Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

The WXMI 17 story does a great job of not only representing the press conference, but of the issue of domestic violence as a whole. The story provided some statistical information on how serious the problem is, with data provided by the FBI and local law enforcement in Kent County. Then viewers heard from law enforcement, the company providing the safety devise, and someone from Safe Haven Ministries which provides programs and shelter for domestic violence victims. The channel 17 story was only 1:45, but was able to provide good information and a great deal of context to viewers as well as naming local agencies for more information.

Story:

WXMI 17 News reader – There is new help for victims of domestic abuse in Kent County. A silent alarm to police if a person is being attacked at home.

Reporter – The FBI estimates that a woman is battered every 15 seconds in this country. And Grand Rapids….

Police – …so far this year from January to June, the police have responded to over 1,300 calls of domestic assault and just over 180 of those involved weapons.

Reporter – Of those who work with abused women say the violence goes unseen because it’s done mostly behind closed doors.

Safe Haven Ministries – Almost all cases of domestic abuse happen in the home that the partners share.

Reporter – That’s why Jennifer Marcum with Safe Haven Ministries feels the abused women’s response emergency system, or AWARE can be the difference between life and death. It works in the home.

Safe Haven Ministries – The best place that we can protect women who are being abused is in their own homes.

Reporter – ADT Security Services provides the alerts free.

ADT Company representative – This pendant is connected to a full security system. When the button is pushed and someone feels that they are in immanent danger, it sends a silent alarm to ADT’s monitoring center.

Reporter – Then they call police. Marcum says AWARE makes domestic violence a priority for law agencies.

Safe Haven Ministries – The women who qualify for this program, they will be ear-marked through that system for the police to immediately respond.

Reporter – ADT staff say this program has saved over 30 women’s lives nationwide.

WXMI 17 News reader – The AWARE program is credited with saving a woman’s life in Calhoun County. You can learn more about it through the YWCA, Safe Haven Ministries or at WXMI.com.

Total time: 1 minute and 45 seconds

Analysis:

A simple question to ask about this story is what did you learn about where the Senate hearings on Judge Robert’s Supreme Court nomination are and what did you learn from the exerpted comments from Senator Schumer?

Story:

WZZM 13 News reader – The questioning is over. Today the Senate Judiciary Confirmation Hearing ended for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. Democrats say Roberts never answered specific questions about privacy and civil rights, but even they could not deny his legal intellect.
Senator Schumer (D) – You may very well possess the most powerful intellect of any person to come before the Senate for this position.
WZZM 13 News reader – The committee votes a week from today, then the full Senate will consider his nomination. Roberts is expected to be easily confirmed.
Total Time: 30 seconds

Analysis:

This is an amazing story for the Grand Rapids Press to put on the front page. Not only does it promote a popular program on CBS (owned by the media conglomerate Viacom), it focuses on a former NFL football player who happens to live in Grand Haven. Readers should ask themselves if a promotional piece for a network TV show merits front page coverage on the only daily paper in Grand Rapids?

When they do talk about Guatemala in the story the comments used are “Survivor,” which this time is set in Guatemala, promises the return of two former players and some harsh living conditions. It also plans to incorporate the country’s culture.” How does having contestants play at Mayan ruins incorporate the country’s culture? And when they say “harsh living conditions” what do they mean? Guatemala has a tremendous amount of poverty and human rights abuses, yet those issues are not mentioned in this article. When the US government recently ratifies the Central America Free Trade Agreement, this did not receive front page coverage in the Press. Something to consider with the argument that this article featured a local angle, by featuring a Grand Haven resident, why didn’t the GR Press feature in any of it’s coverage the local angle on the Central America Free Trade Agreement, since 23 local groups worked against this trade policy?

Story:

From gridiron to Guatemala: former football star tackles ‘Survivor’
By Lorilee Craker

West Michigan knows him as Gary Hogeboom, the former NFL quarterback and Central Michigan University star.
But to the 15 other contestants on tonight’s “Survivor: Guatemala,” the 47-year-old real estate developer from Grand Haven, Michigan, is . . . Gary Hawkins.

“This guy could still be a superb athlete, but if he shows it, he’s dead,” “Survivor” host Jeff Probst said in a recent conference call. “Right out of the gate, Gary was acting, taking on the last name Hawkins and downplaying his skills.

“There’s an 11-mile hike the first episode that was brutal. He’s as well-conditioned as anyone, but he doesn’t give it his all to throw people off. We’ve never had someone with such a big lie pull it off so well.”

More than 20 million fans are expected to tune in to tonight’s 11th installment of the Emmy-winning reality show, which has been one of TV’s most popular shows since it debuted in the summer of 2000.

The winner gets $1 million, and past competitions have created celebrities out of Richard Hatch, Tina Wesson, Ruppert Boneham, and Rob and Amber.

Is Gary Hogeboom, or rather, Hawkins, next?

On tonight’s opener, only one competitor, Danni Boatwright, a 30-year-old sports-radio talk show host from Kansas City, possibly recognizes Hogeboom, Probst said.

“It’s early on, day two or day three, when we have our first challenge, Danni said, ‘Hey, isn’t that Gary Hogeboom?’ We’ll see if she uses that knowledge to her advantage, by possibly striking a deal with him,” Probst said.

“Survivor,” which this time is set in Guatemala, promises the return of two former players and some harsh living conditions. It also plans to incorporate the country’s culture, as contestants will live among 2,000-year-old ruins and face some Mayan-inspired challenges, according to the fan Web site survivorfever.net.

But the buzz right now is all about Gary and Danni.

According to another fan Web site, Probst said in radio interview that Hogeboom told producers early on about his deception strategy.

“Gary said that even if people figure it out, he would say, ‘Yeah, I get that all the time,’ ” according to the forum posting.

On the same posting, “Survivor” fans were impressed with Danni’s sports knowledge.

“If Danni actually figures out who Gary is, I’d be totally amazed. No one has heard of the guy,” a fan said.
Hogeboom, who was in Guatemala from late June to early August to tape the show, is back in West Michigan and under a strict contract not to talk to anyone regarding “Survivor.”

But those who know the former Dallas Cowboy quarterback, consider him to be stiff competition for the largely 20-something crop of contestants, especially in terms of strength and endurance.

“I’ve never known him to be out of shape,” said Herb Deromedi, athletic director and former head football coach at Central Michigan University. He coached Hogeboom in the 1978 and 1979 seasons..

“In fact, whenever I’ve seen him over the years I’ve been tempted to ask him to suit up and help us out on the field.”

According to Probst, Hogeboom’s mettle will be tested on a different playing field.
“Palau (the location of last spring’s episodes) was a vacation compared to Guatemala,” he said. “It was at least 105 degrees every day, and one day it reached 120 degrees. The mosquitoes are ridiculous, and there’s a muddy river filled with crocodiles. It’s by far the most physical ‘Survivor’ yet.”

Probst was asked if Hogeboom was recruited to be on “Survivor” because of his former NFL status.

“We didn’t go looking for him,” Probst said. “His tape was him in Michigan and he’s out in the snow and his kids are piling snow on his head. He’s saying, ‘If I can survive two kids and the Michigan winter, I can survive your show.’ And when I saw his tape it just says Gary, it didn’t say Hogeboom.”

A lot of people think Hogeboom, who will join family and friends to watch tonight’s episode, has a shot at the top prize. One online betting site gave Hogeboom as 9-2 odds to win (Danni was a 6-1 favorite).

“Gary was in the NFL for 11 years,” said his dad, Bob Hogeboom of Plainfield Township. “He’ll come through all that kind of thing … just fine.”

And besides, Gary wants very much to win.

“Gary hates to lose,” said Deromedi, his former coach. “That is just not part of his makeup at all.”
And that success will depend on his acting ability.

“Hogeboom was out of the gate an actor,” Probst said. “And it was fun because . . . he didn’t hesitate. ‘What do you do?’ ‘Landscape architect.'”

Analysis:

This story frames the question of the local economic impact of Katrina in a rather distorted and incomplete manner, focusing on potential profits for local companies, while glossing over costs to the public. The reporter frames the story by talking to a local contractor who is anticipating increased business due to the hurricane, and an economics prefessor from Grand Vally State University. While the reporter does mention that some prices for goods will go up, he does not elaborate on this, nor do any of the people interviewed discuss this topic. The reporter does make one statement about higher costs, he asys “If the rebuilding continuew, experts say constructin materials and labor costs might go up”. Nowhere does he clarify who the “experts” he mentions are. It is also worth noting that the reporter frames increased labor costs and a negative thing. While increasing labor costs are a negative thing from the point of view of business, from the point of view of workers they mean higher wages. And yet in local reporting on economy, increasing wages are almost always reported as an increase in labor costs, e.i. an expense for business and therefore a negative economic factor.

Completely left out of this story is the issue of who will be paying the costs of any potential clean up in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. So while the story tells us that some local companies may get a few Hurricane related contracts, it does nothing to tell the viewer what the hurricaine will cost in terms of tax dollars spent or increased insurance rates. The reporter does mention that shipping will be disrupted by the hurricane but does not specify how this will affect consumers. Instead, a local economist is interviewed who states that “you think about the devastation, and it’s not good, but in some cases there is going to be a bit of a silver lining in it for some companies in the area.” This statement exemplifies the way that this story frames the issue of the local economic impact of Katrina, focusing on potential profits for some companies while brushing aside the issue of costs to the average taxpayer.

At the end of the report the newsreader states that “Now the governments already handed out a few controversial contracts to some politically well connected companies without looking for cheaper bids.” No other information about this point is given, not event the names of these “well connected companies.” Would it matter to viewers to know that these companies include Halliburton and Bechtel, companies that have already recieved millions of dollars in no bid government contracts in Iraq.

Story:

FOX 17 Newsreader – Well we’ve all felt the economic ripples from the hurricane, but economists say it will affect more that just gas prices. Material and labor costs are on the rise too. But as FOX 17’s Carl Apples shows us tonight, the rebuilding effort could eventually give the economy a boost.

Reporter – Seems like an impossible job but in some places the rebuilding has already started.

K&R Excavating rep – There’s just a mass of destruction that’s going to need to be reconstructed.

Reporter – Some businesses in West Michigan have their eye on it. Rob Devorst is with K&R Excavating. Several local construction & demolition companies like his are eager to play a roll in the clean up.

K&R Excavating rep – To see it there’s a need for us as a contractor so we could do some contract work so we’ve been kind of watching the news and the media to see what opportunities are available.

Reporter – It still may be months before any local companies get involved, if at all. Companies we talked to said it was still too early to start talking about a big economic impact of West Michigan. Steelcase for instance is concentrating on helping customers in affected areas, and their helping dealers get back on their feet. But experts say big contracts for national companies like Steelcase aren’t out of the question.

Dan Gledeman (economist) – They go to rebuild the businesses, these businesses are going to need products that our companies make, and so you know, you think about the devastation, and it’s not good, but in some cases there is going to be a bit of a silver lining in it for some companies in the area.

Reporter – that’s the good news but we all know what the hurricane’s done to gas prices. Also, if the rebuilding continues, experts say construction material and labor may go up. And shipping? Parts of the port of New Orleans will be up and running soon, but the damage will be felt all over.

Dan Gledeman – If affects us because we have imports of all sorts of things coming in through there, rubber comes in through there, cement comes in through there, coffee comes in through there.

Reporter – Devorst will take part if asked, but he says even if they aren’t paid to go to New Orleans, they may pitch in anyway.

K&R Excavating rep – We’re available, actually this is our downtime. We’ll be getting into that in November so if the opportunities are there we should be able to respond.

Reporter – from Kent County, Carl Apple, FOX 17 News and 10.

Newsreader – Now the governments already handed out a few controversial contracts to some politically well connected companies without looking for cheaper bids.

Analysis:

This article is about the development of a new land-mine by the US military. In the article, it is pointed out that landmines are “unpopular” internationally. What is not addressed in this article is that this decision to develop new mines is opposed not only by “international sentiment”, but also contradicts US policy over the last ten years. According to Stephen Goose, executive director of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch “This new landmine policy is not just a gigantic step backward for the United States, it is a complete about-face,” said . “While the rest of the world is rushing to embrace an immediate and comprehensive ban on antipersonnel mines, the Bush administration has decided to cling to the weapon in perpetuity.” According to Human rights Watch, the United States was the first nation to call for the “eventual elimination” of all antipersonnel landmines in 1994. Since 1998, it has been official U.S. policy to give up the use of all antipersonnel mines and join the Mine Ban Treaty by 2006 if landmine alternatives are in place. Presidential Decision Directive 64 of 1998 stated that the US would end the use of about 8.4 million of the 10.4 million “dumb” antipersonnel mines in the United States arsenal as of 2003. As part of this new policy, the phasing out of the existing stock of dumb mines will not happen until 2010. Non of this information about how this is a change in policy toward landmines, not just the introduction of a new type of ordnance was included in the article.

Story:

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN
Monday, September 12, 2005 Updated at 8:41 AM EDT
Associated Press
Washington — The Pentagon is close to deciding whether to produce a new generation of land mines, but the system is drawing fire from critics who say the military is ignoring international sentiment against such weapons.

Underscoring the unpopularity of the devices, military officials working on the program, called Spider, declined to call the weapon a land mine. They opted instead for generic descriptions such as “networked munitions.”

The Spider has the same function as a field of land mines – to prevent anyone from crossing a piece of territory, either by killing them or scaring them away. Unlike a traditional minefield, however, it is designed to be monitored by a human operator, who decides whether to activate the system when somebody enters the protected area.

It can also be set to function like a traditional minefield, without any human monitoring, officials involved with the program said in recent interviews. They insisted that that option would only be used in rare cases, with approval by senior officers on the ground.

Military officials said the system answers critics’ complaints about traditional mines, chief among them that they remain a hazard long after a conflict ends, killing or maiming civilians who accidentally set them off. The new mines either turn themselves off or their batteries run out after 30 days, leaving them inert, officials said.

According to the United Nations, more than 110 million unexploded land mines litter the planet, with mines a threat in at least 68 countries. The worst casualties from them have occurred in Afghanistan, Angola and Cambodia.

U.S. officials contend that U.S. mines are not a significant contributor to the land-mine problem worldwide. According to New York-based Human Rights Watch, however, U.S. mines are present in 29 countries.

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

The United States stopped exporting mines in 1992.

The U.S. military last used land mines in combat during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The Pentagon has mines ready for use to defeat a potential North Korean invasion of South Korea. Military officials regard the narrow Korean peninsula as favourable for anti-personnel mines because they expect any North Korean invasion of the south would involve large movements of infantry across relatively limited corridors.

“It’s an alternative to the persistent mines that are coming out of the inventory,” said Doreen Chaplin, division chief for network munitions at the Army’s Picatinny research centre in New Jersey. “It’s much more than your old anti-personnel mines.”

Human Rights Watch disagrees, saying the mines’ capability to detonate automatically, not by an operator, violates international consensus on such weapons.

Last year, U.S. President George W. Bush backed away from a Clinton-era policy of giving up all anti-personnel mines by 2006, assuming the Pentagon could develop an alternative by then. The new policy allows indefinite use of mines with deactivation features on the assumption they pose little threat to civilians.

The Bush administration has said it will not join the Ottawa treaty that bans anti-personnel mines. Ratified by 143 countries, the pact bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines and stipulates that mined areas be cleared within 10 years. The United States, China and Russia are among 51 countries that have not ratified the treaty.

A provision of the treaty prohibits signatories from helping other countries whose actions would violate it. Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch, said NATO allies who are part of the treaty could balk at working with the United States if its military wanted to use mines during a joint operation.

While Spider is “better than a traditional anti-personnel mine,” Mr. Goose said, “it’s objectionable.”

Spider does comply with a less-stringent conventional weapons accord that says mines must deactivate themselves within 90 days, Mr. Goose acknowledged. The U.S. is a party to that convention.

A single Spider system would involve up to 84 “munitions,” each a small disc with six miniature, single-shot grenade launchers. When a nearby tripwire is triggered, one or all the grenades will fire, depending on the setting.

The disks can also be loaded with plastic balls as a nonlethal weapon, Ms. Chaplin said.

In December, the army will decide whether to begin low-rate production of Spider. If that goes forward, the weapon could be ready for initial deployment to the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea by 2008, Ms. Chaplin said.

The military has spent $100-million developing Spider, she said.

The United States is using some of the technology developed under the Spider program in another system, called Matrix, that is available to commanders in Iraq, military officials said. Matrix includes some of the remote monitoring gear used in Spider to manage a field of traditional Claymore mines, which are explosives detonated only when a soldier activates them.

Analysis:

This article provided an overview from the “official” sources. The conference, which was organized and sponsored by numerous entities, including several environmental organizations, non of which are mentioned in the Press article. Readers get the perspectives of former Steelcase CEO Peter Wege, Governor Granholm, and State Sen. Patricia Birkholz. Something as important as Great Lakes restoration certainly warrants a comments from an environmental organization.

One issue raised in this article was by Governor Granholm and had to do with Great Lakes water withdrawal. Michigan is the only state that does not have a law on this, but the Press article does not provide any real context on water withdrawal in Michigan and who is doing it.

The other issue raised in this story that the Press did not verify was the “release of a $20 billion fast-tracked plan established by President Bush” for the Great Lakes clean up. According to the Great Lakes Restoration group, made up of government, environment and citizen representatives, the actual amount of federal funds is only $13 billion. The Great Lakes states are responsible for the other $7 billion.

Story:

Great Lakes gathering draws wave of support
By Kyla King
The Grand Rapids Press

WEST MICHIGAN — After three decades of lobbying to improve the water quality of the Great Lakes, Peter Wege is making some progress.

But even as he looked out Thursday at an unprecedented gathering of national and statewide government and environmental leaders assembled to tackle the issue, he was quick to let them know he is not satisfied.

“They say it’s going to take 20 years (to clean up the lakes),” said Wege, a local philanthropist and former Steelcase Inc. executive. “I’m 85. I want it done by the time I’m 90. All those in favor, hold up their hands.”
Wege’s comments drew chuckles from the crowd of leaders gathered Thursday at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. They were brought together in part through Wege’s efforts for the first “Great Lakes Restoration” conference.

It’s the first of five planned conferences in the eight states and two Canadian provinces that surround the five Great Lakes. The goal is to create a timeline modeled after an effort in Florida that succeeded in winning billions in state and federal aid to restore the Everglades.

In response to increased attention to the issue from the White House and Congress, Wege formed the “Healing Our Waters” coalition last year.

The group drew up an agenda for the federal government that focused on improving water quality, ridding the lakes of invasive species and cleaning up toxic sediment.

Thursday’s conference comes after the July release of a $20 billion fast-tracked plan established by President Bush.
U.S. Environmental Protection Administrator Steven Johnson was scheduled to attend until he was called away by Hurricane Katrina issues.

Wege said he was encouraged to see federal interest in the effort.

“It’s a good sign they’re reacting,” said Wege, who in the past has expressed frustration with the current administration’s environmental commitments. “Hopefully, it’s a new light shinning.”

Gov. Jennifer Granholm attended the conference and vented her frustration with state legislators, whom she said have stalled her efforts to pass a law to regulate Great Lakes water withdrawal.

“How much longer do we have to wait in order to get a statute that protects the greatest resource we have?” Granholm asked. “It’s a shameful thing that Michigan is the only state in the Great Lakes basin that does not have a water-protecting statute.”

Granholm urged attendees to elect federal and state legislators who pledge to protect the lakes.

“Water is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” she said. “You’re going to need some action by the federal government or the government of your state in order to put feet to your prayers.”

State Sen. Patricia Birkholz, R-Saugatuck, who attended Thursday’s conference, said her interest in the issue grew after she helped establish legislation regulating the discharge of ballast water into the lakes. She now chairs a legislative caucus working to combine the efforts of all eight states and both Canadian provinces.

“We could be studying beach closings over here on the shores of Lake Michigan and they are over on the other side in Milwaukee doing the same thing,” Birkholz said. “What we’re trying to do is get researchers coordinating their information and we could all benefit.”

Analysis:

This article is about claims made by the current Iraqi President concerning the crimes of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. In the article the primary perspectives quoted are Iraqi president Talabani and a lawyer representing Hussein. The particular allegations levied against Hussein in the article are that he ordered the killings of thousands of Kurds in 1987-88, including the gassing of the village Hilabja, and that he ordered the 1982 massacre of Shiites in Dujail. The article frames this issue as a legal one, whether Saddam admitting these orders constitutes a confession, as claimed by Talabani, or whether Saddam believed they were legal orders at the time.

Left out of this discussion is the larger context of who enabled Saddam to carry out these crimes during the 1980’s. In 1982, when it was known that Saddam had massacred the Shiites in Dujail, he enjoyed good relations with the United States government. The US knew Saddam was using banned chemical weapons at the time and yet restored normal relations with Iraq in November of 1984. The use of chemical weapons by Hussein in 87-88 against the Kurds was enabled by various western governments which allowed pharmaceutical and chemical corporations sell Saddam the components necessary to create the weapons. Also during this period the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations approved the sale of biological toxins such as anthrax and botulism to Iraq along with other weapons. Whether or not these sales would mean that these western governments and companies could be considered accomplices to Saddam’s crimes is something that a court would have to decide, but these facts should at least be reported. Rather, the crimes against humanity Saddam Hussein has been charged with have largely been reported on as committed solely by him alone ignoring any international “help” he may have received.

Story:

Iraqi president says Saddam has confessed to regime’s crimes
OMAR SINAN
The Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraq’s president said Tuesday that Saddam Hussein had confessed to killings and other “crimes” committed during his regime, including the massacre of thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s.

President Jalal Talabani told Iraqi television that he had been informed by an investigating judge that “he was able to extract confessions from Saddam’s mouth” about crimes “such as executions” which the ousted leader had personally ordered.

Asked about specific examples, Talabani, a Kurd, replied “Anfal,” the codename for the 1987-88 campaign which his Patriotic Union of Kurdistan maintains led to the deaths of about 182,000 Kurds and the destruction of “dozens of Kurdish villages.”

Those villages included Halabja, where thousands of Kurdish villagers were gassed in 1988.

“Saddam Hussein I s a war criminal, and he deserves to be executed 20 times a day for his crimes against humanity”, said Talabani.

However, Abdel Haq Alani, a legal consultant to Saddam’s family said Saddam did not mention any confession when he met Monday with his Iraqi lawyer.

“Is this the fabrication of Talabani or what? Let’s not have a trial on TV. Let the court of law, not the media, make its ruling on this,” Alani said.

Saddam faces his first trial Oct. 19 for his alleged role in another atrocity – the 1982 massacre of Shiites in Dujail, a town north of Baghdad, following an assassination attempt there against him.

The Iraqi Special Tribunal has decided to conduct trials on separate alleged offenses rather than lump them all together in a single proceeding.

Saddam could face the death penalty if convicted in the Dujail case, the only one referred to trial so far.

Iraqi television aired the interview so late that it was impossible to reach Saddam’s lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, or officials of the special tribunal.

However, Abdel Haq Alani, a legal consultant to Saddam’s family, condemned Talabani’s remarks and said the alleged confession “comes to me as a surprise, a big surprise.”

“I have heard nothing whatsoever about this alleged media speculation,” Alani told The Associated Press in Amman, Jordan. “This is a matter for the judiciary to decide on, not for politicians and Jalal should know better than that. Why should he make a statement on the accused to the public? The court, the judge need to decide on this.”

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

Saddam’s former chief lawyer, Ziad Khasawneh of Jordan, said the Iraqi president could still face the death penalty if he confessed, but a full trial would not be necessary if he admitted to the charge.

However, details of the purported confessions were unclear. It was uncertain, for example, whether Saddam believed he was admitting to a crime or simply acknowledging having issued orders which he believed were legal – something only a trial could determine.

Operation Anfal took place during Iraq’s war with Iran, which the Iraqi government believed maintained ties to the Iraqi Kurds.

The 1991 suppression of Iraqi Shiites, another atrocity for which Saddam may face charges, occurred after the majority rose up after U.S.-led forces drove the Iraqi army from Kuwait. Shiite leaders had hoped – wrongly – that the Americans would intervene on their behalf.

Saddam’s lawyers could argue that Talabani’s comments were prejudicial, which might not sway an Iraqi court but would have resonance abroad and within the country’s already disaffected Sunni Arab minority, of which the former president is a member.

Sunnis, who form the core of the insurgency, are already enraged by alleged killings of Sunni civilians by the Shiite-dominated security forces – a charge the government denies – and by the draft constitution which was approved Aug. 28 by the Shiites and Kurds over the objections of Sunni negotiators.

The perception that Saddam was being convicted before a trial could add the Sunni anger.

Saddam’s legal team said it plans to challenge the starting date as allowing insufficient time for a proper defense. Defense lawyers also said they would challenge the trial’s legitimacy.

Saddam has been in U.S. custody at an undisclosed site in Baghdad since his capture in December 2003, eight months after his regime was overthrown by U.S. forces.

Analysis:

Not much can be said about this story other than it is a self-promotion piece for more programming on WOOD TV 8’s parent network NBC. The new Martha Stewart show, which viewers are told in this story, will air on WOOD TV 8, and the clip that was used for this piece is from another show on NBC, The Today Show. Viewers should ask themselves two things. First, how can channel eight justify putting this on their newscast? Second, was there nothing else of importance in West Michigan that could have been reported on to fill this 46 second slot?

Story:

WOOD TV 8 News reader – Homemaker Martha Stewart is looking forward to launching her new show called “Martha.” In an interview on NBC’s Today Show this morning co-host Matt Lauer asked Martha Stewart her trial and her efforts to appeal verdict, her infamous ankle bracelet and now her new show.

NBC Today Show Host – Do you think the audiences, because of the live element is going to see a different side of you than they have seen in the past?

Martha Stewart – I can be more spontaneous and more relaxed. Remember the old show was taped in segments, but now I have the opportunity to interact with an audience and with guests in a much freer atmosphere.

WOOD TV 8 News reader – The first show of “Martha” can be seen on WOOD TV 8, that starts Monday morning. It airs at 11:00am. Stewart’s new show, The Apprentice – Martha Stewart is also on WOOD TV 8 and is scheduled to begin on September 21st.

Total Time: 46 seconds

Analysis:

This article is a step up from the numerous local news stories about rising gas prices. Unlike many of those stories, this article does provide some background information putting rising gas prices into a larger context. An independent source is provided, in this case Tom Mast, author of a book on oil supply. A local perspective is included, the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, although the information provided about this facility is rather limited. While this story does point out some of the basic facts about the limitations of the oil supply and the possibilities of various alternative energies, there are other related topics left out. One relevant topic not addressed is the government’s role in pursuing alternative energies and formulating energy policies. Information about the amount of public funds allocated to research on renewable resources would be useful information to give the viewer. Also not addressed is the role of government policy in advancing the interests of the large energy and oil companies, as well as the level of subsidies and public funding they receive.

While much of the story is factually correct, the final comments by the newsreader is questionable. The story ends with the newsreader noting “Some economists believe that as oil prices rise, demand will decline, and so will worries about a shortage.” Viewers should ask themselves which economists are being referred to here? This is never clarified so the statement is not easily verified. Nor does the evidence on oil demand back up this conclusion. Global demand for oil has been increasing dramatically over the past decade, particularly in emerging economies such as China.

Story:

WOOD 8 Newsreader – With gas prices hitting record levels, there is growing concern that he world in running out of oil. 24 hour news Anne Schieber recently talked to an oil industry expert from Texas to learn more about oil alternatives and their hurdles.

Reporter – Never before has filling up the gas tank felt so painful.

Motorist #1 – My wife just put 19 gallons into our van it cost her 53 dollars.

Motorist #2 – Right now I’m going to Detroit so it’s going to cost me like 60 dollars, to get there and get back

Reporter – Motorists either give up or put up.

Motorist #1 – We can’t afford to go shopping or take our kids to the schools they want to go to, the rich people can afford it but the middle class people can’t.

Reporter – This year gasoline prices are up over 50% than the price last year. That makes it the highest level ever, even with inflation. Much of the spike having to do with the skyrocketing price of oil.

Tom Mast – We think it’s always going to be there because we’ve had it the last hundred years or so.

Reporter – Tom Mast is an energy expert from Texas who is so worried about the supply of oil that he set out to write a book that would be non-partisan, simple and brief.

Mast – I realized that this oil situation is very complex, and I’m and engineer but most people don’t have the interest or the background to really understand it.

Reporter – In his book “Over a Barrel”, Mast shows what has become a
Center point in a theory known as peak oil. When world wide production of oil peaks, and then rapidly declines because it can’t meet demand. Proponents refer to graphs like this one in Mast’s book, showing world oil discoveries by the decade. They’ve been downhill since the 50’s. Mast believes this is no secret to the oil industry.

Mast – They have gobs of money, they have huge amounts of money but they’re not spending much of it in efforts to find new oil.

Reporter – finding a replacement for oil is going to require a lot of brain energy. One of the nice things about oil is that it’s very portable. It converts pretty easily into things like gasoline. And it’s chalked full of energy, no wonder 97% of the worlds transportation depends on it. Coal, solar, wind, hydrogen, nuclear, even waste from farms: plenty of sources, some even cleaner burning than oil. But so far turning them into a portable fuel has required more energy and money than they produce. It might be easier to turn those alternatives into electricity, but then somebody has to build a battery that will last longer than a couple of hours.

Mast – We need to be working on a lot of things in parallel because we don’t know what the winners are going to be.

Reporter – The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, a joint venture by Grand Valley State University and the city of Muskegon, is attempting to be a development center for alternative fuel. But things are off to a slow start. None of the start up companies were in on the Friday morning that we visited. The main activity that day was a conference on child abuse. The centers director expects actively to heat up once the university is back in session.

Imad Mahawili – But not much happens the whole facility is the program that you are seeing, the fuel cell is working, everything you saw in light was actually functioning.

Reporter – You can see a number of alternative energy technologies in action in the center, including this fuel cell which extracts hydrogen from natural gas to provide power for the building. But with a 1.3 million dollar price tag, and a shelf life of about 5 years, it’s hardly ready for household use. Experts like Tom Mast think that a search for an alternative to oil is not impossible. It requires will.

Mast – When John Kennedy decided to send a man to the moon, he just said we were going to do it. And we’re going to do it in a decade and by golly we did it.

Reporter – If oil prices continue to heat up, there may be no shortage of will. Anne Schieber, 24 hours news 8.

Newsreader – No one knows exactly how much oil the earth holds. It’s difficult to determine scientifically and countries are reluctant to share geological data. Some economists believe that as oil prices rise, demand will decline, and so will worries about a shortage.

Total Time: 4 minutes 15 seconds