Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

The story provides a great deal of data information for Michigan and several Michigan communities on both the East and West sides of the state. The data mostly deals with poverty rates, household income, joblessness, and the percentage of people without health insurance.

The Press article quotes a total of five people. One is Governor Granholm’s Press Secretary, one was a representative with the Kent County Department of Human Services, and the other three were with non-profit research institute’s or public policy organizations. The Press article referred to one of them, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as a “liberal Washington-based policy group”, and the other two are Lansing based, the Michigan League for Human Services and the Public Policy Associates Inc. The comment from the Robert Greenstein, a spokesman for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that the Press included was about the data as well, even thought their press release had some critical comments about the administration. All 5 people who are quoted make claims about poverty, jobs or health insurance, but not once does the Press seek to verify such claims. One question that listeners might ask themselves is since the story is about people whose income has dropped, who live in poverty, or who have no health insurance, why weren’t people in those circumstances interviewed? Essentially, the Press missed an opportunity to put a human face on the data.

Story:

Income falls; poverty rises in state: 10.4 Percent Indigent in Kent County and 7.2 percent in Ottawa County
By Sarah Kellogg
Press Bureau

WASHINGTON — The economic news for Michigan seems to go from bad to worse.
U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday show that the number of Michigan residents living in poverty went up between 2003 and 2004, and the state’s median household income went down.

“The report confirms what we’ve known all along,” said Sharon Parks, a spokeswoman for the Michigan League for Human Services, a policy and research group in Lansing. “This is pretty much a jobless recovery, and even those with jobs aren’t seeing major improvements in their incomes.”

While Michigan’s poverty rate of 12.3 percent in 2004 was lower than the national average of 12.7 percent, it was up from the state’s 11.5 percent poverty rate in 2003.
About 1.2 million people in Michigan were living in poverty last year.

Between 2003 and 2004, Michigan’s median household income dipped by $1,270, from $45,550 to $44,280. The U.S. median household income remained stagnant at $44,436 in 2004.

Michigan also has the poorest city in the nation, the Census Bureau reported. Detroit was elevated to the No. 1 spot with a 33.6 percent poverty rate in 2004. El Paso, Texas, and Miami were Nos. 2 and 3.

In West Michigan, Kent County had an estimated 10.4 percent of people in poverty and Ottawa County, 7.2 percent.

“I’m glad to see that our numbers are somewhat better than the state average,” said Andy Zylstra, director of Kent County’s Department of Human Services. “We certainly have the impression that our economy is better than some other places in the state.”

But Zylstra said it remains tough for many welfare clients to find work as local factories continue to cut back, close or ship jobs out of the state or country.

“We are concerned about losing manufacturing jobs because that’s where a lot of our clients find entry-level work,” Zylstra said.

The estimate found that 14.2 percent of Kent County children under age 18 lived in poverty and 8.7 percent in Ottawa County.

Single-parent families — long linked with poverty — continued to post poverty rates far above that for all families. The poverty rate for female-headed households with no husband present was 20.3 percent in Kent County, 14.2 percent in Ottawa County. For all families, the rate was 6.8 percent in Kent County, 5.9 percent in Ottawa County.

Michigan isn’t alone in suffering through the economic doldrums. Twenty-five states saw their median household incomes drop in 2004 and 33 states saw their poverty rates rise.
“If (2004) were a recession year, these would actually be quite reasonable results,” said Robert Greenstein, a spokesman for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal Washington-based policy group. “For the third year of an economic recovery, they have to be branded as quite disappointing.”

State officials were disappointed as well, noting they have tried to diversify Michigan’s economy to trim its reliance on automobile manufacturing and expand its economic base.
“We don’t need a report out of Washington to tell us that people are hurting in Michigan,” said Liz Boyd, Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s press secretary. “Michigan’s reliance on old industries has to change, and change is hard.”

Michigan’s child poverty rate rose between 2003 and 2004, jumping from 15 percent to nearly 18 percent, the report shows.

Detroit had about 48 percent of children in poverty, second only to Atlanta. The 2004 poverty threshold was $19,311 for a family of four.

The differences between Michigan’s haves and have-nots was most clearly illustrated in the economic results from Oakland and Wayne counties, which are neighbors in Southeast Michigan.

Oakland was Michigan’s most affluent county, according to the data, with a median household income of $63,035 in 2004, while Wayne County’s median household income was $40,322.

There was one piece of good news in the report for Michigan. The number of Michigan residents without health insurance declined slightly between 2003 and 2004, inching down from 11.3 percent to 11.2 percent. About 1 million people in Michigan are without health insurance.

“The number of people who do have health insurance in Michigan is still above average,” said Laurence Rosen, an analyst with Public Policy Associates Inc., a Lansing-based policy group. “A lot of that has to do with the fairly heavy union presence here in the state.”

Analysis:

This story primarily focused on the fact that a woman on the Westside was beaten and raped. Channel 13 provided the victim with a fair amount of airtime to talk about what happened to her, more than the average time given to people. In all the video footage used you can see the woman on camera, but never her face. The channel 13 story used her first name three times in the story and even putting it on the screen once while she spoke as you can see in the still clip here.

According to a Michigan guide for journalists called “Media Reporting on Sexual Assault” put out by the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault reporters should cover these stories primarily as a means to promote public safety, but that they should always be careful about respecting the privacy of the victim. In this case too much information was provided about the victim – her first name, where she lives, and the video footage of her and her home. It is important that all 3 stations gave the victim a chance to speak on camera, but reporters must be respectful of the victim’s privacy. Second, none of the stations provide information to the general public about resources available in the community, such as resources for victims, nor resources on sex assault prevention. Lastly, there is no context to the story. Reporters should provide some statistics on sexual assault in the area. This provides an opportunity for the public to understand to what extent these kinds of assaults are happening in their community. Also, the reporters missed out on an opportunity to speak with area advocates who can provide some useful information on this issue.

Story:

WZZM 13 News reader – A 24 year old woman was attacked in her driveway early this morning and tonight she wants to tell her story. It happened about 4:15 am in the 1000 block of West Fulton.

Reporter – The young mother of two says she was sexually assaulted outside of her home about a block from here over on Garfield avenue. And as difficult as she says it is to come forward she says she will not cower in fear. She will describe what happened to her and the person who did it so he can be captured and punished.

Victim – My nose is fractured. I’ve got cuts, I’ve got bruises. I’ve got huge lumps on my face.

Reporter – A 24 – year old Grand Rapids woman, her name is Nikki says she left her Westside home about 3 in the morning to go buy cigarettes. As she was getting into her car she said she was grabbed from behind.

Victim – I got drug down my driveway. He just literally beat the crap out of me. I mean he just kept on hitting me and hitting me. It was like he was just getting off on beating me up.

Reporter – The young mother of two little girls says she was also sexually assaulted, too afraid to scream for fear of what else her attacker might do to her or her daughters.

Victim – I screamed once and he threatened to kill me and he would make sure he left a lasting impression on the two little girls.

Reporter – The woman says the attack was so swift and silent that her husband sleeping inside didn’t even awaken. Nikki says the attack left her with feelings of fear and rage, but she will not hide.

Victim – I can talk about it. I can deal with it. I can overcome it and the person who did this to me is not going to make me cower.

Reporter – Nikki says the man who sexually assaulted her was a skinny White male in his 30’s wearing a baseball cap on backwards and wearing combat boots. In May an 84 year old woman was sexually assaulted in her home in this same neighborhood, but so far police say they have not concluded the same person is responsible for both crimes.

Total time: 2 minutes and 26 seconds

Analysis:

This news piece ran during FOX 17’s “Tech Trend” segment. This segment often consists of Video News Releases made by corporations promoting a specific product or service. This particular piece has many of the earmarks of a VNR in that it has plenty of footage that was obviously not filmed by the local FOX affiliate but it is not sourced as coming from the parent network. Most likely this story was provided by a separate entity and then the local FOX station had their newsreader read the script over the provided footage. Unlike many segments which are promoting a new product, this piece is promoting new government security measures. While the majority of VNR’s are from Private companies, many are provided by governmental agencies as well. The piece is made to resemble a news story and while it includes an opposing voice, the story is framed in such a way as to dismiss that voice. This is near the end of the story when the NY Civil Liberties Union spokespersons comments are rebutted with “get over it”, a statement attributed to a commuter who is framed as representing the majority of public transportation users. This statement from the commuter is further reinforced by saying that the commuter’s brother was near 9/11, a fact that clearly does not have much to do with the actual issues involved but is included to provoke an emotional response.

Story:

Fox 17 Newsreader – Toni Catanzaro takes a New Jersey Transit train to New York’s Penn station every day. And every day she worries about her safety.

Toni Catanzaro – Usually this train is so crowded especially at this time, so people are kind of hanging out in between the cars. So sometimes it’s unsettling.

Newsreader – But each morning when she begins her commute there are cameras watching her. That’s because New Jersey has already installed over fourteen hundred surveillance cameras with so-called “smart” technology in its train stations. Among other things it helps authorities identify suspicious packages, even suspicious behavior.

Joseph Bober (NJ Transit Police Chief) – We spotted baggage that was left unattended and it helped us solve it before we literally had to shut down the system. And that was during the Republican National convention so it was very beneficial for us, and beneficial for the customer.

Newsreader – On Tuesday New York City’s Metropolitan transit Authority unveiled its own plan: price tag two hundred twelve hundred dollars to place one thousand cameras with similar technology through the cities vast network of train and bus stations, bridges and tunnels. It’s the countries most complex and most used transportation system. The goal is to avoid the type of attack that hit London this summer.

Police – This object has been left and it’s flashing red, that’s what issued our alert.

Katherine Lapin (MTA Executive Director) – This is cutting edge technology for a transit environment. As we begin to identify workable bioterrorism systems, chemical and explosives detection systems, those will be hooked up into this.

Newsreader – Critics say the money would be better spent on manpower.

Donna Lieberman (NY Civil Liberties Union) – Cameras can’t prevent a crime, they can’t jump in and stop a crime from happening, they can’t jump in to help a passenger in distress.

Newsreader – Commuters like Toni Catanzaro say “get over it.” Her brother was near ground zero and survived 9/11. In this day and age, she says the more eyes watching the better.

Newsreader – For more on high tech security cameras go to our website. Go to wxmi.com and hit news links.

Total Time: 2 minutes

Analysis:

This article presents Representative Hoekstra’s version of what is happening in Iraq and nothing else. No other perspectives or opinions are included in the piece, nor is any attempt by the reporter made to provide additional information either refuting or collaborating Hoekstra’s claims. The article is about 600 words of which 250 are direct quotes from Hoekstra, a very high percentage compared to most GR Press articles. This article, by including so many direct quotes without presenting any other perspectives or verifying information is basically stenography, not journalism. This trend of only reporting government and military voices is not uncommon. GRIID has documented that the local media rely almost exclusively on “official” voices when reporting on war.

The first quote from Hoekstra is “If we just leave Iraq without getting the job done, our credibility in the Middle East will be shot and we will leave a haven for terrorists.” No where does he clarify what would constitute the “job being done” or what exactly he means by “credibility”. Hoekstra goes on to say that the said Iraqi insurgents “want a civil war. That is the ultimate chaos. That is a good environment for them and a bad environment for us.” Again, this claim is not verified nor does the reporter ask if this is possibly a simplistic explanation of what the various insurgent groups operating in Iraq want. Further in the article Hoekstra makes two statements that are linked together in the article: “These are people who remember the Crusades,” “And they are just learning the art of politics. Again, the meaning of this statement is probably unclear to most readers and deserves some clarification. Viewers should ask themselves, if reporters asked these kinds of critical questions to people in positions of power, how would that change or clarify peoples understanding of the war in Iraq?

Story:

Credibility at stake in Iraq, Hoekstra says
Friday, August 26, 2005
By Myron Kukla
The Grand Rapids Press

HOLLAND — The United States needs to get the job done in Iraq and leave a stable government there before it pulls out its troops, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra told Holland Rotarians Thursday.

“If we just leave Iraq without getting the job done, our credibility in the Middle East will be shot and we will leave a haven for terrorists,” said Hoekstra, who as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee recently returned from a tour of Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.

The Holland Republican said the United States and Iraqi leaders are making progress toward a stable country, but face fierce opposition from insurgents.

“The insurgents will do everything and anything they can to stop the process of an elected government and constitution there,” he said.

“They know that once there is a legitimate government in Iraq, their support will be undermined.”

He said Iraqi insurgents “want a civil war. That is the ultimate chaos. That is a good environment for them and a bad environment for us.”

Between 800 and 1,000 Iraqis are being killed every month, but most Iraqis continue to show they are willing to make democracy work, he said.

“You’re seeing young Iraqis 18 to 25 years old signing up for the police, signing up for the armed forces, knowing that just the mere fact of signing up makes them targets” of insurgents’ attacks, said Hoekstra, who has been to Iraq six times since the war started.

He said despite mounting U.S. casualties, morale is good among military troops.

“They understand the need for us to be successful there to help create stability in the Middle East,” he said.

Crucial to that strategy for success is developing a strong, well-trained military and police force. The United States is working with and training 175,000 Iraqi military personnel to take over the protection of the country.

If that falls into place, Hoekstra believes U.S. troops could start coming home by next summer. But there are no guarantees, and nothing is easy about the process.

Hoekstra said the job of reconstructing Iraq would have been easier if the Iraqi army had not been disbanded.

“We are paying for that mistake today,” Hoekstra said.

“They were not loyal to Saddam Hussein, and when we disbanded the army, all we did was take away the paycheck that fed their dependents and put a guy with military training and a gun on the streets,” he said.

The biggest hurdle to progress on Iraq’s constitution is getting factions that have been enemies for generations to work together.

“These are people who remember the Crusades,” Hoekstra said. “And they are just learning the art of politics.

“They are great at brinksmanship, where they take things to the edge, but have to learn when to take a step back, discuss things and come to a compromise,” he said.

While the focus has been on Iraq for the past three years, Hoekstra said other major issues that need to be addressed by the United States, including making its borders secure against terrorists.

“One thing we need to do is enforce our immigration laws,” said Hoekstra, noting there are now between 8 million and 10 million illegal aliens living in the country. “If they are illegally here, they have to go home.”

Rotarian Dave Shellenbarger said he felt Hoekstra was very straightforward in his comments.

“He is very candid and shares what he thinks without being real political,” said Shellenbarger, who agreed with Hoekstra’s assessment that the job of creating a stable government in Iraq must be finished before U.S. troops leave.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Analysis:

The Grand Rapids Press ran this LA Times article on Wednesday, August 24. In the article they give a fairly long quote from Robertson in which he says that Chavez has made his nation “a launching pad for Communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent” and also that “We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability.” In response to these comments, the article quotes the Venezuelan vice-president who simply calls Robert’s remarks “Terrorist statements” and the Bush administration who called the comments “inappropriate.” Most of the article is focused on Robertson and the only independent voices presented are Jesse Jackson and the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and state, both who make comments about the level of Robertson’s political influence. No voices are presented giving further assessment of the validity of Robertson’s comments and his depiction of Hugo Chavez as a dictator.

It should be noted that what Robertson is calling for, the assassination of a foreign leader, is illegal under international as well as US law, a fact that was briefly mentioned in the GR Press article. In fact, the very act of just calling for political assassination, as Robertson did, may be illegal, depending on how one interprets Title 18 of the United States code. But more importantly, it should be noted that while all this article is critical of Robertson’s call for assassination, it does not challenge his claims about the need for political change in Venezuela or his depiction of Chavez as a “strong-arm dictator”. Not mentioned is the fact that Huge Chavez is a democratically elected official who has three times won elections and that the elections have been certified as valid by foreign observers. It is also worth noting that while Venezuela does not have a perfect human rights record, according to mainstream human rights organizations (1, 2), its record is much better than its neighbor Colombia, a country which is a US ally and recipient of more US military aid than any other country in the Hemisphere. Another important contextual bit of information left out of the GR Press article is that Venezuela is a major oil exporter and that their number one customer is the United States. This oil relationship is the reason Robertson said the US should assassinate Chavez; calling Chavez “a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly.” This rationale which Robertson put forward was not included in the article. Finally, readers should ask themselves what would have been the response if a foreign religious leader had called for the assassination of George Bush or Tony Blair? Would the media portray those comments as merely “controversial” as in this case, or would they be denounced as illegal and possibly even terrorism?

Video clip of Robertson’s comments

Story:

WASHINGTON — Televangelist Pat Robertson’s call for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez provoked a storm of criticism Tuesday, triggering condemnation from religious leaders and international outrage, though the Bush administration said he was a private citizen whose remarks were “inappropriate.”

Robertson, who did not comment on the furor, was criticized across the political spectrum in the United States. The head of the National Assn. of Evangelicals said Robertson was endangering the lives of Christian missionaries in Venezuela.

A pioneer of the nation’s evangelical political movement, Robertson is the founder of the Christian Coalition of America and was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988. Hundreds of thousands of his conservative Christian fans tune in daily to his television show “The 700 Club.”

Although in recent years the influence of the 75-year-old Robertson has ebbed among religious conservatives nationally, he retains a huge following and occupies a revered position within a key GOP constituency.

Robertson said on Monday’s “700 Club” program that the Venezuelan leader would make his nation “a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent.” Killing Chavez, an ally of Cuban President Fidel Castro, would be “a whole lot cheaper than starting a war,” Robertson said.

He added: “We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200-billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.”

In Venezuela, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Tuesday that Robertson’s remarks were “terrorist statements.” He condemned them as incitement to commit murder, and called on U.S. officials to make clear that the law applied “even to such Christians.”

An executive order signed by President Ford on Feb. 18, 1976, prohibits any U.S. government employee from engaging in political assassination.

Chavez, who was winding up a visit with Castro in Cuba, brushed off the controversy. He told reporters at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport that he had never heard of Robertson and did not know or care what the televangelist had said.

Still, Robertson’s remarks caught — and exaggerated — the tensions that have existed between the Chavez and Bush administrations.

Some of his most vocal critics insisted in telephone interviews Tuesday that he remained influential.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said any effort to portray Robertson as lacking an audience was “just not accurate,” and the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Robertson had “tremendous authority in the minds and hearts of about 20% of the American electorate.”

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

Speaking at a news conference in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, Rangel said: “The ball is in the U.S. court after this criminal statement by a citizen of that country. It’s a huge hypocrisy to maintain this discourse against terrorism and at the same time, in the heart of that country, there are entirely terrorist statements like those.”

Chavez, who according to polls has the approval of 70% of his nation even as poverty increases, uses his open hostility toward the United States to maintain his political foundation, and the U.S. government, wary of Chavez, nevertheless looks to Venezuela as a reliable supplier of oil.

The scope of Robertson’s influence drew considerable debate Tuesday.

His syndicated television program, for which he claims an audience of at least 1 million, has drawn an average of 863,000 viewers a day during the 2004-2005 television season, Nielsen Media Research said.

His electoral reach was at its peak in the 1988 presidential campaign. He won primary elections in Hawaii, Alaska, Nevada and Washington, but captured only 15% of his native state, Virginia, and was out of the race after the Super Tuesday contests.

Some in the evangelical movement have said Robertson’s influence among evangelicals in the United States had weakened.

“He’s an old man and there’s a group of old women and old men who watch him,” said one leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he said he respected Robertson’s past ministry and did not want to alienate Robertson’s followers. “The spokespeople for evangelicalism are significantly distanced from him politically and spiritually. The Moral Majority days are long gone. It’s a different world.”

Yet, Robertson maintains a degree of influence with the religious conservative movement through his Christian Broadcasting Network and, in particular, as a leader in the push to confirm conservative judges. He has had differences with the White House and is not considered a member of President Bush’s inner circle.

Bob Edgar, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA and who served as a Pennsylvania Democrat on the House Select Committee on Assassinations from 1976 to 1979, said Robertson’s comments made no sense.

“It defies logic that a clergyman could so casually dismiss thousands of years of Judeo-Christian law, including the commandment that we are not to kill,” Edgar said.

The Rev. Ted Haggard, a Colorado pastor and president of the National Assn. of Evangelicals, said Robertson increased the danger for evangelical missionaries in Venezuela because “if this dictator starts to think of evangelicals as people who are gunning for him, that could be difficult for missionaries there.”

In California, the Rev. Kevin Mannoia compared Robertson’s statement to those of Islamic extremists. “We complain about the Islamic fanatics making statements like that,” said Mannoia, a former president of the National Assn. of Evangelicals who is now chaplain at Azusa Pacific University, an evangelical institution.

He called Robertson’s statement “an extreme, fanatical reaction that is not representative of the Christian faith in general and the evangelical movement in particular. It’s out of line and inappropriate and should not be made by a serious person in a serious forum.”

Mannoia said he thought Robertson’s influence was diminishing, particularly with new generations of evangelicals.

The ABC Family Channel, one of the outlets for “The 700 Club,” distanced itself from Robertson, saying in a statement that it was contractually obligated to carry the program and had “no editorial control over views expressed by the hosts or guests.”

“ABC Family strongly rejects the views expressed by Pat Robertson in the Aug. 22 telecast of the program,” the statement said.

Robertson’s office did not respond to a telephone call or an e-mail message seeking comments on his remarks and the reactions.

Robertson is familiar with controversy.

In 1998, he responded to a campaign to fly flags in downtown Orlando, Fla., to celebrate National Gay Pride Month with a warning to the city: “You’re right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don’t think I’d be waving those flags in God’s face if I were you. This is not a message of hate; this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It’ll bring about terrorist bombs; it’ll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor.”

During the 2004 presidential campaign, in which he supported Bush’s reelection, Robertson said he had expressed to the president his misgivings about going to war with Iraq.

Bush told him, Robertson said on CNN, “Oh, no, we’re not going to have any casualties.”

This year, Robertson said he would be wary of appointing Muslims to top positions in the U.S. government, including judgeships.

The White House made no comment on Robertson’s remarks. At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack said Robertson’s views did not “represent the policy of the United States.” He called the comments “inappropriate.”

“I would think that people around the world would take the comments for what they are,” he said. “They’re the expression of one citizen.”

But Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States, pointed to Robertson’s Republican political ties and his support for Bush and said, “Mr. Robertson is, of course, no ordinary private citizen.”

McCormack rejected suggestions that Robertson’s remarks would damage the U.S. agenda in Latin America. One expert in the region said the comments amounted to a political windfall for Chavez.

“This is pure gold for Chavez,” said Moises Naim, editor of Foreign Policy magazine, who served as Venezuela’s minister of trade and industry and played a central role in starting economic reforms in the early 1990s. “He could not have wished for anything better to happen.”

The comments dominated news coverage in Venezuela, which is divided between fierce Chavez opponents and an equally strident and larger group of loyal Chavistas.

“As a Venezuelan, I can tell you it was just an act of stupidity,” said Livia Suarez, a civil servant who works for the ministry of communications. She said she did not take Robertson’s comments as representative of a broader segment of the U.S. population. “I think this man is speaking without support from anyone.”

Alberto Ravel, president of private Globovision TV, which has sparred with the populist president over curbs on broadcast media, said “a lot of us can’t understand how a priest could say such things, even among opponents of Chavez.”

Analysis:

This story provides very little journalism and is primarily a forum of stenography, where viewers are provided a brief summary of the issue and a sound bite from Pat Robertson calling for the assassination for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The story doesn’t explore the implications of this assassination call, both in terms of US relations with Venezuela, nor the legality of such a claim.

There are also no other voices heard in this story other than Pat Robertson’s. Particularly relevant would be a Venezuelan perspective, which Fox 17 does not provide. There is also no contextual information, particularly the US relationship with Venezuela since Chavez became President.

Story:

WXMI 17 News reader – A prominent Christian broadcaster wants the US to assassinate the President of Venezuela. Pat Robertson’s comments are causing a big uproar tonight. The White House says he went way too far, but Robertson is sticking with it. On his show the 700 Club he said “Hugo Chavez is going to turn Venezuela into a launching pad for Communist infiltration and Muslim extremism.

Pat Robertson – We have the ability to take him out and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one strong arm dictator.

News reader – Chavez says he doesn’t even know who Robertson is. The televangelist ran for President in 1988. The Christian broadcast network says about a million people watch his show everyday.

Total Time: 48 seconds

Analysis:

This story basically plays into and perpetuates a limited debate between the two major political parties in Michigan. This is underscored by how the reporter frames the issue at the beginning when he says “it feels like fall doesn’t it. That is what happens when you combine the cool weather with a campaign for Governor that is already quite hot.” Viewers should ask themselves what is hot about the two major political parties making different claims?

The story is premised on claims by both sides having to do with job creation and job loss in Michigan. Viewers hear both Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer and GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Dick DeVos. They both make claims, but by the end of the story viewers have no idea which is telling the truth, especially since the reporter does not seek to independently verify either of the claims made. Viewers could ask themselves if an independent perspective or organization that looks at job loss or job creation in Michigan was also included in the story would that change your understanding of the issue?

Story:

WZZM 13 TV News reader – In other news today the Democrats made the claim months ago about the GOP’s leading contender for Governor sending jobs overseas. Now the Republicans respond. Today the fight for Michigan’s top seat heats up.

Reporter – Lee, it feels like fall doesn’t it. That is what happens when you combine the cool weather with a campaign for Governor that is already quite hot.

Reporter – It’s about this, Amway’s $200 million dollar investment in China. In the 90’s Republican Gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos was President of the company and helped open a plant there. While here in Michigan the company was trimming 600 jobs.

Dick DeVos – We expect that majority of the impact was going to be in the administrative areas as opposed to manufacturing.

Reporter – Michigan’s Democratic Party chairman…..

Mark Brewer – This is the record. Reduce employment in Michigan and invest overseas.

Reporter – ….has goaded DeVos about this for eleven weeks.

Mark Brewer – …..but he has not done a single thing in his tenure, as head of Amway, which has benefited the people of Michigan in terms of creating and keep jobs in this state.

Reporter – Finally, Monday DeVos responded.

Dick DeVos – Well it’s an absolute falsehood what the Governor is perpetuating, but it is understandable because the Governor would clearly rather talk about me than talk about the failed agenda of the Granholm administration.

Reporter – DeVos says China required Amway to build manufacturing there if they wanted to sell there.

Dick DeVos – The net result of the investment has been hundreds of jobs in Michigan, but not one job was moved from Michigan to China.

Reporter – Democrats Monday also alleged Amway imported product from China to America. Something DeVos’ spokesman denied.

DeVos Spokesman – Alticor has been a great success story for Michigan. The Governor on the other hand has been a big failure for Michigan.

Mark Brewer – I think we need to have a debate. I think we need to have a debate….

Reporter – And I think there will be plenty of debates. In fact, they are already underway for an election over 14 months away.

Total Time – 2 minutes and 3 seconds

Analysis:

In our studies on local media coverage of the Iraq war, we have noted that the local TV stations relied almost exclusively on official sources, government or military, for war reporting. These news outlets acted primarily as a conduit for official sources, rarely questioning or providing other perspectives, whether they are national or local. And yet, in the limited instances where the local media do report on a local event or action opposed to the war, great efforts are made to provide “balance” by including pro-war voices.

The coverage of yesterday’s national vigil to show support for Cindy Sheehan was no exception. While all three TV stations and the Grand Rapids Press covered the event, the coverage was superficial and lacked context. WZZM 13 ran a fairly lengthy piece in which they gave brief quotes from some of the organizers and participants of the vigil. After the piece ended, the newsreader stated: “Now that you’ve heard from the people who think that US forces should pull out of Iraq, we’d like to hear from those of you in support of the war. So you can call our talkback line at that number right there, 559-1302 and tell us why you think American military should stay in Iraq, we’ll listen to some of your responses at the end of tonight’s newscasts.” Some of these call-in responses were then played at the end of the broadcast.

Providing more than one perspective on an issue is one of the requirements of good journalism. And yet, it seems that the local media seem to hold to this standard only when reporting on voices or events that are critical of the war in Iraq, and not vice-versa. Stories and articles reporting on local soldiers and families, which make up a large percentage of the local news coverage of the Iraq war, almost never contain any perspectives critical of US government policy. In stories about unfolding events in Iraq, the voices presented are almost always governmental or military, and if an opposing voice is heard, it quite often is still coming from a “official” source, that is, an opposition voice within the government. Grass roots and citizen groups opposed to the war, while representing the concerns and opinions of large percentages of the American populace, are usually excluded, or if included, are juxtaposed with opposing voices.

Story:

News reader – A grieving Texas mother has become the focal point of the division in this country over the war in Iraq. Cindy Sheehan’s son died in Iraq and for the last twelve days she’s been holding a vigil outside President Bush’s ranch. She wants to talk to the president again and believes we should withdraw from Iraq now. She’s also accused the president of being a terrorist himself. Well tonight many are supporting Sheehan through vigils of their own, from this one in Washington DC to here in Holland and Grand Rapids. Tonight WZZM 13’s Kathy Reynolds has their story.

Reporter – In Monument park they light candles, one hundred strangers with only a feeling in common, a feeling of loss.

Diane Thole – Whether they’re wounded or coming home in a coffin, it’s just awful to hear.

Woman #2 – I just can’t comprehend what it must be like to lose a son or a daughter.

Reporter – this vigils one of more than fourteen hundred happening across the country, all in support of a woman they’ve never met.

Sheehan – this is a way that I can honor my son’s memory, by standing up and doing what I know is right too.

Reporter – Cindy Sheehan is a military mom whose son died in Iraq. She’s camping outside of President Bush’s Texas ranch.

Thole #1 – Cindy wants to meet with the President.

Man #2 – If I had my opportunity I’d be there with her.

Thole #1 – I relate to her like a sister.

Reporter – so many feel so close to Cindy, close to her message.

Woman #1 – She’s had a son in the military but she has always believed in peace. And that’s very much my own story.

Reporter – Diane Thole’s son is stationed near Baghdad.

Thole – this blue star means my son is still alive, you get a gold star when they die, and I’ve got a gold candle.

Reporter – Candles for strangers who have lost their lives and support for the families left behind. In Grand Rapids, Kathy Reynolds, WZZM 13 News.

Newsreader – Tonight’s nationwide vigils were organized by the political group Move on.org, a liberal advocacy group. Now that you’ve heard from the people who think that US forces should pull out of Iraq, we’d like to hear from those of you in support of the war. So you can call our talkback line at that number right there, 559-1302 and tell us why you think American military should stay in Iraq, we’ll listen to some of your responses at the end of tonight’s newscasts.

Analysis:

This story is what appears to be based on a press release from the American Beverage Association. This organization is not a neutral group. A look at their board of directors should be an indicator to people about what their interests are.

The story claims that the industry group wants to “join the fight against the increasing rate of childhood obesity,” but the channel 8 news reader never questions the industry intentions, nor provides a different perspective. The story provides the claim from the American Beverage Association that “drinks are not inherently bad and can be fine for active children who eat correctly.” This comment provides no context, such as the tremendous lobbying that the industry and individual soda companies engage in to push their products on children.

Story:

WOOD TV 8 News reader – Well, here is a story that ought to have lots of parents talking. The American Beverage Association is saying that they think it is a good idea to remove soda pop from elementary schools. Imagine that. The group recommended Tuesday that such drinks be pulled from vending machines in elementary schools. Their reasoning? The industry needs to join the fight against the increasing rate of childhood obesity. The groups’ president argues drinks are not inherently bad and can be fine for active children who eat correctly, but he says parents need to be sure their children are not getting excessive amounts of sugary drinks in school. Under the groups’ recommendation, Middle schoolers would have access to other kinds of drinks – like sports drinks, diet soda, and low calorie juices. High School students do have access to soda and the other drinks, but the machine would also have to be stocked with no more than 50% soda.

Total Time: 52 seconds