Analysis:
This story illustrates to good effect the business of local news. It is essentially a story about local Detroit Piston fans. The reporter visits a local bar and puts a group of screaming fans in front of the camera, then proceeds to do a quick synopsis of that night’s game. At the end viewers (fans, in particular) are directed to the website to participate in a poll.
In advertising, one of the keys to success is identifying and relating with the consumer. As stated earlier, this story is an example of news business. By running a story that promotes team camaraderie for the Pistons, WZZM 13 has helped Pistons fans identify themselves with the station. Viewers should also always ask themselves why a news station would want to redirect you to their website after running a story about your favorite team. Does more site traffic equate to more online advertising profits?
Total Time: 2 minutes
Story:
Anchor – Pistons fans have faith their team will take it to the top and bring home another NBA Championship Title. Our Big Story coverage continues with Gita Pullapilly. She’s at Damon’s on 44th Street with fan reaction to the Game
Reporter: Lee and Juliet, Piston fans were on edge throughout the night but now they have reason to celebrate. How are you guys feeling? (Screams from the crowd) The restaurant… (more screams)… the restaurant is starting to clear out now but for the past three hours these fans were all glued to the TV. If you listen … (screams)…I don’t even know if you guys can hear me … (screams) …all right, now there is a lot of excitement…all right, all right… now there was a lot of excitement after the first half and a lot of talk about the refs and the Miami Heat. But during the second half, Pistons fans became nervous. They were hoping for the defense to remain strong, but no matter what happened, it just couldn’t shake these loyal fans.
Fan #1: They’re doing really good, they’re staying up. Um, they’re guarding, doing way good, a lotta turnovers, so I’m happy about that.
Fan #2: Me and my buddies went to the game this year and we decided to buy the starting lineup, so…their jerseys…so we, you know, we’re pretty big fans. We don’t get to catch too many games, but we’re avid TV watchers, so…
Reporter: (Screams from the crowd) Now if you …(more screams)… now if you think this is nuts, just wait till they are in the finals. From Wyoming, Gita Pullapilly, WZZM 13 News.
Anchor: Alright, Gita, you’re not gonna have any voice left when you get back. Thanks very much, we appreciate that and all the fans. Earlier today in our Poll 13 we asked how you thought the Pistons would fare before tonights game. Most people said the Pistons will go all the way. Go to WZZM 13.com to tell us how far you think the Pistons will go, they’ve got one more series. Click on the Poll 13 at the bottom of the page and we’ll have the results for you right after tonight’s sports.
International Trade Made Simple
Analysis:
This story is a very simplistic rendering of a number of fairly complex issues, including international trade, globalization, and US foreign policy toward Latin America. FOX 17 does not give the viewer any contextual information about these issues in this piece. The segment only presents the official US government position, with President Bush being the only voice quoted. Nor does the story mention the primary reason that Bush addressed the OAS, to promote passage of the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement. This omission is not unusual, as CAFTA has received very little coverage in the local news media.
Story:
Newsreader – President Bush and diplomats from 34 countries in Fort Lauderdale, Florida today attending the big OAS conference, the Organization of American States. It focused on everything from democracy and trade to human rights. President Bush spoke to the group about the importance of free trade across the hemisphere.
Bush – In the new Americas of the 21st century, one of the surest ways to make opportunity real for all our citizens is by opening our doors to trade. My government is pursuing this goal at all levels.
Newsreader – Mr. Bush didn’t mention countries where U.S. officials think democracy is under threat, but he said that one day even communist Cuba will be free.
Total Time: 42 seconds
Analysis:
On Sunday June 5, the Grand Rapids Press ran an article from the associated press entitled “Now What: EU’s Constitutiton Crisis has aspiring members fearful of future”. As the headline implies, the reporter frames the story around the response of countries that want to be EU members rather than the EU members themselves. So, in examining the article, there are several voices quoted, all of them government sources. These various government voices are all from countries such as Bulgaria, Turkey or Romania, that is, countries that are not actually in the EU. No non-government voices are presented, neither are any EU voices. Since many of the governments of these non-EU countries are seeking to become EU members and saw the new constitution as the vehicle with which to achieve membership, this rejection by France and Holland of the new EU constitution is presented as a negative development.
Little is said in the article about why voters in France or Holland might be opposed to the proposed constitution. The article states several times that the constitution would have had great economic benefits. To quote, “the huge benefits to be gained from membership in a bloc that is home to 450 million people with the potential to rival the North American Free trade agreement grouping of Canada, Mexico, and the United states will remain within grasp”. It is interesting that the reporter compares the EU to NAFTA, uncritically using NAFTA as an example of how “free trade” agreements leads to economic prosperity. One of the main concerns of many French voters was the fact that this EU constitution would have instituted “free trade” economic policies very much like those put in place here through NAFTA. And as has been seen here with the loss of many higher paying manufacturing jobs to Mexico, many French workers were afraid of a similar development there with the possibility of better paying Western European jobs being outsourced to Eastern Europe. So certainly, it is quite possible that the EU constitution, at least the particular model that was offered, would not be a win-win for every country or for all sectors of the work force in those countries, and that reality was not addressed at all in this article.
Story:
By William J. Kole
Associated Press Writer
June 3, 2005
VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Stuck on the sidelines, the nations with the most to lose in the European Union’s deadlock over its proposed new constitution could be the countries that don’t yet belong.
As Europeans took stock Thursday of the charter’s troubles, leaders and ordinary citizens in Turkey and across the former Soviet bloc worried that the crisis might conspire against their dreams of joining the EU.
Having worked tirelessly and against all odds to prepare for membership, many couldn’t help but wonder whether Europe is coming apart just when they’re getting their acts together.
This week’s momentous repudiations by the Dutch and the French – both founding members of the now 25-nation EU -“shattered the very concept for a European Union,” said Ivan Krastev, a political analyst in Bulgaria, which hopes to join with neighboring Romania in 2007.
Bulgaria’s independent Dnevnik newspaper echoed that bleak outlook, saying “the collapse of enlargement verges on national tragedy.”
“We witnessed Europeans rejecting something that we are struggling to achieve,” said Cetin Kargin, 41, a jeweler in Turkey. The mostly Muslim nation hopes to begin membership talks in October, but many Turks now worry that EU leaders will be too distracted to bother.
Across Eastern Europe, where eight countries joined the bloc a year ago along with Cyprus and Malta, and others have been scrambling to become credible candidates, the sense of frustration was palpable.
Spurred by dreams of unprecedented prosperity, stability and freedom of movement, EU candidates like Romania have spent the last decade constructing democracies and building market economies from scratch. Having invested so much, they have the most at stake.
Many reacted cautiously to the constitution’s latest setback, widely seen as a backlash against the growing power of EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and of the very expansion process that opened the club to the “new Europe.”
The resistance to the treaty, whose backers believed could lead to a better-oiled economy and a higher profile for Europe internationally, “could influence the future development of the EU” by freezing enlargement, acknowledged Dmytro Svystkov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.
But the former Soviet republic “hopes that the EU’s difficult internal reform will not have negative consequences for Ukraine’s future membership,” Svystkov said, adding that the EU’s “attractiveness in the eyes of would-be members has not decreased.”
In Turkey, it may work the other way.
Ordinary Turks – tired of hearing that many Europeans don’t want their Islamic influence in the EU, and mindful that the country’s bid has fed the angst fueling opposition to the constitution – are losing interest in membership, analyst Duygu Bazoglu Sezer contends.
“Most have been expecting economic benefits. They will sense that the European Union is now on a downslide,” said Sezer, a professor of political science at Ankara’s Bilkent University. “The promising world has now perhaps lost its dynamism. That is the message that is beaming out.”
To be sure, the huge economic benefits to be gained from membership in a bloc that’s now home to 450 million people with the potential to rival the North American Free Trade Agreement grouping of Canada, Mexico and the United States will remain within grasp – with or without a charter.
For EU wannabes, membership will continue to represent a ticket to prosperity regardless of the grander themes of political union.
“It’s still worth getting into the EU for economic reasons, and I don’t think it will be worse for us than now,” said Denisa Somesean, a student of dentistry in Romania. She said the EU will go on as “a counterbalance to American dominance.”
Leaders and citizens in some of the bloc’s newest members, meanwhile, have been readjusting their expectations.
Countries like Hungary and the Czech Republic didn’t strike it rich overnight when they joined a year ago, and they don’t expect living standards to improve quickly now that EU leaders are preoccupied with salvaging the constitution.
Words of comfort came from an unusual source: Czech President Vaclav Klaus, an avowed Euroskeptic who sought to put things in perspective.
“Nothing is changing in Europe,” he told the Pravo newspaper. “Europe has been functioning without a constitution for half a century and will be functioning for another half a century.”
WZZM Presents a Partisan Perspective
Analysis:
On June 3 WZZM 13 ran two stories on reaction to the announcement by Dick Devos that he will be running for Governor in 2006. The stories were basically different versions of the same story on this topic, one at noon and a longer version at 6pm. The version that ran at noon was approximately a minute and half long and featured only one perspective on Devos’s candidacy, the perspective of the previous Republican candidate for Governor, Dick Posthumous. The story is essentially about what Posthumous has been doing since he ran for governor and his thoughts on the 2006 gubernatorial election. Not surprisingly, given his partisan background, Posthumous is rather critical of current Governor Jennifer Granholm and supportive of Devos. In fact that Posthumous is so obviously a partisan figure led the news anchor to comment after the story was over that it was “Not surprising what he might say”.
The story that ran at six was about minute and thrity seconds longer than the noon version and included two other voices. All the original parts about Posthumous were included, and added to that were a 13 second quote from Sue Levy, head of the Kent county Democrats, who was, not surprisingly, rather critical of Devos, and a few seconds from a Calvin professor who made a brief, neutral statement about Devos. While this version was somewhat more balanced than the earlier story, the majority of the article was still focused on the perspective of Posthumous, and therefore reflected his partisan bias. Beyond this lack of balance, the story does not include any real information about Devos’ qualities as a candidate other than that he comes from a business background and is very wealthy. In that regard, this story was like many political pieces we have seen on elections on the local news, in which the emphasis was usually on personality and partisan perspectives, but little context provided in terms of platforms, voting records, or issues.
Story:
Noon Story
Newsreader – Well you’ve probably heard the buzz by now, Dick Devos is making a run for the governors office. As the west Michigan notable enters the race, WZZM 13’s Peter Ross took a moment to seek out reaction from the last man to run against Governor Granholm. Peter.
Reporter – Lauren, a man who’s name also is Dick, is also of Dutch decent, and is also from West Michigan, and of course, we’re talking about Dick Posthumous. This morning he said it’s always for a challenger like DeVos to unseat an incumbent Governor, but he said it’s only been once in Michigan history decades ago. Now certainly this election is a long way away, eighteen months, but Posthumous, who is clearly a partisan says DeVos has a shot at beating the governor who has been very popular.
Posthumous – Because the incumbent governor has really shown a lack of a boldness in leadership that we have needed and I think some, very frankly some inexperience, I think that gives him an opportunity.
Reporter – Posthumous points out that Granholm is very smart and a great communicator, and that she comes from South East Michigan, where the majority of the votes in this state still come from. Posthumous by the way is now the executive vice-president of a small office furniture company in Kentwood called Compatico. In the Newsroom, Peter Ross, WZZM 13 News.
Newsreader – “Not surprising what he might say Peter, thank you.
Total time: 1 minute, 27 seconds
Six o’clock Story
Newsreader – Well, just like the weather, Michigan’s political climate is heating up, now that Dick DeVos is in the governor’s race. WZZM 13’s Peter Ross sampled some opinions about the debate to take shape over the next 17 months.
Reporter – It’s underway, Lee. The 2006 Election is here. DeVos becomes the second West Michigan man of Dutch descent named Dick to take on Granholm. We spent some time with the other one today.
Posthumous – Everything comes in here…
Reporter – He’s immersed himself in the fabric of West Michigan’s economy; manufacturing office furniture.
Posthumous – It was like getting an M.Ba here in the last year.
Reporter – Dick Posthumous has been learning about business after a long career in Republican politics.
Granholm: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is your victory.
Reporter – One that ended with the election of Governor Granholm.
Posthumous – As nice a person as Governor Granholm is, I think clearly she’s shown an inexperience at managing and I think, more importantly, a lack of vision for directing Michigan.
DeVos – …that Amway is still about opportunity…
Reporter – DeVos, after a career in the private sector, is going public.
Doug Copeman – His fundamental issue, his number one issue is really jobs and the economy. That he comes from the private sector, he knows how jobs get created…
Reporter – Calvin political scientist Doug Copeman contends and surveys support, decreased support, for Granholm due to Michigan’s declining economy. Still…
Posthumous – It’d certainly be a difficult race.
Reporter – It’s rare for Michigan governors not to be reelected. Democrats call DeVos a perfect target.
Levy – A corporate elitist has no problem with corporate welfare…the recent request to the Grand Rapids city council is a good example. You know, $5 million in tax abatements while we’re laying off firefighters.
Posthumous – This is all new product…
Reporter – Posthumous knows winning statewide elections in Michigan means making the sale where most voters live; in the states southeast section.
Posthumous – … what you stand for and that’s always difficult when you come from west Michigan.
Reporter – But with plenty of time and money, it’s possible DeVos could deliver an upset.
Reporter – Governor Granholm has not officially said she’s running for reelection, but a Granholm for Governor website urges supporters to donate time and money to her campaign. DeVos’ website, like his campaign, is still under construction.
Newsreader – And it’s gonna be here soon, right?
Reporter – You betcha.
Newsreader – Thanks very much, Peter. Last night we launched an online Poll13 asking who you would vote for if the election were held today. At last check about 60% said they’d vote for DeVos, 40% for Governor Granholm. If you’d want to take part in our unscientific poll, you can go to WZZM.com and look for Poll13 under the table of contents.
Total time: 2 minutes, 53 seconds
WZZM 13 “Over Sensationalized the Story”
Analysis:
This story is an interesting example of a reporter appearing to be engaged in journalism, but in reality uncovering nothing. In the two minutes of this story, the reporter fails to get a single statement from the crime suspect she is posing questions to. Each question that the reporter asks is followed by a voice over that makes the question seem more dramatic than it was. For example, after the reporter shoves a microphone in the lawyer’s face and the lawyer pushes it away, the voice over describes the lawyer as “aggressive.” Ironically, the reporter ends the story by noting that the lawyer said that “the media has over sensationalized the story.”
Story:
Anchor #1 – Police say all the evidence points to Tim Dawson, The Sparta man has not been charged with murdering his wife, but police say it will happen soon. In the meantime, Dawson is a free man, and WZZM’s Kathy Reynolds caught up with him in court—Kathy?
Reporter – Well, Lee, Timothy Dawson has always avoided our questions. When his wife disappeared, he refused to talk to us; when she was found dead, he said nothing. But today he had to show up in court, and we were determined to get his side of the story.
Reporter(in Hallway outside the courtroom) – Tim Dawson, did you murder your wife?
Lawyer – Don’t be ridiculous. (Grabs microphone away from Dawson’s face)
Reporter – What…wha…don’t touch me, ma’am!
Reporter (voiceover) – He was silent, she was aggressive. Dawson’s lawyer didn’t want to answer questions, but so many had to be asked.
Reporter (Walking down hallway) – Why did you try to commit suicide?
Reporter (voiceover) – Police say Dawson tried to kill himself after he was named the number one and only suspect in the murder of his wife Julia last year.
Reporter(Walking down hallway) – How did you feel about Julia? How’s it feel to be the police’s only suspect? They say they’re getting close to arresting you, how do you feel about that?
Lawyer (Grabbing the microphone) – They said that seven and a half weeks ago and they haven’t done a damn thing about it.
Reporter (voiceover) – Into a closed courtroom they went, where Dawson was supposed to fight for the custody of his two children from a previous marriage, a marriage to this woman, Amy Hinkley. Hinkley’s lawyer had planned to call on forensics expert Anton Tolemanto testify.
Lawyer #2 – He was going to basically support our position that, given all of the stressors in Mr. Dawson’s life at this time, which are many, that we should be concerned about the safety of the children.
Reporter – But Toleman never took the stand. Dawson disappeared, telling his lawyer he’s relinquishing the rights to his kids a shock to Amy Hinkley and Julie Dawson’s family. They’d come to give Amy support…to get some answers. Tim Dawson’s lawyer finally gave some.
Reporter (Walking down hallway) – Excuse me, did Tim murder his wife?
Lawyer – No.
Reporter – Then tell us, why do you think police suspect him then?
Lawyer – I have no idea, they won’t tell me…they wouldn’t answer any of my questions on cross-examination.
Reporter – Dawson’s lawyer is accusing the Sparta police of harassing her client. She also says the media has over sensationalized the story. Live in the newsroom, I’m Kathy Reynolds, WZZM 13 News.
Total time: 2 minutes, 6 seconds
Exploiting emotions
Analysis:
This crime story is reported on in much the same way that most crime stories are, with little relevance to the community. The first part of the story reads as a police report, which is probably what channel 13 relied on – where and when the shooting occurred, how many gun shots fired and what neighbors heard.
The rest of the story is pretty much devoted to comments from friends and family. Here viewers are provided with emotional commentary, with one family members crying more than talking. Viewers should ask why are these scenes run? What value does it have for members of the community to see the pain of the victim’s family right after the shooting occurred? What might be more useful to the community would be information on resources available for family members of victims, violence prevention resources, support group information and neighborhood watch contacts. Instead viewers are left with the raw emotion of loss. The story ends with more police provided information and a teaser to get people to keep the channel there, “Again this shooting is not believed to be connected to the others this week, but there is one coincidence between 2 of them. We’ll explain at 6.”
Story:
WZZM 13 News reader – Three shootings in a week have left 2 people dead. It all happened on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. The latest last night on Alto Street. WZZM 13’s Kathy Reynolds is in the newsroom with details.
Reporter – Well Lee police say that none of the cases are related. Each one was individually targeted. Still the family of this latest victim is questioning who would want to hurt Derrick Davis. The 30 year old father of 4 was living with his sister at the time of the shooting. Police say that a 2:30 this morning Davis was inside the home on Alto street standing at the door. Neighbors heard 6 gunshots, Davis’s sister found him dead. Police say that bullets had gone through the door.
Family member of the victim #1 – Who ever did this to my son…Oh I wish they would catch them…..he is a father of many. Oh my God he is going to be missed.
Family member of the victim #2 – Derrick is not into gangs, see he is too old to be in a gang, you know. So, he is not in a gang, he’s just been working, you know trying to reconnect with his family.
Friend – If he could hear us now we’d just want to say we still love you ….we want to make sure they catch whoever did it.
Reporter – Police have no suspects, no motive in this case, but there has been a history of violence in that house, including 2 previous shootings. Anyone with information is asked to call Grand Rapids Police. Again this shooting is not believed to be connected to the others this week, but there is one coincidence between 2 of them. We’ll explain at 6.
Total Time – 1 minute and 40 seconds
Twice as violent
Analysis:
Here is another example of gratuitous violence passing off as a news story. It doesn’t matter that the news anchor warns viewers before they run the footage, because this story has no relevance to the West Michigan Community. The video footage is from a home video and viewers should ask themselves how a TV station in Los Angeles got it and then how it wound up on WZZM 13. In addition it should be mentioned that channel 13 shows viewers the clip of someone getting run over by a car 2 times.
Story:
WZZM 13 News reader – A man survived having a car run over him in a California yard. A warning the following video may be disturbing to some, but the man is OK. Police say a drunk driver ran into another car in Los Angeles. He gunned his engine and then turned into a yard running over a man who was just standing there. Amazingly, as we said, the guy run over only had a few bumps and bruises. He said he avoided serious injury by rolling with the car that passed over him. Police arrested the driver for driving under the influence.
Total Time – 29 seconds
Bear hype
Analysis:
Here is a story that WOOD TV 8 decided to hype, even though they admit the risk is almost non-existent. Someone near Sparta may have recently seen a bear, so channel 8 decides to look at the possibility of West Michigan residents encountering a bear. Viewers get to hear from the Sheriff’s department, the DNR, they are even treated to map graphics of the range of female and male black bears. Channel 8 even uses what appears to be home video footage of bears near campsites, but the footage is never sourced. Over 2 minutes is devoted to this story, even tips for avoiding bears are provided, but the story itself is a contradiction. Early in the story, the WOOD TV 8 reporter admits “Let’s face it the odds of running into a bear out here are remote, in fact you probably got a better chance of winning the lottery.” So it is reasonable to ask, why spend so much time on a story about an issue that really doesn’t concern viewers? Was the story was hyped just to keep viewer’s attention?
Story:
WOOD TV 8 News reader – One of Michigan’s great natural treasures is its abundance of wildlife, creatures that most of us would prefer to stay in the wild. As Rick Albin reports occasionally those animals better known for inhabiting the woods do venture into more populated areas.
Reporter – Let’s start with the facts, yes there are black bears in Kent, Muskegon and other counties. Not many, but some.
DNR – In this particular area it’s not a large population, but it is one that we have seen growing in recent years.
Reporter – A recent citing of a bear near Sparta on M-37 between ten and 13 mile road was not verified but it would be nothing new.
Sheriff’s Dept. – There has been bears in Kent County off and on for many, many years.
Reporter – Local citings of bear are probably local animals roaming from their home area to the North.
DNR – They do cover a fairly large area. Females can typically go up to – if you had to put a figure on it – a 20-25 square mile area. Sometimes the males will roam even much larger areas, sometimes even 100 square miles.
Reporter – Let’s face it the odds of running into a bear out here are remote, in fact you probably got a better chance of winning the lottery, but in the off chance you did encounter a bear it doesn’t necessarily impose an unreasonable danger. In the unlikely circumstance that you do encounter a bear, a few common sense, but important things will reduce the possibility of that encounter turning dangerous. Do not feed the bear, it makes them reliant on people and creates nuisance bears that ultimately have to be removed or destroyed. Don’t try to approach a bear and don’t try to chase an animal or tree it. Generally the animals will leave an area when humans are present. The Sheriff’s Department and the DNR deal with relatively few sittings in the immediate area and virtually no problem with bears interacting with people. In Kent County, I’m 24 hour News 8.
WOOD TV 8 News reader – The DNR would like to know if you have a verifiable citing of a bear so that the DNR can keep track of the population as it moves about. Tips on how to keep bears from becoming a nuisance at camp grounds or for that matter in your back yard. All that information can be found on the DNR’s website and you can find a link to that at WOODTV.com.
Total Time – 2 minutes and 8 seconds
Colin Powell Comes to Town
Analysis:
In many ways this article is written as journalistic stenography – the recoding of events without asking the important questions that journalism should ask. There is no indication if the GR Press reporter was able to ask questions, but even if they couldn’t they could at least look at the comments of Colin Powell and verify them with the public record. Powell is a man who has served in several administrations in numerous capacities. The GR Press article provides no background or contextual information on a man who has a military/foreign policy history that some might consider criminal.
The article has Powell telling stories of how generous America is, but the Press writer does not verify such statements. Powell even says “America needs to do more around the world to win hearts and minds.” Unfortunately, the Press does not attempt to clarify what that means. The Pew Research Center published in January of 2005 a lengthy report on the growing global anti-American sentiment.
Lastly, there is no mention of who was at the Grand Rapids Economic Club annual dinner, nor whom the Economic Club represents. A look at their website shows that their members are made up of area power brokers from finance, government, corporate and media. Two of the area TV station managers are on the board of directors and the Program Committee.
Story:
Powell: America still good friend By Steven Harmon The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS — As hostile as the world seems to the United States, it longs for America’s friendship and leadership. And all this country has to do is act on its best instincts.
That was former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s message Wednesday at the Grand Rapids Economic Club’s 18th annual dinner at DeVos Place, which quickly is becoming the host to major national political figures. Less than two weeks ago, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuiliani spoke at the downtown convention center’s ballroom.
“It’s important for America to get back to showing that image of an open, welcome nation,” Powell said. “When they come into our communities, they get a different impression of us than by watching a Michael Moore film or the news bulletins on TV.”
Honored at the dinner were George, John and Tom Jackoboice, of Monarch Hydraulics Inc., as Business Persons of the Year for 2005, and Peter Wege as winner of the Slykhouse Lifetime Achievement Award. In an hour-long speech, Powell, a retired four-star general, regaled a crowd of about 1,000 with stories of diplomatic triumphs.
He joked about taking apart a toilet in his family’s home as a first act of retirement. He boasted about his upcoming assignment of driving the pace car — a Corvette convertible — at Sunday’s Indy 500. And he gave a report card on the world’s hot spots.
He told the story of a dozen Brazilian students visiting Chicago who ordered a big meal at a fast-food restaurant before realizing they did not have the money to pay for it. The manager told them the meal was on him — the kind of act that can go a long way toward showing America’s true spirit, Powell said. “He said ‘he’s so happy you’re in America, that you’re in Chicago, that you came to his restaurant, consider this a gift from him,” Powell said. “The one thing they’ll never forget is the open arms and generosity. We can do that all day long all over America because that really is what America is all about. “If we want to change the anti-American attitude, we know how to do it — just be open and welcome.”
But he also warned that America needs to do more around the world to win hearts and minds. He noted the State Department’s budget for developing countries had doubled from $10 billion a year to $22 billion in his tenure as Secretary of State, but it still was far shy of what’s needed to combat HIV/AIDS and poverty and to promote development, clean water and good governance.
“America can do more and better, but no one can tell you we’re giving too much to developing countries,” he said. “We’ve got to do more if we want other countries to move in the direction of democracy and freedom.” Powell appeared unburdened by the freedom of retirement, though he told no kiss-and-tell stories on his four years in the Bush administration.
As National Security Adviser to President Reagan in the 1980s, Powell said he had a tough time letting go of the Soviet Union as a mortal enemy, even as its former president, Mikhail Gorbachev, was in the beginning stages of lowering the iron curtain.
At one point, as Gorbachev was complaining the United States was not paying attention to reforms under way, Powell said Gorbachev pounded on the table, leaned into him and said, “Oh, general, general, I’m so very sorry, but you’ll have to find a new enemy.” Powell, in his self-effacing way, said he thought to himself, “but I don’t want to! Slow down. Why do I have to change?”
But, as he said later, speaking of globalism that connects everyone, “we’re rapidly moving to a transactional world.”
“It means we have to be imaginative and creative — invest more in education so we don’t get left behind,” he said. “And I don’t think we’ll get left behind.”
Campaign Financing in Michigan
Analysis:
This was a brief article that made its way onto the front page of the Grand Rapids Press. It is a report on a study released on May 26th by the Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit, nonpartisan watchdog group in Washington, D.C. In it, they named the top individual campaign contributors for both parties during the 2004 elections.
The article was taken from the Associated Press edited to about half its original size. Though it is news worthy of its front page slot, the edits subtly changed the tone of the story. Off the wire it read as an investigation into campaign finance reform. After edits it read more like “cheers” to the DeVos family for giving more money than anyone else. It even left out quotes from state Democratic and GOP party spokespersons, plus no where not in the original AP version or the GR Press version do they provide voices other than Democrat or Republican. Ask yourself if an independent, non-partisan voice from Michigan would be useful to voters.
Readers could also ask themselves is why is a story about campaign contributions from 2004 running midway through 2005? Could information like this have made an impact on elections locally and nationally? The data is required by candidates, most of which is part of the public record prior to Election Day. Late donations can be submitted after the Election, but the majority of the data is available to the public and journalists prior to the Election.
Story:
DeVos name tops political donors
By KEN THOMAS
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans Dick and Betsy DeVos of Michigan were the nation’s largest individual campaign donors during the 2004 election cycle, according to a study released Thursday.
A report by the Center for Public Integrity said the couple, of Ada, contributed more than $2.3 million in 2003 and 2004, including more than $1.8 million to party committees registered in Michigan.
Jay Van Andel, who died in December 2004, was ranked third overall in individual contributions, giving $2 million of his personal fortune, including $1 million to Michigan GOP groups.
Second nationally was Arizona real-estate developer James Pederson, with $2.2 million to the Arizona GOP.
The DeVos and Van Andel families, who founded Amway Corp. in 1959, have been leading financial supporters of the Republican party. Alticor Inc., one of the world’s largest direct marketing companies, is Amway’s parent company and is privately held by the two families.
Dick DeVos is considering a campaign to seek the GOP nomination to face Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Betsy DeVos recently stepped down as chairwoman of the state Republican party.
• Dick DeVos’ parents, Richard and Helen DeVos, of Ada, donated $185,000 to Michigan political committees during the period.
The study puts Alticor, Amway and DeVos family interests among the nation’s top-five organizational donors, contributing more than $4.7 million in 2003 and 2004.
The donations ranked them just behind two major unions — the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
By comparison, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America gave $2.6 million, the AFL-CIO contributed $2.35 million, and the United Auto Workers provided $1.66 million.
Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:
The Washington-based watchdog group’s study shows the DeVos family’s considerable political clout.
DeVos Sr. is the owner of the NBA’s Orlando Magic.
Other top donors include:
• C. Michael Kojaian, a Bloomfield Hills businessman, who gave $120,000 to Republicans during the cycle. He has been a leading financial contributor to President Bush’s campaigns.
The study also showcases the highly competitive environment between the state Democratic and Republican parties in a state with divided government: a Democratic governor, Republican control of the Legislature and a significant GOP edge in Michigan’s congressional delegation.
The Michigan Republican State Committee raised $14.3 million during the period, compared to $13.5 million by the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee. The Democratic organization outspent its GOP counterpart by more than $780,000.
Nate Bailey, a state GOP spokesman, said the report showed “how effectively using and spending money can really make the difference between winning and losing.”
Jason Moon, a state Democratic party spokesman, said it provided evidence that the DeVos’ are “kings of corporate and special interests. They spend their money to promote their right-wing ideals.”
Messages were left Wednesday for Dick and Betsy DeVos.
Nationally, the study found overall fund-raising for state political parties in the 2004 election cycle declined to $735 million, a decrease of $65 million compared to the 2000 election cycle and $85 million less raised in the 2002 midterm elections.
The nonpartisan organization attributed the drop to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms, which barred unlimited “soft money” contributions to federal candidates or federal party organizations.
