Thursday, May 31, 2007
My "Oh Crap" Moment
Have you ever had your heart set on something, arranged things so they'll turn out well and then had circumstance and poor planning just blow your plans to smithereens?Yeah, that happened to me yesterday.
I pitched a story about the practice of putting totaled cars on high school lawns for prom season a few weeks back. My goal was to have it run on June 1, the day of my high school's prom and just before graduation season began.
But when I walked into the office on Wednesday, my boss told me that we needed my story for the centerpiece today.
Crap.
I still needed to talk to an official, go to the school, see the car and interview kids. I'd planned to do all that today, but take some time to write it and give it some of my trademark detail and spunk.
Somehow, through the day, I got a hold of my town official (a feat in and of itself), and then trekked down to the high school, where I spent many minutes in the sun trying to pull quotes out of nonchalant teenagers. Then, I went to the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) meeting and talked to some kids there.
By the time I got back to my office, it was 3 p.m.
I sat down and began organizing my story. I had some statistics and an interview from our local MADD (mothers against drunk driving) chapter so I began writing in chunks. Then, I pulled in the stuff from the interviews from earlier yesterday and did a clip search to find some teens who'd died in drunk driving accidents recently.
It was approaching 5:30 and I still didn't have my lede.
Normally, I wouldn't have been stressing. However, yesterday, my paper hosted a graduation day for all of the state valedictorians. They all came to our offices, got their picture taken and were available for us to interview. I was told I needed to be there.
The picture started at 6 p.m. I could get there at 6:30 at the latest.
So I hustled. I called some journo friends -- most of whom didn't answer. I needed to talk this story out. I IM'd my lede to a friend and got her opinion, and then finally got a hold of another friend to talk things through. I struggled through the lede, spell checked and CQ'd my names and sent it to the copy desk.
6:32 p.m.
Then, I rushed upstairs and found my valedictorian. We talked and I found out that in addition to wanting to be a brain surgeon, he was also a talented fire juggler and ping pong player. Who knew? By the time I finished my interview, I was so exhausted, I just left the office after stopping in to check with the desk.
All night I stewed.
I tried not to, honest. I know I did the best I could under the circumstances, but this was MY story. And I wanted it to be great. Now, the best it could be was good. I tried to shrug it off and instead told myself that I had another opportunity to get it right tomorrow. That is the beauty of my profession I said. But inside, I knew that I was hurt.
This morning, I got up and went to an assignment. When I came into the office, a co-worker pulled me aside and asked me why my story didn't go all editions -- it was that good.
I shrugged, told her that I was disappointed in the story and that I didn't even broach the possibility of having it go all eds to my editor. I sat down and as I placed my story for tomorrow's paper on the budget, my boss came over to me.
"I think your story came out good," she said. "Are you happy with it?"
I wanted to stop the words as they came out of my mouth but I couldn't.
"Not really," I said, looking at my keyboard.
"Why," she asked. "What wasn't in there that you would have wanted in there?"
"Nothing," I said, glancing up to face my boss. "But I don't feel I had the time I needed to finesse the story the way I wanted to. It turned out fine, but I'm not happy with it."
She stared for a moment and then walked away.
I turned back to my computer and continued typing.
Labels: burnout, Job survival, office politics, the industry
continue...Wednesday, May 30, 2007
They Like Me, They Really Like ME!
The question rang out as soon as I got to my desk."Who got you flowers?"
There, next to my computer was a small flower arrangement set in a basket. I won't lie: I gasped when I saw them. I've only gotten flowers twice in my life, this being the second time. I reached for the note, searching my brain for a clue of who would possibly be sending me flowers.
The note said:
Dear Talia, Thank you so much for writing a positive story about our pit bull graduation. I can't tell you enough how much this means to me & the misunderstood breed. I have gotten quite a few phone calls/e-mails from people reading your article & everyone was pleased with a positive article written by a valued news writer. XOXO Susan Parker
I busted out laughing.
"Who's it from," my colleagues insisted.
"It's from the pit bull woman," I said with a laugh before handing over the note to my unbelieving coworkers.
Last week, I met with Parker, a dog trainer, to do an advance on a pit bull graduation she was hosting. The graduation was postponed so we ran the story earlier this week. What's even funnier is that this was a story that my boss almost didn't let me write.
I'd gotten the press release for the event in mid May and thought it would make for good pictures and a cute story. Pit bulls, graduation caps, instant centerpiece. I pitched it in our Friday meeting and my boss said everything but a flat out no.
The day before, we had a story in our section about a toddler being attacked by a pit bull, she noted. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to run a happy story about pits so close after the attack.
I disagreed.
"If anything, this is the perfect time to run this story because it's showing how to KEEP things like that attack from happening again through proper training and supervision," I said.
"Talia, I know what you're going to say," she started.
"No you don't because I haven't said it yet," I countered.
Yeah, we go hard in my office and I don't back down easily. I told her that I was completely aware of the attack and that part of my job as a responsible reporter would be to get the other side. I wouldn't just do a fluff story on the graduation, but a story on how the breed isn't bad inherently, but rather a product of their environment.
She didn't seem convinced.
"It seems like you may have your mind made up already," I told my boss. "I just want you to tell me if you want me to do this story because I don't want to waste my time."
She told me she'd think about it and let me know. But as she looked at the schedule after the long weekend, and realized we'd only have two reporters on Tuesday, she acquiesced and told me to do the story.
I reported it out and wrote the simple story. It ran as a secondary on Wednesday and I'd forgotten about it.
Then, the flowers showed up.
I called Parker to thank her for her kindness, though I told her that it was completely unnecessary. I'm sure she could hear my smile through the phone because I was cheesing from ear to ear.
All this, for a story I wasn't even supposed to write.
(Note to anyone who is trying to get on my good side: send flowers or gummy bears. I'll love you for life.)
Labels: inspiration, Job survival
continue...Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Top 10 (of 25) Censored Stories of 2007
Project Censored, a media research group out of Sonoma State University, put together a list of 25 stories that that they deem overlooked by mainstream media. Between 700 and 1000 stories are submitted to Project Censored each year from journalists, scholars, librarians, and concerned citizens around the world. Below are the top 10 stories the Project deems neglected by many mainstream media organizations. For a full list and complete articles, click here.The number one and number four stories don't surprise me one bit...
10. Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians
There is widespread speculation that President Bush, confronted by diminishing approval ratings and dissent within his own party as well as within the military itself, will begin pulling American troops out of Iraq in 2006. A key element of the drawdown plans not mentioned in the President’s public statements, or in mainstream media for that matter, is that the departing American troops will be replaced by American airpower.9. The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall
Despite the 2004 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision that called for tearing down the Wall and compensating affected communities, construction of the Wall has accelerated. The route of the barrier runs deep into Palestinian territory, aiding the annexation of Israeli settlements and the breaking of Palestinian territorial continuity. The World Bank’s vision of “economic development,” however, evades any discussion of the Wall’s illegality.8. Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act
The Department of Defense has been granted exemption from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In December 2005, Congress passed the 2006 Defense Authorization Act which renders Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) “operational files” fully immune to FOIA requests, the main mechanism by which watchdog groups, journalists and individuals can access federal documents. Of particular concern to critics of the Defense Authorization Act is the DIA’s new right to thwart access to files that may reveal human rights violations tied to ongoing “counterterrorism” efforts.7. US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released documents of forty-four autopsies held in Afghanistan and Iraq October 25, 2005. Twenty-one of those deaths were listed as homicides. The documents show that detainees died during and after interrogations by Navy SEALs, Military Intelligence, and Other Government Agency (OGA).6. Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy
Special Counsel Scott Bloch, appointed by President Bush in 2004, is overseeing the virtual elimination of federal whistleblower rights in the U.S. government. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the agency that is supposed to protect federal employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse is dismissing hundreds of cases while advancing almost none.5. High-Tech Genocide in Congo
The world’s most neglected emergency, according to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, is the ongoing tragedy of the Congo, where six to seven million have died since 1996 as a consequence of invasions and wars sponsored by western powers trying to gain control of the region’s mineral wealth. At stake is control of natural resources that are sought by U.S. corporations—diamonds, tin, copper, gold, and more significantly, coltan and niobium, two minerals necessary for production of cell phones and other high-tech electronics; and cobalt, an element essential to nuclear, chemical, aerospace, and defense industries.4. Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US
The number of hungry and homeless people in U.S. cities continued to grow in 2005, despite claims of an improved economy. Increased demand for vital services rose as needs of the most destitute went unmet, according to the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors Report, which has documented increasing need since its 1982 inception.3. Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger
Oceanic problems once found on a local scale are now pandemic. Data from oceanography, marine biology, meteorology, fishery science, and glaciology reveal that the seas are changing in ominous ways. A vortex of cause and effect wrought by global environmental dilemmas is changing the ocean from a watery horizon with assorted regional troubles to a global system in alarming distress.2. Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran
According to journalist Jason Leopold, sources at former Cheney company Halliburton allege that, as recently as January of 2005, Halliburton sold key components for a nuclear reactor to an Iranian oil development company. Leopold says his Halliburton sources have intimate knowledge of the business dealings of both Halliburton and Oriental Oil Kish, one of Iran’s largest private oil companies.1. Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media
Throughout 2005 and 2006, a large underground debate raged regarding the future of the Internet. More recently referred to as “network neutrality,” the issue has become a tug of war with cable companies on the one hand and consumers and Internet service providers on the other. Yet despite important legislative proposals and Supreme Court decisions throughout 2005, the issue was almost completely ignored in the headlines until 2006.1 And, except for occasional coverage on CNBC’s Kudlow & Kramer, mainstream television remains hands-off to this day (June 2006).Any stories that you think should have appeared on this list and didnt? Do tell.
Labels: industry analysis
continue...Our Future Newsroom Leaders Revealing Their True Feelings...
In the Thursday, May 17, 2007 issue of the Golden Gate [X]press the editorial staff conducted an audit of the diversity of the main subjects in published photographs. With the results of the audit, the editorial staff ran an editorialized analysis and the incoming editor-in-chief ran an analysis of his own. His ideas have caused a bit a concern inside and outside of the newsroom community at the [X]press. Just below is the incoming editor's entire article as it ran in issue 16 of the [X]press.Please read it and let Ten95 know if you agree or disagree with Maher's take on diversity.
Note: The following article was run in the [X]press without the consent of Ian Thomas, the out-going editor-in-chief. Thomas has openly expressed his own outrage to the article's content and to the fact that he was left out of the loop.
Discussions of diversity always make me squeamish, chiefly because the discussion is usually based on presumptions that fundamentally reinforce the bigotry such conversations are meant to combat. The [X]press staff addressed in this issue a proportional discord between the recorded ethnic makeup of the campus population and the perceived ethnicity of individuals in published [X]press photography. The article begins by stating our paper’s goal to represent the multi-cultural population that makes our school “what it is,” and goes on without transition to explain how we’ve tested thatrepresentation by auditing our photography. The auditing process seems to be no more sophisticated than looking at people in the photos and concluding, "That's a black guy; that's a Chinese girl," and so on. I appreciate this is not an exact science. Diversity of coverage is a tricky thing to quantify, largely because there is so much disagreement on its definition. And our auditors must tread cautiously, carefully navigating the incredibly provocative waters diversity issues often churn. My heart goes out to them for the enormity complexity of their task, and I admire their devotion to the idea that diversity is so important. But setting aside even the absurd conclusion that skin color and bone structure are the defining elements of one's cultural identity (remember, at the moment we were targeting the importance of representing cultures, not races), I'm astonished we're accepting this particular definition of diversity with so little scrutiny. After all, I've always struggled to maintain belief in the idea that what defines us as people are our thoughts, our feelings, and our actions. What makes a community meaningfully diverse is a wealth of individual beliefs, perspectives and behavior, not a bunch of different-looking faces. When we define diversity primarily in terms of what people look like, we give credence to the idea that a person is defined by those appearances. We accept and assume that societal forces are beyond each individual's control to absorb and react to in his or her own fashion, and in so doing we demean and discourage individuality and help create the stereotypes we intend to dispel. Skin color and gender are often important in determining the experiences that shape our believes and the way we behave around others, yes, and this does often result in groups of people with comparable ideology and behavior who look similar to each other. To that extent, I agree that our paper this semester has left room for improvement in portraying the true diversity of our community, and I pledge to work towards correcting that in the coming months. At the same time, I must make clear that my first priority will always be to promote a diversity defined by ideas and perspectives, above and beyond the aesthetic differences that have for so long afflicted our efforts to join together. Like everybody else, I’m only one person, and have only the benefit of one personal perspective. Our team next semester will work diligently and passionately towards providing as inclusive and accurate a portrayal of our community as possible, but we will need help. I strongly encourage our readers to speak up, and less us know when we are missing out on important perspectives and angles. The true power of the press lies in its close communication with the people. With an engaged and scrutinous audience, I am confident we can build a newspaper of true diversity and integrity.
For further analysis of this article:
Double Consciousness (DC) co-founder and blogger Jack Stephens, who was a staff photographer for the Golden Gate [X]press this spring, breaks down the editorial written by Maher. Christine Joy Ferrer, a contributing blogger to DC and a reporter for the [X]press, also gives her own analysis of Maher's article.
Labels: diversity, student press
continue...Friday, May 25, 2007
Cartoonin' It: What the Duck?
Labels: citizen journalism, comic strip, the industry
continue...Tuesday, May 15, 2007
"We get lots and lots of letters..."
Here's a new feature from the reporters on Ten95: The Odd E-mail Files.I really...don't even know where to begin with this one. It was in response to a story that ran Saturday. Anyone want to pursue this? Let me know.
Saying that the music industry owes the black community payment for the role that it has played in the destruction of the black community, a NC minister is calling for "Rap Reparations."
Rev. Paul Scott, "the Hip Hop TRUTH Minista" founder of the Durham NC based Messianic Afrikan Nation is demanding that the major record companies pay the Black community reparations on May 19th, the birthday of Malcolm X.
"The entertainment industry been guilty of the genocide of black men, women and children. They must pay the victims of the Hip Hop Holocaust," says Scott.
Scott is encouraging members of the black community who have been personally effected by the corporate expoitation of Hip Hop to contact the CEO's of the major record labels demanding an apology and the payment of reparations, this week.
Rev. Paul Scott is a minister, writer and activist based in Durhm NC. He has been a frequent guest on talk shows across the country discussing Race, Rap and Religion including Fox New's Hannity and Colmes, Fox News live and MSNBC's Nachaman. Scott first gained national attention in 1998 when he lead a sucessful campaign against Phat Boy Malt Liquor and in 2003 when he lead a campaign against rap star Nelly's Pimp Juice Energy Drink.
For more information contact...
Word, son? continue...
Friday, May 11, 2007
Are you illiterate?
Well...are you? The ability to read this blog indicates that you are not illiterate, at least according to a dictionary. But there are other ways of being illiterate that don't deal with the ability to read and write.Computer-assisted reporting (CAR) is something we all think we do. A story is assigned and usually your instincts are to begin scouring the Internet for unverifiable statistics, unofficial records or through unorganized news archives.
According to Elliot Jaspin, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of Buried In The Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America, had he been "illiterate" he would not have uncovered the most under reported story in the 20th century.
Ever try to search through online census records? It's not the easiest thing to do, especially when you want to break it down to specific states, counties or cities. Earlier this month, Jaspin told a collection of the Golden Gate [X]Press staff that had he not known the value of CAR in investigating the racial cleansing in America, he might as well have been illiterate.
Much of the specific information Jaspin used in his reporting is kept in hard copy form and electronically by federal agencies. In order to access this information one must file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request letter, something that Talia (T-Dot) has blogged about before. If approved, that agency might send boxes upon boxes of records or digital volumes of those records.
Just imagine how far back census information can stretch. The federal agency, if they sent the information in digital volumes, certainly wouldn't send you digestible 'PDF' files. You'd be dealing with encrypted information that can only be sifted through by a computer.
What's standing between you and your Pulitzer Prize winning investigative story? C-A-R. Jaspin was able to create a simple program that organized the encrypted material so that it only gave him the information he was looking for. He then saw, in just minutes of research, that several counties in the South and up North had driven out their Black populations completely. He later found out that this cleansing had been done violently.
Since I feel I'm on the verge of boring you, I'll leave you with a few resources to learn more about FOIA, Jaspin's work, and Banished, a documentary by Black filmmaker Marco Williams, which is based on his and Jaspin's investigative work.
Are you illiterate? I’m embarrassed to say I am. But that will soon change.
Resources:
- Elliot Jaspin’s book review by Creative Loafing.com – a good synopsis of the book and of Jaspin’s work.
- FOIA Resources – Sample letters when filing request letters, there are some links in Talia’s post as well.
- Banished – Marco Williams’s production company and the Center for Investigative Reporting (based in Berkeley, Calif.) put together an awesome documentary that has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival and has won one or two awards. Williams screened the film at San Francisco State University earlier this month and says it will air on PBS sometime in the near future.
Labels: computer assisted reporting, FOIA
continue...Saturday, May 05, 2007
A horse is a horse, of course?
It's Derby Weekend, and as I was reading my paper's preview section on the big race, something dawned on me.How do you tell which horse is Circular Quay and which is Zanjero?
Hard Spun from Stormello?
Cowtown Cat from Scat Daddy?
It is a photo editor's potential e-mail nightmare.
That wasn't Street Sense in that picture! It was Any Given Saturday you idiot! You guys know nothing about horses and I am thinking about canceling my subscription.
Ah, yes. The age-old threat.
I'm trusting that our paper relied on wire services like the AP and Getty Images to get those IDs right. We all know that if a newspaper misidentified a photo Barbaro all hell would break loose.
But is that crime as aggregious as the crime of misidentifying actual people? In an e-mail to Poynter's Jim Romenesko a couple of months back, you'll remember that e-mailer David Mills was annoyed that even well-known African-Americans were misidentified in photo captions. Said Mills, "Ever notice how black people are often misidentified in newspaper and magazine photo captions? I mean famous black people. It’s a weird phenomenon.
"...In last month's James Brown tribute issue of Rolling Stone, there's a photo on page 48 with this caption: "Brown with Sharpton in 1974.” Alas, the man seated next to J.B. isn’t the Rev. Al Sharpton; it’s trombonist Fred Wesley. (Sharpton pointed this out to listeners of his syndicated radio talk show, saying "it ain't me," according to Richard Prince’s blog.) Forget how widely exposed Rev. Al’s face is. Fred Wesley is one of the great musicians, arrangers and bandleaders in funk and soul music going back 35 years. The editors of Rolling Stone should know what he looks like."
Mills didn't say what several non-media types who are black, would: "Yo, we don't all look alike."
But do all horses do look alike, and by virtue of that statement I am equestrice, not prejudice.
Media critics have used the frequent mistakes to push for more people of color to be hired on the copy and photo desks in newspapers and magazines. I mean, you don't want to be the mag that misidentifies Harold Ford Jr. for Obama.
Not a good look.
And in the horse-world, mistaking one horse for another is probably just as bad.
Labels: Kentucky Derby, Mr. Ed, prejudice
continue...Friday, May 04, 2007
Aaron's Tech Corner: VIDEO
CLICK ON IMAGE
A colleague of mine, Poh Si Teng, runs an award-winning Malaysian news site that caters to the youth from her country. (And she's a paid NABJ member! How 'bout that?) Recently, she put together a simple video piece about Malaysian food in the U.S. She used a point and shoot similar to the Pure Digital camera that I featured in the video edition of Tech Corner. And she edited it with Windows Movie Maker. Check it out.
A colleague of mine, Poh Si Teng, runs an award-winning Malaysian news site that caters to the youth from her country. (And she's a paid NABJ member! How 'bout that?) Recently, she put together a simple video piece about Malaysian food in the U.S. She used a point and shoot similar to the Pure Digital camera that I featured in the video edition of Tech Corner. And she edited it with Windows Movie Maker. Check it out.
Labels: multimedia, tech corner
continue...Slow News Day Makes for Good Stories
Like this one in the New York Times:Every penny counts. But 10 of them didn’t one recent night in the Bronx, and that’s how the trouble started.
It was about 11:30 p.m. on April 23 when Wayne Jones stopped at the Great Wall Chinese Restaurant in the Soundview section. Mr. Jones, 47, a lieutenant with the Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Service, ordered four fried chicken wings to go. The total was $2.75.
Mr. Jones placed his money on the counter: two $1 bills, two quarters, one dime, one nickel — and 10 pennies.
“The lady behind the counter started yelling, ‘No pennies, no pennies,’ ” Mr. Jones said. The woman told him she would take 3 or 4 pennies, he said, but not 10.
Labels: inspiration, the industry
continue...Thursday, May 03, 2007
Remembering Our Fallen
"Of all the clauses in the Constitution, the one that I admire the most, and venerate the most, are 45 words which compose the First Amendment."--Jack Valenti, former chairman
Motion Picture Association of America, 2006
Did you know today is World Press Freedom Day? It's the day set aside to remember journalists who were killed or jailed for exercising their right to free speech, and to shed light on free press violations around the world. According to the World Association of Newspapers, 110 journalists were killed in 2006.
E&P wrote a story about this day of remembrance, challenging journalists and citizens to never forget those who have fallen. The power of the press is the one thing we can exercise to stop the senseless killing of journalists who are targeted by governments, extremist groups and others. Mark Fitzgerald of E&P writes:
What, really, can we do? The answer is, say their names. Tell the stories of their murders. Demand the capture of their killers, and especially of the evil men who ordered their killing. Protest impunity. Report. And raise hell like journalists always should. But most important, say the names of the dead, the imprisoned, the threatened, the censored. Print the names. Broadcast them. Post them. Say them. Because that's what they most fear, the enemies of the press: the death squads of the right and left, the dictators, the corrupt cops and bureaucrats, the drug cartels, the poachers, and the smugglers. They fear truth. A light shone. Their sins told. THEIR names named.
What are you doing to exercise your Freedom of Speech? And for those who don't know the First Amendment (shame on you!), here's a cheat sheet.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Learn it. Live it. Love it.
Labels: Free Speech, inspiration, musings, the industry
continue...Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Top Ten Signs Your Newspaper Is In Trouble
From the Late Show with David Letterman10. Covers all news that happens within one block of the office
9. Today's exclusive -- "Nixon Dead!"
8. Reporter sent to jail for refusing to divulge a source... Oh, and he also killed a dude
7. All horoscopes: "Now would be a good time to get out of the newspaper business"
6. Paper's motto: "Suck it"
5. Every "hot" gossip item is about Jack Klugman
4. Managing editor and guy who wheels around breakfast? Same guy
3. Under "Weather," it just reads "Yes"
2. Instead of "Garfield," has a comic strip called "Garfunkel"
1. You endorsed Dennis Kucinich
Labels: musings
continue...Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Young Journos Wreck Shop
Who says young journalists don't do big things?The Livingston Awards, a national contest for exemplary reporting for finalists under age 35, announced its finalists for the 2006 awards.
So if this isn't inspiration to do great work, consider the $10,000 prizes handed out for Local, National and International Reporting. Congrats on all of the nominees, and Big Ups to Ten95-supporter Kelley L. Carter of the Detroit Free Press, who is among the finalists. Winners are announced June 5.
Livingston Awards finalists, who include print, broadcast and online journalists are:
Esmeralda Bermudez, The Oregonian
Amy Biegelsen, Style Weekly
Michael Blanding, Boston Magazine
Jill Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor
Kathleen Carroll, The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)
Kelley L. Carter, Detroit Free Press
Allison Brophy Champion, Culpeper Star Exponent (Culpeper, VA)
Christopher Collins, The Merced Sun-Star
Pamela Colloff, Texas Monthly
Sharon Coolidge, The Cincinnati Enquirer
Oscar Jose Corral, The Miami Herald
Amanda Crawford, The Arizona Republic
Benning DeLaMater, The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA)
Jeff Eisenberg, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Andrea Elliott, The New York Times
Gady Epstein and Stephanie Desmon, The Baltimore Sun
Will Evans, Salon.com
Sarah Fenske, Phoenix New Times
Carlos Frias, The Palm Beach Post
McKenzie Funk, Mother Jones
Vanessa Gezari, St. Petersburg Times
Gregory Gilderman, Philadelphia Magazine
Michael Grabell, The Dallas Morning News
Eliza Griswold, Harper's Magazine
Jason Grotto, The Miami Herald
K. Oanh Ha, San Jose Mercury News
James Hagengruber, The Spokesman-Review
Jesse Hamilton, The Hartford Courant
Eric Hand, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Shane Harris, National Journal
Chris Hawley, The Arizona Republic
Brian Hendrickson, Vancouver Columbian
Claire Hoffman, West Magazine (Los Angeles Times)
Ian James, The Associated Press
April Jimenez, Long Island Press
Sam Kennedy, The Morning Call
Jeremy Kohler, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Matthew LaPlante, The Salt Lake Tribune
Jared Jacang Maher, Westword
Abraham McLaughlin, The Christian Science Monitor
Paul Meyer and Stella Chavez, The Dallas Morning News
David Morton, The New Republic
Brian Newsome, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)
Yoshiaki Nohara, The Daily Herald (Everett, WA)
Evan Osnos, Chicago Tribune
Lydia Polgreen, The New York Times
Nathaniel Popper, Forward
Matthew Power, Harper's Magazine
Charles Michael Ray, South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Guy Raz, National Public Radio
Bill Reiter, Kansas City Star
Brian Rokus, CNN
Charlie Savage, The Boston Globe
Mara Shalhoup, Creative Loafing
Jeff Sharlet, Harper's Magazine
Kara Spak and Tara Malone, Paddock Publications/Daily Herald
Todd Spivak, Houston Press
Laura Sullivan, National Public Radio
Jim Tankersley and Joshua Boak, The Blade (Toledo, OH)
Kevin Whitelaw, US News and World Report
Emily Witt, Miami New Times
Labels: inspiration, spotlight
continue...