Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Sanford Crime by Zones
The Sanford, FL Police Department tracks crime by dividing the city into 10 zones. Click on the Sanford Police Department shields to view the most frequent crimes in each zone.
-Data provided by Sanford Crime Analyst Radley Amerault
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-Data provided by Sanford Crime Analyst Radley Amerault
View Larger Map
Monday, October 27, 2008
Biden Asks WFTV's West: "Are you serious?"
WFTV-Channel 9 news’s Barbara West interview with Joe Biden has sparked attention from the national media for what the Obama campaign has called an “unprofessional interview.”
One of West’s questions included a quote from Karl Marx, a Communist icon, in an attempt to characterize Obama as a socialist.
Sen. Biden struck back, clearly surprised at the questions West asked him.
“Is this a real question?,” Biden asked sarcastically before chuckling.
West clearly came into the interview with an agenda: to base questions around Obama’s statement of ‘spread the wealth.’ The McCain campaign has had a field day with this statement. It’s the job of the campaign to scrutinize and use the words of their opponents for their benefit.
But reporters? No. It’s one think to ask the tough questions. It’s completely different to go into an interview with a list of biased and misleading questions.
With the presidential candidates telling half-truths and sometime down-right lies about each other, the American people’s only source of truthful information are journalists.
One of West’s questions included a quote from Karl Marx, a Communist icon, in an attempt to characterize Obama as a socialist.
Sen. Biden struck back, clearly surprised at the questions West asked him.
“Is this a real question?,” Biden asked sarcastically before chuckling.
West clearly came into the interview with an agenda: to base questions around Obama’s statement of ‘spread the wealth.’ The McCain campaign has had a field day with this statement. It’s the job of the campaign to scrutinize and use the words of their opponents for their benefit.
But reporters? No. It’s one think to ask the tough questions. It’s completely different to go into an interview with a list of biased and misleading questions.
With the presidential candidates telling half-truths and sometime down-right lies about each other, the American people’s only source of truthful information are journalists.
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Economist Breaks It Down
The Economist magazine is a really good source for easy-to-understand economics explanations. The articles are written by actual economist that have a much better grasp of the concept than most reporters.
The magazine's online Web site has incorporated special audio briefing on topics currently in the forefront, including the bailout package, international economics and the presidential candidates' economic plans. I think the economists featured in the briefings do an effective job of explaining things simply.
With nearly 400 economic briefings, these audio clips are a great multimedia tool, especially considering the economy can be a pretty complex issue. Listening to explanations and proposed solutions from experts is helpful.
Check out a recent analysis of Obama's and McCain's economic plans:
Visit http://audiovideo.economist.com for other audio analysis.
The magazine's online Web site has incorporated special audio briefing on topics currently in the forefront, including the bailout package, international economics and the presidential candidates' economic plans. I think the economists featured in the briefings do an effective job of explaining things simply.
With nearly 400 economic briefings, these audio clips are a great multimedia tool, especially considering the economy can be a pretty complex issue. Listening to explanations and proposed solutions from experts is helpful.
Check out a recent analysis of Obama's and McCain's economic plans:
Visit http://audiovideo.economist.com for other audio analysis.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Campus Watchdogs
"Seek truth and report it." That's our main goal and obligation as journalists. Wherever there is corruption, mismanagement or misconception, it's our job to uncover the facts.
Colleges and universities are no exception.
Robert Faturechi, Enterprise Editor for UCLA's campus publication The Daily Bruin, exposed illegal actions within the university's prestigious orthodontics program in the article, "Donations Influence Admissions".
Faturechi revealed in the article that special admission consideration had been given to top program financial donors and their relatives, actions that violated policies of the university.
I had the opportunity to meet with Faturechi when I attended an event in D.C. this summer. He said that this story required weeks of research and extensive source contact, but that he always felt it was the duty of the Bruin to report this. It was inspiring to hear that even as a student, he already felt that he was obligated to tell this story.
The Central Florida Future has also published some great investigative journalism pieces.
One example is former Future News Editor Matt Morrison's story, "13 financial problems identified in '08 audit - News".
I thought Morrison did a great job of finding strong sources and explaining the findings simply. I'm sure the use of freedom of information was key in the success in this story also.
Just like the UCLA students needed know what was going on in the orthodontics admissions program, UCF students needed to know where their tuition money was going and how university officials mismanaged hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It's encouraging to read the work of my peers. No matter how the industry has and will continue to change, fundamentally, the truth still matters. Examples of this type of watchdog work from students is just proof that young people understand that journalism is a necessary and essential part of our society. The future of journalism is in good hands.
Colleges and universities are no exception.
Robert Faturechi, Enterprise Editor for UCLA's campus publication The Daily Bruin, exposed illegal actions within the university's prestigious orthodontics program in the article, "Donations Influence Admissions".
Faturechi revealed in the article that special admission consideration had been given to top program financial donors and their relatives, actions that violated policies of the university.
I had the opportunity to meet with Faturechi when I attended an event in D.C. this summer. He said that this story required weeks of research and extensive source contact, but that he always felt it was the duty of the Bruin to report this. It was inspiring to hear that even as a student, he already felt that he was obligated to tell this story.
The Central Florida Future has also published some great investigative journalism pieces.
One example is former Future News Editor Matt Morrison's story, "13 financial problems identified in '08 audit - News".
I thought Morrison did a great job of finding strong sources and explaining the findings simply. I'm sure the use of freedom of information was key in the success in this story also.
Just like the UCLA students needed know what was going on in the orthodontics admissions program, UCF students needed to know where their tuition money was going and how university officials mismanaged hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It's encouraging to read the work of my peers. No matter how the industry has and will continue to change, fundamentally, the truth still matters. Examples of this type of watchdog work from students is just proof that young people understand that journalism is a necessary and essential part of our society. The future of journalism is in good hands.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Post Combines Politics and Multimedia
For many Americans, a presidential candidate's background is just as important as their platforms and policies. The Washington Post created a really cool interactive timeline of John McCain's and Barak Obama's life time lines.
Check it out at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/timeline/
I think the keys to a great multimedia package are two-fold: aesthetic appeal and substance.
The Post's timeline has both. Users focus first at how the package looks including colors, pop-ups, creativity and the ability to adjust the controls of the tool. Then users focus on substance. Voters are interested in where candidates come from, including their families, faith, passions and experiences. The media has an obligation to outline these areas for the public.
Users can scroll through the timeline and click on the years and captions in each candidate's life that they want to learn more about in small pop-ups. The timeline includes everything from the year Obama's parents separated to the year McCain divorced his first wife. Voters want to feel as though they know the person they're supporting- every minuet detail. A timeline is a great way to briefly showcase these points in an organized and interactive way.
Google maps has even caught the politics bug. Visitors can track Obama's and McCain's travels, from birth to every place they've lived, all acrross the world.
Check it out at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/timeline/
I think the keys to a great multimedia package are two-fold: aesthetic appeal and substance.
The Post's timeline has both. Users focus first at how the package looks including colors, pop-ups, creativity and the ability to adjust the controls of the tool. Then users focus on substance. Voters are interested in where candidates come from, including their families, faith, passions and experiences. The media has an obligation to outline these areas for the public.
Users can scroll through the timeline and click on the years and captions in each candidate's life that they want to learn more about in small pop-ups. The timeline includes everything from the year Obama's parents separated to the year McCain divorced his first wife. Voters want to feel as though they know the person they're supporting- every minuet detail. A timeline is a great way to briefly showcase these points in an organized and interactive way.
Google maps has even caught the politics bug. Visitors can track Obama's and McCain's travels, from birth to every place they've lived, all acrross the world.
Check out both candidates' life journies by www.mibazaar.com:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
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