Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

This story is based upon a recent issue of Parade Magazine, which features an annual story on what “Americans make” in terms of salary. The story opens with the statement “Pay is a personal issue, yet one we all wonder about – ‘How much does my neighbor make?’ is a question most people ask themselves.” Is this first sentence based on any verifiable data or study? Is there any source that is cited to support such a statement within this channel 13 story? If not, why say it? The reporter goes on to say “We, like most of America, enjoy reading Parade magazine inside our Sunday paper.” Again, if this true for most of America? What does the story mean by “most of America?” It is true that Parade Magazine appears in many Sunday newspaper editions (350 Sunday editions), but the story doesn’t say that it is also in the Grand Rapids Press and that the same company that owns the Grand Rapids Press owns Parade Magazine.

The story then shifts to the various levels of income between “the baker and the billionaire,” and even provides viewers with the web address on Parade Magazines website so you can compare your salary with other Americans. The story does not tell viewers that Salary.com is a corporate resource that “builds on-demand software around a deep domain knowledge in the area of compensation to help customers win the war for talent by simplifying the connections between people, pay and performance.” The story then goes on to source a local “compensation expert” who is the director of the Employer’s Association, which is another corporate entity that helps employers find people to work for them. The story then provides viewers with a few examples from local CEO salaries, a lawyer, an athlete, a clerk at Meijer, a fast food restaurant supervisor, and several others with smaller salaries. The layer is sourced in the story and the Employer’s Association director once again.

The story ends with the question “What is the most common, or median income around Grand Rapids?” The question is answered by providing data from the U.S. Department of Labor, but viewers should ask themselves what was the purpose of this story? Why didn’t the story get an non-business perspective on wages and salaries in the United States such as the perspective provided by the organization United for a Fair Economy, which provides a number of resources on income disparity and CEO pay versus worker pay.

Story:

Grand Rapids – Pay is a personal issue, yet one we all wonder about – ‘How much does my neighbor make?’ is a question most people ask themselves.

Our story idea is not original. We, like most of America, enjoy reading Parade magazine inside our Sunday paper. Every year, right about when taxes are due, Parade “parades” photos and pay levels of people from across the country. From the baker to the internet billionaire, it’s fascinating reading. You can learn more about What People Earn from Parade Magazine’s website.

It includes a salary wizard from http://www.salary.com. You can plug in your own data and see how your pay stacks up.

However, a compensation expert from Grand Rapids, cautions that salary dot com’s data tends to be inflated by 10 to 20%. David Smith, executive director of The Employer’s Association also says Grand Rapids pay levels, in general, “pays a bit less than the rest of the world.”

Some salaries are easy to find – if you work for a public company, or the government, they’re easily available. The highest salary in our report belongs to the C.E.O. of Steelcase, Inc. Jim Hackett. In the company’s last fiscal year, his salary was $840,000. Runnerup, sort of, was pro athlete Jimmy Howard. We says sort of since Howard’s income depends on the jersey he’s wearing. When he’s with the Detroit Red Wings, his pay rate is $733,000. When he’s in goal for the Griffins, it’s closer to $85,000.

Some people told us they don’t like to be judged on their pay level. One of them was the chief appellate attorney for the Kent County Prosecutor’s office, Tim McMurrow. He says “A lot of people will define you in terms of what your income is, and I think that’s really unfair.” McMurrow declined to tell us what his income his, but a Freedom of Information Act request revealed he’s paid $96,969 a year.

Dave Smith, of The Employer’s Association, said for most people pay “defines who they are in the perception of others.” For some of the people we encountered on the streets of Grand Rapids, it was no big deal to volunteer their pay.

Geoff Gentel, a sales clerk at Meijer, said his annual full-time income was about $10,000. Shannon Veenstra, a fast food restaurant supervisor, will bring home about $17,888 this year. Benson Garza, a laborer with a concrete company will earn $50,000.

Others making about $50,000 were mailman Dennis Kimberlin ($49,000), car salesman Dale Schaub ($45,000), and machinist Tom Slenker ($50,000).

What is the most common, or median income around Grand Rapids? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the figure is $31,242. The average income in 2006 was $38,060. Both of those figures showed increases from the year before.

Analysis:

This Grand Rapids Press article examines a recent event held as part of a nationwide “Step It Up 2” event calling for a 80% reduction in carbon emission by 2050. While the article contained the primary demand of the campaign, it failed to cite any organizers or discuss specific stemps being sought by the campaign to reduce emission.

Representative Vern Ehlers is the only person cited in the article. Ehlers says that the environmental movement’s efforts to draw attention to global warming have been successful and that there are few people in Congress now that doubt global warming. The article makes no mention of current efforts to address global warming in Congress or Ehlers’ record on the environment.

Story:

GRAND RAPIDS — West Michigan environmental groups today joined a national effort to call for legislation to reduce carbon emissions in the United States by 80 percent by 2050.

Today’s event, attended by about 50, was part of the “Step it Up” campaign to demonstrate to federal, state and local lawmakers that environmental issues are of broad concern to the public.

The group’s first event in April drew about 400 people and was one of about 1,400 events nationwide.

Today’s event was held at The Rapid central station, the Grand Rapids area bus system’s headquarters.

Congressman Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, told those gathered that efforts to convince members of Congress have worked. Only a handful of his colleagues still harbor doubts about the threat of climate change, compared to a decade ago when questions remained as to whether it was even a real issue.

“The good news is that we have passed a crucial point,” Ehlers said. “The key questions 10 years ago were is global warming real, what’s causing it and what can we do about it? Just about every member of Congress is at least past that first question.”

Today’s event was sponsored by the Sierra Club, West Michigan Environmental Action Council and the United Steelworkers of America Blue Green Alliance.

Analysis:

This story appeared on the front page of the Grand Rapids Press, right under a story about a guy who carves wooden pumpkins. The first question to ask yourself is “how did this information get to the GR Press?” Was it part of a media release from the DeVos family or from Greenridge Reality? The story reads like an ad from a company that sells houses, with lengthy descriptions of what the house looks like, the surrounding property, even dimensions of the home are included.

The only sources used in the story is a statement from the Agent that listed the property for sale, a neighbor who said they loved to see the DeVos helicopter land, and another wealthy neighbor/developer who was confident that the property would sell. There is a bit of information from the Holland City Assessor’s office on the value of the property, but no other information is provided. Accompanying the front page story is a photo of the home and a fact box with information that is included at the end of the story on your left. Why did the Grand Rapids Press consider this news? Why list property sales as a news story, especially since they don’t do this when average income citizens sell their homes? Does this suggest that there is favoritism when reporting on the DeVos family? Lastly, how does this story provide useful information for those living in West Michigan?

Story:

With a three-car garage, a dock that can accommodate four boats, and a helicopter pad, Holland’s most expensive home was built to be the ultimate summer getaway.

After upgrading to a Lake Michigan mansion near Tunnel Park in neighboring Park Township, billionaire Richard DeVos is selling his longtime summer compound on Lake Macatawa for $4.5 million.

Spread along 2.9 acres on South Shore Drive, the estate features a 12,146-square-foot house with five bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms, and a 1,128-square-foot guest house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Outside, the property offers deep-water frontage the length of three football fields. Inside the plush residence, amenities include marble floors, a gourmet kitchen and indoor pool.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own the most significant estate on Lake Macatawa,” agent Ken Grashuis says on his Greenridge Realty Inc. Web site.

Grashuis, who was vacationing in Florida, could not be reached for comment. And a DeVos spokeswoman did not return a call for comment.

A tour of the house is by appointment only. Even without a tour, you still can take a peek via Grashuis’ Web site, which offers eight photos of the home’s exterior, including the lake view and tennis court.

Completed in 1984, the contemporary-style residence was built by Dan Vos Construction.

The Ada Township-based construction company also built Hope College’s $22 million DeVos Fieldhouse in 2005 and the Alticor Corp. World Headquarters in Ada.

The selling price is a tad more than what Holland Assessing Administrator Dave VanderHeide pegs the property at.

City records place the value of the parcel with the main house at about $3.6 million, and a second parcel with the guest house at $700,000, for a total of $4.3 million.

But having the Amway co-founder and his wife, Helen, for neighbors was priceless, say those who lived nearby. When her children were little, DeVos would play with them on the swing set, said Cathy Koop, who lives next door in a brick Colonial.

“They were wonderful neighbors,” Koop said.

Having a billionaire neighbor who came and went by air, water or land was fun.

“We loved watching the helicopter. Everybody would run to the window to watch it. We got a real kick out of it,” Koop said.

Earlier this year, DeVos bought a $6.2 million home on North Lakeshore Drive, one of several pieces of property he’s acquiring along that corridor, records show.

For his old neighbors, the question is: How long will they have to wait for the sound of whirling blades to fill the air again?

Holland developer and South Shore Drive neighbor Scott Geerlings doesn’t think the tough real estate market has reached multimillion-dollar mansions.

“That’s the only part of the market that is good,” Geerlings said, taking a phone call between rounds of golf.

“It’s a beautiful piece of property, and I think it should sell.”

There still will be a DeVos in the neighborhood. DeVos’ son Dick owns a summer house down the street.

Holland’s priciest house

The DeVos place on Lake Macatawa:

Address: 1025 South Shore Drive

Price: $4.5 million

Down payment: $225,000

Monthly mortgage (30 years at 6.75 percent): $27,727.57

Annual property taxes: $77,000

Listed on: Agent Ken Grashuis’ Greenridge Realty properties page at greenridge.com/agent/proplist.asp?CEQ_AgentCode=277

Analysis:

This story that appeared in the “Your Life” section of the GR Press is based upon a promotional stunt between the fast food chain Taco Bell and Major League Baseball. Why do you think that the Grand Rapids Press would pay one of their reporters to drive around town with a Press photographer and eat tacos from Taco Bell? How does this story pass as journalism? Would the Press pay a reporter to spend as much time driving to 10 different fast food restaurants and ask the workers about their wages and working conditions? The GR Press may argue that this is meant as a humorous entertainment piece, but how does that inform the community about what entertainment options are available to citizens of West Michigan?

Story:

A free taco is tempting.

Ten free tacos in three hours? Equally hard to resist, but much harder to digest.

Allow me to explain. Last week, a certain fast-food chain announced it would give everyone in America a free taco if a player stole a base during the World Series. A base was stolen (thanks, Boston Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury) and, from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, free tacos were served.

Because the company earned tons of free publicity for this giveaway, I’ll avoid using its name more than necessary, other than to say there are more than a dozen Taco Bell locations in the Grand Rapids area. My self-appointed mission was to stop at 10 and eat a free taco within the allotted time.

Dishonest? Yeah. Unhealthy? Most likely. Gross? No doubt. But hey, free tacos.

So, with a map in hand and a gut full of pre-emptive Pepto Bismol, I set out with a photographer to claim 10 times my share of free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Tacos. Call it early trick-or-treating, only with more meat and lettuce than usual.

I expected Hannah Montana levels of hysteria at each franchise, with lines spilling out the doors, but was perplexed to discover business-as-usual crowds and zero fanfare.

That was probably a conscious decision on the company’s part.

Once you’ve committed to giving away 300 million tacos, it’s understandable you would want to keep it quiet on the big day.

That would explain why the promotion happened during the normally slow late afternoon. It also would explain a lot of the eye-rolling from employees when I strode proudly to each counter and demanded a free taco and nothing else. Apparently, the ploy was to lure customers into the restaurants and get them to buy other items. Sorry, not interested.

At any rate, it’s too early to guess whether the promotion was successful. I would say it probably was, in terms of buzz. When was the last time you heard people chatting about fast-food tacos?

I wasn’t the only person with the franchise-hopping idea.

At my ninth stop, I met Chad, a 24-year-old Grand Rapids resident who wouldn’t give his last name. The 44th Street location was his fourth stop of a planned six.

“I just have to,” Chad said. “You gotta take advantage of things like this.”

And take advantage we did.

The company’s Web site had some threatening language about managers being able to turn away customers if there was reason to believe they already received their free taco. By the time I was almost done, the green tint to my face should have been all the tip-off they needed.

But I persevered. By 4:45 p.m., I had a sore gut to prove I consumed way more tacos than any human ever should.

After the fact, I came across donateyourtaco.com. Visitors to the site who didn’t want their Crunchy Seasoned Beef could submit their name, and the site would ask Taco Bell to donate the value of the unclaimed tacos (77 cents apiece) to the American Red Cross.

Great idea. But, since I found the site too late, I’m hoping someone will make a charitable donation to Buy-Troy-Some-More-Pepto-Bismol.com.

I asked a co-worker if she cared to join me on the excursion, and she said, “My body is a temple.” I guess that would make mine something like a garage, or a shed.

Analysis:

This article is a shortened version of what ran in the New York Times and is based on an interview with Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean.

The article begins with criticism of how Dean is handling the position as National Party Chair and his current battle with Florida Democrats whom the story says are suing Dean, an issue that Dean refers to as “a spat between politicians.” The article also claims that Dean thinks he is influencing the current cast of Democratic Presidential candidates because of “its strong opposition to the war in Iraq.” The article never says which candidates are in opposition to the war in Iraq, nor does it provides any verification of the claim that Democratic candidates are against the war or that Dean himself was against the war in Iraq. The first section of the article ends by making some broad comparisons to previous National Party chairs like Ronald Brown and Terry McAuliffe, who is refered to as “the Party’s most successful fundraiser.”

The second section of the story is mostly about what role, if any, Dean is playing in supporting the current Democratic Presidential candidates. He only mentions Clinton and Biden in his remarks and avoids responding to a question about Al Gore running again. The only two responses he has to questions posed by the reporter on the Democratic Presidential candidates are “What I tell Democrats is do not vote with your head, vote with your heart,” and “They’re starting to look presidential, which is how you win.”

The story concludes with some criticism by the Democratic candidates of the way Dean is handling his position, with an emphasis on whether or not the national party will have money to spend after the presidential nomination. Dean says there will be plenty of money when responding specifically to being able to pay for television commercials, but the reporter provides readers with no background or context for how much money that might be or why so much money is spent on TV commercials.

Story:

There has never been a Democratic chairman with as much firsthand knowledge about running for president as Howard Dean.

Four years ago, at this stage in the race, he was flying high. Now, Mr. Dean is being sued by Democrats in Florida and second-guessed over how he is spending the party’s money. He seldom receives so much as a call seeking advice from this year’s candidates.

The rise and abrupt fall of his campaign now seems to hold lessons for some of the current contenders, from what it means to assume an air of inevitability to the dangers of counting on grass-roots energy to translate into votes. But Mr. Dean also sees ways in which the field has adopted elements of his candidacy, like its strong opposition to the war in Iraq.

“I often find myself ahead of the curve,” he said, a satisfied smile falling over his face. “Unfortunately, ‘I told you so,’ is an incredibly unsuccessful campaign slogan.”

For Mr. Dean, this could be a moment of great prominence, a chance to tower over the party at a buoyant moment. But most days, he conducts business in near obscurity, rarely appearing on television or at public events. It is a sharp departure from chairmen like Ronald H. Brown, a power broker known for firing off strategy memorandums in 1992, or Terry McAuliffe, a highly visible figure and one of the party’s most successful fund-raisers, who stepped down in 2005.

Mr. Dean travels the country without an entourage, often stopping in state capitals like here in Minnesota, inspecting the progress of projects like a door-knocking program that encourages people to stop by 25 houses three times before Election Day. To a room filled with activists, he declares, “We need to knock on most of the doors in America in the next year!”

Mr. Dean appears content with his role, talking about the past and the present with a relaxed air of confidence. For more than an hour, over lunch at the St. Paul Grill, he scoops up details about the race, asking questions only a former candidate who spent months in Iowa and New Hampshire might know.

“The only wistful moments I’ve had are at the debates,” said Mr. Dean, who has been seated in the audience for many of them. “I relish the combat and I miss it.”

He avoids mentioning specific names of Democratic candidates — “I try to stay out of the business of the campaigns,” he said — but ultimately slips in a reference to Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.

“I know what it’s like to be where they are — all of them, from Biden to Clinton,” Mr. Dean said, pushing his fork through a platter of Caesar salad. “Because I’ve been in all of their positions: bottom, middle and top.”

A conversation today with Mr. Dean is a study in discipline compared with his offhand remarks that were prone to generate headlines four years ago. He does not disagree with the assessment, saying he is “unlike the old me.” Why such caution? “You live and you learn, right?” he replies.

So a string of questions are answered with a fresh, yet telling, caution:

Should Al Gore get into the race? “I’ve never discussed that with him, and I don’t plan to. My bailiwick is to stay out of that stuff.” (Mr. Gore, of course, endorsed Mr. Dean four years ago.) After 26 seconds of silence, he changes the subject and asks his lunch guests, “Coffee, strawberry shortcake, anybody?”

If Democrats want the best nominee possible, why not weigh in? “What I tell Democrats is do not vote with your head, vote with your heart.” Did that happen four years ago? “I’m not going to get into that — at all!”

At this point in the race, how do the candidates compare with those 2004? “They’re starting to look presidential, which is how you win.” Pausing for a moment, he laughed. “I’m not sure I ever looked presidential,” he said.

And the campaign? “It’s not as hard-nosed as a race as it was four years ago. The candidates are much more polite to each other.”

While his advisers are in frequent contact with aides to the eight Democratic campaigns, Mr. Dean has spent little one-on-one time with candidates, with the exception of courtesy calls most of them paid to him when the race began. Since then, Mr. Dean has largely watched from afar, overseeing a streamlining of the party’s voter database and other technological upgrades at the committee.

“Most people are only involved in presidential campaigns to the extent that candidates want them to be involved,” said Joseph Andrew, who served as party chairman in 1999 and 2000. With eight candidates, as well as Democrats in control of Congress, Mr. Andrew said the chairman was bound to have a less prominent role.

While the candidates do not publicly criticize Mr. Dean, their aides are furious with what they see as his inability to set and stick to a primary calendar, given that the voting is scheduled to start in less than three months.

Mr. Dean, they said, has failed to avoid the hopscotching among states seeking to increase their influence in the process, and has made matters worse by getting into a showdown with states like Florida, which set an earlier primary date than party rules allow. Mr. Dean’s vow to strip away delegates from the state prompted the lawsuit.

His critics also worry that the Democratic National Committee will lack the money necessary to support the party’s candidate in the long months after a nominee emerges but before the general election formally gets under way. The party chairman’s duties include overseeing how the party spends its money and helping set election rules.

Mr. Dean brushes aside the criticism, calling the Florida situation “a spat between politicians.” As for worries about the committee being able to broadcast television commercials to support the party’s nominee, he snapped, “There will be plenty of money.”

He vigorously defends his signature program, trying to build the party’s strength in all 50 states, but still finds himself responding to criticism for investing millions of dollars hiring party workers in Republican-dominated states like Alaska.

“Having more people in Alaska doesn’t look so stupid this year, does it?” Mr. Dean said, noting a Senate and House seat that suddenly turned competitive as two longtime Republican incumbents face federal investigation. “Chance favors the prepared mind. Never forget it.”

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

While Mr. Dean said he intended to stay on as Democratic chairman until his term expires in 2009, he is slowly preparing to relinquish authority to the party’s nominee. “As long as they continue the 50-state strategy, which they have already agreed to do,” Mr. Dean said, “I see a relatively frictionless takeover.”

This summer, presidential candidates signed an agreement, put forward by state party leaders, pledging their support for continuing the program. While few Democrats argue with trying to bolster the party across the country, several campaign officials say it is too expensive.

The Democratic Party’s presidential candidates and its Congressional re-election committees have raised more money than their Republican counterparts. The Democratic National Committee, though, has fallen behind the Republican National Committee. In a disclosure report filed Saturday, the D.N.C. said it had $3.25 million in the bank, compared with $9.71 million heading into the presidential race four years ago.

Still, throughout the lunch, Mr. Dean pronounced himself happy with the state of the Democratic Party, its field of candidates and his tenure as chairman.

“I’d say there are more people who don’t like me,” he said, “than there are skeptics.”

With that, he ordered a decaf cappuccino and the waitress brought the check.

Analysis:

This article is originally from the Washington Post and as you can see the Grand Rapids Press version is only half the original version. The story is based upon an announcement that the Bush administration is going to impose new sanctions on the Iranian military according to “a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.” The story says in paragraph two: “It is the broadest set of punitive measures imposed on Tehran since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy, said the officials.” Is this true? What about the US/CIA overthrowing the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953? That CIA coup seems pretty punitive.

The story goes on to say that this announcement is part of a year long effort to isolate Iran and then lists other tactics the US administration has used like sending “billions of dollars in arms sales to Persian Gulf allies and Israel.” The only other source cited in the Press version is Secretary of State Rice who is making the claims that Iran has the technology for nuclear weapons and supports terrorism. Are either of those claims verified in the story? Why are there no Iranian perspectives in this story or independent perspectives?

Story:

The Bush administration plans to roll out an unprecedented package of unilateral sanctions against Iran Thursday, including the long-awaited designations of its Revolutionary Guard Corps as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and of the elite Quds Force as a supporter of terrorism, according to senior administration officials.

The package, scheduled to be announced jointly by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., marks the first time that the United States has tried to isolate or punish another country’s military. It is the broadest set of punitive measures imposed on Tehran since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy, said the officials.

“This is a very powerful set of measures designed to send a message to Iran that there will be a cost to what they do. We decided on them because we have seen no change in Iranian behavior,” said a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the measures have not yet been announced. “Our diplomacy needs to be stronger and more effective.”

The move caps a year of growing U.S. pressure on Tehran, including billions of dollars in arms sales to Persian Gulf allies and Israel,interception of Iranian arms shipments in Iraq and Afghanistan, detention of Iranian agents in Iraq, and pressure on the United Nations and European allies to increase Iran’s isolation. The dramatic U.S. steps underscore the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.

“The policies of Iran constitute perhaps the single greatest challenge for American security interests in the Middle East, and possibly around the world, because the combination of Iranian terrorism, Iranian repression at home and the pursuit of nuclear weapons technology – technologies that could lead to a nuclear weapon – is a very dangerous mix,” Rice said Wednesday in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The new sanctions will empower the United States to financially isolate a large part of Iran’s military and anyone inside or outside Iran who does business with it, U.S. officials said. The measures could affect hundreds of foreign companies by squeezing them to drop Iranian business or risk U.S. sanctions.

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

The Revolutionary Guard Corps, which numbers at least 125,000, is the most powerful wing of Iran’s military. It controls a growing sector of the economy, including construction companies, aspects of the oil industry, pharmaceutical plants, telecommunications and ordinary commerce. U.S. officials said it also operates the front companies that procure nuclear technology.

The administration will designate the entire Revolutionary Guard under Executive Order 13382, signed by President Bush in June 2005, which allows the United States to freeze the assets of any proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and its supporters. Iran is being designated for its ballistic missile program. The United States will announce a list of Iranians involved in that program – civilians as well as military officials – who will also be designated, U.S. officials said.

Under the same executive order, the administration also intends to designate Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which controls Iran’s defense industries, as well as companies owned or controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, said U.S. officials.

The overall impact, according to U.S. officials, will be to make a pariah of the most critical parts of Iran’s military and its defense and commercial industries.

The Quds Force, the foreign operations branch of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, will be designated separately as a supporter of terrorism under Executive Order 13224, which Bush signed two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to obstruct terrorist funding, U.S. officials said. It authorizes the United States to identify individuals, businesses, charities and extremist groups engaged in terrorism.

The Quds Force – “Quds” is Arabic for Jerusalem – is estimated to number up to 15,000 and runs Tehran’s covert activities throughout the Middle East, including arms, aid and training for groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. U.S. officials say that it has provided the high-tech bombs capable of penetrating armored vehicles and the roadside explosives that are the No. 1 killer of U.S. forces in Iraq.

Although Iran’s suspected weapons programs have been a longtime problem for the United States, the Quds Force’s operations in Iraq have become a bigger immediate challenge. “The Quds Force controls the policy for Iraq,” Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said earlier this month. “There should be no confusion about that.”

The U.S. decision to impose unilateral sanctions reflects the administration’s deepening frustration over Iran’s role in attacks against American troops in Iraq, its aid to the Taliban in Afghanistan, and its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment that could be used for both peaceful energy and to develop a bomb. U.S. efforts to engage Iran in a dialogue – between their respective ambassadors in Baghdad beginning in March – have been matched by an escalation in the quantity and quality of Iranian arms provided to Shiite militants in Iraq, said U.S. officials.

Administration officials say that they are imposing new sanctions to demonstrate a commitment to diplomacy, even amid increasing rumblings from neoconservatives outside the administration about possible military action.

In a speech Sunday, Vice President Cheney warned Tehran of “serious consequences” if it continues on its present course. “Our country and the entire international community cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its most aggressive ambitions,” he said.

The United States hopes that allies in Europe and Asia will impose similar sanctions, because efforts to get a tough U.N. resolution have stalled as a result of Russian and Chinese opposition. “The international community’s got to get a lot tougher if it’s going to be resolved diplomatically,” Rice said about Iran’s suspected nuclear program.

Analysis:

This is an article that first appeared in the New York Times and deals with the upcoming speech that President Bush will deliver on the country of Cuba. What does the headline, “Bush: No letup on Cuba” imply? Does the first sentence in the story suggestion that the US government does not tolerate any political transitions that transfer power from one family member to another? Certainly countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which have monarchies transfer power from one family member to another and the US considers those countries as allies.

The article goes on to say that the Bush administration wants to put a human face on the people of Cuba by introducing relatives of political prisonersin Cuba, but the story doesn’t mention their names. The article also says that “Bush would make the case that for dissidents and others pursuing democracy in Cuba, little has changed at all, and that the country has suffered economically as well as in other ways as a result of the Castro rule.” However, there is no verification of this claimmade in the story, by either the US administration or the reporter. There is also no mention of of the more than 4 decades long US economic embargo against Cuba. The article states near the end that “the United States would uphold its tough economic policies against the island.” What does “tough economic policies” mean? The story provides no details about the embargo, nor that the United Nation has been calling for an end to the embargo for 15 years.

There was a section of the Times article that was ommitted in the Press version. In the original version there are two other non-partisan sources cited, one from U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a US-based business entity that wants to open trade with Cuba and the Lexington Institute a Libertarian think tank. What changes about your undersatnding of the issue after reading the ommitted section of the story?

Story:

President Bush is planning to issue a stern warning Wednesday that the United States will not accept a political transition in Cuba in which power changes from one Castro brother to another, rather than to the Cuban people.

As described by an official in a background briefing to reporters on Tuesday evening, Mr. Bush’s remarks will amount to the most detailed response — mainly an unbending one — to the political changes that began in Cuba more than a year ago, when Fidel Castro fell ill and handed power to his brother Raúl.

The speech, scheduled to be given at the State Department before invited Cuban dissidents, will introduce the relatives of four Cuban prisoners being held for political crimes. A senior administration official said the president wanted to “put a human face,” on Cuba’s “assault on freedom.”

In effect, the speech will be a call for Cubans to continue to resist, a particularly strong line coming from an American president. He is expected to say to the Cuban military and police, “There is a place for you in a new Cuba.”

The official said Mr. Bush would make the case that for dissidents and others pursuing democracy in Cuba, little has changed at all, and that the country has suffered economically as well as in other ways as a result of the Castro rule.

He will say that while much of the rest of Latin America has moved from dictatorship to democracy, Cuba continues to use repression and terror to control its people. And, the administration official said, Mr. Bush will direct another part of his speech to the Cuban people, telling them they “have the power to shape their destiny and bring about change.”

The administration official said Mr. Bush was expected to tell Cuban viewers that “soon they will have to make a choice between freedom and the force used by a dying regime.”

Some of the sharpest parts of the speech, however, will be aimed directly at Raúl Castro. Mr. Bush is expected to make clear that the United States will oppose an old system controlled by new faces. The senior administration official said that nothing in Raúl Castro’s past gives Washington reason to expect democratic reforms soon. And he said the United States would uphold its tough economic policies against the island.

Mr. Bush would hold out the possibility of incentives for change, if Cuba demonstrated an openness to such exchanges, the official said.

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

Those steps might include expanding cultural and information exchanges with Cuba and allowing religious organizations and other nonprofits to send computers to Cuba and to award scholarships.

However, he is expected to reiterate the administration’s long-standing demands for free and transparent elections, and the release of political prisoners.

John Kavulich, senior policy adviser at the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, said those demands would likely be non-starters for Cuba. He said the technology and educational opportunities Mr. Bush intends to offer are being provided to Cuba by Venezuela and China.

He suggested that the real constituency for Mr. Bush’s speech was the politically-powerful exile community in Miami.

Phil Peters, an expert on Cuba at the non-partisan Lexington Institute, said he saw Mr. Bush’s speech as an attempt to reorient a policy that had fallen behind the times. American policy, he said, had been centered around the idea that the Communist government would fall once Mr. Castro left power, and that Mr. Castro, 81, would be forced out of power only by death. Instead, Mr. Peters said, Raúl Castro’s rise caught the administration off guard.

President Bush has remained largely silent, Mr. Peters said, while Raúl Castro consolidated his control over Cuban institutions by establishing his own relationships with world leaders, and opening unprecedented dialogue with the Cuban people about their visions for their own country. Meanwhile, all the doomsday scenarios predicted for Cuba once Fidel Castro left power — a violent uprising by dissidents and a huge exodus of Cuban refugees — never materialized.

“The administration realized they had missed the boat,” Mr. Peters said. “Succession has already happened. They can no longer have a policy that keeps them waiting for Castro to die when the rest of the world has moved on.”

Analysis:

This story is based upon a candidate forum held at Aquinas College for the two candidates running for the 2nd ward city commission seat in Grand Rapids. What does the headline imply with the use of the word showdown? After reading the story does it seem like there was a big “showdown?” Besides some personal information, the only issues that the article mentions were the candidate’s voting records, street violence, and the issue of gender in this political race. Even with these issues, does the Press report any actually policy initiatives or a plan of action from either candidate? With all the issues that the city is confronted with – a budget crisis, land use, neighborhood improvement, racism, traffic, and parking – why do you think there are so few issues reported on? There is only mention of one question from the audience, but it is safe to assume that more than one question was asked. After reading this story do you think that you could make an informed choice on who to vote for?

Story:

Gender and voting records became issues Monday in a debate between 2nd Ward City Commission candidates Ruth Kelly and David LaGrand.

The debate at Aquinas College marked the only confrontation between the two candidates since the August primary election, when they became the top vote-getters for the 2nd Ward seat being vacated by Rick Tormala. The runoff election will be held Nov. 6.

Kelly scored points when the candidates were asked to compare their voting records in city, school and national elections.

LaGrand admitted that, until four years ago, he had a poor voting record. He said he began to take voting and local politics more seriously when his daughter was born.

Kelly said her voting record is about 95 percent. She said she missed one election when she had to work late.

LaGrand, a lawyer, brought up gender when asked to comment on the “root of crime in Grand Rapids.” He described a boy he recently represented in court.

“At the arraignment, his mom was there, his sister was there, there was a woman probation officer and a woman magistrate,” LaGrand said. “I realized this kid’s got no male models for how to become a man.

“That’s something we have to address urgently and practically on a grass-roots level,” he said, adding that city leaders need to address “the fact that there are gender differences.”

He repeated his position when challenged by an audience member, who said she was a single mother of six children, including a 21-year-old son in college.

“What I meant to say and I intended to emphasize was that young men in our community need male role models,” said LaGrand, adding that he also runs a karate school for kids at his church.

LaGrand also noted a recent letter to the editor in The Press in which a Kelly supporter urged voters to elect Kelly because she is a woman.

“Maybe people will do that,” he said.

“Saying nice things and saying mantras and acting peaceful are not going to solve issues of violence and issues of anger,” LaGrand said. “I think men need to understand their own capacity for violence.”

Kelly, a sixth-grade teacher at Riverside Middle School, offered a softer approach.

“I really believe if we want to address the problem of youth violence, we need to develop trust,” said Kelly, who suggested “cultural sensitivity training, nonviolent crisis intervention and relationship building” as possible solutions.

“Our children are wonderful and, if they are in trouble, it’s usually because they’ve had a problem where they just need to connect with someone,” Kelly said.

Though LaGrand applauded Kelly’s pledge to run a clean campaign, he accused her supporters of running a “whispering campaign” against him.

LaGrand said Kelly’s supporters are violating the agreement by attacking him in letters to the editor.

After the debate, Kelly said she was surprised by the accusation.

“It’s not a reflection of who I am,” she said.

Otherwise, the candidates repeated their pledges to tighten spending in City Hall, and increase police and fire services when possible.

LaGrand, who is a partner in the Wealthy Street Bakery and downtown’s Four Friends coffee house, emphasized his business experience.

Kelly emphasized her experience in the classroom and as a neighborhood organizer on the Southeast Side.

Analysis:

This Associated Press story is based on a media event staged by the White House and reads like the media release they sent out. How much information does the article present on what the adminstration is doing to protect the environment? As you can see, over half of the original AP story was omitted in the GR Press version, so why was the paragraph on what Bush and Cheney ate for lunch included in the Press version? There are no other voices or opinions provided in the story, particularly from environmental groups like the National Audubon Society who commented on the media event.

Story:

President Bush spent a crisp fall Saturday gingerly balancing a tiny screech owl on a gloved hand at a wildlife refuge and casting for rockfish on the Chesapeake Bay.

And for lunch? Famous Maryland style crabcakes, served up at Vice President Dick Cheney’s waterside home outside this charming Eastern Shore village.

It was all part of an effort to burnish his conservation credentials while announcing new initiatives that he said would protect migrating birds and two fish species, red drum and striped bass, prized by anglers.

First came some bird-watching at the Patuxent Research Refuge outside Washington, where he peered through a scope at waterfowl and had a closer encounter with a brown-and-white screech owl.

“Cute little fellow,” the president said, looking slightly askance at the jittery bird perched on his hand.

Bush, noting that migrating bird populations are threatened by increasing development along their flyover routes, said his administration would award private landowners “credits” they could sell, mainly to federal agencies, to encourage them to set aside “stopover habitats” for more than 800 species of migratory birds.

He said his administration also would give extra tax breaks, if Congress consents, to landowners who donate conservation easements to help migratory birds.

Traveling to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Bush took a private charter for an hour of fishing with Chris and Melissa Fischer, hosts of ESPN’s “Offshore Adventures” show. As Bush mimed catching a big fish for the cameras, Melissa Fischer reeled one in from the bay’s choppy waters.

Bush said an order he signed would direct the Commerce and Interior departments to further build up stocks of striped bass and red drum, by working with state and local officials to prohibit sales of the fish caught up to 200 nautical miles out in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

“We’ve got to make sure we’ve got enough to catch as well as enough to eat, and we can do both in a smart way,” Bush said outside the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

Larry Simns, president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association, said the initiative wasn’t needed for striped bass because they are one of the healthiest stocks of any fish on the East Coast.

“Striped bass are not in any way, shape or form, in trouble,” said Simns.

Bush’s order could put recreational anglers ahead of commercial fishing interests. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md., described the initiative as an important measure in protecting ocean ecology.

“I think we can bridge the gap between commercial and recreational fishing, restoring the nation’s fisheries and ending overfishing,” Gilchrest said.

Bush encouraged both sides to look at the big picture, and at the $40 billion spent each year in the U.S. on sports fishing.

“The commercial fishermen and the sport fishermen don’t have to be antagonistic. It’s not a zero-sum game,” he said. “Good policy will help our commercial fishermen and good policy will help our sport fishermen.”

Bush ended his remarks with a jab at his lunch host.

“I love to fish. And the good news there’s a lot of good fishing here is because the Secret Service won’t let me go hunting with him,” the president said in a lighthearted reference to Cheney’s accidental shooting of a companion while quail hunting last year.