What is wrong with the following 'news' report? The BBC has a very good reputation for good reporting but the following item is a shameful joke, Why?
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Last Updated: Saturday, 6 November, 2004, 02:54 GMT
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Massive haul of Colombia cocaine
By Jeremy McDermott
BBC Colombia corrrespondent
Colombia has fought a long war against cocaine
The US authorities have just unloaded 37 tonnes of Colombian cocaine seized at sea over the last two months.
The hauls represent the largest quantities of drugs ever captured and are worth over $2bn.
It is the greatest run of success in recent times for the US Coast Guard, which worked with other US agencies and the Colombian authorities.
If the drugs hadn't been intercepted, the proceeds would have fuelled Colombia's 40-year civil conflict.
The US Coast Guard, working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Colombian authorities, arrested 31Colombians during the operation.
The latest seizures bring the total of drugs captured over the year to a 110 tonnes.
The sheer bulk of the seized narcotics was astounding, piled up on wooden pallets chest-high.
The seizures also account for a sizeable chunk of Colombia's annual drug production, put at around 400 tonnes - almost 10%.
The Colombian cocaine trade is now controlled by Marxist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and the shattered remnants of the great drug cartels.
The proceeds from drugs mean that the Colombian rebels are the richest in the world.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Friday, November 05, 2004
We talked about slant before. However this is heavy slant which has another name 'fiction'.
6. EXPERTS MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR NEWSPAPER
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/weekinreview/31bott.html
New York Times ombudsman Daniel Okrent has critiqued the practice
by his newspaper and others of relying on information from "expert
analysts" without informing readers that many of the experts
represent the interests of their financial sponsors. "Bad reporters
find experts by calling up university press relations officials or
brokerage research departments and saying, in effect, 'Gimme an
expert,'" he writes. "Really bad reporters, paradoxically, work a
little harder: knowing the conclusions they want to arrive at, they
seek out experts who just happen to agree with them. Give me a
position, and I'll find you an expert to support it - and not just
an expert but one with an institutional affiliation sounding so
dignified it could make a nobleman genuflect. Give me a Center for
the Study of ..., an Institute for the Advancement of ..., or an
American Council on ..., and often as not I'll give you an
organization whose special interests are as sharply defined as its
name is not." Worse yet, some reporters seem to simply invent
anonymous experts as a way of inserting their own viewpoint into
the story. For example, Okrent took a look at the the October 26
issue of the Times noticed that 17 articles in that issue "cited
the wisdom of 'experts,' 'industry experts,' 'military budget
experts' and the like, but failed to name - or even describe - a
single one."
SOURCE: New York Times, October 31, 2004
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1099195200
6. EXPERTS MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR NEWSPAPER
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/weekinreview/31bott.html
New York Times ombudsman Daniel Okrent has critiqued the practice
by his newspaper and others of relying on information from "expert
analysts" without informing readers that many of the experts
represent the interests of their financial sponsors. "Bad reporters
find experts by calling up university press relations officials or
brokerage research departments and saying, in effect, 'Gimme an
expert,'" he writes. "Really bad reporters, paradoxically, work a
little harder: knowing the conclusions they want to arrive at, they
seek out experts who just happen to agree with them. Give me a
position, and I'll find you an expert to support it - and not just
an expert but one with an institutional affiliation sounding so
dignified it could make a nobleman genuflect. Give me a Center for
the Study of ..., an Institute for the Advancement of ..., or an
American Council on ..., and often as not I'll give you an
organization whose special interests are as sharply defined as its
name is not." Worse yet, some reporters seem to simply invent
anonymous experts as a way of inserting their own viewpoint into
the story. For example, Okrent took a look at the the October 26
issue of the Times noticed that 17 articles in that issue "cited
the wisdom of 'experts,' 'industry experts,' 'military budget
experts' and the like, but failed to name - or even describe - a
single one."
SOURCE: New York Times, October 31, 2004
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1099195200
Read the following and be ready to tell me what it means for next class.
DEAD CODE, IN ALL RESPECTS
In Dayton, Ohio, at a cemetery called Blocker Hill, there's a group of
tiny graves in which programmers at LexisNexis bury their dead programs.
Doug Perseghetti says: "The code wakes us up in the middle of the night.
Some things die gracefully and other things we've had to kill." In 1992,
dozens of mourners followed pallbearers who carried a wooden coffin
containing a printout of the former Database Update Control System, while a
trumpeter played "Taps" after eulogies were spoken and chocolate cake
served. Requiescat in pace. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 3 Nov 2004)
DEAD CODE, IN ALL RESPECTS
In Dayton, Ohio, at a cemetery called Blocker Hill, there's a group of
tiny graves in which programmers at LexisNexis bury their dead programs.
Doug Perseghetti says: "The code wakes us up in the middle of the night.
Some things die gracefully and other things we've had to kill." In 1992,
dozens of mourners followed pallbearers who carried a wooden coffin
containing a printout of the former Database Update Control System, while a
trumpeter played "Taps" after eulogies were spoken and chocolate cake
served. Requiescat in pace. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 3 Nov 2004)
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Lo has at least two meanings in English. The first in the Head Line means behold and is biblical the second lo is short for hello.
'Lo' and behold! The internet turns 35
Last Updated Fri, 29 Oct 2004 21:47:09 EDT
LOS ANGELES - Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles are celebrating the anniversary of the first message sent over what would eventually become the internet.
Leonard Kleinrock
In the 1960s, computer scientists at American universities and in the U.S. Department of Defence devised a plan for a network of computers that could all communicate with each other.
After the hardware was put in place, researchers at UCLA attempted on Oct. 29, 1969, to log in to a computer at the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif.
In an interview on CBC Newsworld, Prof. Leonard Kleinrock admitted researchers weren't exactly prepared for the history-making moment.
"[The message] wasn't anything like 'What hath God wrought?' or 'Come here, Watson. I want you,' or 'a giant leap for mankind.' We weren't that smart," he said, referring to the first messages over telegraph, over telephone and from the surface of the moon.
In order to log in to the two-computer network, which was then called ARPANET, programmers at UCLA were to type in "log," and Stanford would reply "in."
The UCLA programmers only got as far as "lo" before the Stanford machine crashed.
But Kleinrock put a tongue-in-cheek positive spin on the less-than-momentous message.
"The first message on the internet was 'Lo!' What better prophetic message could you ask for?" he said.
The two computers wouldn't successfully link up until Nov. 21, 1969, but those two letters are considered the first message transmitted over the fledgling network.
ARPANET would grow to include more computers at universities and military bases across the U.S., before expanding into today's internet, which connects millions of computers worldwide.
Kleinrock said he predicted in 1969 that the small network would eventually expand across the globe, making a vast amount of information accessible at any time from anywhere in the world.
"The part I missed... was that my 97-year-old mother would be on the internet today," he said.
Written by CBC News Online staff
'Lo' and behold! The internet turns 35
Last Updated Fri, 29 Oct 2004 21:47:09 EDT
LOS ANGELES - Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles are celebrating the anniversary of the first message sent over what would eventually become the internet.
Leonard Kleinrock
In the 1960s, computer scientists at American universities and in the U.S. Department of Defence devised a plan for a network of computers that could all communicate with each other.
After the hardware was put in place, researchers at UCLA attempted on Oct. 29, 1969, to log in to a computer at the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif.
In an interview on CBC Newsworld, Prof. Leonard Kleinrock admitted researchers weren't exactly prepared for the history-making moment.
"[The message] wasn't anything like 'What hath God wrought?' or 'Come here, Watson. I want you,' or 'a giant leap for mankind.' We weren't that smart," he said, referring to the first messages over telegraph, over telephone and from the surface of the moon.
In order to log in to the two-computer network, which was then called ARPANET, programmers at UCLA were to type in "log," and Stanford would reply "in."
The UCLA programmers only got as far as "lo" before the Stanford machine crashed.
But Kleinrock put a tongue-in-cheek positive spin on the less-than-momentous message.
"The first message on the internet was 'Lo!' What better prophetic message could you ask for?" he said.
The two computers wouldn't successfully link up until Nov. 21, 1969, but those two letters are considered the first message transmitted over the fledgling network.
ARPANET would grow to include more computers at universities and military bases across the U.S., before expanding into today's internet, which connects millions of computers worldwide.
Kleinrock said he predicted in 1969 that the small network would eventually expand across the globe, making a vast amount of information accessible at any time from anywhere in the world.
"The part I missed... was that my 97-year-old mother would be on the internet today," he said.
Written by CBC News Online staff
Monday, November 01, 2004
Look this over carefully, it can help you. Clark
-- Online Editing Tutorial
Sonia Jaffe Robbins runs an editing workshop in
the Journalism Department of New York University.
She puts her course materials on line in what
makes a really interesting site if you want to
learn about the finer points of sharpening
your written style.
The site includes lots of downloadable guidance
notes and course materials. 'Banished words',
editing tips and issues, hyphenation, spelling
FAQs, plus lots of juicy links to quizzes and
tests, plus you can take the 'Gullibility Test'
at the Museum of Hoaxes, and you can even check
if people are dead yet or not.
Even if you simply read the course materials, you
will learn a lot about improving your writing skills -
and you should have plenty of fun too.
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/copyXediting/syllabus.html
-- Online Editing Tutorial
Sonia Jaffe Robbins runs an editing workshop in
the Journalism Department of New York University.
She puts her course materials on line in what
makes a really interesting site if you want to
learn about the finer points of sharpening
your written style.
The site includes lots of downloadable guidance
notes and course materials. 'Banished words',
editing tips and issues, hyphenation, spelling
FAQs, plus lots of juicy links to quizzes and
tests, plus you can take the 'Gullibility Test'
at the Museum of Hoaxes, and you can even check
if people are dead yet or not.
Even if you simply read the course materials, you
will learn a lot about improving your writing skills -
and you should have plenty of fun too.
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/copyXediting/syllabus.html
This is part of the results from a servey on the publics perceptions of Gene Modified Foods. This is the paragraph on the European publics view of the media, which is critical in the same general way that the public is critical of the media. The point being that the media is recongnized as having an agenda too. That is selling more advertising and making a profit. How to do this. Simply sell more papers or get more listeners or viewers. The media has generally tried to do this with spectacle:
"In addition to being subtle interpreters of NGO agendas, people also tend to hold nuanced views of the media's role. Here, critical faculties are also prominent, as is a desire to see improvements. Europeans "...expressed great dissatisfaction with the way in which the media treated these issues. The media were criticized for their 'sensationalist' approach, which focused on scandals and controversies, rather than providing more balanced background information. [...] They also wanted to be told how a particular person had reached a particular position, rather than simply being presented with conclusions and entrenched views. Moreover, focus group participants clearly expressed the desire for information about the societal implications of GMOs, and not only about the technicalities of genetic manipulation" (Marris et al, 2001).
"In addition to being subtle interpreters of NGO agendas, people also tend to hold nuanced views of the media's role. Here, critical faculties are also prominent, as is a desire to see improvements. Europeans "...expressed great dissatisfaction with the way in which the media treated these issues. The media were criticized for their 'sensationalist' approach, which focused on scandals and controversies, rather than providing more balanced background information. [...] They also wanted to be told how a particular person had reached a particular position, rather than simply being presented with conclusions and entrenched views. Moreover, focus group participants clearly expressed the desire for information about the societal implications of GMOs, and not only about the technicalities of genetic manipulation" (Marris et al, 2001).
Here is an interesting interview from Powell's book story web site, with a writer Eric Hansen about writting. Clark
Eric Hansen
Describe your latest project.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer is a collection of off-beat non-fiction stories gleaned from the last thirty years of travelling to the far ends of the earth. Part memoir, part travel lit, but mostly about random meetings with strangers and unexpected experiences that have helped to give my life shape...and meaning. The book has been described as an assortment of memories polished by time. I like the sound of that. The book is the result of digging into my past in an archeological sort of way. Sifting through rubble, and sediment to uncover my past and its meaning (one of the great luxuries of being a writer). In a way these nine stories are what I think of as some of the significant building blocks which have made me the person and the writer that I am today.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer: Close Encounters with Strangers
by Eric Hansen
Writers are better liars than other people: true or false?
I think this all depends on a writer's skill at self deception. On the wall of my office I have a favorite quote by John Steinbeck. It reads: "The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty." I agree with this, but there are times when "truth of fact" and "truth of feeling" come into conflict. Good writing often favors truth of feeling. This defines the line between the craft of journalism and the fine art of writing and story telling.
What is your favorite sentence from another writer?
"Life is too short for dress rehersals."
— Robyn Davidson in Tracks
How did the last good book end up in your hands?
Waiting for the Barbarians, by J. M. Coetzee. Recommended by Leyla, the English Lit major/stripper/lap dancer/student of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas/devoted mother/new friend that I write about in Bird Man and the Lap Dancer.
What was the best breakfast of your life?
Well, the worst breakfast, or at least the most challenging one of my life, was a bowl of steaming bee larvae soup, served by a family of nomadic hunters and gatherers deep in the Borneo rainforest. At least the larvae was dead before I put them in my mouth. The taste was similar to scrambled eggs, but I had a problem with the presentation.
One of the best breakfasts was served at Les Deux Magots on Blvd. St Germain in Paris: Early Spring morning... slanting sunlight shining through a sprinkling of rain. Wet cobble stones reflecting the sun light. Fresh orange juice, cafe au lait... and two perfectly toasted and buttered oblong slices of pain Poilane topped with grilled and melted rounds of aged goat cheese. I can still taste it. A perfect way to start the day.
Why do you write?
Writing forces me to go deep within myself, to search for layers of meaning on a daily basis. To create beginnings, middles and ends from chaos. I am probably best known for my travel writing about journeys to far off places, but what I have finally come to realize is that one of the most interesting places on earth is my mind and where it takes me when I let it wander.
Eric Hansen
Describe your latest project.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer is a collection of off-beat non-fiction stories gleaned from the last thirty years of travelling to the far ends of the earth. Part memoir, part travel lit, but mostly about random meetings with strangers and unexpected experiences that have helped to give my life shape...and meaning. The book has been described as an assortment of memories polished by time. I like the sound of that. The book is the result of digging into my past in an archeological sort of way. Sifting through rubble, and sediment to uncover my past and its meaning (one of the great luxuries of being a writer). In a way these nine stories are what I think of as some of the significant building blocks which have made me the person and the writer that I am today.
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer: Close Encounters with Strangers
by Eric Hansen
Writers are better liars than other people: true or false?
I think this all depends on a writer's skill at self deception. On the wall of my office I have a favorite quote by John Steinbeck. It reads: "The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty." I agree with this, but there are times when "truth of fact" and "truth of feeling" come into conflict. Good writing often favors truth of feeling. This defines the line between the craft of journalism and the fine art of writing and story telling.
What is your favorite sentence from another writer?
"Life is too short for dress rehersals."
— Robyn Davidson in Tracks
How did the last good book end up in your hands?
Waiting for the Barbarians, by J. M. Coetzee. Recommended by Leyla, the English Lit major/stripper/lap dancer/student of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas/devoted mother/new friend that I write about in Bird Man and the Lap Dancer.
What was the best breakfast of your life?
Well, the worst breakfast, or at least the most challenging one of my life, was a bowl of steaming bee larvae soup, served by a family of nomadic hunters and gatherers deep in the Borneo rainforest. At least the larvae was dead before I put them in my mouth. The taste was similar to scrambled eggs, but I had a problem with the presentation.
One of the best breakfasts was served at Les Deux Magots on Blvd. St Germain in Paris: Early Spring morning... slanting sunlight shining through a sprinkling of rain. Wet cobble stones reflecting the sun light. Fresh orange juice, cafe au lait... and two perfectly toasted and buttered oblong slices of pain Poilane topped with grilled and melted rounds of aged goat cheese. I can still taste it. A perfect way to start the day.
Why do you write?
Writing forces me to go deep within myself, to search for layers of meaning on a daily basis. To create beginnings, middles and ends from chaos. I am probably best known for my travel writing about journeys to far off places, but what I have finally come to realize is that one of the most interesting places on earth is my mind and where it takes me when I let it wander.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Well! You must have an opinion about this? What is it? Does the fool deserve to die by the hands of simpletons? Don't just re-act! Think about this from both sides and tell me what you then think. But please think first.
JAPAN SAYS KODA DECAPITATED
The Japanese government confirmed the headless body found in a Baghdad
field Saturday is that of 24-year-old Japanese tourist Shosei Koda, who
was kidnapped by a group linked to al-Qaeda.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/10/30/koda_hostage041030.html
JAPAN SAYS KODA DECAPITATED
The Japanese government confirmed the headless body found in a Baghdad
field Saturday is that of 24-year-old Japanese tourist Shosei Koda, who
was kidnapped by a group linked to al-Qaeda.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/10/30/koda_hostage041030.html
. CHEMICAL INDUSTRY HELPS FUND EPA STUDY
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62569-2004Oct25?language=printer
The American Chemistry Council is giving the Environmental
Protection Agency $2 million for a study to explore the impact of
pesticides and household chemicals on young children. The trade
association, which represents nearly 150 chemical and plastics
manufacturers and has a $100 million budget, spent more than $2
million on lobbying in 2003. The EPA says the money will help the
agency conduct "groundbreaking work" on how chemicals are absorbed
by infants and children as old as 3. "Environmental Working Group
President Kenneth A. Cook questioned why an agency with a $572
million research budget needed to accept industry contributions to
conduct scientific research," the Washington Post writes. "This is
a government function; we should be investing government funds to
be absolutely sure it's independent," Cook told the Post.
SOURCE: Washington Post, October 26, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098763202
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098763202
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504001
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504001
10. BEEF: IT'S WHAT'S FOR THE ELECTION?
http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=0d055714-3b88-4293-8ad4-618c868aafff
"U.S. and Japanese negotiators struck a deal Saturday to allow
limited imports of U.S. beef into Japan," reports Canadian Press.
Japan imported $1.7 billion of U.S. beef in 2003, but closed its
markets last December, after a Washington state cow was found to
have mad cow disease. The chair of the Canada Beef Export
Federation called the announcement was "old news," saying, "The
Americans are trying to put a new spin on it for their election."
The head of U.S. beef producer Creekstone Farms, which
unsuccessfully petitioned the USDA to do its own mad cow disease
testing, said, "We would still like to test."
SOURCE: Canadian Press, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504000
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62569-2004Oct25?language=printer
The American Chemistry Council is giving the Environmental
Protection Agency $2 million for a study to explore the impact of
pesticides and household chemicals on young children. The trade
association, which represents nearly 150 chemical and plastics
manufacturers and has a $100 million budget, spent more than $2
million on lobbying in 2003. The EPA says the money will help the
agency conduct "groundbreaking work" on how chemicals are absorbed
by infants and children as old as 3. "Environmental Working Group
President Kenneth A. Cook questioned why an agency with a $572
million research budget needed to accept industry contributions to
conduct scientific research," the Washington Post writes. "This is
a government function; we should be investing government funds to
be absolutely sure it's independent," Cook told the Post.
SOURCE: Washington Post, October 26, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098763202
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098763202
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504001
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504001
10. BEEF: IT'S WHAT'S FOR THE ELECTION?
http://www.canada.com/national/story.html?id=0d055714-3b88-4293-8ad4-618c868aafff
"U.S. and Japanese negotiators struck a deal Saturday to allow
limited imports of U.S. beef into Japan," reports Canadian Press.
Japan imported $1.7 billion of U.S. beef in 2003, but closed its
markets last December, after a Washington state cow was found to
have mad cow disease. The chair of the Canada Beef Export
Federation called the announcement was "old news," saying, "The
Americans are trying to put a new spin on it for their election."
The head of U.S. beef producer Creekstone Farms, which
unsuccessfully petitioned the USDA to do its own mad cow disease
testing, said, "We would still like to test."
SOURCE: Canadian Press, October 23, 2004
More web links related to this story are available at:
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/October_2004.html#1098504000
To discuss this story in the PR Watch Forum, visit:
http://www.prwatch.org/forum/discuss.php?id=1098504000
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