Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

This story is based upon an Associated Press interview with the US military about a new recruiting program that utilizes the National Guard. The only sources in the story are two US military spokespersons and most of the text focuses on the proposed plan and the amount of money that those who sign up and those who assist in recruiting will receive in bonuses. The last part of the article does mention that the army has had a difficult time in meeting the annual recruit numbers by stating “Both the Guard and the active duty Army have struggled with recruiting, as the U.S. heads into its seventh year at war, starting with the post 9/11 campaign in Afghanistan.” The story then says that “More than 3,700 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war alone”, but provides no dissenting voices or opposing perspectives on why there is a lack of public support for military recruiting efforts.

Story:

The U.S. Army is turning to the National Guard for help recruiting would-be soldiers in hometowns across America.
Army leaders, struggling to meet recruitment goals in the midst of a long and unpopular war in Iraq, are quietly working out final details of a program that would give bonuses of $2,000 per recruit to any National Guard soldier who brings somebody into the active duty Army.

Army Secretary Pete Geren disclosed the plan in an interview with The Associated Press, calling it an innovative effort to get broader reach into local communities.

The Guard members, Geren said, are “much more in contact with the civilian population than the active duty soldier is. So they give us reach into a larger segment of the community on a personal level, a one to one basis, than we get through our recruiting relationships.”

National Guard “recruiting assistants” already earn bonuses for signing up new members of the Guard, and one former Marine was so successful that he earned nearly $100,000.

Under the new plan, a recruit would join the Guard but indicate that they are intending to shift to active duty. After they finish basic training they would either sign up for 30, 36 or 48 months in the active Army, or change their mind and simply stay in the Guard.

The Army secretary said the impact of the new Guard program would be felt next year when Guard soldiers will “become an important part of the active recruiting force.”

The secretary says “they would recruit soldiers into the active component,” adding that the recruits would then have continuing obligations in the reserves.

The Army initially expects to gain about 1,600 recruits next year through what they’re calling the “Active First” program, according to Lt. Col. Ron Walls, chief of enlisted recruiting and retention for the Army National Guard.

Guard officials see the new plan as a boost for them, even though it could remove soldiers from the Army Guard ranks and shift them into active duty positions for 30 to 48 months.

“It’s a win-win for both the Army and the National Guard,” said Walls. While the active Army gets a new soldier, “we gain some (recruiting) growth immediately, and in the long run we gain a higher readiness level.”

Under the proposal, recruits who come in under the Active First program will be counted toward the Guard’s recruitment goals. Also, the active Army would pay the bonus to the Guard soldier that got the new recruit.

Walls said that, in the end, “unless (the recruits) want to make a career out of active duty, they will return to the Guard.”

Guard officials also see this as a way to reach people who might be open to a military career, but are looking for a full-time job, not just a part-time Guard position.

The program will be launched in the coming months after final details are hammered out.

Guard members who have gone through the recruiting assistant program, receive a $1,000 bonus for each person they sign up and another $1,000 when the recruit leaves for basic training. More than 100,000 Guard soldiers have gone through the recruiter program.

The program has been a financial boon for some Guard soldiers.

“There have been some very successful recruiter assistants, who started out doing it just as an opportunity, then went part time,” said Walls. Some have made just $2,000, but others have quit their full-time jobs and “have done exceptionally well and can make a living doing it.”

One of those is Sgt. Dana Kline, a former Marine who is now in the Georgia Army Guard and earlier this year had earned nearly $100,000 in bonuses as a recruiting assistant.

Geren said that the active duty Army is also beefing up its own bonus program that essentially trains thousands of soldiers to also be recruiters.

Both the Guard and the active duty Army have struggled with recruiting, as the U.S. heads into its seventh year at war, starting with the post 9/11 campaign in Afghanistan. More than 3,700 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war alone.

After failing to meet recruiting goals for two consecutive months, the Army hit its target for July, and is on track to meet its annual goal of 80,000 recruits for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

Geren said the Army and the National Guard are currently ahead of their year-to-date goal, and the Reserves are at 99% of their goal.

But, he acknowledged that it will still be a difficult road to recruit the full 19,100 soldiers needed in August and September in order to meet that 80,000 target.

The Guard has narrowly met its goals for the past two months, but fell short in May.

Analysis:

This article is based on a meeting between Congressional Representative Ehlers and a group of people opposed to the US War in Iraq. The article states that 9 people met with Ehlers, three of which are cited in the story. Is it clear from their comments what they were asking the Congressman to do? Constituents who are cited refer to the need for Ehlers to listen to his constituents, not follow the GOP position, that he needs to represent the people who voted for him. and that comments on Ehlers being a religious man.

The article does mention that this meeting was part of the effort by the group Americans Against Escalation in Iraq that has been targeting 40 Republican Congressman across the country. Ehlers is quoted as saying that he has not changed his position and that “It seems to me we have to get the factions to quit killing each other and create a more peaceful atmosphere so the Iraqis can get busy solving their problems.” The Press reporter does not verify this claim that the problem is that Iraqis are killing Iraqis.

Story:

The full-court press to change the mind of U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers on the war in Iraq continues.

But Ehlers has heard nothing yet to convince him to do so — despite impassioned pleas of constituents who think he is wrong.

“I still think we have an obligation (to Iraq). The question is how to best exercise that obligation,” Ehlers said, after meeting privately with nine constituents at his Grand Rapids office Wednesday.

“It seems to me we have to get the factions to quit killing each other and create a more peaceful atmosphere so the Iraqis can get busy solving their problems.”

But Middleville resident Patricia Wilson said she thinks it’s time to end the war effort, calling Ehlers out of touch with anti-war sentiments.

“There are a lot of people he is not hearing,” said Wilson, 55. She was one of his constituents who sat down with Ehlers in an attempt to get him to change his support for the war.

Wilson said it is time Ehlers bucked the GOP leadership that continues to back the war.

“I would expect him to fall out of lockstep with the Republicans and follow his conscience,” she said. “This has gone on five years. That’s long enough.”

During the meeting, the constituents handed Ehlers a basket they said contained more than 1,000 petitions against the war.

The session followed an anti-war gathering Tuesday night at Grand Valley State University’s Loosemore Auditorium in Grand Rapids, an event organized by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, a national group that is targeting dozens of federal Republican lawmakers.

It also is targeting five other Michigan congressmen, all Republicans.

Its activism comes as political forces on either side of the war galvanize support in advance of a September report on progress in the war.

Eileen Rios, 54, of Grand Rapids, holds Ehlers “personally responsible” for the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Iraqi civilians.

“I expect more from him,” Rios said. “I want him to represent the people that voted him in. The majority want us out of Iraq.

“I have a great deal of respect for him. But when it comes to this, I don’t know how he sleeps at night.”

Glenn Freeman, 43, of Grand Rapids, is hopeful Ehlers will change his mind.

“I believe Ehlers is a very reasonable person. He is a religious man and, as a religious man, he either believes God will correct his mistake or he will have to correct it himself.”

Analysis:

This story is based upon an event organized by the group Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. The article cites one of the organizers as saying that “We will continue trying to get 40 votes on the sensible side of this debate,” referring to the 40 Republican Representatives the campaign is targetting nationally. There is no mention as to why the group is not targetting any Democrats nationally even though many of them also support the ongoing funding for the US war in Iraq. The article also provides a summary of some of the groups’ efforts and that Congressman Ehlers did attend a panel discussion held on Iraq on August 23. Organizer Bryan Finken also is quoted as saying of Ehlers “Maybe it’s a sign. He’s been sitting in the audience, listening to the debates,” but the comment by Ehlers later in the article indicates that he has not changed his position on this matter. The statement Ehlers makes in this article “We invaded that country. We made a mess of it. We have a moral obligation to try and fix the situation before we pull out,” which is the same statement he made on August 10, July 6, and March 18. The article ends stating that Ehlers is one of five Congressmen being targetted in Michigan.

Story:

As the summer draws to a close, Brian Finken wants one local congressman to know his group’s efforts to find a solution to the Iraq war won’t freeze over.

Finken, field organizer for the national group Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, and 12 others settled into West Michigan this summer in hopes of swaying U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers’ stance on the war. Their 10-week tour ends this weekend, but members said they will continue to pressure Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, and 39 other members of Congress, until they can reach “a safe and responsible end to this chaos.”

“We will continue trying to get 40 votes on the sensible side of this debate,” Finken said.

His group dispersed more than 2,300 anti-war signs and 2,000 bumper stickers throughout the community to help capture the attention of Ehlers and area residents.
The signs, emblazoned in bright yellow and red, read “Iraq War: Wrong Way,” and can be seen in the windows of stores and coffee shops.

“We’ve been quite a presence,” Finken said, reflecting on his nine weeks in Grand Rapids. Five organization members will remain in Michigan after this weekend.

For Finken, it was time well spent. When members began their protests outside Ehlers’ office in June, he said, they received little response. Now, as they prepare to move into the next phase of their campaign, the congressman has turned up at several events.

Finken said he spotted Ehlers at a candlelight vigil Monday and an Iraq war panel discussion at the Women’s City Center last week.

“Maybe it’s a sign,” he said. “He’s been sitting in the audience, listening to the debates.”

For his last week in Grand Rapids, Finken and other members joined with area peace organizations to bring their message to local academia. Anti-war protesters Tuesday filled Grand Valley State University’s downtown Loosemore Auditorium to capacity.

“We’d like to appeal to the younger demographic,” Finken said, as supporters shuffled past him to join the chanting crowd inside the auditorium. For more than an hour, guests sang to the tune of anti-war commentary provided by two GVSU professors and a minister.

But their guest of honor did not show.

Instead, Ehlers said he intended to meet with six residents today to hear their opposition to the war.

“It sounded to me like it was more of a rally than a serious meet-with-Vern kind of thing,” Ehlers said of Tuesday’s gathering.

He said he disagrees with those who favor speedy withdrawal from Iraq.

“We invaded that country. We made a mess of it. We have a moral obligation to try and fix the situation before we pull out,” he said.

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is targeting five other Michigan members of Congress, all Republicans: Reps. Fred Upton, of St. Joseph; Mike Rogers, of Howell; Candice Miller, of Harrison Township; Thaddeus McCotter, of Livonia; and Marty Knollenberg, of Troy.

Analysis:

What does the headline from this GR Press story suggest? It seems to suggest that there was a heated debate at this public hearing with both pro and anti-immigration voices. The fact is that all the “invited” speakers who took up all but 15 minutes of the hearing time were anti-immigration, all pro-immigration voices were heard in the last 15 minutes of the time allowed, according to a local online independent media source, Media Mouse. The way the GR Press presents the varying points of view readers might think that this was a back-and-forth debate. The story begins by quoting an anti-immigrant voice and then right away a pro-immigrant perspective, even though no pro-immigration or immigration voices were heard until the end of the hearing. The format of the event was such that there was a list of 9 different speakers that were on the agenda, all of which were against undocumented immigrants coming into the country. The media release that was sent out by GOP task force member Rep. Agema does not make it clear that there would be selected speakers that represented just one side of the debate.

The Press article does cite a Pew Hispanic Center study and then puts that in the context of local migrant workers. However, the only voice represented in the article on migrant workers is that of the Ottawa County Farm Bureau.

The last section of the Press article addresses the format of the hearing with a sub heading “Deck stacked?” The article says that several of those present complained about the process, but the article doesn’t say how the legislators responded to these complaints. The article ends by quoting a local immigration lawyer.

There were several omissions in this story as well. There was no background given on the positions of the 4 State Representatives who held the hearing, particularly Rep. Agema who has co-sponsored legislation on English being the official language of Michigan. There was also no background information on Peter Gadiel, speaking on behalf of the organization 9/11 Families for a Secure America, who has a connection to the national anti-immigration group FAIR as a former board member. The Press story states that Gadiel is a “Connecticut resident” but never explores why he came all the way to Michigan to be part of this hearing in Ottawa County.

Story:

A Republican hearing Monday on border security and immigration reform revealed fault lines that mirror the anguished, emotional national debate on these issues.

On one side, a litany of law enforcement and border protection officials testified about the need for tight border enforcement and the cost to law enforcement of undocumented residents.

Connecticut resident Peter Gadiel — whose son was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack in New York City — warned that illegal residents have killed other motorists while intoxicated, raped and murdered.

“This is inexcusable,” Gadiel said.

On the other side, a local parish priest, the Rev. Stephen Dudek, warned that linking terrorism and concern over illegal immigration repeats the treatment of immigrant groups such as the Irish, Poles and Italians.

“Once again, we shamefully repeat them,” said Dudek, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Wyoming, a working-class parish that includes a sizable number of Hispanic worshippers.

Dudek called these immigrants “hard-working, family-oriented, generous human beings.”

Four Republican representatives presided over the hearing, including state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville. He is sponsoring legislation that would make it tougher for undocumented residents to get a driver’s license.

Agema contends these residents constitute a security threat to Michigan, take jobs from legal residents and cost taxpayers by using the state’s school and health care systems.

Most of those summoned by the task force expressed support for tighter scrutiny of driver’s licenses and enforcement of immigration law.

“They’re illegal. Let’s not forget that,” said state police Lt. David Roesler.

Higher medical costs in jail

Ottawa County sheriff’s Lt. Steve Baar, the county jail administrator, noted an undocumented resident involved in a 2001 crash cost the county $100,000 in medical costs.

In addition, Baar said, the county is stuck with ongoing medical and mental health costs for undocumented residents who are behind bars.

But Merle Langeland, vice president of the Ottawa County Farm Bureau, testified a crackdown on illegal immigrants would cause hardships for many farmers who depend on this work force.

A study by the Pew Hispanic Center estimated illegal immigrants make up 24 percent of agricultural workers, 14 percent of construction workers and 12 percent of food preparation employees. The estimated 7.2 million workers are about 5 percent of the U.S. civilian work force.

“We would have crops destroyed, cows not milked,” Langeland said.

Langeland said it is hard to find legal residents willing to take on the rigors of agricultural work for the pay offered, often $10 an hour or less.

“It’s a sad commentary on the work ethic,” he said.

Deck stacked?

Several of those at the hearing complained that the task force stacked the deck against immigration reform by the witnesses it called, leaving little time for those opposed to comment.

Immigration attorney Richard Kessler said broad immigration reform is needed to allow more immigrants to cross the border legally.

“The bottom line is, the immigrant is not coming here to (commit acts of) terrorism,” Kessler said.

Analysis:

This story was based upon a public hearing that was hosted by four Republican State lawmakers on immigration and border security. The media release that Rep. Agema sent out stated that he wanted to know “how illegal immigration impacts their community” in a negative way. The Channel 8 reporter frames the story as a debate over issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants even though the discussion was much broader than that. The hearing had 9 different invited speakers, all of which were in favor of more draconian measures against those entering the country without documentation, but the channel 8 story does not reflect this in its coverage.

After the opening comments by the reporter, viewers hear from a woman who is pro-immigration and then a man who is representing a group called 9/11 Families for a Secure America. What the reporter didn’t say was is the man from the 9/11 group was from Connecticut, nor did they provide any background on this person. The next speaker was an immigrant woman and the last perspective hear was from Rep. Agema. Agema makes several claims about what is at stake with this issue, but the reporter does not verify any of those claims, even though he made claims about terrorists coming to the US and undocumented immigrants taking jobs away from other people. People should ask themselves whether or not this story provided them with a clear sense of what the Republican Task Force was doing in Ottawa County that day and whether or not viewers are better informed about this particular issue.

Story:

WOOD TV Reporter – Just say the words immigration reform, illegal alien and undocumented worker, you got a debate. Today that debated centered around people in Michigan illegally or with out documentation getting a drivers license. Law enforcement seems to favor prohibiting people illegally from getting the document while those opposed the idea oppose local law enforcement also enforcing immigration.

Woman against proposed legislation – For one thing local law enforcement have enough to deal with in looking for real criminals with real criminal cases, so we don’t need to waste their time trying to enforce immigration laws and I have talked to a number of police officers and I don’t think that these guys here today really count.

WOOD TV Reporter – A different viewpoint comes from the father of a man who was killed on September 11. He says hijackers, here illegally, used drivers licenses to get airplanes that fateful morning.

Peter Gadiel – Drivers licenses were essential tools for the 9/11 killers. I will say with a great deal of confidence that had they not had drivers licenses that my son and 3000 other people would be alive today.

WOOD TV Reporter – So other like this woman who immigrated from Guatemala said it should be easy, not more difficult for people to get into the country.

Immigrant woman – See we need immigration reform and immigration reform has to have a reasonable way to let people to come to this country legally because we don’t want people to break the law. I didn’t break the law.

WOOD TV Reporter – But Republican lawmakers who held this meeting have other concerns like issuing drivers licenses to people here illegally and for area Representative Dave Agema, those concerns go deeper.

Rep. Agema – This issue is about three items; number one – security, because we don’t want any more illegals that are Hamas or Al Qaeda; number two it’s about jobs, some of the illegals do take jobs in factories, and then there are the costs.

WOOD TV Reporter – Some of those costs according to Agema, range from health care to delivering human services. As for the drivers license issue, Agema introduced a bill last month that would deny drivers licenses to anyone who is in the country illegally. So far no hearings have been held on the measure.

Analysis:

This Newhouse News Service article appeared in the “Your Life” section of the Grand Rapids Press, which is usually media and entertainment focused. After reading the story would you say that this story is about entertainment?

The article begins with a testimonial from a US soldier recently returned from Iraq, who talks about his experiences in combat. Then the article shifts to say that this soldier has been chosen to be part of the “Army’s Real Heroes program, which is trying to make the names of today’s heroes well known the way Sgt. Alvin York was known in World War I and Audie Murphy was known in World War II.” Do you think that this is part of the Pentagon’s larger strategy for promoting a positive image of the US military? Media analyst Robin Anderson says “Computer games have also become key training and recruiting tools. The characters that inhabit virtual game worlds locked in endless battles between good and evil, double as “warfighters” and kill targets for military training.” The article does admit that these video games are a recruiting tool, citing the featured US soldier who says “that while the “America’s Army” games are recruiting tools, he sees them more as educational tools to teach people about the Army.”

The only other sources in the article are two people who are with the America’s Army video project. Why does the story leave out voices of those who have a critical perspective on the use of video games as a recruiting tool of the US Military? There are no student, parent or counter-military recruiting voices, nor is there any information on the amount of money being spent on these videos games and who is paying for them.

Story:

For Sgt. Tommy Rieman, earning a place on the team that creates the “America’s Army” video games was no game at all.

On Dec. 3, 2003, he was a member of Echo Company, 51st Long Range Surveillance, in a three-vehicle convoy in Iraq.

“Just outside of Baghdad, we got hit with three RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), three IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and a ton of small arms fire. I threw my body in front of my gunner, to use my body like a shield. I was shot in the arm, the chest, and took a bunch of shrapnel in my body.

“Then we were hit with another ambush about a mile south of that, and by that time we were all (angry) and ready to fight some more. There were three of us wounded, and we still fought through it. Then I called in a medevac and got us out of there. So I got the Silver Star and Purple Heart.”

After earning the Silver Star, Rieman was singled out for the Army’s Real Heroes program, which is trying to make the names of today’s heroes well known the way Sgt. Alvin York was known in World War I and Audie Murphy was known in World War II. A “Real Heroes” collectible action figure of Rieman will hit major retailers this fall, and he is featured in the “America’s Army” online game.

Through that contact with the “America’s Army” developers to put him in the game, he began working with them as a consultant.

“These guys have been around since ’02, the game has. They’re pretty good on what’s going on, but they’re not in the Army, so sometimes they stray away a little bit. Basically they’ll create a map, an area, scenario, new training, whatever, and they’ll call me up and say, `Hey, we want you to come check this out,”’ said Rieman, of Kernersville, N.C.

“I make sure it’s accurate. If it’s not accurate, I give them the input on what they can do to make it better, such as the weight of (a weapon), or the kickback. Just say, on the M-4 when they fire it, it needs to have some kind of kick. Or the delay, say, if it’s a Mark 19 trainer, and it’s shooting out rounds. On the video game it would impact immediately, but there needs to be a couple of seconds delay, because it doesn’t impact immediately. Little things like that to make it real.”

Rieman, 27, works on both the PC online game and a forthcoming “America’s Army” game for the Xbox 360. He travels around the country, and was recently at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, where “America’s Army” is managed, to test the new 360 game, “America’s Army: True Soldiers.”

To develop “True Soldiers,” the Army partnered with Ubisoft, publisher of the popular shooters “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas” and “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter” series.

“I can’t tell you anything about the 360 game until the launch, unfortunately. I’m dying to show you,” said Rieman.

All the Army will say about the game is that it has extensive multiplayer features for play on Xbox Live.

Rieman gave only one more hint about “True Soldiers,” slated for release Sept. 25. Will its gameplay be more like “Rainbow Six Vegas” or “GRAW 2”?

“It’s a nice balance. Let’s just keep it that way. There’s some cool stuff in there. I can’t wait. I’m like a little kid at Christmas.”

Rieman said that while the “America’s Army” games are recruiting tools, he sees them more as educational tools to teach people about the Army. The Army, in turn, uses the games as a basis for new training simulations, which are sometimes worked back into the game.

“We share resources between the public game and the real training,” said Frank Blackwell, program manger of the “America’s Army” Project Office in Huntsville. For example, the “America’s Army” team developed training simulations for the Javelin shoulder-fired missile and the CROWS — the Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station, which is basically a remote-controlled machine gun turret on a Humvee, so the gunner can remain protected within the armored vehicle. The controls are, not surprisingly, like a video game. Those training systems were subsequently modeled in the game.

“Javelin and CROWS, in the last major release (of “America’s Army”), were both training applications first,” Blackwell said. “Some of these game maps we use for training. It’s a common repository. That’s one of the things that makes ‘America’s Army’ different from other games. We have these weapons systems, and they’re deployed properly.”

Scott Johnston, “America’s Army” project leader, spent 2004 in Iraq as a member of the 115th Signal Battalion of the Alabama National Guard. Johnston, who helped develop the CROWS trainer, said that young soldiers raised on video games take to the new systems like fish to water. With the CROWS trainer, he said, “It takes a while to get used to maneuvering this thing around. You have to be quick, because things pop up on you. But kids, young soldiers who try this thing, anybody from 15 to 25, they pick this thing up and in five minutes it’s like they’re an expert on it. They’re so game-oriented, it’s amazing.”

CROWS uses a control grip with a thumb joystick, but Johnston and Rieman said they hope to adopt a two-thumbstick controller similar to a PlayStation 2 controller for the system, because that would be even easier for soldiers to adapt to and use effectively.

“‘America’s Army’ is the foundation of all of this,” said Rieman, gesturing to CROWS training equipment on the table, and across the room at the Convoy Skills Engagement Trainer — a life-sized Humvee cab and gun turret sitting in front of three huge projection screens where a video game-like scene is displayed.

“We’re using the number one tools. There’s nothing better,” Rieman said. “Next to firing the real thing, that’s it.”

Analysis:

This article is based upon the efforts by the Iraq Summer Campaign, which has been in Grand Rapids since late June. Early in the article it states that the group is “hoping to persuade the Republican U.S. representative from Grand Rapids to drop his support for the war.” However, on the main page of the group’s website they don’t call for an end to the war, rather they “demand that members of Congress and the Senate take a stand with the vast majority of Americans who want a safe and responsible redeployment of American Forces from Iraq.”

The article then has Congressman Ehlers state that “We have gone into Iraq, whether rightly or wrongly, but we have messed up their country, and we have a moral obligation to stay,” but that statement which is not substantiated with any data or sources is then followed by an Iraq Summer organizer who says “the coalition is not demanding an immediate end to the war and is avoiding partisan politics.” Is it clear from this article what the Iraq Summer group is asking for? To the issue of avoiding partisan politics, if you look at their website there is only criticism of Republican positions on the war, whether they are elected officials or Presidential candidates. Does that seem non-partisan? An Iraq Summer organizer then claims that “The right-wing blogs are already calling us out-of-town troublemakers,” but doesn’t cite which blogs.

The article concludes with more information on what the campaign hopes to accomplish, which includes a town hall meeting and a separate meeting with Ehlers. Ehlers then responds by saying he will meet with “local war opponents, not out of town organizers.” The final statement is from Ehlers who says “I’m swayed by facts,” but he does not provide one single fact about his position on the war or the Press reporter fails to mention them.

Story:

They have been in town several weeks now, organizing meetings, attending demonstrations, handing out lawn signs, and writing letters, all aimed at changing one man’s mind.

“The only person around here who can do anything about this is Vern Ehlers,” said Bryan Finken, 46, a part-time philosophy professor from Denver, about the war in Iraq.

He arrived in June. Ben Thielemier, 22, came from Arkansas a couple of weeks later, hoping to persuade the Republican U.S. representative from Grand Rapids to drop his support for the war.

Their effort is part of a national campaign by a coalition of anti-war groups called Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. The effort is targeting 40 Republican members of Congress they believe may be wavering in their support for the war.

Those 40, if they change their minds, would give the war’s opponents a veto-proof majority in Congress, organizers said. They call their campaign Iraq Summer, modeled after the 1964 Freedom Summer, which registered black voters in the South, and the summer of 1967 protests against the Vietnam War.

Although he voted for a resolution allowing President Bush to launch the war, Ehlers since has called it a mistake based on faulty intelligence. Yet, he has voted to continue funding for the war.

“To continue to fund it, to continue to keep our troops in harm’s way doesn’t make sense,” Thielemier said. “It’s doublespeak.”

But Ehlers contended pulling out now would lead to a “bloodbath.”

“We’re several years past that initial decision,” he said. “We have gone into Iraq, whether rightly or wrongly, but we have messed up their country, and we have a moral obligation to stay.”

Finken said the coalition is not demanding an immediate end to the war and is avoiding partisan politics.

Soon after arriving, Finken contacted local peace activists and set up temporary quarters at the Institute for Global Education, 1118 Wealthy St. SE.

“The right-wing blogs are already calling us out-of-town troublemakers,” Finken said.

His goal, he said, is not to foment but to organize the opposition already here.

In a recent CBS-TV News/The New York Times poll, 69 percent of Americans said they disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war, and slightly more than half said the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq.

Locally, Finken and Thielemier sense similar opposition.

They have given out 900 lawn signs that read “Support the Troops; End the War,” circulated petitions, and every Monday afternoon, attended anti-war rallies on Fulton Street and Division Avenue.

They plan to end their efforts here Aug. 28 with a town hall meeting at Grand Valley State University’s Loosemore Auditorium downtown.

By then, they hope to arrange a meeting with Ehlers.

Ehlers said he is willing to meet with local war opponents, not out-of-town organizers. But he added he will not be influenced by public demonstrations.

“I’m swayed by facts,” he said. “If I’m not, then I’m too weak-kneed to be a member of Congress.”

Analysis:

This story appears to be based upon a GR Press phone poll. They provide the percentages for people likely to vote in the Mayoral race and state that the it was “a high rate of participation for this kind of canvass, experts say.” What experts are they referring to? The story then cites a Heritage Hill voter who is “undecided” and she mentions some recent city issues that she has concerns about – Garfield Park, development projects and the Indian Trails Golf Course. Next 3 of the 4 candidates are cited about the last minute Get Out the Vote efforts, with jackie Miller being the excluded candidate. The story then shifts to a discussion of how Heartwell and Tormala are courting the Democratic vote and also how they “differ.” The rest of the story continues to focus on Tormala and Heartwell. The last sentence provides readers with information on how much money Heartwell, Tormala and Rinck have spent so far, but no information on what they spent the money on. Readers should ask themselves if this story provided information for potential voters to make an informaed decision about the August 7 election. To date, we have not documented any local news coverage that would provide voters with a serious review of the voting records for incumbents or those candidates who have held elected office, nor any details on platforms and proposals if elected.

Story:

With only two days left before Tuesday’s citywide primary election, it appears undecided voters will determine whether there is an outright winner or a November runoff in the mayoral race.

A Press-sponsored telephone canvass last week of every likely voter household in the city indicated 20 percent are still undecided. Likely voters were identified from lists of those who voted in similar low-turnout elections in the recent past, such as school elections and off-year primaries.

Incumbent Mayor George Heartwell is favored by 44 percent of the likely voters, while 25 percent said they would vote for 2nd Ward City Commissioner Rick Tormala, and 8 percent said they would vote for Jim Rinck, a longtime member of the Grand Rapids Board of Education. Barely 2 percent of those participating said they would vote for a fourth candidate, retail clerk Jackie Miller.

More than 19 percent of people answering in 13,780 households, or 2,665, took the survey, a high rate of participation for this kind of canvass, experts say.

Heartwell, who is seeking a second term, can win outright Tuesday if a bulk of those undecided voters go his way and give him more than 50 percent of the overall vote.

Tormala’s challenge will be to land enough undecided voters to force a runoff election between himself and Heartwell in the Nov. 6 general election.

Heritage Hill resident Diana Barrett, 71, said she will vote but remains undecided.

“I’m just not thrilled with a lot of the secrecy,” Barrett said, echoing concerns of other undecided voters frustrated with Heartwell for a confidentiality agreement he signed for a development project and for his support of a failed proposal to use land at Garfield Park for a Salvation Army Center.

Some also cited a failed attempt to sell land at the Indian Trails Golf Course, a plan also supported by Tormala initially.

The high number of undecided voters means candidates will pump up get-out-the-vote efforts in the final two days.

“Getting out the vote has been a goal of our campaign from the get-go,” said Heartwell, who planned to deploy volunteers for “lit drops” from the West Side Complex and Garfield Park on Saturday morning.

Tormala said he is heartened by the fact Heartwell did not get an outright majority in the survey.

“The only poll that’s going to count is Tuesday, and I see the momentum shifting toward us,” Tormala said.

Rinck, who has been the top vote-getter in citywide school elections in the past, was incredulous at the numbers.

“It doesn’t track with what I’m hearing on the street,” he said.

He also dismissed any suggestion that he is a spoiler in the race, despite some similarities in reputation with Tormala. Both men strike populist chords and profess to speak for those without a voice.

Rinck said he thinks he pulls more votes from Heartwell than he does from Tormala and pointed out that he entered the race in January, four months before Tormala announced.

While the mayor and city commissioners are officially nonpartisan in Grand Rapids, Tormala and Heartwell rely on core support among Democrats in a city that has trended Democratic in the past several presidential, gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections.

Still, the candidates represent disparate wings of the party, with Tormala, a former staffer for Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Levin, enjoying support among old-line Democrats in conservative Catholic, anti-abortion West Side precincts and union households across the city. The survey affirmed Heartwell’s appeal among younger progressives in Eastown and moderate Republicans on the Southeast Side and the city’s far eastern neighborhoods.

Heartwell’s biggest challenge will be to get people to the polls in the 3rd Ward, where the Press survey indicated he is favored by 56 percent of likely voters. The 3rd Ward is Heartwell’s political base. He served as a 3rd Ward commissioner for two terms in the 1990s.

Based on absentee voters returns, City Clerk Terri Hegarty anticipates more than 15 percent of the city’s 120,000 registered voters will turn out, which would be high for a city primary.

Hegarty predicted voter turnout will be higher in the 1st and 2nd wards, where signs proliferate on lawns and door-to-door campaigning has been heavy in high-profile races for two open City Commission seats.

Third Ward voters will not choose their city commissioner until November because incumbent Elias Lumpkins is unopposed.

Besides the mayor’s race, the only other issue on the ballot citywide is a millage request for Grand Rapids Community College.

Tormala’s support was weakest in the 3rd Ward, where 16 percent of the respondents chose him, according to the phone survey. He was stronger in the 1st and 2nd wards, getting 29 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

To get out his voters, Tormala is counting on help from unions representing the city’s police officers and firefighters. They will continue to work phone banks and pass out literature on his behalf.

In past City Commission elections, Tormala also has counted on telephone banks and literature drops by The Friends of Labor, a coalition of local unions.

This year, the unions that make up Friends of Labor are going their own way, according to their director, Buck Geno. Several are expected to make calls on Tormala’s behalf, he said.

The survey results also track with candidate spending, as filings showed Heartwell spending $46,000 through July 27 to Tormala’s $12,000 and Rinck’s $4,000.

Analysis:

This story was based upon the actions of various White Supremacists who came to Kalamazoo for a “Rally Against Black Gang Terrorism” and a counter-demonstration organized by Michigan Against White Supremacy and people from Kalamazoo. The story begins with “Police say Saturday’s rally was quiet compared to past rallies,” but the reporter never clarifies what they mean by “quiet” nor how this rally compares to others. The first person who is cited in the story was someone who was watching from a distance, not the White Supremacists nor the people who organized or participated in the counter-demonstration. The story then shifts to say that rally organizer Hal Turner said “The city of Kalamazoo has a problem with black gangs.” No other information is provided about Hal Turner or what he and the other White Supremacist Groups who came to Kalamazoo actually advocate. One thing that Turner had called for in Kalamazoo was the “lynching of Black people.” Does this seem like relevant information for channel 8 viewers?

The story then turns to another gathering in Kalamazoo by African Americans offering an alternative to the White Supremacist gathering, but no information is provided on this group or what they are for except “unity.” The story then cited the Kalamazoo police and that some people were arrested, even though the reasons for the arrest conflict with other reports.

Story:

Police say Saturday’s rally was quiet compared to past rallies.

Around 200 people came out, mostly protesters. That number not comparing to over 400 officers on duty.

It helped, they say, to let the rally take place in the parking lot of Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety where they could easily take control of any situation.

The tapes and gates were in place early Saturday morning.

Police officers filed in to man their stations. Many more located at street corners all over Kalamazoo.

A white supremacist group was set to rally at 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

Bashun Bransn told 24 Hour News 8 he came out to see what it was all about.

“I just look at the stupidity and go back and get on the track. This is just disgusting to me,” Bransn said.

He says he’ll use what he hears to try and teach a message about peace through music as Bransn is a rapper.

While others looked on, the words of radio talk show host Hal Turner, the man leading the rally, rang through a vacant parking lot.

“Behavior is the reason this rally has to occur,” Turner said. “The city of Kalamazoo has a problem with black gangs.”

It’s a message Turner has sent e-mails about trying to get publicity.

Saturday his words were only heard for an hour.

Some people, however, ignored those words completely. Across town a peace rally where families came together.

“The ones for unity in the community are out here,” Yolanda Neals told 24 Hour News 8.

The numbers cut down on the numbers in town at the rally, something police are thankful for.

“It couldn’t have gone any better as far as the number of people that showed up an the control we’ve seen so far,” said Captain Joe Taylor of Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

Two people were arrested. One for Resisting & Obstructing an officer and another for Interfering with an officer, in the aftermath of the event.

While they’re pleased with the low turn-out, they say this is not over yet. They will be following up in town all evening to make sure there are no problems between the white supremacist group and protesters.

Analysis:

This story was based upon the actions of various White Supremacists who came to Kalamazoo for a “Rally Against Black Gang Terrorism” and a counter-demonstration organized by Michigan Against White Supremacy and people from Kalamazoo. What does channel 13 mean by the headline to their online story “Kalamazoo Rally Ends Peacefully?” The second senetence in the story then says “But, thanks to a heavy police presence, it ended peacefully.” Does the story imply that the police prevented any violence at the White Supremacist rally? The first person cited in the story is with the Kalamazoo police, who is also cited responded to a claim by the White Supremacist rally organizer Hal Turner. The story then cites a White Supremacist and someone who participated in the counter-demonstration, but provided no details on what the White Suprecemacists were calling for nor any background information on those groups. The story ends with the claim that the City of Kalamazoo did not support the position of the White Supremacists but because of the First Amendment had to grant them a permit. There was no mention in the story of police intimidation nor the arrests of three counter-demonstrators.

Story:

Protestors clashed with White Supremists at a rally held in Kalamazoo. But, thanks to a heavy police presence, it ended peacefully.

The Kalamazoo Public Safety Department says it learned from other cities like Toledo, Ohio, where riots broke out in 2005. That when a Neo-Nazi group clashed with neighbors in a predominately black neighborhood.

Kalamazoo Public Safety Department Captain Joseph Taylor says, “We’ve learned, as did Toledo from their experience. Lansing had a similar police presence.”

In Kalamazoo, the rally was held in the parking lot of the Public Safety Department. The White Supremist group was led by talk show host Hal Turner. The group says the demonstration is in response to recent assaults in the city. The group called them hate crimes.

“Several of them were Minorities assaulting Caucasians, it was a mix. They’ve taken that and blown it into being a racist, ethnic intimidation case, which we have no evidence of”, says Capt. Taylor.

Dan Hill, a White Supremist who was not part of the group holding the event says, “We’re just here to support the message that Kalamazoo, the city, and police force have to put a stop to these hate crimes.”

One of the protestors, Walter Jones says, “I went to Vietnam. I got shot three times. Then I’m going to let these guys come into town. Nah, it’s not right.”

The White Supremist group finished their rally and left the city without any major problems.

The City of Kalamazoo says it does not support the message the group was trying to send, but they did have to issue the group a permit based on the First Amendment. The Right to Assemble and The Freedom of Speech.