The past two weeks are interesting, but not much related to my training plan.
I had a chance to do a story on the local income statistics release in the early days of the first week. The procedure of doing stories here is similar with what I'm used to back home (interviewing researchers or professors and putting together the most useful information in a logical way), but due to my English listening problems, it's a bit challenging for me to communicate with economics professors through phone. The most difficult part, as always, is writing, which is no longer one with straightforward lead after the Internet rises nowadays. It took me two hours but I still failed to figure out an acceptable featurish lead. I felt ashamed (also, of course, guilty, in Gary's words). I had no way out and finally submitted my version to the editor, who made an eight-word lead for me. It's good, at least to me, not only for its succinctness, but its being meaningful. It may be the shortest lead under my byline: The first quarter wasn't kind to Minnesota's wallet (http://www.twincities.com/ci_12625456?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com).
The rest of the two weeks have gone as usual, with me reading the pioneer press newspaper trying to find out interest and thought-provoking stuff, discussing such topics as Iran with my colleages and reading books. I happened to buy a book called Bias, an old book by Bernard Goldberg published in early 2000s on liberal bias in the US media. I've glanced through some chapters and found it interesting and provocative.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Past two weeks (until 14 June)
The past two weeks were not exciting at all for me, except for the Citizen Journalism Workshop on June 13. The workshop, organized by the Society of Professional Journalists, trained non-professional citizen journalists from all walks of life and offered a light for me as to how some ordinary Americans see and practice journalism.
The speakers talked about some basic journalism, such as ethics, media law, access to government information, writing, and use of technological tools in assisting reporting. I've rehearsed such skills as writing (how to ensure accuracy and clarity, and how to plan and structure a feature story) and gained new insight into getting access to public information in the US, the rise of twitter in reporting and how to avoid being sued in writing something potentially controversial.
Those topics were thought-provoking. For example, in China, we don't have a law as the Freedom of Information Act here. How should we gain access to government information that officials may not want to open to the public?
I spent the rest of the two weeks reading my host newspapers and talking with my colleagues, trying to figure out what's new and could be helpful for my home newspaper in Beijing. I've found the Pioneer Press, as many other US newspapers, has tried its best to interact with readers, seen from such columns as Watchdog, in which the reporters would respond to readers' need and help them solve some problems, such as failure to get social benefits.
The speakers talked about some basic journalism, such as ethics, media law, access to government information, writing, and use of technological tools in assisting reporting. I've rehearsed such skills as writing (how to ensure accuracy and clarity, and how to plan and structure a feature story) and gained new insight into getting access to public information in the US, the rise of twitter in reporting and how to avoid being sued in writing something potentially controversial.
Those topics were thought-provoking. For example, in China, we don't have a law as the Freedom of Information Act here. How should we gain access to government information that officials may not want to open to the public?
I spent the rest of the two weeks reading my host newspapers and talking with my colleagues, trying to figure out what's new and could be helpful for my home newspaper in Beijing. I've found the Pioneer Press, as many other US newspapers, has tried its best to interact with readers, seen from such columns as Watchdog, in which the reporters would respond to readers' need and help them solve some problems, such as failure to get social benefits.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
From Poynter: Why You Shouldn't Publish Alleged Carradine Death Photos
Posted by Al Tompkins at 11:42 AM on Jun. 10, 2009
Thai Rath, a newspaper in Thailand, has published a front-page photo of what it says is David Carradine's body hanging by ropes in a hotel closet. The actor was found dead in a Bangkok hotel last week. No doubt, the grisly photo, as well as an autopsy photo that's been surfacing across the Web, will generate lots of traffic. But they're not news. It's right to wonder whether they're authentic, but even if they are, I can't imagine a legitimate reason to publish them. ABCNews.com reported that Carradine's death could have been the result of a homicide. Some tabloids are saying the "Kung Fu" actor's death may be linked to some sort of Kung Fu sect. The feeding frenzy is just beginning.The Associated Press reported:
"A grainy photo published on the Saturday cover of the tabloid Thai Rath shows a naked body suspended from a clothes bar in a hotel closet, hands apparently bound together above the head and feet on the floor. The face is blacked out and other areas are obscured.
"The paper did not indicate the source of the image, but Thai police said they believed it was a picture of Carradine's body taken by a forensics team." You can imagine the heartbreak Carradine's family is experiencing. The family's attorney, who is threatening legal action for any U.S.-based publication that runs the photos, made news this week when he said the family wants private forensic experts to investigate the actor's death. Reportedly, there will be a second autopsy. Still, that does not make the death photos newsworthy.Freelance journalist John Le Fevre, who is based in Bangkok and who has worked for tabloids for years, pointed out in an e-mail to me that there is good reason to question the authenticity of the photo that Thai Rath ran.He wrote in an article this week that the photos circulating the Web appear to show a body hanging in a "...cheap closet. A bed is less than one meter away from the closet and the room has a wooden floor -- all hardly the stuff of a suite in a prestigious hotel such as the Swissotel Nai Lert Park." Just take a look at the hotel's Web site and you will see how luxurious the rooms are.I decided not to link to Le Fevre's article or any other site that shows the photos. It is easy enough to find them online if you want to see them. Whether or not the photos are real is only part of the issue. Even if they are real, news organizations have to make decisions about when it is appropriate to include graphic content on their sites. What's the reasoning behind these decisions? I have had many conversations this year with Web editors who say they include much more graphic news on their sites these days to help drive Web traffic. When some news organizations chose to use graphic photos of the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, my Poynter colleague Bob Steele explained how newsrooms should process a decision to show disturbing images. Steele said:
"Journalists have ethical obligations beyond seeking and reporting the truth about substantive issues and events. Journalists and their news organizations have a moral obligation and professional duty to show respect for human beings and compassion for those who are very vulnerable. The primary principle for journalists is to seek the truth and report it as fully as possible. But journalists must balance that principle with another principle that I call 'minimizing harm.'
"Journalism is inherently intrusive and invasive. There are many times -- in our obligation to be fair, accurate and authentic -- when we must tell the painful truth with words and images. But we should strive in our reporting techniques and publishing decisions to avoid causing unnecessary harm."
Thai Rath, a newspaper in Thailand, has published a front-page photo of what it says is David Carradine's body hanging by ropes in a hotel closet. The actor was found dead in a Bangkok hotel last week. No doubt, the grisly photo, as well as an autopsy photo that's been surfacing across the Web, will generate lots of traffic. But they're not news. It's right to wonder whether they're authentic, but even if they are, I can't imagine a legitimate reason to publish them. ABCNews.com reported that Carradine's death could have been the result of a homicide. Some tabloids are saying the "Kung Fu" actor's death may be linked to some sort of Kung Fu sect. The feeding frenzy is just beginning.The Associated Press reported:
"A grainy photo published on the Saturday cover of the tabloid Thai Rath shows a naked body suspended from a clothes bar in a hotel closet, hands apparently bound together above the head and feet on the floor. The face is blacked out and other areas are obscured.
"The paper did not indicate the source of the image, but Thai police said they believed it was a picture of Carradine's body taken by a forensics team." You can imagine the heartbreak Carradine's family is experiencing. The family's attorney, who is threatening legal action for any U.S.-based publication that runs the photos, made news this week when he said the family wants private forensic experts to investigate the actor's death. Reportedly, there will be a second autopsy. Still, that does not make the death photos newsworthy.Freelance journalist John Le Fevre, who is based in Bangkok and who has worked for tabloids for years, pointed out in an e-mail to me that there is good reason to question the authenticity of the photo that Thai Rath ran.He wrote in an article this week that the photos circulating the Web appear to show a body hanging in a "...cheap closet. A bed is less than one meter away from the closet and the room has a wooden floor -- all hardly the stuff of a suite in a prestigious hotel such as the Swissotel Nai Lert Park." Just take a look at the hotel's Web site and you will see how luxurious the rooms are.I decided not to link to Le Fevre's article or any other site that shows the photos. It is easy enough to find them online if you want to see them. Whether or not the photos are real is only part of the issue. Even if they are real, news organizations have to make decisions about when it is appropriate to include graphic content on their sites. What's the reasoning behind these decisions? I have had many conversations this year with Web editors who say they include much more graphic news on their sites these days to help drive Web traffic. When some news organizations chose to use graphic photos of the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, my Poynter colleague Bob Steele explained how newsrooms should process a decision to show disturbing images. Steele said:
"Journalists have ethical obligations beyond seeking and reporting the truth about substantive issues and events. Journalists and their news organizations have a moral obligation and professional duty to show respect for human beings and compassion for those who are very vulnerable. The primary principle for journalists is to seek the truth and report it as fully as possible. But journalists must balance that principle with another principle that I call 'minimizing harm.'
"Journalism is inherently intrusive and invasive. There are many times -- in our obligation to be fair, accurate and authentic -- when we must tell the painful truth with words and images. But we should strive in our reporting techniques and publishing decisions to avoid causing unnecessary harm."
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Learning business story writing
I had a chance to shadow Julie Forster, reporter of Pioneer Press on employment, to report the release of unemployment figures on May 21. It was my first time here to shadow a business reporter. The process seemed simple and routine: We arrived at the meeting room, had a small talk with the business official and the release started. It's a kind of televised meeting, with some reporters calling in to ask questions. In China, it would be similar. But it turned out that the article is more interesting than I expected. Short as it is, it's not recording of dull figures and numbers, but a story told with a featurish lead to show the tricky time (the job market seems to be improving, but not for sure). In my home newspaper, we have tried to "tell stories" even when it is about drab economic figures while here I find featurish way of writing has become very common. It'll be a good learning process for me.
Part of my life here is to read my host newspaper to understand how they are doing stories. There is a series of stories about a Hmong young man who was shot dead by police. His families thought the police used "excessive force" to kill him. The newspaper has run a series of stories tracking the court hearings and jury ruling to show to the readers how the case is going by quoting both police and the dead man's families. What impressed me is the continuity of the reporting, which ensures readers know the whole process of what's going on. In those days, I often made a comparison between the case and the Deng Yujiao case － the No. 1 case now in China. I would think about what if I do the stories on Deng in China? What I can learn from the Pioneer Press series for doing the Deng stories?
On 28 May, I covered a Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce release of business vitality index, which compared the business environment of Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area with ten other major areas across the country. I've done a short story on that and is waiting for reponse from my editor.
The next day, I interviewed a professor of Concordia University of St Paul on the consumption habits of Africa-born immigrants in the US. Hopefully I'll go on to interview some immigrants and business people to see how those immigrants would have a bearing on local economy. I'll discuss it with my editor Monday.
Part of my life here is to read my host newspaper to understand how they are doing stories. There is a series of stories about a Hmong young man who was shot dead by police. His families thought the police used "excessive force" to kill him. The newspaper has run a series of stories tracking the court hearings and jury ruling to show to the readers how the case is going by quoting both police and the dead man's families. What impressed me is the continuity of the reporting, which ensures readers know the whole process of what's going on. In those days, I often made a comparison between the case and the Deng Yujiao case － the No. 1 case now in China. I would think about what if I do the stories on Deng in China? What I can learn from the Pioneer Press series for doing the Deng stories?
On 28 May, I covered a Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce release of business vitality index, which compared the business environment of Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area with ten other major areas across the country. I've done a short story on that and is waiting for reponse from my editor.
The next day, I interviewed a professor of Concordia University of St Paul on the consumption habits of Africa-born immigrants in the US. Hopefully I'll go on to interview some immigrants and business people to see how those immigrants would have a bearing on local economy. I'll discuss it with my editor Monday.
Mob attacks, beats news reporters
By Cai Ke (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-29 06:46
Updated: 2009-05-29 06:46
BADONG COUNTY, Hubei: Two reporters were attacked and beaten yesterday as they conducted an interview into the high-profile case of a woman charged with stabbing and killing an official.
"Four guys rushed into the house and started throwing our belongings out," Beijing News reporter Kong Pu told China Daily.
She had been interviewing the grandmother of Deng Yujiao, who is alleged to have killed an official while defending herself against sexual assault.
"They beat me and wrestled me to the ground," said Southern People Weekly reporter Wei Yi, who was with Kong in Yesanguan, Hubei province.
After the beating, three men escorted the reporters away, Kong said.
But when Kong went back to collect their umbrellas, she met another mob.
One of them shouted at her "How dare you come back," Kong told China Daily.
"Then they grabbed my mobile phone before pulling my ear and hair, slapping my arms," Kong said.
She called police after the second attack at 2:30 pm yesterday.
The reporters were escorted to the police station where they made statements about the incident.
The attack came two days after the government announced that Deng, 21, had been released on bail.
In a case that has sparked widespread debate and media attention, police say karaoke employee Deng Yujiao stabbed government official Deng Guida to death May 10 after he allegedly demanded sex and hit her with money.
Wei is asking police to investigate and punish the mob.
"We have arranged a task force to probe this case," Wang Haibo, deputy director of Badong government information office told China Daily.
"Yesanguan officials told me some scuffle took place when local villagers were trying to dissuade the two reporters from interviews," he said.
"If some people really did beat up the reporters, they will be dealt with according to law," he added.
(China Daily 05/29/2009 page4)
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