Yet Another Guest Speaker

We will meet Monday, Oct. 22, in the Hall of Fame again in the 3rd Floor Dean’s Conference Room for a guest lecture conference call by New York Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt.

Clark is a former Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor who oversaw Knight-Ridder’s coverage questioning the Bush Administration’s case for the Iraq war. He was Knight-Ridder’s Washington bureau chief, among other things, before the newspaper chain was sold last year. As public editor, he will function as the New York Times’ ombudsman.

edited by Jilane @ 5:33pm 10/20/07

Guest Speakers Monday & Wednesday

In my continuing effort to upgrade the entertainment and excitement levels of our class, I am pleased to announce the following back-to-back guest speakers.

On Monday (Oct. 15), we will join Al Eisele’s advanced reporting class in a roundtable discussion with Gina Cavalarra, who has been to Iraq six times for the Army Times and is one of the best reporters covering the Iraq conflict today, Al says. His class also meets at 9:30 a.m. somewhere on the second floor of Copeland, but he couldn’t remember the room number. We’ll just have to find them.

On Wednesday (Oct. 17), Oklahoma Gazette Editor Rob Collins will join our class to talk about the kind of big features and investigative stories the Gazette likes to publish; Oklahoma politics and culture; the journalism job market, including internships and freelance opportunities; and anything else we want to ask him about.

Please show up and ask a lot of questions. Consider what your day would be like if we were having a regular class.

Warren

Intersection Survey

East Lindsey & 12th Avenue intersection survey

The survey was done on Friday 12, from 1:20 pm to 2:20 pm.
I was concentrated in surveying cars coming from West Lindsey and going toward East and North 12th Avenue going toward South.
During this time 400 cars came from West Lindsey and in 52 of them drivers were using their cell phones.
In the other hand, 476 cars came from North 12th Avenue and in 53 of them drivers were using cell phones while driving.
In total, during an hour, 105 out of 876 drivers coming from West Lindsey and West 12th Avenue were using their cell phones while driving.

New Assignment: Your Wiki Page

In-Class Wednesday, Oct. 10

Go to the Class Wiki home page.
Open the page with your name on it.
Click the Edit Page button.
Copy and paste to your Wiki page:
Your Profile sked.
Your Profile Interview Questions.
Your Profile Source List
(when they’re done; due Monday).
Click the Save button.
That’s it!
Remember: Your Profile Story is due Monday, Oct. 29.

New Assignment: Profile Source List

New Assignment #1
Profile Story Source List

Due Monday, Oct. 15

Compile a list of possible sources for your Profile Story.
Cite specific people, organizations, documents and other data.
Include contact information: phone numbers, email addresses, web sites.
(If you don’t have any yet, gather some.)
The more entries, the better. You can pare down the list later.
Save your list. You will need to turn it in with your finished story.
File a copy in the Profile Source List dropbox.
Remember: The Profile Story is due Monday, Oct. 29.

Profile Story Criteria

Profile Story Criteria
Due date: Monday, Oct. 29.
Length: minimum 1,000 words.
Stories must contain:
-Original, current reporting.
-Quotes from a minimum of five interviews.
In addition to the profile subject, a mix of friends, family, associates, competitors, critics, experts and others, depending on the subject matter and type of profile.
-Biographical and historical information, as needed.
-Supporting facts and statistics, as needed.
-State, regional or national data, as needed.
-Broader trends, precedents and examples, as needed.
Stories must not contain:
-Profiles of roommates, friends or relatives
(unless approved in advance and disclosed in story).
-Quotes from any of the above.
-Quotes taken from other stories
(unless approved in advance and fully attributed).
-Information attributed to other news media
that you could have reported yourself.
Grading criteria:
-Idea (originality, scope, difficulty).
-Reporting (effort, resourcefulness, difficulty).
-Writing (creativity, structure, style, errors).

Revised Class Schedule

WEEK 8
Oct. 8 - 10
Profile reporting & writing
Profile Source Lists
WEEK 9
Oct. 15 – 17
Profile reporting & writing
WEEK 10
Oct. 22 – 24
Assignment: In-Depth Story skeds
WEEK 11
Oct. 29 – 31
Profile due Monday, Oct. 29
In-Depth Story reporting & writing
WEEK 12
Nov. 5 – 7
Monday: Guest Speaker: Heather Spencer, Preparing for the Career Fair
In-Depth Story reporting & writing
WEEK 13
Nov. 12 – 14
In-Depth Story reporting & writing
WEEK 14
Nov. 19 (no class Wednesday)
In-Depth Story first draft due Monday, Nov. 19
WEEK 15
Nov. 26 – 28
In-Depth Story final draft due Wednesday, Nov. 28
WEEK 16
Dec. 3 – 5
Student Exhibitions
WEEK 17
(Finals Week - No exam)

Yay! Norman statistics!

Finally. Car crash and cell phone statistics in Norman for recent years.

In 2006, Thirty-three (33) motor vehicle collisions occurred where cell phones were in use in the City of Norman. One (1) of those collisions resulted in a death and 14 resulted in injuries.

In 2007 to date, forty-two (42) motor vehicle collision occurred where cell phones were in use. Twenty-three (23) of those collisions resulted in injuries.

Sidebars/Graphics

Did any of you come across information that would be particularly great for a sidebar or graphic? As I'm sorting through, there's some good suggestions, and a ton of numbers, but I realize I need to ask the reporters that gathered the data as to what is the most important. Feel free to comment with text or links.

Something Fun

Just something lighter in regards to cell phone use while driving...
Plus, it's a great piece of information in case you ever have to resort to carjacking.

How To Profile A Saint

One big challenge with the kind of profiles some of you are pursuing is that they focus on truly admirable characters, such as outstanding faculty members or inspirational role models or people who have triumphed over adversity. The trick is to find a way to include something other than a string of consistently gushy quotes and flattering anecdotes. That’s tough to do when the subject is somebody who genuinely deserves admiration.

One way to provide a little balance is to ask your profile subjects some questions designed to provide a more nuanced portrait. Are there are any dark chapters in their lives? Anything they did they now regret? Anything about their past they’re not proud of? Any exceptions to what appears to be the life story of a saint? When they got in trouble in high school, what was it for? If they were writing their own profile, what would they describe as their strong and weak points?

When you talk to family, friends and colleagues, ask them whether the profile subjects are as perfect as they sound, or whether they have traits or experiences that would make them appear more human, like the rest of us. Sometimes questions like that will elicit material that makes the story less one-dimensional, and probably more honest.

To identify some of these sources, you will need to ask the profile subjects themselves for suggestions and contact information. When you talk to your subjects, ask them whom they would suggest to provide interesting observations about their present and past. Tell them you’d like to talk to old friends, family members, teachers, cronies, rivals, enemies, etc. Just asking for names & numbers might cause your subjects to remember and describe funny or serious anecdotes you can use in the story.

When it comes to in-depth profiles, nothing or nobody is irrelevant or off-limits.

Think about the kind of people you can use as sources, besides the obvious. People who worked with them in previous jobs? Professional competitors? High school buddies? Grade-school teachers? Parents? Siblings? Best friends? Spouses? Old boyfriends? Fellow poker players?

Also think about potential information sources. If your subjects are journalists or educators, what about clip searches for stories or articles they might have written? High school yearbooks? Report cards? Graduation speeches? Do your subjects have their own websites? Blogs? Do they post on other people’s blogs? Do they pop up on Facebook? MySpace? YouTube? The police blotter?

Good luck and have fun.

Kids Using Cell Phones Raises Concerns

The Indy Star reported today that kids as young as five are using cell phones now...
When Quri Twitty misplaced her cell phone charger about a month ago, the 5-year-old became upset, her mom, Collene, says.
So with this generation starting to use phones before they can write cursive, what does this mean for the next generation of drivers? Can this legislation be important as a preventative measure for the future?

Okla. Highway Safety Office

Here are the numbers that Dr. Kerr put up during Mass Comm Law Monday:

1998: 98
1999: 107
2000: 93
2001: 134
2002: 235
2003: 337
2004: 567
2005: 775
2006: 802

The source is: Oklahoma Highway Safety Office.
The numbers are the TOTAL number of Oklahoma crashes where a cell phone was a factor.
Good luck!

Survey on Driving/Cell Phone Use By a Cell Company

A press release came out this morning from Teletouch Communication' Hawk Electronics Division. The company, one of the biggest cellular providers for AT&T in the Arkansas/Texas area focused on two issues in a an e-mail survey that garnered 458 responses: general cell etiquette and cell use while driving.

According to the Hawk survey:

80% of the respondents admit to talking on their cell phone while driving without the use of a hands-free device;

Of that same group, 57% believe that it should be against the law to drive and talk on a mobile device without the use of a hands-free device;

Only 32% admit to having checked e-mail or sending a text message while driving.

Graphic

What if our graphic was a chart that showed different sources' data on how may wrecks per year are caused by cell phone usage? It would be interesting to compare how the numbers differ from source to source depending on the point they're trying to prove. Maybe.

FARS

I checked Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) website. They have national statistics on motor vehicle traffic crashes, but don't specify the cause of the crashes.
For more informations go to the FARS site here.

Info on my wreck

The really mangled car is the one driven by the girl who was talking on her cell phone. The Camaro was the front car; the
marks on the Camaro are from my Jeep Grand Cherokee's front grill. Mine was the middle car.
Wreck info...
The wreck occurred in March 2007. I was driving south on 12th street during rush hour traffic, which was stop-and-go. I came to
a complete stop. The driver of the rear car (a Toyota, I think) drove into the back of my Jeep, pushing my car into the Camaro
stopped in front of me. My seatbelt caught me, and my arm hit the shifter, moving it into neutral. My car was diagonal
between my lane and the oncoming traffic lane.
I got out of my car and ran to the car behind me, as did the two girls in the Camaro. When asked if she was alright, the
girl causing the accident was still on her cell phone. She asked if we had called the police, and, when told yes, continued to talk
on her phone. She could not open the driver's side door because it was deformed in the wreck.
I believe she was chaged with negilgence while driving...it's on the police report, which can be pulled up.
My car was totaled, with damage to the front and rear. I believe the Camaro was totaled as well.

New state info on cell phone crashes

Just got off the phone with Kara Phillips, spokesman for Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.

She said the numbers for crashes involving cell phones are skewed because drivers don't admit to the officer that they were on the cell phone at the time.
"The numbers we have are by admission only," she said.
Phillips said cell phones are usually not the main cause of an accident anyway. A driver can look down at a cell phone, she said, look up and try to swerve to miss colliding with a car or object in the road. The driver will often overcorrect and have an accident.
"It just causes a chain of events," Phillips said.

Pictures?

I didn't know if we were planning on using pictures or anything of that nature for the story, but I have pictures from the 3-car wreck I was involved in last semester.
Do we need these???

The Opposing View

Check out an editorial in today's Boston Herald.
"But until firm data confirms that talking on a hand-held phone is the biggest distraction for an experienced adult driver - one that causes accidents in greater numbers than any other - we’ll see this effort for the empty gesture that it is, and encourage its defeat."

A suggestion

This may be too late for the cell phone story, but what if we found out the number of cell phone calls and text messages occuring every minute, hour, day, etc. to show the prevalence of cell phone use? I don't know who you would need to go to find out this information, but I am sure it is out there.

Wednesday Room Change & Guest Speaker

In-Depth Reporting Class:

Our 9:30 a.m. class tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 19) will be held in the Hall of Fame room in Gaylord Hall.
Our guest speaker is Ziva Branstetter, Projects & Investigative Editor for the Tulsa World.
I emailed you some bio info on Ziva and copies of some of her investigative work.
Please look over this material and come to class prepared to ask some questions.
Of the eight guest speakers I brought to campus last fall, five of whom were Pulitzer winners, Ziva was the most highly regarded by students. She can offer great ideas on how to conceive, plan and execute a big project story or feature.
She also is a good person to get to know if you have any potential interest in interning or working in Tulsa.
Thanks in advance for giving her a warm welcome.
Warren

Since taking charge of the Tulsa World projects team, Ziva Branstetter has won a series of investigative journalism awards for exposing problems with nursing home care, the juvenile justice system and political corruption in Oklahoma. She also has achieved recognition for championing open records issues, and coached her peers in the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization. Branstetter writes and edits projects for a three-person investigative team at the World, where she previously held positions as a reporter and assistant city editor. She also worked at the Philadelphia Daily News and the Tulsa Tribune.

Interview with Gina Harris

Gina Harris knows the power of talking
She has been talking to anyone who will listen about cell phone safety.
Harris said that she realizes that people would still use their phones while driving just like everyone speeds although it is against the law. She just wants people stop and analyze their actions.
“Hopefully this law will make people think about what they are doing, most people are good natured and do not intend to break the law,” She said.
Besides working with lawmakers she is also addressing the problem by talking with young people about this issue.
“The younger you start with children the easier it is for them to understand that this is a serious matter,” Harris said.
She has also been getting help from her extended family.
My cousin’s daughter has started a petition at Putnam High School to not use cell phones while driving.”
Harris says that Oklahoma is ready for this type of law.
“It is amazing how many people I talk to and I have only received one negative response, people want a change.”

Insurance People

I don't know who's interviewing the insurance world, but I found a link to a State Farm web site dedicated to cell phone usage while driving.
Link: State Farm

A QUESTION!

Hey guys,
I was in a 3-car wreck last semester caused by a girl on her cell phone. I have the names of the other girls who were involved. Would someone want to interview them? I'm kind of at a conflict of interest since I was involved.
-Hailey