Press Conference

Virtual World Releases New Element
Linden Lab, creator of Second Life®, a 3-D virtual world used for social networking, unveiled the launch of their new product, Second Life Showcase, at a press conference on Wednesday, November 19, at Washington State University.
Web Editor for Linden Lab, Brett D. Atwood, said “Showcase is a web and internet based 3-D guide that basically allows existing and or potential users of this particular virtual world to find and discover new and cool places inside the ever expanding virtual world and product of Second Life.”
Second Life is a global virtual world that is created by it’s users, known as Residents, for personal creativity, collaboration, commerce, and entertainment. Residents create a 3-D persona, called an avatar, to explore the ever changing virtual world and communicate with other avatars.
Second Life Showcase makes it easier for people to find cool and exciting content they are interested in. It allows them to explore and discover what is new or most exciting in the Second Life world. Showcase highlights the best places for Residents to go in the virtual world of Second Life. These listings are updated regularly so visitors will return frequently to discover new ways to explore Second Life.
To make searching easier, users can refine their search by looking at the Showcase subcategories including Arts & Culture, Education & Nonprofit, Fashion, Hot Spots, Music, Photos & Machinima, and Tutorials. Atwood said these categories were determined by figuring out what the “big, hot areas” were globally in Second Life. Fashion being one of the most popular searches because “people like the ability to customize and personalize their avatars,” Atwood said. They also like to make their personal space customizable.
In Second Life, Residents are surrounded by the creations of other users. According to Secondlife.com, because Residents retain intellectual property rights in their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other Residents. There are vast opportunities throughout this virtual world. People can put on 3-D concerts, virtually dance at a night clubs, watch or make a movie, design clothing for avatars, attend a meeting or press conference, or explore universities, or even other countries.Since opening to the public in 2003, Second Life has grown dramatically and today has millions of Residents from around the globe, 70% of the users are outside of the United States, according to Atwood.
Atwood said that the amount of virtual space that Second Life takes up is larger than some small European countries.

Feature Story

Finding Time For School
Being a full-time student occupies most of a college students time, especially with finals around the corner. However, school isn’t the only thing on their minds.
Adam W. Jones is a 19-year-old full time student at Washington State University. Not only does he complete his homework and study for exams, he finds time to be a ‘gamer,’ hang out with his friends, and attend various church activities five days a week.
“If I could describe myself in three words, it would be ‘geek for Christ,’” Jones said with a smile.
Jones attends Living Faith Fellowship, an interdenominational Christian Church, at least five nights a week. A typical week at church includes Bible study on Tuesday and Thursday nights, 7 p.m. church service on Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Campus Christian Fellowship, a WSU youth group, on Fridays, and morning church service on Sundays.
Besides going to the church, Jones finds other ways to worship. On Tuesday and Thursdays, he meets with a group of people on the Glen Terrell Mall at WSU to sing songs of worship.
“He’s an all around good guy,” said Josiah D. Haworth, Jones’ best friend of three years. Haworth said they met in a video production class at Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash. “I walked into our first class and saw a guy wearing a black tee-shirt that quoted a Bible verse on the back” Haworth said. “I went up to him and asked if he was a Christian also, we’ve been friends every since.”
Jones previously attended Olympic College for over two years until he transferred to WSU for its communication program.
When Jones goes home from school, he lives with his family in Bremerton. He gives credit to his family for getting him interested in his Christian faith. “Christianity has always been a center focus in my family growing up and we really feel strongly about it,” said Jones.
Not only does Jones participate in all of these activities, he finds time to volunteer around the community and play anywhere between 15 to 25 hours of videogames a week.
“He is a very serious guy who wants to know a lot of stuff and help out whenever he can,” said Adam J. Ratliff, Jones’ good friend of three years. Ratliff first met Jones four years ago when Ratliff and his fiancé rented an apartment from Jones’ father in Pullman, Wash.
“We started talking and found that we had common interests in technology, computers, video, and Christ” said Ratliff. When Ratliff was getting a team together three summers ago to update the Living Faith Fellowship’s electrical wires, Jones immediately volunteered. “It took about six weeks and we ran roughly 2,000 feet of cable through the floors and walls” Ratliff said. “It was a big team effort”
After all his church activities, school work, and volunteering, Jones finds time to play videogames with friends. He said he would want to play at the competitive level of gaming, but his school work takes up most of his available time and is a higher priority. When Jones plays his favorite videogame, Counter-Strike, he plays on a Christian server. He plays on these servers because they’re curse free and the people are generally friendly. “People who break the rule of no cursing are generally banned from the server” said Jones. Counter-Strike is an online action game where one team tries to eliminate the other. “People ask me questions like ‘why are you playing such a violent game if you’re Christian?’” said Jones. “They question my morals.” Jones says he plays just for fun and entertainment, like everyone else.
Another challenge Jones faces from being so committed to his Christian faith is from people questioning his opinion. Jones says that people sometimes discredit his opinion because they think that all Christians believe the same thing.
Jones does not let people questioning his beliefs get to him. Jones said attending Living Faith Fellowship encourages him to follow his faith.

International News

1. How effective do you think the Internet will be for Al Jazeera as it attempts to reach a U.S. audience?The Internet will indeed help Al Jazeera reach US audiences however I do not think that it will be effective because people will not want to branch out of their already found news sites. I think that if it does reach people in the US, it will be younger generations who like to use their computers instead of watching television. I also think that will all of the negative connotations around this station that people will not be drawn to it. I think that people in America will only watch this for an alternative view point on issues, not for their main news source.

2. Based on your own observations, do you think that Al Jazeera English should be allowed to broadcast in the U.S.?
*I think that Al Jazeera English should be allowed to be broadcast in the US because it gives people different images and different ideas about controversial and well known topics. I think it would be good to give people the option to watch it if they desire. However, it shouldn’t be something that is on a main TV station to replace something else that is already on air.

3. What, if anything, do you notice about Al Jazeera's approach to telling the news? How is it different than the U.S.-based TV news outlets that you have experienced?
*Al Jazeera has a different approach than US-based TV outlets. For the most part, Al Jazeera looks at a more broad view than US stations. Also, it focuses more on places outside of the US to give a wider range of news stories.

4. While on the Al Jazeera site, be sure to check out the network's published Code of Ethics. Based on your own observations, do you think they are adhering to them?
*I do think that the Al Jazeera website adheres to all the Code of Ethics. It may even follow them more closely than other news stations. It establishes that it is a credible site and it has a wide variety of reporters and news.

In-Class Research Exercise

1) In Pullman, Sexual Orientation is the particular “hate crime” of concern. There are four reports in 2006 and no reports in any other hate crime. Pullman compares to other Washington countries by being one of the few cities that only have one type of “hate crimes.”

2) Dino Rossi received the most political donations in 2008 with a total of $7,587,579. Dino Rossi and Christine Gregoire are the top two leading governor candidates. Rossi’s largest donation, aside from his own political committees, was $15,330 from health professionals. Gregoire’s largest donation, aside from her own political committee, was $55,110 from lawyers and lobbyists.
Republicans received most of the donated money from the "forestry & forest products" industry in Washington state in 2008. They received 36.48% of the donations. Democrats received the most donated money from the "lobbyists & public relations" industry in Washington state in 2008. They received 93.98% of the donations.

3) * Digital Video Recorder: http://www.google.com/patents?id=dGGNAAAAEBAJ&dq=Digital+Video+Recorder&as_psra=1
* Social Networking: http://www.google.com/patents?id=fVsGAAAAEBAJ&dq=%22Social+Networking%22
* Automobile: http://www.google.com/patents?id=Kh9TAAAAEBAJ&dq=%22Automobile%22

Special Lead Paper

Put Yourself in Her Shoes

Wearing hot pink patent leather heals, Kelsey L. Hodgin strutted back and forth on the grass for the men who stood in awe wearing their own pair of high heals.
Hodgin walked with ease next to her wobbling friends in heals for a mile march near campus.
Hodgin was one of the many participants in the fundraiser Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International March to stop sexual assault, rape and domestic violence, hosted by Panhellenic and IFC Councils. Everyone met on the lawn between Beta Theta Pi and Alpha Gamma Rho on Saturday afternoon.
The men and women who joined together for the march raised over $2,000 which was donated to Alternatives to Violence in the Palouse for violence prevention efforts and rape crisis services in the local Pullman community.
“This event couldn’t have come at a better time considering the three assaults that occurred earlier this week,” Lauren B. Koszarek, a junior at Washington State University who also participated in the march, said. “I hate that I don’t feel safe walking in the dark, especially when I’m alone.”
According to the web site, http://www.walkamileinhershoes.org, for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, one in six women in America are victims of sexual assault. Having this event helped educate the Pullman community to improve gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence.
“I was glad to have the opportunity to participate in this fundraiser this month considering October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month,“ Hodgin, a sophomore at WSU, said. “I wanted to help bring awareness to the issue at hand. We are the generation that has to lead people to stop this violence.”
Wearing heals was optional, however most everyone chose to wear them to support the cause. Payless Shoe Source donated heals in sizes that would fit the men who participated.
“It was hilarious seeing all the men wearing high heals,” Hodgin said. “It looked like they were trying to use them as ice skates on the cement.”
Everyone who participated in the event paid a $10 entry fee which covered the cost of the t-shirt worn for the mile long march. The black t-shirt has a women wearing high heals that says ‘put yourself in her shoes.’
“Having the men participate and actually wear high heals the whole time shows how supportive and understanding they are over this issue,” Koszarek said.
Before the march, the participants read the pledge for the event in unison. “It was an amazing experience to be apart of,” said Koszarek. “While we marched the mile in our heals and matching shirts, we all chanted ‘stop the violence and rape, walk a mile in her shoes.’”
According to the web site, there are 126 walks scheduled in 2008 throughout the United States. There has been an increasing number of men, women and families joining the marches each year.
The march took approximately 20 minutes for every participant to complete. Men in their heals raced to the front to finish.
“Even though I didn’t make a direct attempt to stop the violence, I felt like I contributed just by being there for support, creating awareness and having a good time,” Hodgin said.

Ethics Assignment

1. When referring to the allegation that Mayor Jim West was pursuing underage boys online, why do you think editor Steven Smith differentiated between a legitimate news story and one that is not legitimate when he said, "If he's [Mayor Jim West] engaged in this activity … we need to know that. If he's not -- there's no story”?

- I think that the editor of the Spokesman-Review, Steven Smith, said that statement because he doesn’t believe that it is news just to out the Mayor on his sexual orientation. He only wants to make this story if he has evidence that the Mayor was perusing underage boys.

2. How did reporter Bill Morlin justify the use of a concealed identity on Gay.com as part of The Spokesman-Review's and the FBI's "sting operation"? Why didn't Morlin himself create the assumed identity to engage Mayor West online?

- Morlin himself did not create the assumed identity to engage with Mayor West online because it is against the Spokesman-Review’s code of ethics be pretend that you are someone you aren’t. Instead, he hired a retired FBI personnel who was in charge of online “sting operations” because Morlin believed that this was the only way to find information out about the Mayor.

3. Why do you think The Spokesman-Review ultimately published so many articles on Mayor West's alleged improprieties?

- I think that there were so many articles about Mayor West’s alleged improprieties because there was so much new information about the beginning accusations. They couldn’t have just posed one news article about what they thought was going on in office. The Spokesman-Review needed to be totally correct with all of the new information that presented itself after the first scandal broke out.

4. In the final analysis, who benefited from The Spokesman-Review's decision to expose Mayor West and his alleged improprieties? Who was hurt? Do you think the outcome was worth it? Explain your reasoning.

- I think that the editor of the newspaper, Steven Smith benefited from the decision to expose the Mayor because once he did so, he was on a lot of national TV programs discussing the issue at hand. This in a way, put him ‘on the map’ in a way where he became noticed for posting this story. I think that the Mayor was ultimately the one more hurt from the exposure. He was recalled from office by a vote of 65% to 35%. Also, I think that the gay community was also hurt from the exposure because they realized how much the Mayor was against the gay community, included bills to have no gay teachers or gay marriage. They were hurt by his decisions and how much he hid on the inside. I do not think the outcome was worth it because in the end, there was really no conclusion. The Mayor, to the day that he died, denied the accusations against him.

5. The Spokesman-Review has been criticized as conducting a "witch hunt" in its reporting on the private lives of some city officials. Below is a link to another recent article on Spokane Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch. Do you think that there are any ethical problems in the reporting in this story? Why or why not?

- I think there are many ethical problems in reporting this article. They have no actual evidence that Spokane Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch was participating in the assumptions the newspaper led on. I don’t think that it is appropriate to write a story about this when there is no actually proof.

Special Leads

Contrast Lead
Seattle high-schoolers can now get failing grades
"For the first time in seven years, Seattle public high-school students who do poorly can receive a failing grade on their report cards."
Seattle Times


Narrative Lead
To many, homeless man was a loved one
LA Times

Second-Day Story Lead Example

Search continues for the 4-year-old girl, Angela Melissa Norton, when she was found missing form her crib when her parents left her in the hands of a high school babysitter yesterday. Police have questioned homes within a six-block radius of the Norton’s house to get more information.

Feeding The Beast

Who or what is the "beast"?
-The "beast" is society, and their need for 24-hour news. Giving the people what they want. There is an example in the video that shows people at a TV publication discussing which stories, which is basically the food, they want to go on air. They do this because they want to chose stories that will keep the public interested and coming back for more.

Why does it need to be fed?
- This "beast" needs to be fed because of people's right to know what is happening in the world. If people do not pay attention to the news, no matter what media, they will not have a full understanding of the environment surrounding them.

What compromises (if any) might occur in trying to feed the 24-hour news cycle in print, TV and the Internet?
- Comparing all of these media sources, news can portray different things on the same story. In print, there isn't a lot of room to go in depth unlike TV and the Internet. Also, if there is breaking news that happens mid-day, print publications cannot send out another print story, it would be published the next day. With TV and the Internet, news can be reported 24 hours a day, more specifically for the Internet.

Semester at Sea

Semester At Sea Costs Climbing
Semester at Sea is undeniably the most expensive way to study abroad. The program is increasing the tuition each semester, causing noticeable hesitation in student applicants at Washington State University.
The dream of someday studying abroad for some students at WSU, is staying just a dream. Not only do students have to worry about increased program tuition, they also have to worry about the other expenses that come along with studying abroad. They must take into consideration the visa costs for multiple countries, airfare, excursions, books, meals and traveling fees. Students typically estimate an additional $8,000 on top of their tuition. The website does say that prices are subject to change until the departure date, however students are shocked to see by how much.
Lindsay R. Agnew, a junior at WSU, applied for the Semester at Sea program in February 2008, when the cost for a double cabin was $22,000. The cost for the same room now is $25,475 for the spring 2009 trip.
There is only a small paragraph on the web site explaining why the prices are increasing so dramatically. “The web site said that in the past year the cost of one ton of bunker fuel had increased 100 percent,” Agnew said. “I was devastated when I found out about the inflated gas prices pushing the tuition up by about $3,500.” Agnew was planning to study abroad this coming spring but was forced to cancel her plans because of the cost.
Being that the Semester at Sea program is already the most expensive abroad option available, Agnew said “I couldn’t ask my parents to pay that much more, I just couldn’t do that to them.”
Another junior at WSU, Mollie V. Finlon, had a similar reaction to the increase. “I had dreamed about doing Semester at Sea ever since I was little” Finlon said. “I was planning on going abroad my junior year of college until my parents received an e-mail from the program this past summer telling us about the huge price increase.”
Even though Finlon’s heart was set on doing this program, she decided there are different ways she would rather spend the money. “I would rather ask my parents to help me pay for something useful once I graduate, like helping me with putting a down payment on a house, getting a new car, or possibly even a wedding someday,” Finlon said.
The tentative cost for the fall 2009 trip is on the webpage already. The double cabin that Agnew and Finlon were both interested in will be $29,295. That $3,820 difference already has students outraged.
People intending on canceling their trip for this spring must notify the program by October 20th to receive a full refund.
The WSU Study Abroad department encourages students to study abroad because of an unmatched cultural experience they gain that will last a lifetime. However, more and more students and parents are asking about the costs of the program. They are very concerned with the dramatic price increase so far this year.
Research and Special Programs Coordinator for the study abroad office, Melanie A. Jones, said “I advise them all to look into scholarship options. It is very worthwhile to apply because there are so many possibilities.”
“With the falling value of the U.S. dollar in other countries, we have seen a huge decrease with students in all the programs,” Jones said. “We are trying to focus students’ interests on countries that don’t use the Euro, less traditional places.”

Summary Lead Example

A 20-year-old man was killed Monday night when his vehicle ran into a utility pole at the intersection of Main Street and Broad Street in Moscow.

Summary Lead

McCain drifts away from a legacy of deregulation
(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain has spent much of his two decades in Congress pushing deregulation, but the Republican presidential nominee is continuing his election year migration toward more government control of the economy as the nation faces one of its greatest financial crises since the Great Depression.

Sen. John McCain strikes a populist tone during a campaign stop in Media, Pennsylvania, on Monday.

"I want the people in Ohio here to know that I have not forgotten the economy on Main Street," McCain said during a campaign stop in Strongsville, Ohio, on Tuesday. "Not Wall Street, not Washington, D.C., but Main Street is the focus of our attention and our efforts."
McCain's latest populist message comes as Congress weighs a $700 billion bailout plan to prop up struggling financial firms beset by bad mortgages and head off a severe credit crunch.
McCain expressed doubts about the bailout during a campaign stop in Media, Pennsylvania, on Monday, in an attempt to help distance himself from the unpopular president.
"We need to put our country first and focus what's best for Main Street. It's the excess and greed of Washington and Wall Street that got us in this situation to start with," the Arizona Republican said. Watch McCain's bailout plan »
Don't Miss
CNN/Money: Call for quick action on $700 billion bailout
Poll: GOP takes brunt of blame for financial crisis
CNN/Money: Congress pushes back on bailout
McCain's populist bent has made some fellow Republicans unhappy, but McCain's advisers say that is fine by them.
With the economic crisis dominating, McCain has one overriding political objective right now: connecting with anxious and angry voters in battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio and convincing them he understands the financial pressures they face. Watch the nominees' aides debate the economy »
A McCain aide told CNN Monday night that the senator won't decide how he will vote until he sees the completed package being negotiated between the administration and Congress.
Despite McCain saying he was "uncomfortable" with the bailout plan on the campaign trail, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson assured the Senate Democratic leadership that McCain would be "fine" with the measure and will vote for the bailout, a Democratic congressional leadership source told CNN.
Senate Democrats are worried that other Senate Republicans would vote against the bailout if McCain decided to oppose the measure, the source said. Watch how the candidates are handling the crisis »
If Republicans do not back the bailout, it would force more Democrats to vote for the politically unpopular proposal, which President Bush and his administration says is desperately needed to end the financial crisis.
As part of his populist message, McCain is siding with Democrats in demanding a cap in compensation for CEOs for companies that participate in the government rescue to no more than $400,000 -- the amount the president makes.
"We can't have taxpayers footing the bill for bloated golden parachutes," McCain said. "The senior executives of any firm that's bailed out by the Treasury should not be making more money than the highest-paid government office." iReport.com: Is the financial crisis hurting your business?
McCain is also expressing great concern about giving one person, Paulson, control of a $700 billion bailout package and has not decided whether he will vote for the measure, a senior aide to McCain said.
"Never before in the history of our nation has so much power and money been concentrated in the hands of one person," McCain said. "This arrangement makes me deeply uncomfortable. And when we're talking about a trillion dollars of taxpayer money, 'trust me' just isn't good enough."
Instead, McCain is proposing a bipartisan oversight board to supervise the rescue, suggesting three people for it: former Republican rival and businessman Mitt Romney, Barack Obama supporter and Wall Street heavyweight Warren Buffett and independent New York mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg.
"We won't solve a problem caused by poor oversight with a plan that has no oversight," McCain said.

3 Pitches

Pitch 1:
Minors and 21-year-olds alike are upset with the increase in policemen around College Hill on Thursday through Saturday nights.
The number of police officers at night is a huge increase from the previous years at WSU.
My article will include why there is an increase in police officers as well as interviews of students who are uneasy of the increase in officers and also someone at the police station explaining the increase.
The intended audience would be the people of Pullman, more specifically, the students that attend WSU.

Pitch 2:
The increasing cost of semester at sea is driving more and more students away from the program.
The price for semester at sea has never been so high. It has raised its price due to fuel costs to almost $4,000.
My article will include situations where a student had to drop out of the program and facts about the increase as well as interviews from people who have decided against semester at sea because of the price increase. Also I would want to talk to the semester at sea program to see how badly the increase has effected their quota.
My intended audience are students who have been planning to study abroad

Pitch 3:
The U-District proposal has people has students that live on College Hill outraged.
Allowing this proposal to pass would allow police jurisdiction over all the properties on College Hill.
My article will include exactly what would happen if the proposal is passed as well as interviews from what students think about the proposal who live on College Hill and also from someone who strongly supports this proposal.
My intended audience is anyone who lives on College Hill

Compare & Contrast News Sites

The three news sites that I chose to compare the differences between "news judgment" and style are CNN.com, KING 5 News, and Fox News. I looked at them all on Monday, Sept. 1st at about 5 p.m.

The type of stories that appear in the most prominent place for CNN are stories about the most newsworthy or shocking information that is going on in the United States. For example, the second story listed on the web page is about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter who is five-months pregnant. This story is newsworthy because it has to do with someone with a position of great distinction that everyone in the US knows. CNN's main audience are people who live in the United States and who are primarily Democratic. I don't think that CNN adheres to the Murrow standard of being fair and balanced.

For King 5 News, the most important stories that happen in Washington state are typically higher on the web page than other stories. For example, the second story on the web page is about Bellevue, WA teachers who voted to strike. This is newsworthy for this publication because the people who look at this site are from this area so it is extremely relevant to everyone in the Bellevue School District. However, when there is an important incident going on in the United States, such as Hurricane Gustav and articles that have to do with the presidential election, it will typically replace the local news stories. King 5's primary audience are mainly people who live in Washington or in the Pacific Northwest who like to see articles involving both local and national news. I think that King 5 does adhere to the Murrow standard of being fair and balanced.

For Fox News, the most important or shocking stories that happen nation wide are in the most prominent position on the web page. The first two articles on foxnews.com are the same as CNN's, but from then on they differ in order. Fox News' main audience are people who primarily live in the United States and only want to know the most important issues going on nation wide. I do not think that Fox News adheresto the Murrow standard of being fair and balanced.

Personally, since I am from Seattle, Washington, I would most likely read King 5 News because I like to know what is going on around the state and the important stories that are happening in the United States.