The Lanning Report from 1992.
A children's book published to help protect potential victims.
Law enforcement guide to Wicca
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
The Story of the missing Malaysian Flight 370 still continues to be a mystery as the plane has yet to be discovered. It has been weeks since the plane departed from Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia en route to Beijing, China. I have been keeping up with the story out of personal interest but I began to do some more research into other new stations because of this assignment. I normally watch ABC Eyewitness news because it starts immediately after a program I watch. After hearing that radar signals have been detected and that a possible flight path has been determined, I decided to look into foreign new stations to see how they are projecting this new information.
CNN reports the developing story of the missing plane with a lot of compassion and sympathy. They did not interview anyone in the report I watched which I perceived as respect for the families of the victims. I did a lot of research online about the matter and other stations have published interviews with parents of the missing, which is hard to hear. CNN provides all the up to date information I had seen on other news platforms just reports it in a respectable, understanding tone.
ABC Eyewitness news provides a lot of information, most of which is being repeated on every station like CNN. Since there is such a lack of knowledge on what could have happened to this plane the news reports more or less are sounding very similar in the United States. There were differences in the reporting style however that did give viewers a different outlook on the issue. ABC did not use a lot of emotion when talking about this tragedy, they were more about the facts and getting the information they did have out there. They did however show pictures of the families of those on board Flight 370 which is what provoked me to look into Chinese news reports.
CCTV, China Central Television is a 24 hours English speaking news channel in China. Since nearly 2/3 of the passengers on board were Chinese I figured this would be an interesting station to tune into. While watching the news report the broadcaster used a tone that was very relatable, as if she understood the pain the families must be going through. This approach is what I expected because of the amount of Chinese citizens on the plane. They showed a clip of the Malaysian Prime Minister speaking as well as Chinese planes that were taking off in search of the plan. This was very interesting to see, it is very obvious how much control the Chinese Government has on the media and they only chose to show a few details. On ABC for example, I learned a lot more about the case and every clue that was being put together in order to find flight 370. CCTV is a popular news station and China, considering the people in China are desperately looking for information about the plane it was crazy how they did not report on many details that I heard on American news stations.
CNN reports the developing story of the missing plane with a lot of compassion and sympathy. They did not interview anyone in the report I watched which I perceived as respect for the families of the victims. I did a lot of research online about the matter and other stations have published interviews with parents of the missing, which is hard to hear. CNN provides all the up to date information I had seen on other news platforms just reports it in a respectable, understanding tone.
ABC Eyewitness news provides a lot of information, most of which is being repeated on every station like CNN. Since there is such a lack of knowledge on what could have happened to this plane the news reports more or less are sounding very similar in the United States. There were differences in the reporting style however that did give viewers a different outlook on the issue. ABC did not use a lot of emotion when talking about this tragedy, they were more about the facts and getting the information they did have out there. They did however show pictures of the families of those on board Flight 370 which is what provoked me to look into Chinese news reports.
CCTV, China Central Television is a 24 hours English speaking news channel in China. Since nearly 2/3 of the passengers on board were Chinese I figured this would be an interesting station to tune into. While watching the news report the broadcaster used a tone that was very relatable, as if she understood the pain the families must be going through. This approach is what I expected because of the amount of Chinese citizens on the plane. They showed a clip of the Malaysian Prime Minister speaking as well as Chinese planes that were taking off in search of the plan. This was very interesting to see, it is very obvious how much control the Chinese Government has on the media and they only chose to show a few details. On ABC for example, I learned a lot more about the case and every clue that was being put together in order to find flight 370. CCTV is a popular news station and China, considering the people in China are desperately looking for information about the plane it was crazy how they did not report on many details that I heard on American news stations.
NFL Wide-Reciever Mike Williams Found Stabbed in Home
Tampa Bay Buccaneer's Wide Receiver Mike Williams was carted to the hospital after being stabbed in his home.
- ABC News, March 23rd, 11:01 pm
The second channel I tuned into to acquire information about the incident was ABC news. The tone is rather serious in this broadcast. The anchors seem to be concerned with the incident. During the broadcast, there are pictures/highlights of Mike Williams playing football, so it is rather hard to tell what facial expressions are being displayed for most of the broadcast. The entire coverage stemmed about 4 minutes long, so it was not too lengthy. They mention that Mike Williams is no boy scout in terms of his relationship with the law, mentioning that he is facing trespassing and criminal mischief charges after an incident he faced back in December. They also turn their attention to the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's Twitter page halfway through the broadcast that pretty much was a bullshit statement about how they will take "no further action until further information is released".
-Fox News, March 23rd, 10:02 pm
(I know this is out of order, apologies) The first network I turned to for information on the "breaking news" Fox News because I have not really ever watched a news coverage of theirs, and I hear that they are not reliable with information at all, so I was intrigued. I could tell instantaneously that the broadcast was not taking the situation seriously merely by the nonchalant, rather sarcastic (unintentional) tone of the anchor pitching the story. They immediately cut to a field reporter on a street corner, standing in front of the hospital that Williams is in (St. Joe's Hospital). This broadcast was also short and sweet, clocking in at 3 minutes and 20 seconds. They also mention that this is his third incident, and that once the investigation is through, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's organization will have a thorough discussion with Williams (also acquired from Twitter, these broadcasters have to start interviewing people and stop relying on social media for answers).
-ESPN, March 23rd, 11:55 pm
I would say this broadcast was the most thorough in terms of both information provided to the public as well as delivery. The anchors interviewed a former NFL player who used to get in trouble with the law constantly during his tenure in the NFL. He spoke of how he would do it all differently if he could go back, and that Mike Williams should be punished for his constant violations of the law. Being that this is a sports network, they were emphasizing the consequences for his actions more than finding out who the perpetrator of the crime was. They mentioned that it may have been his brother, but didn't seem to show much concern
- ABC News, March 23rd, 11:01 pm
The second channel I tuned into to acquire information about the incident was ABC news. The tone is rather serious in this broadcast. The anchors seem to be concerned with the incident. During the broadcast, there are pictures/highlights of Mike Williams playing football, so it is rather hard to tell what facial expressions are being displayed for most of the broadcast. The entire coverage stemmed about 4 minutes long, so it was not too lengthy. They mention that Mike Williams is no boy scout in terms of his relationship with the law, mentioning that he is facing trespassing and criminal mischief charges after an incident he faced back in December. They also turn their attention to the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's Twitter page halfway through the broadcast that pretty much was a bullshit statement about how they will take "no further action until further information is released".
-Fox News, March 23rd, 10:02 pm
(I know this is out of order, apologies) The first network I turned to for information on the "breaking news" Fox News because I have not really ever watched a news coverage of theirs, and I hear that they are not reliable with information at all, so I was intrigued. I could tell instantaneously that the broadcast was not taking the situation seriously merely by the nonchalant, rather sarcastic (unintentional) tone of the anchor pitching the story. They immediately cut to a field reporter on a street corner, standing in front of the hospital that Williams is in (St. Joe's Hospital). This broadcast was also short and sweet, clocking in at 3 minutes and 20 seconds. They also mention that this is his third incident, and that once the investigation is through, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's organization will have a thorough discussion with Williams (also acquired from Twitter, these broadcasters have to start interviewing people and stop relying on social media for answers).
-ESPN, March 23rd, 11:55 pm
I would say this broadcast was the most thorough in terms of both information provided to the public as well as delivery. The anchors interviewed a former NFL player who used to get in trouble with the law constantly during his tenure in the NFL. He spoke of how he would do it all differently if he could go back, and that Mike Williams should be punished for his constant violations of the law. Being that this is a sports network, they were emphasizing the consequences for his actions more than finding out who the perpetrator of the crime was. They mentioned that it may have been his brother, but didn't seem to show much concern
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Reexamining Kurt Cobain
This week I was interested in the news coverage regarding Kurt Cobain’s suicide. Kurt Cobain died from a fatal heroin overdose and self-inflicted gunshot wound in April of 1994. This year, being the 20th anniversary of his death, Seattle police department anticipated an intense public curiosity. The high profile case was reexamined by Detective Mike Ciesynski, who reinterviewed family and friends as well as reviewed evidence from the crime scene. Among the evidence he found four undeveloped rolls of film from the original investigation. Ciesynski and the Seattle police department said that the photos, two of which were made public, ultimately confirmed Kurt Cobain’s death was a suicide.
(March 21, 9:41am)
One of the broadcasts I chose to watch about this story was on CBS New. This report was a very short and general coverage of the story. Marlie Hall reported the narration for the news package, which featured mostly archival footage and photos. A very brief clip of Detective Mike Ciesynski discussing the investigation was shown, though the segment chosen actually didn’t really seem to fit in with the rest of the report. I think incorporating this was more about making the report seem more credible and reputable. The actual content was not as important as the person presenting it. The use of b-roll, archival footage and photographs made the story interesting because they connected the current story to the original investigation.
(March 21, 12:30pm)
HLN News “Now: On the Case” was another program that reported on the new developments in the investigation of Kurt Cobain’s death. I found this program to be annoying in many ways. The anchors sound like they should be reporting sports and only sports. Essentially screaming the entire story, Mike Galanos draws on the photos as if giving a football play by play. Though they did report the story efficiently, they way they did it did not seem appropriate.
(March 20, 6:45pm)
KIRO7 is a Seattle based station which originally aired the story. They included archival footage as well as more in depth clips of the interview with Detective Mike Ciesynski. I think there was a sense of community in a way, since this happened in the city it is being reported in.
News Coverage
First Lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters are visiting China for the first time on a week-long good will tour. I watched three news broadcasts covering their visit on NBC, ABC and CNN.
NBC’s broadcast had reporter Kristen Welker covering the story. Her report mainly focused on the First Lady’s speech at Peking University. In her speech Mrs. Obama brought up the very controversial topic in China of free speech, which NBC considered to be a very risky move considering the country’s strict censorship regulations of the their Internet. Welker described this as unusual, considering the First Lady is not normally one to discuss controversial topics. Another significant topic Welker covered in Mrs. Obama’s speech was the missing Malaysia flight. Welker then closed her coverage live from outside the White House discussing the competing headline of the NSA’s recent hack into one of China’s largest telecommunications which could be a potential threat.
ABC had reporter Mary Bruce, also covering live from outside the White House,. Bruce’s coverage emphasized the cultural and symbolic significance of the First Lady’s visit, reminding us that she had no formal meetings on her itinerary. Bruce then focused on Mrs. Obama’s meeting with the President of China and his wife, who she then compared Mrs. Obama to, through their fashion sense and education. Bruce closed her coverage by focusing on the positive relationship the US is trying to build up with China.
CNN included the news of the First Lady’s visit to China briefly in Chris Cuomo’s segment “5 Things To Know For Your New Day”. Cuomo covered Mrs. Obama’s visit to a local high school in Beijing where she got to witness first hand a glimpse of China’s education system. Cuomo emphasized the importance of her trip consisting of educational and cultural exchange.
All three coverages of the First Lady’s trip to China this past week emphasized the non-political aspect of her trip. They also maintained positive messages about her Mrs. Obama’s activity in China.
News Coverage
The news coverage I decided to write about isn’t necessarily ‘breaking’ news, as the story broke over two weeks ago. However, the information related to the story is ‘breaking’. Sixteen days ago on March 8th, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, traveling from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing disappeared in flight carrying 239 passengers. Since the disappearance of the aircraft, a global search has commenced in hopes of finding evidence of it’s disappearance or wreckage. Within the last 24 hours, debris has been spotted on satellite in the Indian Ocean, that is presumed to be that of the plane. I chose to watch three news stories on the latest developments in the Malaysian Airline flight.
(Sun. March 23, 2014) ABC News via Good Morning America covers the information in a very cold and emotionless manner. The anchor, David, has no sympathy in his voice while discussing the tragedy and no music is used to emphasis the crisis. The news station shows the area in which the debris has been spotted on a map, and then takes the viewer to the scene. ABC News also decided to sit down and discuss the tragedy with the family of the chief steward on the plane to pull at viewer’s heartstrings. The show family members crying and depict the raw emotion of the innocent families involved. The station also plays off the mystery involved in the incident by interviewing a Malaysian Airline pilot who recently flew that very plane on the same route.
(Sun. March 23, 6:14 p.m.) CNN covers the same information in an entirely different manner. They speak of the new debris sighting discovered as well, but with much more sympathy and emphasis in their voices. They use two anchors (both male and female) to discuss the new information. The back and forth between the two anchors makes the information delivered in a more conversationalist manner. The news station uses no music, and does not interview anyone directly related to the tragedy but the anchors emphasize with those involved in a genuine way.
(Sun. March 23, 2014) NBC News covered the information in a way that was least appealing to me. The anchor was very monotone and seemed as though he was uninterested in the information he was relaying. The information was delivered in a very factual manner with a high volume of content in a short amount of time which made it hard to comprehend it all. They had Bill Neely, a chief global correspondent, discussing what was known about the debris, however, his thick australian accent made it hard for me to understand all that was being said. No music, no interviews with family members, just very straightforward, factual information.
News Coverage of Flight 370
Watching the news this week it has been hard to focus on anything accept the missing Malaysian flight 370. Since it is nearing three weeks without a solid answer, news programs are having to repeat themselves and speculate to hold the interest of the public.
The first program I tuned into was Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace. Right away it was all speculation, the headline at the bottom of the screen read "Terrorism?" At this point in time no one can truly say what happened to the flight but this seems to be just a desperate ploy to suck people into their show. The correspondent was doing an interview and reaching a little bit too far towards the realm of terrorism without any evidence.
Next I went a channel down to CNN and the correspondent was interviewing an aviation analyst and asking questions about a fire in the cock pit which could have caused them to lower their altitude and lose control of the plane. In the middle of the interview the correspondent was handed breaking news and began reading the fact that the plane was flying at only 12,000 ft and made a sharp turn. So the station at least was adding some brand new news in addition to the speculation.
Lastly I watched News 12 which is local and they had a very brief block dedicated to the flight in which they only showed some very general pictures and immediately switched topics back to local news. It just showed how smaller news stations trail behind the larger ones and must focus on what they know to keep their viewers coming back.
Watching the coverage across these three programs really just showed how little we know about this flight and how much speculation and hunches that people are going on. As more information comes in news stories will have to be more accurate, but as of right now they can have a field day with possible scenarios which could have doomed the poor people on flight 370. It is just a matter of which one will get them the most press and viewers.
The first program I tuned into was Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace. Right away it was all speculation, the headline at the bottom of the screen read "Terrorism?" At this point in time no one can truly say what happened to the flight but this seems to be just a desperate ploy to suck people into their show. The correspondent was doing an interview and reaching a little bit too far towards the realm of terrorism without any evidence.
Next I went a channel down to CNN and the correspondent was interviewing an aviation analyst and asking questions about a fire in the cock pit which could have caused them to lower their altitude and lose control of the plane. In the middle of the interview the correspondent was handed breaking news and began reading the fact that the plane was flying at only 12,000 ft and made a sharp turn. So the station at least was adding some brand new news in addition to the speculation.
Lastly I watched News 12 which is local and they had a very brief block dedicated to the flight in which they only showed some very general pictures and immediately switched topics back to local news. It just showed how smaller news stations trail behind the larger ones and must focus on what they know to keep their viewers coming back.
Watching the coverage across these three programs really just showed how little we know about this flight and how much speculation and hunches that people are going on. As more information comes in news stories will have to be more accurate, but as of right now they can have a field day with possible scenarios which could have doomed the poor people on flight 370. It is just a matter of which one will get them the most press and viewers.
Robots writing the news?
Three news sources:
1) BBC News- March 18th, 2014 7:15pm
2) CNN- March 19th, 2014 11:45am
3) FOX-March 19th, 2014 7:30pm
I decided to focus on the news story covering the news-writing robot. Apparently, after the L.A. earthquake, the L.A. Times managed to publish an article in three minutes after the earthquake occurred with the help of a robot. This led to The L.A. Times clearly being the first news network to break the news.
BBC News broadcasted this story quickly and informatively. The broadcaster had an optimistic attitude overall and seemed as if he was excited to tell the story. While introducing the story, BBC played the viral video of the news broadcasters who were on air while the earthquake occurred. The coverage on this story was rather short, there was no feedback from the anchor or opinions just straight up facts. He explained how the robot worked and that it was able to publish a news article in three minutes flat. After a few short minutes, the news anchor moved on to the next story so it was obvious that this wasn't a particularly significant story. I also found that this news anchor had a very simple, informal language style while presenting his story.
Unlike BBC, CNN covered the story much more extensively. Although the coverage was still pretty short compared to other breaking news, CNN was much more in-depth than the previous broadcast. After covering basic facts on the news writing robot, the two anchors discussed their personal opinions on the robot. They had differing views from one another which made the story more interesting. One anchor believed that the robot is a good addition to news companies for faster, more accurate breaking news while the other anchor believed that it would cost journalists their jobs. This coverage story included images of robots along with the viral video I mentioned earlier. The biggest difference between CNN and BBC is that this story seemed to be more important to the news anchors on CNN. They had more expression in their faces that allowed viewers to get a better feel for their general attitudes towards it and made it an overall more interesting story to watch by including their opinions and a discussion. I also found that the overall language used was much more formal with the inclusion of larger, more complex terminology than the BBC broadcast.
FOX news also covered this story very briefly. I guess this isn't a crazy, breaking news story with the missing airplane, Ukraine and Russia, and Turkey and Syria stories flooding the news. However, the news anchor seemed completely appalled with the idea of a robot writing the news. Unlike the other news anchors covering this story on CNN and BBC, this anchor was very expressive and provided an in-depth explanation of why this robot is a bad idea. There was no video and there were no photographs included in this story it was one news anchor expressing his opinions towards it, which I thought was interesting. Overall, this coverage had a more serious tone than the other broadcasts due to its lack of graphics and negative views towards the topic.
1) BBC News- March 18th, 2014 7:15pm
2) CNN- March 19th, 2014 11:45am
3) FOX-March 19th, 2014 7:30pm
I decided to focus on the news story covering the news-writing robot. Apparently, after the L.A. earthquake, the L.A. Times managed to publish an article in three minutes after the earthquake occurred with the help of a robot. This led to The L.A. Times clearly being the first news network to break the news.
BBC News broadcasted this story quickly and informatively. The broadcaster had an optimistic attitude overall and seemed as if he was excited to tell the story. While introducing the story, BBC played the viral video of the news broadcasters who were on air while the earthquake occurred. The coverage on this story was rather short, there was no feedback from the anchor or opinions just straight up facts. He explained how the robot worked and that it was able to publish a news article in three minutes flat. After a few short minutes, the news anchor moved on to the next story so it was obvious that this wasn't a particularly significant story. I also found that this news anchor had a very simple, informal language style while presenting his story.
Unlike BBC, CNN covered the story much more extensively. Although the coverage was still pretty short compared to other breaking news, CNN was much more in-depth than the previous broadcast. After covering basic facts on the news writing robot, the two anchors discussed their personal opinions on the robot. They had differing views from one another which made the story more interesting. One anchor believed that the robot is a good addition to news companies for faster, more accurate breaking news while the other anchor believed that it would cost journalists their jobs. This coverage story included images of robots along with the viral video I mentioned earlier. The biggest difference between CNN and BBC is that this story seemed to be more important to the news anchors on CNN. They had more expression in their faces that allowed viewers to get a better feel for their general attitudes towards it and made it an overall more interesting story to watch by including their opinions and a discussion. I also found that the overall language used was much more formal with the inclusion of larger, more complex terminology than the BBC broadcast.
FOX news also covered this story very briefly. I guess this isn't a crazy, breaking news story with the missing airplane, Ukraine and Russia, and Turkey and Syria stories flooding the news. However, the news anchor seemed completely appalled with the idea of a robot writing the news. Unlike the other news anchors covering this story on CNN and BBC, this anchor was very expressive and provided an in-depth explanation of why this robot is a bad idea. There was no video and there were no photographs included in this story it was one news anchor expressing his opinions towards it, which I thought was interesting. Overall, this coverage had a more serious tone than the other broadcasts due to its lack of graphics and negative views towards the topic.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Missing Mother, Revealed to be a Murder
The News story that I paid
the most attention to while watching news broadcasts this break was the story
of the missing mother, Karla Villagra, originally reported missing February 23rd
by her husband Abayuba Rivas. As of March 20th broadcasts,
however, it turns out that she had been murdered. Her body was found in an abandoned log cabin 11
miles from her home. After closer
investigation of the murder, it turns out that the husband’s story did not add
up, saying that after a fight the night that she went missing, she walked to a
pharmacy a mile and a half away in order to purchase medication for their
daughter. Turns out that evidence proves
that was not the case, and the husband was arrested and charged for her murder.
The first News Broadcast that I watched at 11pm on March 20 was News
4. Aside from straight up telling about
the updated news on this story, they proceeded to interview a neighboring woman
of the family, who found it suspicious that Karla walked to the pharmacy
considering the family owns two cars.
She said that Karla was such a sweet and loving mother, and she can’t
believe that anyone would want to do harm to her. Overall this broadcast took a very
informative and general look.
As for my other news broadcast, Eyewitness News @ 11 on March 20 told the
same story but was a bit more opinionated about the story. Instead of just outright saying that the
husband was charged with her murder, the anchorman gave a personal reaction to
it. The major difference between the
first news channel and this was the interviewees. This broadcast used an interview with the
husband, Abayuba Rivas as well as another neighbor who said that the night she
went missing, Rivas came by and asked if he had seen his wife, but he had acted
as if nothing were wrong.
Both broadcasts used this picture, but they went separate directions in
interviews and in how the information was delivered. News 4 gave information without opinion, but
Eyewitness News was much more abrasive when it came to the emotion that they
were trying to bring about.
Malaysia Airlines Plane
The story I am discussing is the lost
Malaysia airlines jet. 239 people are on the airplane and it has been
missing for a little over a week. The story has had non stop coverage
all week. However, not much has developed in the story except a lot
of hear say and guesses on what could have happened.
The first news show I watched was The
Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC (originally broadcasted May 18th).
Rachel Maddow was quick to say that many stations have been covering
the story, however no real news was being produced. By this she meant
there was no real concrete new information being produced from other
stations. This is something I agree with as most news channels use
speculations to keep the story going. However, Maddow was more using
this intro as a plug for the fact that NBC has presented real news
that evening. She then showed a clip of Brian Williams presenting
the new development of when the plane took an unplanned turn.
Maddow's tone was very serious and also a bit snarky. A lot of
graphics were used to show the plan turning, which is something I'm
sure we all could have understood without a visual.
The next show I watched was Hardball
with Chris Matthews on MSNBC (broadcasted May 20th). Chris
Matthews always has a rather loud and questioning tone. He especially
does here, pointing out that all media attention is on these 239
people and the plane. The Breaking News banner came across the
screen, then a video clip of Australian prime minister speaking
(unidentified items have been found near Australia). Matthew’s
brings in two “experts” on something to do with airplanes, they
both seem kind of snarky about how the search has been so
unsuccessful. The overall tone was being above the situation as if
they could easily solve this mystery. Other visuals are shown, such
as the satellite image of the unidentified items floating in the
ocean. Overall it just seemed like a way to fill air time and a lot
of unanswered questions. Maddow's and Matthews had different general
attitudes because Maddow's seemed a bit more hopeful or even
sympathetic. However they both were similar in looking down on the
constant media coverage with a lack of real news.
For my last show I watched Bill
O'Reiley on Fox News (broadcasted May 20th). He also
showed the same video Matthew's showed of the Australian prime
minister talking about the unidentified items found. Bill O'Reiley
then talks negatively about the press in America. Like Maddows and
Matthews he discusses the constant coverage of this story. He also
mentions it's being used for ratings for dying newspapers and
lackluster news stations, which is probably very true. His tone is
very condescending. I find it humorous that all three show hosts
talked about the constant coverage of the Malaysian plane in a snarky
“that's not real news” way, however they discussed the same story
they were mocking. This proves they are just as much in it for the
ratings.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
East Harlem Explosion
3 Sources: 1) Fox News @5
2) Eyewitness News @ 6
3) CNN Situation Room @ 6
Story: About a week ago, there was an explosion in an East Harlem neighborhood which killed 8 people.
1)Fox News @ 5pm, Wednesday, 3/19
The anchors explain that a week ago on that day, there had been "an explosion that rocked a Harlem neighborhood". They recapped the story a little by saying that an "explosion in a building collapse killed 8 people" and showed empathy in the way they said that "many of the survivors lost everything they had". The anchors give it over to a reporter on the scene at East Harlem, and tell how she was there "from the very beginning" of it all last week. This shows they were concerned with the story from the start and are still following it. The reporter says "the families who used to call 1644 and 1646 park avenue home no longer have homes there, as you guys know" and this allows the audience to feel some empathy in realizing they have a home and these people lost theirs and don't have a place to call home at all. As the reporter is speaking, a caption comes up at the bottom, below footage of the ruins and the scene, that reads "Victim Donation Drive". Just using the word "victim" is trying to get the audience to see these people as in need. "They lost everything in that explosion and are in need of the little things..." <--a call to the audience. "This church here on 118th street is doing everything it can to help them get back on their feet". Then it goes to footage of people donating boxes of items to the New Beginning International Ministries in East Harlem. It then goes to footage about people telling how they've helped and what they've donated. Seeing real people doing good things such as this encourages the audience to do the same. Then they go to talking about the volunteers who are helping with the donations and organizing everything. The reporter tells where the donations will be kept for "those who lost everything". Again, this statement encourages empathy from the audience. The reporter then tells the audience more about the situation "investigators found a gas leak in a gas main on park avenue adjacent to the site of the deadly blast"..."the NTSB determined an 8 inch cast iron plastic main between 116th and 117th streets which failed a pressure test, exposing the leak. It's still unclear what ignited the explosion". Then it goes to footage of the pastor of the New Beginning church praying as the reporter says "it was a time for prayer and reflection after the deadly blast" <--using the word "deadly" to allow the audience to realize the seriousness and horror of the situation. Then we go to an individual who lost their good friend and what he had to say. It shows a picture of his friend, so the audience now can identify the victim, and it becomes a better way to connect with and feel empathy for the victim and the situation. Then it goes to the pastor speaking about how his doors are open to the community while it repairs. He says a few words to welcome people to see him and the church for help and then the reporter tells how only a couple of people have actually taken advantage of this, so the church really wants to get the word out to people. And being on the news is obviously a great way to spread that word. The reporter also tells the audience when the church is open and to come by. She also tells people that if they wish to drop off any donations, when and where to do so, as well as gives the address for the actual church. She then sends it back to the anchors whoe respond "we hope they get good reactions", which is showing that they care and hope for the best, and do not just dismiss it.
2) Eyewitness News @ 6pm, Wednesday, 3/19
Next to an anchor appears the caption "Deadly Explosion" when covering the East Harlem explosion. The word "deadly" is used, just like in Fox, to allow the audience to know the seriousness and suspect the horror of the situation. Eyewitness news covers something different about the explosion however. It talked about how the funeral services for 3 of the victims were held on this day. The anchor talks about friends and family remembering those who died (which can connect the audience to the victims by allowing them to relate to their own family and friends if they were to pass). It also talks in some detail about a couple of the individuals and who they were, which personalizes the victims encouraging more empathy and connection from the audience with the victims. Especially since it mentioned how one of them was a military man, which can pull at the heart strings of many patriotic Americans. The footage also shows a family friend and her words and thoughts. It also speaks about where one of them will be buried as well as showing pictures of a couple of the victims, as Fox did, to make a better and more personal connection. It only mentioned 2 of the 8 victims and did not spend much time on the topic itself before moving on to the next story.
3) CNN Situation Room @ 6pm, Wednesday, 3/19
CNN actually did not mention the Harlem explosion...in fact, all they spoke about was the Malaysian plane that went missing...
2) Eyewitness News @ 6
3) CNN Situation Room @ 6
Story: About a week ago, there was an explosion in an East Harlem neighborhood which killed 8 people.
1)Fox News @ 5pm, Wednesday, 3/19
The anchors explain that a week ago on that day, there had been "an explosion that rocked a Harlem neighborhood". They recapped the story a little by saying that an "explosion in a building collapse killed 8 people" and showed empathy in the way they said that "many of the survivors lost everything they had". The anchors give it over to a reporter on the scene at East Harlem, and tell how she was there "from the very beginning" of it all last week. This shows they were concerned with the story from the start and are still following it. The reporter says "the families who used to call 1644 and 1646 park avenue home no longer have homes there, as you guys know" and this allows the audience to feel some empathy in realizing they have a home and these people lost theirs and don't have a place to call home at all. As the reporter is speaking, a caption comes up at the bottom, below footage of the ruins and the scene, that reads "Victim Donation Drive". Just using the word "victim" is trying to get the audience to see these people as in need. "They lost everything in that explosion and are in need of the little things..." <--a call to the audience. "This church here on 118th street is doing everything it can to help them get back on their feet". Then it goes to footage of people donating boxes of items to the New Beginning International Ministries in East Harlem. It then goes to footage about people telling how they've helped and what they've donated. Seeing real people doing good things such as this encourages the audience to do the same. Then they go to talking about the volunteers who are helping with the donations and organizing everything. The reporter tells where the donations will be kept for "those who lost everything". Again, this statement encourages empathy from the audience. The reporter then tells the audience more about the situation "investigators found a gas leak in a gas main on park avenue adjacent to the site of the deadly blast"..."the NTSB determined an 8 inch cast iron plastic main between 116th and 117th streets which failed a pressure test, exposing the leak. It's still unclear what ignited the explosion". Then it goes to footage of the pastor of the New Beginning church praying as the reporter says "it was a time for prayer and reflection after the deadly blast" <--using the word "deadly" to allow the audience to realize the seriousness and horror of the situation. Then we go to an individual who lost their good friend and what he had to say. It shows a picture of his friend, so the audience now can identify the victim, and it becomes a better way to connect with and feel empathy for the victim and the situation. Then it goes to the pastor speaking about how his doors are open to the community while it repairs. He says a few words to welcome people to see him and the church for help and then the reporter tells how only a couple of people have actually taken advantage of this, so the church really wants to get the word out to people. And being on the news is obviously a great way to spread that word. The reporter also tells the audience when the church is open and to come by. She also tells people that if they wish to drop off any donations, when and where to do so, as well as gives the address for the actual church. She then sends it back to the anchors whoe respond "we hope they get good reactions", which is showing that they care and hope for the best, and do not just dismiss it.
2) Eyewitness News @ 6pm, Wednesday, 3/19
Next to an anchor appears the caption "Deadly Explosion" when covering the East Harlem explosion. The word "deadly" is used, just like in Fox, to allow the audience to know the seriousness and suspect the horror of the situation. Eyewitness news covers something different about the explosion however. It talked about how the funeral services for 3 of the victims were held on this day. The anchor talks about friends and family remembering those who died (which can connect the audience to the victims by allowing them to relate to their own family and friends if they were to pass). It also talks in some detail about a couple of the individuals and who they were, which personalizes the victims encouraging more empathy and connection from the audience with the victims. Especially since it mentioned how one of them was a military man, which can pull at the heart strings of many patriotic Americans. The footage also shows a family friend and her words and thoughts. It also speaks about where one of them will be buried as well as showing pictures of a couple of the victims, as Fox did, to make a better and more personal connection. It only mentioned 2 of the 8 victims and did not spend much time on the topic itself before moving on to the next story.
3) CNN Situation Room @ 6pm, Wednesday, 3/19
CNN actually did not mention the Harlem explosion...in fact, all they spoke about was the Malaysian plane that went missing...
Malaysia Airlines Missing Airplane
MSNBC-3/20/14-2:15pm
On this channel a few newscasters had a casual conversation
upon the possibilities of what may have happened to this missing aircraft 370. They spoke upon how the plane never requested
permission to divert from its original flight path and they got no
communication of distress from the flight crew, which was odd. They also said,
“It made no sense” and they thought that somebody must have put in new
coordinates. They couldn’t imagine passengers flying for that long without
taking action and trying to get to the control room. They also discussed the
possibility of passengers not knowing what their fate was because the flight
took place during the nighttime. The tone was fairly casual even though it was
on some very serious subject matter.
CNN-3/20/14-2:25pm
When I began watching this channel they showed 2 grainy
satellite images of debris from the missing plane that were in the Indian Ocean
(14 miles apart). Ronald Carr, an aviation expert stated 3 possible scenarios
for what could have happened. The first was it being a controlled situation
where the pilots knew what they were doing. The second was that the pilots were
under control but the aircraft broke into pieces and somehow glided into the
water. And the third was that the plane ran out of fuel and nose-dived into the
water like hitting a brick wall with possible pieces broken off. The tone
within this newscast was significantly more serious than the last one.
News 12 Westchester-3/20/14-2:40pm
This channel spoke upon the emotional stress that the
families who had loved ones on the plane were going through. They focused on
how the families were praying for answers. They showed visuals of church members
praying and briefly interviewed some people. The consensus of the interviewees
was that they prayed to find the plane no matter what condition it’s in and
they hoped there loved ones would return. The tone of this piece was the most
emotional of all of the newscasts.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Malaysia Airlines Missing Airplane MH370 Coverage
News 12- March 18, 2014- 8:15 am
This news coverage is also focused on the new radar
information that has been received from Thailand. This station starts with the
anchor standing and narrating most of his important information straight to the
camera. His tone is not very urgent but somewhat lacking in enthusiasm. His
narration of information continues while we see video form inside of another
unknown airplanes cockpit and we see the most important facts come onto the
screen. This seemed unnecessary and almost like a time-filler. From there this
news station cuts to interviews with the pilots and other live coverage that
was not very exciting. Over all, this program falls short in keeping their
viewers attention.
Live CNN- March 18, 2014- 4:00pm
This news coverage of the missing flight MH 370 was
primarily focused on the new information received about possible radar signals
that were picked up from Thailand’s military equipment. The anchor spoke in a
serious tone however it was not unwelcoming. To ass to the story they called in
an expert that new more details about the flights planned course and the course
that it is possible to have take once it disappeared. The expert and the anchor
talked back and forth at each other while the expert drew on a touch screen map
to show the viewers exactly what he was talking about. Over all this coverage
was interesting to watch and the visuals help the information be more relatable
to the viewer.
BBC World News March 19, 2014, 1:10pm
This station started their coverage with an attractive
female anchor with a British accent. Their first and most important question
was why the disappearance of flight MH370 was unlikely to be a terrorist
attack. They keep your attention by asking the audience a question, exciting
background music in check, and then cutting to commercial. Once returned from
the commercial they talk about two or three most stories before returning to
the coverage of flight 370. This was rather annoying for a viewer who just
wanted to see one story and then switch channels. When they finally got back to
flight 370, the information was short and to the point. They showed some side
visuals of a graphically designed airplane and then they switched to a new
story. On the stations behalf this is a World News Network meaning they have
more to cover, unlike CNN who has specifically dedicated their time to “24
hour” coverage of Malaysia Airlines airplane MH370.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Earthquake in California News Coverage
Today, a small earthquake occurred in California, in the Los Angeles area. Here is how three different TV networks covered the story.
NBC News: Monday, March 17th, 12:00 P.M. PST
NBC News covered the story by showing video footage of people in gas stations in Encino, California reacting to the earthquake. In addition, some of these people were interviewed as well. A total of three Encino residents were interviewed. The first person, a woman who worked at one of the gas stations, was shown inside the gas station shop at 6:22 A.M. PST, when the whole shop started to shake. The woman, when interviewed, admitted, that she was very scared, and thought that a car had smashed into the station. The second person interviewed, a man who worked at another gas station down the street, was shown running out of the station’s shop with two customers, right after the whole shop began to shake. The third person interviewed, a male customer at one of the gas stations (unfortunately not specified), explains that he usually sleeps through earthquakes, but this one he felt occurring when his whole house was shaking.
CNN: Monday, March 17th, 1:45 P.M. EST
CNN covered the story by showing video footage of two news anchors on Los Angeles TV station KTLA at 6:57 A.M. PST. The anchors are about to give the morning’s news when all of a sudden, the news room begins to shake. The two anchors then duck down under the table at which they are sitting at. This video footage is then shown once more.
CBS News: Monday, March 17th, 7:30 A.M. PST
CBS News covered the story by first showing video footage of four news anchors in their news studio at 6:25 A.M. PST. The news room begins to shake, but instead of ducking down under the news table at which they were sitting at, the anchors still sit at the table, looking around the shaking room. One of the anchors was then interviewed, sharing his experience of what had happened.
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