the office will send the information back to the person asking for it.
What happens if someone asks for a record that is exempt? I’m glad you asked. There are certain records that are not available to the public, such as deaths currently under investigation, HIV tests results, and autopsy photographs, which up until recently WERE made available to the public. Autopsy photos are now denied to anyone except medical personnel because graphic photos have been used in newspapers without permission from the family of the deceased. The main person responsible for the rule change is Teresa Earnhardt, the widow of famous Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt. A newspaper was planning on using pictures from the crash that killed Earnhardt and Teresa Earnhardt sued in order to keep the photos sealed. For more information about the autopsy privacy bill, visit this Web site: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2001-03-21-autopsy-bill.htm
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Where do all those public records go?
Last Tuesday, my Public Affairs class and I made the trek to the Hillsborough County Courthouse. It wasn’t the most thrilling field trip this semester, but I still managed to learn some key information about the court system that I didn’t know beforehand. For one, it is BUSY. That’s not even a big enough word, so if you can think of one, use that. There are mobs of people trying to enter the court, whether it’s for their traffic court hearing, a friend’s misdemeanor hearing, or something that has to do with child support payments. Mondays are typically the busiest of days because people come in for jury duty, so I can’t imagine the time it takes just to get through security checks. By the way, did you know you can be arrested for missing jury duty? Not the best day to forget to set your alarm for early in the morning.
Chief Financial Officer Pat Frank and Clerk of Court Dana Caranante gave the class some insight about how important the court system is. Obviously, this is the place where people are judged for their wrongdoings and subsequently learn their fate, but I didn’t realize how many public records were stored and for how long. According to Frank, every document that passes through the courthouse is stored in a warehouse and kept as public record for as long as 75 years, in some cases. 75 YEARS! Are you serious!?
Some records, like the ones that are from traffic court, can be discarded after 90 days, but other documents, like child abuse records (which are unavailable to the public, by the way) are kept for at least the lifetime of the child, plus a number of years afterward. Juvenile records are kept forever!
According to Frank, the most common records asked for are arrest records, and if the case is high-profile, (meaning people are hearing updates on the news, for instance) the cases are made available on the Internet.
To learn more information about the court system and what records are available and confidential to the public, visit www.hillsclerk.com
Chief Financial Officer Pat Frank and Clerk of Court Dana Caranante gave the class some insight about how important the court system is. Obviously, this is the place where people are judged for their wrongdoings and subsequently learn their fate, but I didn’t realize how many public records were stored and for how long. According to Frank, every document that passes through the courthouse is stored in a warehouse and kept as public record for as long as 75 years, in some cases. 75 YEARS! Are you serious!?
Some records, like the ones that are from traffic court, can be discarded after 90 days, but other documents, like child abuse records (which are unavailable to the public, by the way) are kept for at least the lifetime of the child, plus a number of years afterward. Juvenile records are kept forever!
According to Frank, the most common records asked for are arrest records, and if the case is high-profile, (meaning people are hearing updates on the news, for instance) the cases are made available on the Internet.
To learn more information about the court system and what records are available and confidential to the public, visit www.hillsclerk.com
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Do you know what your money is being spent on?
The meeting with WFLA investigative reporter Steve Andrews was probably my favorite field trip thus far. Steve talked about some of his biggest stories he's uncovered in the past five years. The story he talked about the most was his investigation against Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance. Basically, he found that they were spending a ridiculous amount of money on food, $20,000 a year actually.
TBWA is supposed to be a non-profit organization designed to get people jobs. Instead they spent a boatload of money on high-priced food and paid for it by using taxpayers money. Steve also found that they had planning meetings at the company presidents' home and at high-priced restaurants, where they spent money on lunch and dinner.
To break down what they spent on food, Steve found they were spending $13 a gallon on iced tea, $9 per slice of cheesecake from the cheesecake factory, $150 meals from the cheesecake factory, and $50 for a dozen gourmet cupcakes. Steve found that TBWA’s statewide were spending over $600,000 a year on food and they were paying for it using taxpayers money. Because of Steve's investigative reporting, TBWA was crippled. State and law enforcement investigations were put on TBWA, and later a federal investigation was put on them. The president of TBWA had to resign as well as at least two board of directors.
Steve stressed to us that it's imperative to be polite when trying to interview someone, especially while the camera is on. It looks bad on you, the reporter, if you are following someone with a microphone and invading their privacy. It makes the public not like you and relate to the person you are trying to interview.
Steve obtained a bunch of public records from TBWA. The only problem was that there was a BUNCH of records he had to go through. His partners told him he wasn't going to find anything but Steve trusted his instincts. He found plenty of key information from public records (he called it a goldmine) even though it took him forever to read through all of them.
Finally, some important statements Steve made were that it is a reporter's duty to follow the story to the logical conclusion. You work till you're done in this business. Also make sure to have at least 3 questions prepared (and write them down) before you interview someone. Lastly, don't give up on a story if your instincts say there's more to learn.
If you want to read more Steve Andrews articles, visit www.tbo.com and keyword search for his name.
TBWA is supposed to be a non-profit organization designed to get people jobs. Instead they spent a boatload of money on high-priced food and paid for it by using taxpayers money. Steve also found that they had planning meetings at the company presidents' home and at high-priced restaurants, where they spent money on lunch and dinner.
To break down what they spent on food, Steve found they were spending $13 a gallon on iced tea, $9 per slice of cheesecake from the cheesecake factory, $150 meals from the cheesecake factory, and $50 for a dozen gourmet cupcakes. Steve found that TBWA’s statewide were spending over $600,000 a year on food and they were paying for it using taxpayers money. Because of Steve's investigative reporting, TBWA was crippled. State and law enforcement investigations were put on TBWA, and later a federal investigation was put on them. The president of TBWA had to resign as well as at least two board of directors.
Steve stressed to us that it's imperative to be polite when trying to interview someone, especially while the camera is on. It looks bad on you, the reporter, if you are following someone with a microphone and invading their privacy. It makes the public not like you and relate to the person you are trying to interview.
Steve obtained a bunch of public records from TBWA. The only problem was that there was a BUNCH of records he had to go through. His partners told him he wasn't going to find anything but Steve trusted his instincts. He found plenty of key information from public records (he called it a goldmine) even though it took him forever to read through all of them.
Finally, some important statements Steve made were that it is a reporter's duty to follow the story to the logical conclusion. You work till you're done in this business. Also make sure to have at least 3 questions prepared (and write them down) before you interview someone. Lastly, don't give up on a story if your instincts say there's more to learn.
If you want to read more Steve Andrews articles, visit www.tbo.com and keyword search for his name.
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