Meet Eli Saslow of the Washington Post

We're having a special guest in Monday’s class. Eli Saslow from the Washington Post is in the area , and he's agreed to stop by for a chat. He’s a truly big deal, and in preparation for his visit, here are a couple of clips that show what an amazing writer and reporter he is. Please give them a read.

Here is a story he wrote a few days after a deadly Metro crash in Washington, D.C.

Here is his story about the speech that launched Barack Obama's climb to the White House.

News ledes: A refresher course

LEDES FOR BREAKING NEWS of obvious importance should get to the point quickly. You don't have to stuff everything in there, just the crucial information. Check out these samples:

* (AP) A new audiotape, reportedly from Osama bin Laden, denounced President Obama on Monday as no different from his predecessor and warned that anti-American attacks would not stop unless the United States ended the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

* The Flathead County attorney said Friday that felony charges will not be filed in the case of a fatal boat crash on Flathead Lake that killed a Whitefish man. (Kalispell Daily Interlake)

* Kent teachers have approved a new contract and are heading back to their classrooms. (Seattle Times)

* The Missoula City Council on Monday adopted the 2010 budget proposed by Mayor John Engen - a plan that isn't expected raise taxes this fiscal year. (Missoulian)

* Kalispell state Sen. Greg Barkus is back in Kalispell, and said he remembers little of the circumstances of an Aug. 27 boat crash near Bigfork that injured him and four others, including U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. (Flathead Beacon)

* Missoula County health officers expect a wave of so-called swine flu cases as the school year moves deeper into September. (Missoulian)

GOOD FEATURE LEDES SHOW what's interesting about stories that aren't obviously important. Check this out:

The tiny male bat didn't expect to wind up in a biologist's hand when he set out in search of a nighttime snack along Box Canyon Creek.

After being snagged in a net, weighed and measured, the unhappy creature gnashed its teeth and squirmed as Pat Ormsbee stretched its wing for inspection.

The light from a headlamp shone through the translucent tissue, revealing bones tinier than toothpicks.

"This is one of the key things we need to be looking for," Ormsbee said, scanning for rips or scars that could signal infection with white-nose syndrome, the mysterious blight that has devastated bat colonies in the northeastern United States. ...

SOME LEDES TO AVOID:

1. A Topic Lede: President Barack Obama gave a speech today on the importance of education (or any other vague topic. No news here.) A variation: The School Board argued for hours last night over financial matters. (So what? What did they say that was newsworthy?)

2. The Question Lede: Should nonresident UM students get a break on the cost of big game hunting licenses? (That's lazy.)

3. The Quotation Lede: "You can't compete with free," says Fred Dowling, owner of a local music store for nearly 30 years. (What's the context here?)

THE IMPORTANCE OF BACKGROUND

Don't assume every reader is up to speed with ongoing stories. You'll make more sense to more people if you bring them up to date. This crucial background graf is from a story on the work Montana law professors are doing on a controversy over physician-assisted suicide.

Montana is awaiting a decision from its Supreme Court on whether physicians can help terminally ill patients who choose to die. A state district judge says they can because Montana's constitution specifially guarantees every citizen's dignity. But Montana's attorney general argues that the practice could lead to unwarranted deaths.

First you read: What's up with Missoula?

Here's the agenda for Monday night's City Council meeting. Click on the background links. Educate yourself as best you can, but bring your questions and two potential story ideas to Monday's class.

You might also check out the latest postings to missoularedtap.com.

Resources on the City Beat

The City of Missoula's Web site has links to:

Who's who on the City Council.
A map of city wards.
Council agendas.

Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller's local government site, missoularedtape.com, is a good place to look for background.

Some style issues for your city coverage:

• Let's identify the council as the Missoula City Council on first reference and the council on subsequent ones.


• Let's identify council members this way: Councilman Bob Jaffe, Councilwoman Stacy Rye.


• You don't have to identify council members by ward, unless that's pertinent to the story

Deadlines and how to meet them

BREAKING NEWS: If you have breaking news of obvious immediate importance (spot news, scoops), file the story no later than midnight of the day it breaks. Talk to me, too. No promises, but you may have something the Kaimin would want to publish.

NEWS FEATURES: The earlier the better, but the hard deadline each week is noon Friday.

How to format and file your stories:

1. Send them to me as e-mail attachments in Word. My e-mail: dennis.swibold@umontana.edu.

2. Double-space all copy. Indent paragraphs. Put your name, the date and a short description of the story ("Mayor resigns") at the top left of the copy. Then leave three inches of blank space before you begin the story.

Beat assignments and first deadline

Local economy: Kara O'Connell, Emerald Gilleran

Health: Justyn Field, Piper Haugan

Higher education: Roman Stubbs, Josh Potter

Missoula K-12 schools: Lily Rabil

Justice: Hanna Stiff, Layla Turman

State government: Joe Pavlish

Natural resources & environment: Jessica Cosgrove, Kate Whittle, Evan Phillippe

The following need to see me: Danielle Lellek, Jed Nussbaum, Kyle Spurr, Hollis Kenney

You'll get your first beat assignments in class today. I'll be asking each of you to do some research on specific stories or issues on your beat. By 5 p.m. Friday, each of you is to submit a written written pitch (via e-mail) for a story that you will do the following week.

The pitch will include:

• A sentence describing what the story is about.
• A sentence or two describing why the story is newsworthy now and some background.
• A list of sources you need to contact to do this story (names and phone numbers).

The deadline for your first beat stories is noon, Friday, Sept. 11. You may, however, submit them earlier.

Choose a beat and let's get rolling

By 8 a.m. Tuesday, send me an e-mail with your first and second choice for a beat to cover. I’ll let you know your assignment by the day’s end.

The choices are:

The local economy – Lots of stories here. How are people in your community faring in this recession? What’s the market for jobs? Housing? Energy? Retail trends? A good way to start is update an ongoing story or localize a national one. What challenges to business owners face? What challenges to their workers face?

Missoula K-12 schools – Everyone knows somebody with a kid in local public and private schools. Education is about preparing people for change. So how’s that going? It’s also a big cost to taxpayers. How’s that money being spent?

Higher education – You’re a consumer as well as a student, so start asking questions. How well is this place preparing you for change? What works and what doesn’t? What’s new? What big projects and changes are leaders working on? Who’s running the place?

The justice system – Again, lots of stories. This beat is big and newsy. You’ve got city police, a county sheriff’s department, the highway patrol, campus security and an array of federal cops (FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, ATF, etc.) You’ve got city, county and federal courts too.

City government – These folks are responsible for the safety and well-being of everyone in Missoula. You name it, the city deals with it. It provides police and fire protection, plans for growth, and maintains clean air, clean water, parks, streets and sidewalks. That’s just the short list. This is a big beat with lots of news potential.

County government – Take the previous beat and apply those responsibilities over an area of roughly 2,600 square miles. Counties also act as an agent for state government. County courts prosecute crimes against the state. Counties collect property taxes and run elections. County officials maintain rural roads and plan for growth. They also share responsibilities with city officials for things such as transportation, libraries, public health, etc.

Health – Here’s another huge beat, especially today. From the latest on swine flu to the quality and availability of health care, this beat has lots of interest – and lots controversy. Think about breakthroughs in research and new treatments and care. Who’s providing what health care in your community? How good is that care? What does it cost? Who isn’t being served?

Natural resources and the environment – There’s no better place to cover this stuff than right here. The issues include climate change, wilderness policy, timber and mining policy, wildlife management, water and air pollution, environmental health, recreation on public lands, recycling, sustainable agriculture and industry. This beat is global with lots of local players.

Other – No list can cover everything, so if you have an idea of something with significant public policy angle, let me know. Here are a few I would consider: agriculture, sports/athletics business and regulation, transportation, media/communications business, etc.

New to the beat? Try updating an ongoing story

Getting up to speed with an ongoing story is a good way to start on the beat. The first thing you should do is read everything you can about the issue. Let's use Missoula's ongoing debate over panhandling to get started.

1. Has this been covered in the press? It's useful to see what's been reported before, but remember that you need to verify or credit anything that you didn't witness. Look particularly for what IS NOT in the story. Are there unanswered questions? (If so, answering them could make for a story.) How could this be updated?

New West's story
The Missoulian's story
The Wall Street Journal (Really? No kidding?)
A Wall Street Journal video (Wow.)

2. Can I find original documents on this? Chances are good. Laws and policies don't come out of thin air. In this case, everything springs from Missoula's city government, and the City Council, in particular. It all started as somebody's idea and then went through a, gasp, process.

Writing about process is boring, but knowing the process can help you find sources and records. In this case, it helped me find the following:

>Minutes of a debate, in which elected City Council members argued the pros and cons of a new panhandling law (cities and counties call laws ordinances.)
>A draft of the ordinance itself.
>One council member's e-mail discussion of the issue.

So what new angle are you going to take?

Welcome to Newzhound

We'll use this site as a place to post announcements, assignments and information on topics and resoruces for the semester.

In the meantime, you'll need to register with Blogger.com so you can comment to the posts.

Anatomy of an Investigation: "The Electronic Wasteland"

Watch CBS Videos Online

After months of work, CBS's 60 Minutes aired this story on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2008. Producer Solly Granatstein and correspondent Scott Pelly found that some American companies who advertise safe collection and recyling of hazardous e-waste were actually dumping those products in developing nations whose people often work at great risk to salvage valuable but toxic metals from the waste.

The story built on an investigation done last summer by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. GAO officials posing as foreign buyers found eager sellers among 43 American companies trying to circument EPA regulations in the disposal of e-waste.

CBS reporters found themselves under surveillance when they followed a container of such waste from its collection in Colorado to its eventual home in a badly polluted Chinese community near Hong Kong.

Here's a link to a print version of the story.

"unSpun" Assignments

The Presentation Schedule

Nov. 24:

Chapter One - From Snake Oil to Emu Oil, Chris Arneson

Chapter Two - Bridesmaid's Bad Breath, Megan McLean and Mike Gerrity

Chapter Three - Tall Coffees and Assault Weapons, Karen Garcia and Jessica Whalen

Dec. 1:

Chapter Four - UFO Cults and Us, Danielle deBouver and Andrew Dusek

Chapter Five - Facts Can Save Your Life, Allison Maier and Heather Roussi

Chapter Six - The Great Crow Fallacy, Brenna Braaten and Ashley Klein

Dec. 3

Chapter Seven - Osama, Ollie and Al, Matt McLeod and Erin Gallagher

Chapter Eight - Was Clarence Darrow a Creationist?, Charles Pulliam

Issues for Justice Reporters

BEAT COVERAGE: Poynter, Power Reporting, Covering Crime and Justice

PROJECTS: Wrongful convictions, "Wasted in Wisconsin," Pro Publica, "Forensics Under the Microscope"

ETHICS: Covering Crime and Justice, At the Virginia Pilot; SPJ case studies

Local Justice Resources

State and Local Resources

Montana law gives you access to:

Daily incident reports – They’re often skimpy and filled with code. But they’re a start.

Daily arrest reports – Name, DOB, charge.

Jail logs – Who’s in jail, arresting agency.

Other Local and State Web resources

Missoula Police Department

Missoula County Sheriff’s Department

Missoula County Detention Facility.

Montana’s court system. Find links to various branches and resources of Montana’s judicial system, from the state Supreme Court down to Municipal and Justice of the Peace courts.

Montana’s laws. It’s all here, but Title 45 is the state criminal code. You’ll find descriptions of different crimes and any sentencing guidelines.

Montana Supreme Court decisions. You can read them yourself.

Montana State Law Library. Look up old court decisions. Contacts here can help you research a case.

Montana Department of Justice. We elected a state attorney general, who acts as Montana’s top prosecutor. He also represents the state in lawsuits. His department covers everything from law enforcement and forensics (State Crime Lab) to gambling regulation. It also keeps state crime stats.

Montana Department of Corrections. Officials here track everyone convicted of felonies. They have databases of violent and sexual offenders and everyone currently in the state prison system.

Learning about the Law

Here's a guide to Montana courts and answers to questions about the state's legal system. Here's a guide to legal words phrases. Here are some you need to know from the start:

-Actual malice, Affadavit, Answer, Appeal, Arraignment
-Bail/Bond, Bankruptcy, Beyond a reasonable doubt
-Circumstantial evidence, Class action suit, Complaint, Compensatory damages, Concurrent sentences, Consecutive sentences, Cross examination
-Damages, Defamation, Double jeopardy
-Felony
-Grand jury
-Habeas corpus, Hung jury
-Indictment, Information
-Judgment
-Liability, Libel
-Mistrial
-Parole, Plaintiff, Probation, Preliminary hearing, Preponderance of the evidence, Probable cause, Punitive damages
-Remand
-Settlement, Statute of Limitations, Subpoena
-Voir dire
-Warrant

We're Going to Court Monday

That's right. Let's meet in the second-floor lobby of the Missoula County Courthouse at 2:15 sharp. We'll sit in on a Justice Court session, the honorable Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech presiding.

We'll report on a story for a midnight deadline, so bring your notebooks, recorders and pens. We'll also make a quick visit to the Clerk of District Court's office, the honorable Chris Arneson guiding.

Get Ready for Monday's Council Meeting

Take a look at the City Council’s agenda for tomorrow night. Remember, we’re covering stories, not meetings, so pick a couple issues that you think might be worthy of covering and be prepared to talk about them in class. In other words, do some background work.

Also, I’m changing the assignments for the week. Besides Monday’s council story, I’ll ask you to polish your candidate interview story, based on my comments. Be working on the story from your beat about the election, but we’ll make that due early next week.

See you in class.

Revealing Questions for Candidates

Here are some of my ideas. Add your own as comments.

1. Who are your heroes? Why?

2. Have you ever voted for someone in the other party? Who and why?

3. What advice does you spouse give you about campaigning?

4. How would you rate the press coverage in this campaign?

5. What's the strangest suggestion you've received from consituents?

6. What's the hardest job you've ever done?

7. What's the best book you've ever read?

8. What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Covering Elections: The Basics

Here's a list of things journalists should consider when they cover elections.

1. Background your candidates -- We've already talked about this, but it's important. Who are these folks? Who are their friends and supporters? Who is endorsing them? Who is giving them money? What's their history? Where do their private and public histories intersect?

2. Illuminate candidates' stands on the issues -- You'll get some of this by covering debates, forums, press confernces, speeches, etc. It's important not only to cover what they say, but to verify the accuracy of it. Track their comments on an issue over time to see if they changing the tune. Are they pandering to the crowd? What issues are they ignoring? Are voters' opinions on issues being solicited? In call of this, be sure to put the issues in context. How does this affect my readers?

3. Cover the "horse race" -- The press overdoes this, partly because it's easy, but it still matters. Pay attention to the polls (Are they credible? Valid statiscially?). What strategies and tactics are the candidates using? How effective is a candidate at organizing, raising money, etc. How is the electorate changing? How are registration and voting laws affecting the process? Look for oddities in the collection and counting of votes? Is the process fair?

Better Election Coverage

Some questions election reporters should ask themselves:

1. Are we covering the "horse race" (stories about polls, campaign tactics, personnel) at the expense of issues?
2. Are we asking questions voters care about?
3. Who is going uncovered?
4. What issues are going undebated?
5. Are we trying to get to the truth of campaign allegations?
6. Are we giving voters and candidates an opportunity to respond?

Good Election Fact-Checking Sites

PolitiFact.com -- Another good site sponsored the St. Petersburg Tims and Congressinal Quarterly. Check out the "Truth-o-Meter" and the new "Flip-o-Meter."


Factcheck.org -- Probably the best all-around election fact-checking site. It succeds in being a nonpartisan resource that moves quickly to sift the truth from fiction from national campaigns.