The Quill articles from October 2001

The Quill archives from October 2001

The world is watching: When the rest of the country stops, journalists go to work. (From the Editor).(September 11th, 2001)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
October 1, 2001... Jeffrey D. Mohl We talk a lot in this magazine about the shortcomings of our profession -- the ethical lapses, the growing public mistrust of the media, and the increasing influence of profits on the news. But when tragedy hit our...

Take a moment for yourself: During a tragedy, a journalist's job can become overwhelming. (From the President).(Ray Marcano, Society of Professional Journalists)(Brief Article)(Column)
October 1, 2001... This was supposed to be a farewell column. I will hand the SPJ Presidency to Al Cross on Oct. 6, and for months I had thought about how I would write my final president's column. Would I focus on membership initiatives? Maybe I would...

Reporter pulled off story after complaint. (Odds & Ends).(Karen Lee Ziner, Providence Journal)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... When Karen Lee Ziner, a police reporter for The Providence Journal, was assigned a story in May about a domestic violence case, she tracked down a police report and summarized what it said: that a woman had been hit repeatedly with a hammer...

AOL-time Warner to cut 1,700 AOL jobs. (Odds & Ends).(media and internet company, United States)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... AOL Time Warner Inc., the world's largest Internet and media company, announced plans Aug. 21 to lay off about 1,700 workers; the third major round of layoffs at the company since finishing its $106.2 billion merger in January. The media...

Study: Online ad revenue to hit $15 billion by 2006. (Odds & Ends).(Jupiter Media Metrix Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... A new study from Jupiter Media Metrix predicted that the shortage of online advertisements in the tech industry would ease by 2006, reaching $15 billion. The rebound is nowhere in sight this year, however; the study, released in August, says...

Court: Sellers should not pay for ad mistakes. (Odds & Ends).(advertising, California Supreme Court)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The California Supreme Court ruled on July 30 that if a newspaper publishes the wrong price for merchandise in an advertisement, sellers aren't obligated to honor the mistake when making transactions. The case's outcome disappointed an...

Judge rules journalists need not reveal sources. (Odds & Ends).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... An editor and a former reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer aren't obligated to reveal the identities of the confidential sources used in stories about the Chiquita banana company that the paper later retracted, a federal magistrate ruled in...

Newsroom joke results in complaints, apology. (Odds & Ends).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Mariposa Gazette, which proclaims itself to be California's oldest weekly newspaper, ran a small blurb in early August announcing a meeting of the Mariposa Democratic Club. The routine item would likely have escaped public comment, except...

After shock: Journalists struggle with their own emotions as they deliver news and perspective after terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
October 1, 2001... The kegs were running dry at Langan's bar on west 47th Street - the beer delivery trucks hadn't made it into Manhattan. Soon after the crew of reporters from the New York Post arrived at their favorite watering hole, they switched from warm...

Press freedom under attack: When the public turns against free speech.
October 1, 2001... Significant numbers of Americans believe that freedom of the press is a problem for our society rather than a solution. In fact, nearly half of the respondents in the most recent State of the First Amendment survey believe the press has too...

New beginnings in Rwanda: Once controlled by a repressive government, Rwandan journalists begin anew as they establish reporting methods based on responsibility, accuracy and fairness.
October 1, 2001... Bodies floated down the Ruzizi River as Eugene Cornelius made his way out of Rwanda. He left his car behind when it ran out of fuel. He gave all his money to the border guards - a bribe so they would let him out of his war-torn homeland...

Journalism: Awards * Fellowships * Internships * Scholarships. (Special Advertising Section).
October 1, 2001... Awards Robert F. Kennedy Memorial The 34th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards For Outstanding Coverage of the Disadvantaged Robert F. Kennedy Memorial 1367 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036 ...

Freedom: A fight for everyone; It doesn't take a big-name journalism organization to make a stand for the First Amendment.
October 1, 2001... To Kansas native Keen A. Umbehr, the freedom to write newspaper articles critical of elected officials was his constitutional right. To the county commissioners he routinely skewered, it was rubbish. And to the Supreme Court of the...

'Air Marshal' Program to protect Air Travelers. (A FACS Special Report).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Armed federal marshals attempt to protect the skies through the Federal Air Marshal Program, directed by the Federal Aviation Administration. It is likely the marshal program will be expanded in the wake of the Sept. 11 hijackings, in...

Progress in building design: More efficient modern engineering techniques may result in less safe structures. (A FACS Special Report).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... BUILDING SAFETY DOES NOT NECESSARILY INCREASE AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES. Case and point: July 28 1945, a Mitchell B-25 bomber lost its bearing in the fog and flew into the Empire State Building in New York City. The crash caused a fire that...

Minnesota Pros wage legal battle for open records. (SPJ Report).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Over the last several months, a number of the SPJ Minnesota Pro Chapter's board members have been fighting with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety over a serious open records issue. The Department of Public Safety had decided to...

Foundation chooses Holley for Pulliam Editorial Fellowship. (SPJ Report).(Sigma Delta Chi Foundation selects Joe Holley)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... INDIANAPOLIS - The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the educational arm of the Society of Professional Journalists, has awarded the 2001-2002 Eugene C. Pulliam Editorial Fellowship to Joe Holley, Insight editor at the San Antonio Express-News. ...

Funding available for SPJ chapter programs. (SPJ Report).
October 1, 2001... Ideas are plentiful, volunteers are eager, but sometimes the funds are limited when it comes to programming dollars for SPJ chapters around the country. So, again this year, SPJ's national office has set aside $5,000 to help fund local...

Apply for summer internships at SPJ: Two Pulliam/Kilgore freedom of information internships available each summer. (SPJ Report).(Society of Professional Journalists)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Good internships help you build relationships with professional journalists who can mentor you, serve as references for you and maybe even hire you one day. If you're planning on pursuing journalism after you finish school, get a couple of...

SPJ Ethics Committee urges caution, compassion in coverage of tragedy. (SPJ Report).(Society of Professional Journalists, September 11 attacks)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Leaders of the Society of Professional Journalists and its Ethics Committee encouraged journalists to balance their passion for great coverage with ethical considerations in light of the human tragedy that continues to unfold in New York,...

You must read this column. (SPJ Report).(Society of Professional Journalists)(Brief Article)(Column)
October 1, 2001... In Chinese the ideogram for the word "crisis" (wei-ji) is actually a combination of two words - danger and opportunity. That is the perfect characterization of crisis because when you are confronted in such a situation, you generally can...

South Carolina SPJ chapter sponsors freedom of information discussion. (SPJ Report).(Society of Professional Journalists)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Lowcountry Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists sponsored a panel discussion on freedom of information recently at the College of Charleston. The panelists -- state Rep. Shirley Hinson, South Carolina Press...

Freedom trumps the need to define 'journalist': Some journalists miss the point of Vanessa Leggett's struggle. (Collecting Information).(United States)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... As I write this, Vanessa Leggett is spending her 49th day in a Houston jail -- making her the longest-jailed journalist in American history for refusing to disclose confidential sources. And here's the real kicker: many folks reading that...

Open communication, Open justice: Forums help journalists and judges see through each other's eyes. (Collecting Information).
October 1, 2001... With the advent of CourtTV, the proliferation of television judge shows and the public obsession with the Timothy McVeigh and O.J. Simpson cases, there is no disputing America's fascination with the criminal justice system. Yet most...

Iowa County to lower fees for photocopies. (In-Brief).(Gannett Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Polk County, Iowa, settled with The Des Moines Register in August in a lawsuit the Register had filed to fight the fee the county recorder was charging for photocopies. The county also said it would pay the newspaper's $5,000 in legal...

Philly coach reinstates press after photo dispute. (In-Brief).(Andy Reid )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Philadelphia football coach Andy Reid shut out and then invited back a newspaper and four television stations during his training camp Aug. 21. The media outlets' crime -- taking to the air the previous day to watch the Eagles try out the new...

Journalists rise to challenge of tragedy: In a difficult time, the media have done a good job -- so far. (Weighing the Impacts).(coverage of September 11 terrorist attacks)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington unquestionably were the biggest news event of this still-new century; they rank among a thankfully few others as the biggest in the history of mass media. In the enormity of such a...

Covering Arab Americans: Minimizing harm to a vulnerable community. (Varying the Voice).
October 1, 2001... As a hijacked plane tore into the World Trade Center and billowing smoke enveloped the New York City skyline, Niraj Warikoo was asleep in his Detroit apartment nearly 500 miles away. Slated to cover Tuesday night's local primary election,...

NABJ takes action on money problems. (In-Brief).(National Association of Black Journalists )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... In late August, the National Association of Black Journalists agreed to establish an advisory panel that will help monitor the group's troubled financial outlook. Because of a $500,000 budgetary shortfall caused by Wall Street declines and...

Grad schools benefit from sluggish economy: When jobs are hard to come by, many journalists consider going back to school. (Developing Minds).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... In a year of new media closures and old media layoffs, an increased number of recent graduates and experienced professionals have found master's journalism programs more attractive than another year in the job market. Admissions...

Freedom Forum helps fund journalism center. (In-Brief).(University of Mississippi )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... Thanks to a $5 million grant from The Freedom Forum, The University of Mississippi (UM) is planning to renovate its journalism facility and build a center devoted to studying journalism and politics in the South, Chancellor Robert Khayat...

Russian whistle-blower on trial for treason: Pasko case is part of a larger battle between Russian journalists and the government. (Covering the Globe).(Grigory Pasko)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Grigory Pasico never set out to be a crusader for press freedom. But that is what the former naval officer became when the Russian secret security services arrested him and slapped him in jail on espionage charges in November 1997. Nearly...

China paper fires reporter over story. (In-Brief).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A newspaper in China's southeastern province of Jiangxi fired a senior reporter whose story on illicit organ harvesting angered authorities in Beijing, according to a human rights group on Aug. 2. The Hong Kong-based Information Center on...

Mexico prodded to solve journalist's death. (In-Brief).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... After two suspects were released days earlier by a Jalisco state judge, U.S. officials asked Mexican authorities in August to resolve the case of San Antonio Express-News journalist Philip True -- whose body was discovered in the remote...

Design that follows content: A well-designed page should be the goal of reporters, too. (Mastering the Art).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Fifty new faces greeted me today in my Editing and Design class. It's the start of the fall semester at our campus, and it's just a matter of time before I get that question again. Very soon, one of the future reporters in the class...

Easy usually does it for readers: Don't confuse readers by filling a sentence with more than a single idea. (Mastering the Art).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Last time, we discussed obtrusive writing -- hurdles in a sentence that readers must leap before getting the message. Those obstacles can mean the difference between poor and polished writing. One of the most common contributors to...

People & Places.
October 1, 2001... At the St. Petersburg Times in late July, Robert Hooker was named deputy managing editor and Tim Nickens, the newspaper's political editor, was named metro editor. Hooker, a 30-year employee of the Times, served as metro editor for the past...

Deaths.(Obituary)
October 1, 2001... Bob Rothe, 59, a former editor and writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Newsday and Philadelphia Inquirer, died of an apparent heart attack July 23 at his home in Roanoke, Va. In the Chronicle's People section of the 1970s and...