Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

Most of the visuals used during this story are still photos of early cereal ads or video footage of commercials since the 60s that were obtained via a PR website called PR Newswire. The actual link for the media release from Kellogg’s shows that the channel 17 newsreader is just repeating what was sent out by the PR firm. This is another example of what could be considered a Video News Release.

Story:

WXMI 17 News readers – Battle Creek celebrating a birthday tonight. Kellogg’s turns 100 this week. The first cornflake was made back in 1906 at the Battle Creek Toasted Cornflake company. Since then Kellogg’s has roled out new brands every decade. In 1928 Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes in 1952 and Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops and Special K in the 60’s. To celebrate the centennial they are selling vintage merchandize with designs by Norman Rockwell.

Total Time: 28 seconds

Analysis:

The headline you read is from the Press is accurate in that there were hundreds who came together in opposition to the proposed federal immigration legislation. The story had a picture of the crowded church as well, but if anyone reads the article you get a very different picture. The story begins by quoting a woman named Gloria who came to the US 14 years ago as an undocumented immigrant, but quickly the article shifts to provide the perspectives of 2nd Congressional District Pete Hoekstra, who voted for this legislation in the House, 3rd Congressional District Rep. Ehlers, who also voted in favor of this bill, and Jared Rodriquez, from the local Chamber of Commerce. At the very end of the article Gloria’s son is quoted talking about his memory of crossing into the US at age 7. He’s now a 21 and says that he can’t get a student loan as he is undocumented.

The event had several speakers. First, Grand Rapids School Board member Luis Pena spoke against the legislation, plus several immigration lawyers that could discuss the specifics of the House bill 4437 and Grand Rapids Mayor, George Heartwell, who not only spoke against the legislation, but said he planned on introducing a resolution at the next City Commission meeting against said legislation. The event speakers stressed the need to lobby Senators Stabenow and Levin, since the Senate will be taking up this issue in the coming weeks. Readers should ask themselves why the Grand Rapids Press would omit this information and spend most of the article talking to people who weren’t even at the event?

Story:

Hundreds gather in opposition to federal immigration legislation
By Ted Roelofs
GRAND RAPIDS — Row after row, they filled the pews on a bitterly cold afternoon. A woman named Gloria explained why she was drawn to this rally for the shadow world of West Michigan: The estimated 40,000 undocumented residents who live and work among us.

“I am still a human being,” she said. “We come into this world and leave the same way as you do.” Like many of the estimated 500 people who jammed United Methodist Hispanic Church on Saturday, Gloria entered this country illegally.
The mother of three, who crossed the border at Tijuana, Mexico, at night 14 years ago, only wants the chance to make a better life for her and her family.

“We ask the same rights as every citizen,” she said. But the emotions on the other side are just as raw. Advocates of tough immigration measures say it is time to seal the borders and crack down on undocumented workers and companies who employ them.

With an estimated 10 million undocumented residents in the United States, growing fears about the borders and a national election this year, the debate seems likely to heat up. A banner at the front of the sanctuary decried one of its flash points — a get-tough House bill that passed in December, with the support of U.S. Reps. Vernon Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, and Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland.

The issue is expected to land in the Senate next month, where a rival measure from John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., is drawing support from moderates in both parties. The McCain-Kennedy bill would broaden rights of undocumented workers, allowing employers to hire foreigners under a temporary visa program if they can prove they are unable to hire American workers for the same job. Undocumented workers ultimately could apply for citizenship after paying a fine and back taxes.

President Bush has proposed a similar guest-worker measure but does not offer a road to citizenship to illegal residents. The House bill is much harsher. It calls for criminalizing illegal migrants, compelling employers to verify whether an employee is here legally, raising penalties for noncompliant employers and build more fences along the Mexican border.

Hoekstra calls the issue “complicated.” But, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he asserts it is time the nation gets serious about securing its borders. Moreover, Hoekstra said it is time to hold undocumented immigrants and uncooperative companies accountable for their actions.

“It’s a tough law, yes. But we have been negligent over the last number of years for not enforcing the law,” he said. “We should not be rewarding people who come into this country illegally.” But Ehlers and Hoekstra say the House measure alone is not enough, since it does not address the need for a guest worker program. “It was not a comprehensive bill,” Ehlers said.

His misgivings hint at deeper divisions within the GOP on the issue. At the meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee this month in Washington, D.C., proponents of an immigration crackdown assailed everyone from Bush to the restaurant industry to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for taking what they consider a soft approach.

The Grand Rapids Area of Commerce has taken no formal position. But Jared Rodriguez, vice president of government affairs for the chamber, noted the U.S. Chamber backs the McCain-Kennedy approach. “What would be the mandates on business that would come from this?” he said measures like the House version. “What would it mean in dollars and cents to our members?”

Rodgriguez did not mention just how integral this community has become to West Michigan. They work construction, put up drywall and do piecework in noisy factories. They pick the blueberries in Ottawa County, wash dishes in the back of restaurants and scrub toilets in hotels. Hundreds of their children go to schools across the region.

Their life here depends on their willingness to work. They cannot collect welfare or food stamps. Gloria’s son, Gonzalo, has vivid memories of the night they crossed the border 14 years ago. He was just 7. “I remember hiding under a bush. There was a big helicopter shining a spotlight on us. I remember being picked up and thrown over the fence. I was literally thrown into America.”

Now 21, he speaks impeccable English and is a graduate of Grand Rapids City High School. He supports his mother as a manager in a retail store, but would like to go to college someday. But since he cannot get a student loan as an undocumented resident and cannot apply for citizenship, he has trouble believing it will come to pass. “To me, the future is day-to-day. I can’t set any long-term goals,” he said.

Analysis:

People should ask themselves what did they learn about Candidate Bowen? Readers learn that Bowen was a former Grand Rapids City Commissioner and district judge in Wyoming. This means that he has a voting record and a record of making legal decisions, none of which is discussed in the article. Readers are told that he played linebacker for MSU and is a Catholic Central graduate. The only information that could be considered part of his platform appears in the second to last paragraph when Bowen says “I will prosecute consumer protection violations, something he’s not done; I’ll prosecute environmental violations, something he’s not done. I will basically return the office to the people.”

Bowen also makes claims about current Michigan Attorney General Cox such as “failing to ‘fight for consumers,’ saying Cox was driven, instead, by ‘his friends in big business.'” These claims could be verified by looking at the State website on what Cox has accomplished as Attorney General. The last paragraph also mentions that Cox responded to the “attacks” from Bowen by releasing “a list of accomplishments last week that showed he out-collected former attorney general and now Gov. Jennifer Granholm in recoveries for consumers, $9.2 million in three years to $8.3 million in four years for Granholm.” Again, there is no verification of these claims and as of this posting there was nothing on Cox’s re-election website about this list of accomplishments. What the article spends most of the time doing is talking about how Bowen is “getting noticed by the GOP.”

Story:

GRAND RAPIDS — Scott Bowen’s entry into the race for attorney general last spring was met with a resounding, ‘Who?’ outside Kent County.

The former Grand Rapids city commissioner who had served less than two years as a district judge in Wyoming wasn’t exactly a household name.

As he officially kicked off his candidacy today from a boxing ring at Martin Luther King Jr. Park — to show he is a fighter, as his spokesman, Chris DeWitt, said — Bowen has a way to go before he breaks the pane of public consciousness.

But, he has gotten the attention of Republicans, who have paid him the ultimate tribute by responding to salvos he has shot their way.

Bowen continued his attack on Attorney General Mike Cox for failing to “fight for consumers,” saying Cox was driven, instead, by “his friends in big business.”

Republicans have tried to paint him as “Fieger-like,” after he mentioned Cox’s infidelity troubles. They accused him of breaking the code of judicial canon by meeting and greeting political leaders at the Mackinac Island Detroit Economic conference last spring, even as he still was on the bench. And they mocked the $110,000 he’s raised, compared to Cox’s $1 million war chest.

“They’re worried about a guy who’s a relatively obscure, 41-year-old ex-judge from the West Side of the state. That says something,” said Bowen, a Catholic Central grad who went on to play two seasons as a linebacker for Michigan State University.

“They’re breathlessly trying to keep me in hot water. I think they realize he can be beaten by me.” The strategy to take on Cox early paid dividends Bowen and his campaign team weren’t expecting, DeWitt said. “Did we know how Republicans were going to react to him? No,” DeWitt said.

“But their reaction has helped raise his profile. Certainly, they’ve been wrong in their attacks, but, helping to raise his profile, they’ve aided in that effort.”

Republicans welcome the battle, said Sarah Anderson, spokeswoman for the state GOP.

“If he is the nominee, it will provide a great contrast between a guy who made his money defending telemarketing scam artists and other questionable characters and Mike Cox, who, as prosecutor, spent his time putting those people behind bars,” Anderson said.

Democratic delegates, who will be determining their party’s ticket in August, are getting the message Bowen will take it to the GOP incumbent, DeWitt said. State Rep. Alexander Lipsey, D-Kalamazoo, and Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans are two other possible candidates.

“We’re getting the word out there that he will be aggressive in the fall,” he said. “Scott certainly won’t be shy. Democrats will see Scott as someone who can bring the campaign to the Republicans in an aggressive way.” Bowen, who will make his case Saturday at a state Democratic Party issues convention in Lansing, lashed out at Cox for what he calls a lack of integrity in the office.

“I will restore the office to the days of integrity and professionalism under Frank Kelly,” Bowen said Tuesday. “I will prosecute consumer protection violations, something he’s not done; I’ll prosecute environmental violations, something he’s not done. I will basically return the office to the people.”

Cox released a list of accomplishments last week that showed he out-collected former attorney general and now Gov. Jennifer Granholm in recoveries for consumers, $9.2 million in three years to $8.3 million in four years for Granholm.

Analysis:

This story just tells viewers that Republican Dick DeVos will begin airing ads. They provide no analysis of the ad, no commentary on the role that paid political ads play in elections, nor how much channel 13 will profit off these ads.

Story:

WZZM 13 Newsreader – And the race for Governor takes a step forward tomorrow. The campaign for Republican Dick DeVos will begin airing new TV commercials and that includes the purchase of time right here on WZZM 13. DeVos has not formally declared his candidacy, but candidates have until the middle of May to file for the August 8th Primary. We’ve tried to reach Governor Granholm’s campaign office for comment, but have not yet received a response.

Total Time: 23 seconds

Analysis:

This channel 13 story just repeats what candidate Bowen said at his press conference. The state early in the story that “The Democrat says if elected he will better protect children from predators, those on the street and over the internet and he says he’ll fight identity theft. Bowen says the incumbent, Republican Micheal Cox, failed voters during last year’s gas scare.” However, there is no verification of the claims made against current Attorney General Mike Cox, nor a clarification or follow up on how this candidate will “better protect children from predators.” Bowen, as mentioned in the story is a former Grand Rapids City Commissioner and Wyoming District jusdge, therefore he has a voting record and record on legal decisions. Ask yourself if channel 13 had provided you with information on Bowen’s previous record as an elected official or more details on his platform would be useful to voters?

Story:

WZZM 13 Newsreader – A former Grand Rapids City Commissioner and local judge is now seeking to become the state’s top prosecutor. M. Scott Bowen announced his candidacy for State Attorney General this morning. The Democrat says if elected he will better protect children from predators, those on the street and over the internet and he says he’ll fight identity theft. Bowen says the incumbent, Republican Micheal Cox, failed voters during last year’s gas scare.

Candidate Bowen – When asked to investigate gas gougers in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina he said it was too hard to prove. Now mind you, anybody who bought gas after Katrina, could prove that they were getting gouged.

WZZM 13 Newsreader – Bowen is the second Democrat who has officially announced a run for Attorney General. State lawmaker Alexander Lipsey of Kalamazoo is also in the running. Detroit lawyers Jeffrey Feiger and Amos Williams said they are considering running. Attorney General Cox says it’s too soon to think about Bowen or any other candidate.

Attorney General Mike Cox – It doesn’t really matter to me. At the end of the day people are gonna look at what has he done on consumer protection, drug costs, protecting seniors, and quite frankly I won’t know until
August who gets the nomination is. There are four people out there, we’ll see who the Democrats pick.

WZZM 13 Newsreader – Bowen has had some private conversations, he says, with Governor Jennifer Granholm, who once held the Attorney General’s office, but Governor Granholm will not comment on whether or not she will formally endorse Bowen.

Total Time: 1 minute and 31 seconds

Analysis:

No real details are provided in terms of the legislative language and what impact this might have on Michigan’s citizens or the environment. There is also no reporting on why this legislation has been introduced. Channel 17 does use some video footage of a Nestle bottling plant in Michigan, but does not present any information to show that water privatization and water diversion from companies like Nestle is what prompted this legislation to begin with.

Story:

WXMI 17 Newsreader – The Michigan legislature is sending a new package of bills for the Governor aimed at protecting our water supply. It creates new standards for using and diverting water to avoid negative impacts on the environment that includes streams as well as lakes. Eventually you will be able to go on line and click on a map to figure out the impact of water use in an area. It also creates a new permit for bottling water, to make sure it won’t deplete natural resources. The Governor is expected to sign the bill.

Total time: 28 seconds

Analysis:

Ask yourself, why did the GR Press use the term “attacks” in the headline? Does this language set readers up to view electoral politics as negative? It is true that candidate Bowen did make a comment about Cox’s extramarital issue, but are journalists required to report on such “attacks?” Bowen did claim that Cox has not responded to 500 complaints, but the Press article does not verify Bowen’s claim nor clarify what the state’s item-pricing law is.

Story:

Democratic challenger Scott Bowen has gone on the offensive against Attorney General Mike Cox. The former judge said Cox is “breaking his oath” by failing to respond to 500 complaints about stores ignoring the state’s item-pricing law. Bowen also injected Cox’s extramarital affair into the campaign. “Maybe his personal problems are affecting his ability to concentrate” on his job, Bowen said. Republicans called the attacks “Fieger-like,” a reference to attorney Geoffrey Fieger. “It’s curious to see him on the attack this early in that manner,” Republican spokesman Nate Bailey said of Bowen.

Analysis:

This is a very short story that gives the viewer little beyond just the amounts of money that the candidates have raised. This information is of little use to viewers without providing information as to where the candidates have gotten the money they have raised from. Nor is the information of much use without also providing information on voting records to see if the candidate has voted or supported policies that favor the interests of their political donors.

Story:

WZZN 13 Newreader – The candidates for governor of Michigan plan on spending a lot of money over the next few months. Both sides say their fundraising efforts are off to a good start. Governor Granholm’s campaign said it’s started the year with more than five million dollars cash in hand. Her likely Republican challenger Dick DeVos has so far raised about 1.8 million dollars.

Total Time: 19 seconds

Analysis:

This article provides readers with nothing more than the amount of money that each of the 4 candidates running for one of Michigan’s Senate race. Despite the fact that the financial disclosures of all candidates are now part of the public record, the reporter does not provide readers with information about who gave money to the candidates, those amounts or what political interests they represent.

Another issue that readers can think about is specific to current Senator Stabenow, in that she has a history as the incumbent and also a history of who has provided campaign money in the past and what interests they represent. Readers should ask themselves if more details about campaign finances is useful for voters?

Story:

Sen. Debbie Stabenow holds a wide fundraising lead in her re-election campaign, according to records released Tuesday, while three Republicans compete to win financial backing critical in their primary.

Stabenow, D-Mich., brought in more than $1.3 million during the last three months of 2005 and ended the year with $5.65 million.

Her campaign spent nearly $350,000 in the quarter.

Stabenow has raised about $8.28 million during the election cycle, far outpacing three Republicans seeking their party’s nomination: Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and ministers Keith Butler and Jerry Zandstra.

Bouchard, who re-entered the Republican race in late October, reported about $790,000 in contributions for the quarter and has about $750,000 in the bank. His campaign noted it had only two months to raise money.

“This shows that people from across the state are looking for change and want a voice that will represent them – not special interests – in the US Senate,” Bouchard said, calling it “a great start for our campaign.”

The former state senator withdrew from a possible Senate run in February of 2005, citing heart-related issues, but said last fall that he had addressed his health issues and would seek the nomination.

The contributions could help make him competitive against Butler, a former Detroit City Council member who has picked up several endorsements and led the GOP race in fundraising thus far.

Butler, who leads the Word of Faith International Christian Church in Southfield, raised more than $1.4 million in the first nine months of 2005 and had about $765,000 on hand through late September.

Butler’s report for the most recent quarter was not immediately available, and phone messages were left with his campaign.

Zandstra’s report was not to be available until today, but campaign officials said earlier they would end the year with less than $100,000 in the bank.

Zandstra, from Cutlerville, has been on leave from his job as a minister and a program director of a Grand Rapids-area think tank.

The Republican primary is held in August, with the winner advancing to take on Stabenow in the November general election.

Analysis:

The Associated Press story that ran in the Grand Rapids Press did a good job of providing multiple perspectives on this new legislation introduced by Norton Shores legislator, Republican Gerald Van Woerkom. The story is framed in such a way as to pit organic farmers against farmers who use genetically modified seeds. The article also cites two organizations that are siding with farmers, the Michigan Farm Bureau siding with the use of GMO seeds and the Center for Food Safety siding with organic farmers.

Readers would not learn much from this article as it basically just provides both sides of the issue an opportunity to make claims, but there is no real verification of claims from either side. The article does mention that other states and communities have passed some legislation preventing GMO seeds from being used, but does not explore why these states have done so. Another issue that is not discussed is who is lobbying the state legislature, nor the amount of money being spent on this issue. According to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, the Michigan Farm Bureau was the 40th largest campaign contributor in the 2004 Michigan elections, contributing $142,000 dollars to candidates.

Story:

Seeds of conflict take root in debate over Michigan farming bill
DAVID EGGERT

LANSING, Michigan (AP) – Food is their livelihood.

But for Michelle Lutz, an organic vegetable farmer, and Herb Smith, a planter of genetically modified soybeans, the job requires more these days than simply tending their fields in St. Clair and Monroe counties.

They’re on opposite sides of a budding battle in Lansing over legislation that pits natural, chemical-free crops against genetically engineered seeds. The bill not only is prompting a basic fight for economic viability among growers, it’s raising questions about food safety and who should regulate it.

“We give people a unique relationship with their food,” said the 34-year-old Lutz, whose 80-acre organic farm 55 miles north of Detroit ships fresh produce to 1,000 families every week from June through October. “They get to know who, how, why, where and when.”

Lutz is worried, however, about legislation in the state Senate that would prevent local governments from barring the planting of seeds, including genetically modified crops. Pollen from farms with genetically modified crops can drift onto her Yale-area farm and corrupt the “organic” status of her food, she says.

Five California counties and cities have restricted growing genetically modified organisms since 2004. Fourteen states have since passed laws pre-empting similar measures in their backyards, prodded by large seed companies and an increasing number of farmers who plant their genetically modified products.

Smith, who farms 900 acres near Temperance, says he supports the Senate bill because he could keep planting his engineered soybeans – which have received federal approval – without intrusion from local governments. Because the soybeans are engineered to specifically resist a cheaper weed killer, Smith says he saves about $20 an acre by not using conventional herbicides.

“I wouldn’t sell you stuff out of here that I didn’t think was safe,” said Smith, 76, who first planted genetically modified soybeans in 1996.

Up to 85 percent of U.S. soybeans are genetically modified along with 45 percent of corn. It’s estimated that 70 percent of processed foods on U.S. grocery shelves contain genetically modified ingredients.

“I’m not afraid of change. I’m not afraid of GMOs,” Smith said. “I’m concerned that well-meaning people will pass rules that will destroy farming as we know it.”

Critics worry that so-called “frankenfoods” pose allergy risks to humans, contaminate the natural ecosystem, lead to more chemical spraying and create other unknown, long-term health dangers. Another big concern is government oversight.

Douglas Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist at the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lets the agricultural industry decide how best to test the safety of genetically modified seeds.
“It is a classic case of the fox guarding the hen house,” said Gurian-Sherman, a former Environmental Protection Agency scientist who recently testified before a Senate panel in Lansing. Since there are few federal regulations, he says, “the state and local jurisdictions are necessary to protect the public and send a message to Washington that they need to do a better job.”

The bill’s sponsor in the state Senate, Republican Gerald Van Woerkom of Norton Shores, says genetically modified crops generally benefit society by reducing the amount of chemicals in the environment, among other things. But he wants his committee to hold off on voting on the measure until he looks into Gurian-Sherman’s testimony questioning federal oversight.

The Michigan Farm Bureau and other backers of the bill say safety fears are unfounded and federal officials have created proper regulatory checkpoints. Biotechnology cuts down on the use of herbicides and pesticides, which saves fuel and labor costs. It also makes drought-resistant crops that grow faster, produces better yields and reduces greenhouse gases, they argue.

Opponents say the bill isn’t necessary because local governments in Michigan haven’t passed rules against genetically modified crops. Yet farmers, feeling outnumbered as urban sprawl reaches their communities, think it’s only a matter of time before township boards and county commissions meddle in their seed choices.

Tonia Ritter, legislative counsel for the Michigan Farm Bureau, says the emotional issue has split members of her group.