Cape Town’s latest HIV medication delivery service: Iyeza Express

This radio broadcast from NPR is about a teenage boy named Sizwe Nizema who founded his own delivery service of HIV medication to HIV patients. The idea for his 694-client business came about as Nizema waited in a lengthy clinic line to pick up his grandparents’ medication, as they were too sick to retrieve it themselves. It dawned on him that he could deliver medication to individuals who needed it for a fee of less than one U.S. dollar. Today, he has a staff of six people delivering medication on their bicycles.

Sizwe Nzima and his small staff deliver medication to HIV patients around Cape Town, South Africa. Photo credit: NPR.

Anders Kelto, writer and radio broadcaster, uses a very informal and conversational tone as he relays Nizema’s story. The story is told with maintained fluency as there are multiple soundbites from select sources included from Nizema, a representative from Doctors without Borders and HIV expert Suhair Solomon. Each soundbite and comment that Kelto makes is beneficial to the overall telling of the story.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will be missed by many

Local news coverage from CBS Boston brought light to Tom Menino’s passing and funeral that was held on Monday.

The former mayor passed away last Thursday and the city of Boston honored him with a respectable drive around Boston’s neighborhoods and a somber but grand funeral. The funeral featured fond and funny memories of Menino as told by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Menino’s two teenage granddaughters.

CBS approached the somber story with a lighthearted, gentle approach. They scattered the anecdotes Menino’s granddaughters had told the funeral attendees along with the heavy-hearted supportive interaction between former President Bill Clinton and Angela Menino.

There are direct quotes from the speakers, and links to video footage of the speeches presented at the funeral embedded into the written story. In the news package, there are small sound bites that carry through b-roll of Menino’s casket being carried into the church.

Overall, the writing and video content works symbiotically. The video reflects what the words spoken are saying. For example, as the video content was showing the casket being carried, the words said at this point were about this action.

Ana Santos sheds light on untold stories of migrant working mothers

Ana Santos stole the audience’s breath at Elon University last Wednesday as she spoke of female OFW’s and the hardships they face while abroad.

Ana Santos presents her migrant worker findings to a room of Elon University students.

Santos is a Persephone Miel Fellow at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting who has dedicated efforts toward producing multimedia stories on the issue of migrant workers in her home country of the Philippines.

OFW stands for “overseas Filipino worker.” These workers originating from the Philippines are comprised mainly of mothers working abroad to better provide for their families. Santos said there are about 2.56 million Filipino families with at least one family member working abroad today.

Why go abroad? The value of the dollar is low in the Philippines. Workers go abroad in order to earn a sustainable income for their large families. The Philippines has one of the highest birth rates in Asia, due to both a lack of open communication about sex and a shortage of money to pay for contraception.

Why is there a demand for OFW’s? Mothers in developing countries are now working. They are no longer available during the daytime to care for their young children. This is where a migrant worker faces their biggest hardship.

Who will take care of their own kids? Usually, the eldest daughter of the family will assume all responsibilities of a mother, no matter how old she is. This transition can take a big toll on the well-being of these daughters, and the relationship they hold with their mother.

Santos described the experience for OFW families as feelings of abandonment. Children often feel “orphaned.” This is what stirred the room at Elon University. The fact that these Filipino mothers are doing the best they can to provide a better life for their children, and their children do not feel any benefit other than bigger funds to buy a new shirt or an extra package of pencils for school. Mothers are treated more like a bank than a parent.

An interview with a teenage daughter of an OFW said it all. With tears in her eyes and sobbing words, she told Santos how difficult it was to grow up without a mom. She was just three years old when her mother’s contract began.

And how do most mothers say goodbye before they go abroad?

They don’t. Most tell their kids that they are out running errands. And instead of grabbing a shopping cart they grab the nearest airplane flight.

BSO calls on Zacharias to perform, again

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is one of the nation’s five premier orchestras based in Boston, Massachusetts. The orchestra typically performs in the grand Symphony Hall, and was founded in 1881.

Photo taken of the BSO at Symphony Hall http://mmone.org/wp-content/gallery/bostonsymphony/600full-boston-symphony-orchestra.jpg.

Eloquently written, the news release located under a tab labeled “Press Releases” on the BSO website, writes about an upcoming event with German conductor Christian Zacharias scheduled to perform with the BSO in October. The lede contains the details of the event including its location, date, subject, background information about the subject and what will be performed. All of this information is packed into one lengthy sentence.

The BSO’s news release was surprisingly different from the guidelines of news releases given in our textbook. It is written with descriptive, opinionated language and contains many thoughts and ideas within single sentences. The structure of the news release is blocked. There are clearly titled subheads in boldface type that make it easy for readers to follow along. It achieves the goals of a news release in that it provides links to further information pertaining to the event, as well as all of the necessary details a potential ticket buyer would like to know.

Performing at Symphony Hall twice in the past five years with the musically talented Westborough High School Symphonic Band made this news release an exciting read. It brought back the greatest memories of band and past high school music adventures.

Bumps in refugees’ path to United States sanctuary

A panel discussion with refugee advocates at Elon University today dived into the grueling roadblocks refugees and asylees face while living in the United States.

The panel was comprised of Elon University faculty member Mussa Idris of PERCS: Elon’s Program for Ethnographic Research & Community Studies, Heather Scavone of Elon’s Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic and representatives Million Mekonnen and Sharon Morrison of the North Carolina African Services Coalition (NCASC) and Center for New North Carolinians (CNNC). Each speaker provided deep insight into their work with local refugees in North Carolina, specifically in Greensboro.

“Because they don’t speak much English, we don’t think they are very professional,” said Morrison, referencing Montagnard refugees.

Language is one of many barriers immigrants and refugees struggle with upon arrival to the United States. Although some may have a long list of credentials from their home country, these do not directly translate to being United States credentials. Additionally, if a refugee speaks in broken English, native Americans may believe them to be dumb.

Additional barriers include but are not limited to legal needs and challenges of asylees and refugees, family separation and healthcare.

Barrier number one: the law

Scavone said that it is the United States’ international and domestic obligation to protect the legal needs of immigrants, asylees and refugees. Under law, refugees may not be returned to a country where their life and their rights are threatened or violated based on an individual’s;

• race
• religion
• political opinion
• membership in a particular social group
• nationality

These are known as the five protected convention grounds. But some refugees have trouble dictating their situation back home. Not everyone has access to an attorney, and courts are three times less likely to approve of citizenship if there is an attorney vouching on behalf of a refugee. There is risk of deportation to an unstable life in their home state once again. It is pertinent to refugees to be granted citizenship in the United States. This is because citizenship translates to civic engagement, family reunification, permanent protection from deportation and preservation of social benefits.

Barrier number two: family separation

Scavone emphasized the “discomfort” that comes along with being separated from spouses and children and how it affects an overall transition to a refugee safety zone, like Greensboro, NC. Family unity encourages mental health, economic self-sustainability and a natural social integration. Being without family in a foreign country can be tough for many refugees, asylees and immigrants. One more reason to become a citizen: Upon being granted citizenship, a refugee has opportunity to bring spouses and children to the United States. 

Barrier number three: healthcare

Medicaid opportunities are available within a limited timespan. During the first eight months of residence in the United States, refugees may collect all benefits given to citizens in the Affordable Healthcare Act. After this time, refugees must qualify for eligibility to receive medical insurance. When referring to refugees from all around the world, Mekonnen said many require medical assistance for long after this eight-month period. Refugees hailing from Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Burma, Iran, Cuba and Syria may have post traumatic stress disorder as well as various diseases that need to be treated immediately and periodically. After eight months, a big issue for refugees is paying for and qualifying for medical insurance to treat these health issues.

Care to Skimm the news?

Reading news via theSkimm is like chatting with a hip twenty-year-old. It is painless. Genius, even.

Former NBC producers Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin launched theSkimm in mid-July of 2012 in hopes of enlightening those not working in the news world about all of the latest current events. Weisberg and Zakin took into account the fact that although people want to know the news, they do not have a lot of spare time and patience to read it.

With a blocked-style and quick summaries one paragraph each, busy, time-crunched people can stay current. The writing is easily informal and jam-packed with informative details. Most summaries have a knowledgable source accompanied with a quote. “Who, what, when, why, and where?” questions are answered. There is no fluff. And if a reader cares to delve further into the issue, the news briefings contain embedded links.

Simply put, theSkimm is candy-coated news. And its readers are treating the phenomenon with utmost approval.

Social media dominates news world, but has not conquered it

Mission: to engage

National News Engagement Day sparked reflective thoughts around campus for Elon University students Tuesday with social media postings, a new age take on historical campus criers and a bombardment of news from The Pendulum and “Elon Local News.”

Was it effective?

Sophomore Sophie Angst admired the amount of awareness that was created among the student body in preparation for the event.

“The hashtag “#ElonNewsEngage” was all over my social media news feeds. There was even a Facebook event I was invited to, and I joined because my friend Caroline Fernandez is on the planning committee for the event,” said Angst.

There was not a lack of awareness, Angst believes, but a lack of active and willing participation from students involved with organizations outside of the School of Communications. Student media organization members posted about the day, but others were not obliged.

Do students engage in the news?

Sans campus criers and social media, junior Krissy Parrett engages in the news with the help of her mother back home.

“I turn to my mom to get the latest news. Whenever we talk on the phone just about every week, usually she will tell me what she sees on the morning news and that’s enough for me,” said Parrett.

Other students favor Twitter and Buzzfeed’s approachable news content.

Sophomore Sharon Sparling said that although Buzzfeed is not The New York Times or anything, it is fun to read. Browsing through Buzzfeed is the only way she will engage with the news.

It’s that simple. Times have changed. 

Students engage in the news in starkly different ways than their predecessors once did. There is no doubt about it. Social media has won over millennials in a big way. Studies show that they expect that their news content is delivered on the platforms Twitter, Facebook and even Snapchat. If there is an event across the world, Snapchat is able to deliver videos and pictures of the event taking place. For example, during The World Cup hosted by Brazil, Snapchat Stories made it possible to see firsthand the stadium, the fans, and the players during the games.

Above are the three main news sources that aid millennials to engage with news.

“When I engage in news it is always through Twitter. Unless it is like today when campus criers are screaming out the headlines,” said Sparling.

Alicia Keys attends to social inequity with music

Nick Kristof’s published column Sept. 20, 2014 on The New York Times Sunday Review delves into Alicia Keys’ efforts to establish peace in a world of ongoing social injustice.

Kristof effectively uses language and differing styles to create an easy-to-read rhythm in his writing. Different from a straight-news story, the piece is conversational. Despite great word-choice, it appears pretty laid back for a high profile news story. One example of this relaxed writing is Kristof’s use of the first-person during quote attribution. He referred to himself as “me” following Keys’ quote. First-person use is not typically found in traditional straight news stories.

I enjoyed reading Kristof’s column. I could tell that he did his homework and he asked Keys questions that show prior knowledge. The resulting quotes and paraphrased sentences he gathered for the column positively lead the column forward.

Similar to a straight news story, the column’s form contains a captivating direct quotation within the third graph. The quotation provided is said by the subject of the story who is Keys, proving the source to be reliable and credible. The column shed light on vital information about Keys’ campaign with attention to prioritizing the most important bits.

Lack of voting rights forces Hong Kong students to strike

The New York Times published a stirring article today reporting student strikes at the University of Hong Kong. NYT writers Chris Buckley and Alan Wong reported with grave attention to quoting. It is clear that each quote was graphed strategically based on its relevance, importance, and source.

Buckley and Wong smartly cite student representatives, professors, and student bystanders which is vital for source diversity. The most common quoting style in the article is using direct quotation. These direct quotations crucially shed light on motives behind the protest.

Along with directly quoting sources, three paraphrased quotes sufficiently compliment the story. One paraphrased quote stems from a professor noting absences in his Monday classes. Absent is reason for a direct quote here as it is strictly fact. Because there is not a viewpoint being introduced here, a direct quote is not necessary. I enjoyed the structure of the article and overall I think that Buckley and Wong did a fine job with quote placement and choice.

Vietnam soldiers receive belated presidential recognition

President Obama held a ceremony granting two recipients the Medal of Honor in the White House on Monday. Recognition was given in leu of soldiers who displayed fine zeal in defense of the United States during the Vietnam War. The article was published by The Associated Press on The Boston Globe‘s website.

As an anecdotal news story, the article wins the heed of its readers the whole way through. With the delayed identification of the two medal recipients, readers are encouraged to read on in order to discover the article’s subjects.

Structurally, I wished that some chief information was brought to the forefront of the story. One of the recipients is deceased and he was not present at the ceremony to claim his honor. This fact is slightly pertinent to know prior to having read the majority of the article.

The sources provide depth, reliability, and context. With reputable sources Julie Pace, an AP White House correspondent, and, not to mention President Obama, the result is a quite credible news story.

Flooding has deadly impact in India, Pakistan

Today, The Boston Globe published an article written by The Associated Press pertaining to deadly monsoon flooding in southern Asia. The Boston Globe is a leading daily newspaper that has over 23 Pulitzer prizes to its name since its launch in 1872. This article immediately captured my attention due to the fact that, alarmingly, human lives were being lost in a big way across the world and I had not heard about it.

“SRINAGAR, India — Five days of rains have triggered landslides and flash floods in large swaths of northern India and Pakistan, raising the death toll to nearly 300 people, officials said Sunday.”

The lede above contains all of the necessary components of a summary lede. The ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’, and ‘where’ questions are all clearly answered within a one-sentenced graph. The reader is instantly brought into the news story’s setting because the location of the event is the very first word stated in the article. The two appearances of numerical figures bring substance and impact to the lede. Language used in the sentence, such as “triggered” and “large swaths”, depict a detailed scene stemmed solely from the author’s word choice. The quick action verbs cut straight into the heart of the story and reaffirm the engagement of the reader. If the lede were to be rewritten, I would rearrange it so that the death toll numbers were written first, with the reasons why the event occurred to follow. People are more inclined to interact with the article if their attention is brought to the main point of the story quickly; the main point being that human lives are being lost.

UK takes anti-terrorism initiative: with rights to obtain citizen-issued passports

CNN World News published an article surrounding the UK’s recent initiative to limit terrorism on Monday. CNN is a high-ranking news site that delivers breaking news stories catered towards United States citizens.

In efforts to keep ISIS supporters out of the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron now grants law enforcement officials the ability to obtain passports from any suspecting individual who may attempt entry or re-entry into the country. This impactful initiative concerns UK citizens who may have travelled outside of the country, and return to discover they are not allowed back in. What will innocent individuals do if they happen to be deemed as a threat to their home country? How far will this temporary initiative go in terms of excluding and tagging potential terrorists? One may believe that suspects are sought out mainly by their appearance. Following the events in Syria and Iraq involving the late American journalist James Foley, countries like Great Britain are beginning to face these extremely controversial decisions. And now that the UK has begun this act, it is inevitable for other places around the world to follow suit.