Capturing powerful voices: Did UPS discriminate pregnant woman?

What was the report about?

UPS boasts to function as a “reliable, delivery service” but is it an ethnical organization when it comes to approaching issues of a different kind of delivery?

This report by NPR’s Nina Totenberg captures the story of Peggy Young, a woman who has recently stirred the debate on reproductive rights for women. Young is filing a case against UPS, her former employer, for firing her “because she was pregnant” under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.

The power of voices: 

The report captures the long history behind the long history of women’s reproductive rights in the U.S while handling the present issue in a balanced manner. In my opinion, the reason why it was successful was because Totenberg includes several quotes from various people including Young, her attorney and UPS coworkers. She allows those involved to tell the story rather than describing much of it in her own words. Her writing is clear, concise and organized. The podcast is engaging as it shifts from different perspectives and voices regularly.

The following quote from Young was especially powerful:

“I’m pregnant, there’s not an incident here, and I can do my regular job. They would not allow me to.” 

Glimpse of three minutes in Poland before the Holocaust

Documentarian Glenn Kurtz tells story of his grandparents

This NPR story is about how a film director found footage of his grandparents in 1938 before they experienced the horror of the Holocaust, Glenn Kurtz was able to connect with a man who appeared in the film when he was 13 years old. The entire story is very heartwarming and Kurtz describes it as “extraordinary.”

The overall style of the story is a conversational interview. There is a lot of story telling and unlike PR writing, the story builds up to the main point rather than hitting it at the very beginning. Kurtz is able to tell the interviewee about his experience in detail and at a slower pace. On the actual website, the story is summarized below the initial background of the story. The layout of the writing portion of the story is blocked and and includes pictures that support each block paragraph.

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.

The Keystone XL Oil Pipeline

Breaking Down an NPR Podcast Story

The mediator of this NPR story does a fine job of introducing the article to the listeners and doesn’t waste time in bringing in the featured guests.  The two men are very educated and do an excellent job of speaking about the situation on a level that the average citizen can understand.

Keystone XL Pipeline geographical map
Photo Courtesy: RespectMyPlanet.Org

The two main guests offer useful information at which you can feel is expert opinions.  Whenever the guests say something that might be out of the knowledge of the general public, the narrator does a good job of using a clarifying statement to some up the lingo and expert analysis that the common listener may not understand.  However, he doesn’t do this with every breakdown – I think a lot of this is because the audience who will be listening to this podcast all probably have refined knowledge in a subject like this.

Podcast Strengths 

The podcast primarily uses the audio of the two guests and the narrator, however, at times the producer will bring in audio bites from President Obama and other esteemed politicians to discuss the Keystone Pipeline.  This may seem boring to a listener who isn’t interested in the subject, that being said, there won’t be many listeners who don’t have deep interest listening to this – so it seems justified.  The story really runs of the host, where he feels are necessary times toss the story to the discretion of the guests. It seems more to be reporting and interviewing, rather than a straight news story.  There was no script attached with the article, but there was an article that outlined the information being discussed.

Apparent Mass Murder Of 43 Students Hurts Mexico’s Tourism

In this news broadcast hosted by Steve Inskeep, the mass murder of 43 students by a drug cartel is talked about, and the consequences of the murders are considered. After the murders came to light earlier last month, tourism in the state of Guerrero has dropped immensely. With protests erupting all over the state, and with masked protesters walking down streets every day, many tourists fear for their lives

There have been over 14,000 hotel cancellations since the news broke concerning the murders. In the resort area of Acapulco for example, tourism has dropped immensely and is hurting the economy of the entire state- due to the fact that almost 80% of the income for Guerrero comes from tourism inside Acapulco.

The article only includes the script from the radio broadcast, but the broadcast itself is very well written. The lede of the broadcast catches the attention of the viewer quickly and then delves into the important background information.

The two reporters have a very basic exchange, and each take turns explaining the consequences of the killings. There is also an interview with a local spanish woman, which one of the reporters translates to give listeners an idea of what life is like in Guerrero. Both reporters speak clearly and slowly, allowing listeners such as myself to fully understand the report.

Three Minutes in Poland

A NPR story detailed the journey one man took after rummaging through a pile of old family videos. Writer Glenn Kurtz stumbled upon a home video that was shot on his grandparents’ trip to Poland in 1938. Kurtz realized that he was looking at a Polish Jewish community immediately before the Holocaust. The film allowed him to connect with a survivor of the Holocaust, who was just a thirteen- year-old boy in the video.

The townspeople of Nasielsk, Poland just before World War II

This feature story has a more natural and conversational style. Rachel Martin, the NPR host, introduced Kurtz, before casually interviewing him about his discoveries. Kurtz was very interesting and passionate in his journey to find the Polish townspeople in the video. He created his findings into a book called Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film. 

Culinary Institute’s School For ‘Foodpreneurs’ To Cook Up Innovation

The Culinary Institute of America is famously known for producing some of  the world’s most famous chefs. These top chefs have created the top restaurant and entertainment business in the world. Allison Aubrey, NPR news correspondent focuses on food and culture as a combination, is the writer of this NPR report.

Aubrey highlights CIA’s new addition to their institute, The Food Business School, where students will be able to learn the ins and out of the food business in order to be successful in the cut throat business.

In this article, it is very conversational compare to other readings I found on the website. Aubrey did lots of interviewing and added quotes that made the article feel real and alive. I felt that Aubrey was sitting right in front of me telling me the story herself. The paragraphs are very short and very straight to the point. There is not much detail compared to other news articles. This article is written to be read over the radio and not TV nor newspaper.

Ahead Of Ferguson decision, Governor Jay Nixon declares emergency

This NPR News Article, by Bill Chappell,  states how Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency monday. Nixon decision clears the way for agencies like the National Guard to lower any potential unrest in protesters waiting for jury decision on Michael Browns death.

In Nixon’s executive order he said for agencies “to protect civil rights and ensure public safety in the city of Ferguson and the St.Louis region.”

The article is written in brief concise paragraphs. Each paragraph offers information on the topic, the longer the article the deeper the reporter goes into detail.  It offers a quote from the mayor and background information in the lede paragraph, as well as the picture in the article.It also references an article about the Ferguson trial that was published last week by Sam Sanders. Its easy to read and gets straight to the point.

Thousands Of Kids Sickened By Laundry Pods That Are Hard To Resist

I found this very intriguing article on the NPR website about laundry pods poisoning young children. The pretty little detergent balls attract kids to bite, eat, or gnaw on the product. Side effects have lead to seizures, comas and even death.

The writing style in the article was very accurate and clear. The article was mostly structured around the print form of the radio conversation covering the story. I went ahead and listened to the radio version and I found many of the same characteristics; clarity. The conversation was not rushed and easily understood. I noticed their was a change in sound, almost like background noise, between the host and respondents. This helped me to keep track of who was talking, and I think this was done on purpose. The report itself was very conversational. The reporters also talked with ease and the entire story was very easy to follow along with.

Preterm birth: The new leading cause of death

According to this NPR article there are thousands of different diseases around the world that could potentially kill babies. But no single disease out weighs the deadly risks of being born prematurely. Every year, 1.09 million children under age five die from health complications that can be traced back to being born three or more weeks early.

The UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Levels and trends in child mortality: report 2013.

The article is written in blocked form with different bolded subheads guiding the readers eye. Even though it comes from NPR it does not feature any audio and solely offers up the news. The article starts with important statistics and information about premature births and their health risks, then continues to answer questions in order of most to least important.

There are also incredible sources in the article. Information was gathered from credible sources such as the director of the Institute for International Programs at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, The Lancet, and Science Translational Medicine. Graphics came from the UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.  Every detail of the article gave depth and reliability rather than fluff or jargon.

Radio Station prides itself on freedom over listenability

NPR’s Scott Simon sat down with WFMU’s general manager Ken Freedman and talked about his radio station which he runs out of New Jersey. The story highlights how Freedman is looking for much more than a popular radio station with a bunch of listeners, but rather a place where he can exercise his right to freedom and not be controlled by a higher institution.

The podcast is a very conversational and casual piece, with each person interjecting at appropriate times. There is no arguing or debating, just Simon asking Freedman a series of questions. It seemed as if Simon didn’t prepare all of his questions, but rather asked them on the spot and with the flow of the conversation.

At the beginning of the piece, some background music accompanies Simon as he talks about some of the reviews and critics of the radio station. The music is pretty loud for background music, but nevertheless provides a good basis for the show to begin. They also talk about some of the things that Freedman plays on the radio station, and then proceed to play them on the podcast. This was a good move because it gives the listener special insight into what Freedman’s station is actually playing. Overall, the sounds/background music they play is a bit too loud for my liking, but very appropriate.

Taylor Swift, Platinum Party of One

Here’s another Taylor Swift post (but I know that I am not the only one who has constantly been listening to her new album)!  On Nov. 5, NPR posted an exciting story, claiming that Taylor Swift’s new album, 1989, had gone platinum.  The reason why this is so significant, byline Sam Sanders explains, is because it is the only album in all of 2014 to reach this goal (besides the Frozen soundtrack which was released in 2013). They have supporting evidence of this news from Nielsen SoundScan.

In this radio transcript, Steve Inskeep and David Greene host, while Sam Sanders is the byline of the story.  It is similar to having a broadcast reporter on sight, while anchors introduce a story.  There are also various sound-bites in the story of quotes from David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Werde, Joe Levy, and Taylor Swift herself (both quotations and song clips).

I thought this radio story was powerful because of the evidence behind Swift’s recent success. Most of the radio talk I hear when driving in the car just has recent celebrity scandal, or previously scripted news stories given to the radio to report.  This one had a lot of context, and power, which makes it a good story.

The three main motives to Swifts Success include Be Everywhere (her multiple appearances , #Taylurking (in regards to her Twitter outreach success), and Make Them Buy It (Swift removing her work from Spotify and online streaming so listeners would have to purchase her album to hear it.)  These three points engage the reader in listening, and also are tips for rising stars or even current celebrities.

Taylor Swift is her own party of one in the platinum album party for 2014, and with a little over a month left, it will be interesting to see if another album reaches that point.

1989 Album Cover

“Breaking Bad” action figured removed from Toys-R-Us stores after controversy

This article is an update on the argument of parents against “Breaking Bad” action figures, deeming that they are inappropriate content to adverse to children. Specifically, A Florida mother advocated to have the action figures removed with a petition, collecting over 7,000 signatures.

Walter White and Jessie Pinkman from “Breaking Bad.” source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/10/21/357841739/toys-r-us-under-fire-for-breaking-bad-action-figures

“Breaking Bad” is a show that tells the thrilling story of a high school chemistry teacher turned meth dealer with a misbehaved drug addict for a sidekick. The Walter White action figure at Toys R Us comes complete with a bag of fake crystal meth.

A key feature of the article is that it collects arguments and quotes from both the aggravated patrons and Toys-R-Us. The arguments are presented with links to other sites and videos to expand on the information for those interested.

It is important to not that this article is an update. It is a short post at the top of the original article that presented the arguments. This is a great way to present information because it covers a hot topic with a popular subject and resurfaces another work to gain more popularity. It also makes the news more accessible for this generation demanding fast, efficient information. There is no need to look for background information.

Six Words: ‘With Kids, I’m, Dad. Alone, Thug’

NPR continues to carry on conversations through The Race Card Project about race and cultural identity. The project challenges people to describe race in six words; thousands of people have participated and share their submissions with the general public.

Marc Quarles shared his story with NPR and participated in the project, his six words: ‘With Kids, I’m Dad. Alone, Thug.’ He lives in a predominantly white neighborhood in Pacific Grove, California on the Monterey Peninsula. He tells NPR that when he has ‘the security blanket and shield of his kids,” he is seen as dad. Otherwise, he is ignored, questioned, and treated differently for not looking like the average Pacific Grove citizen.

This piece includes a tremendous amount of quotes. After finishing the story, I felt that I had just had a personal conversation with Quarles because it was mostly all his own words. What he had to say was effective and told in a personal manner, but it became redundant and lengthy. The point of the story seemed to get lost. I had to reread some sentences to make sure I was following along. Even a personal story such as this can be condensed.

The story used a block structure. This made it easier to follow and broke up Quarles story into sub stories about the experiences he has gone through regarding his racial identity.

The biggest part of the piece that I am still left to decipher on my own is the overall message it is trying to portray. It begins with Quarles experiences, viewpoints, and feelings about the overall issue, but ends with his children viewpoints and how they are going to be affected by their biracial genes. I wish the flow was consistent throughout the piece and stuck to one viewpoint.

Largest Human Trial run for Ebola Vaccine Taking Place in Switzerland

The largest human medical trial  to date concerning a possible vaccine for Ebola is currently taking place in a hospital in Switzerland. This is just the beginning of the trial, and as such the scientists are looking to stabilize dosage and the delivery system, in hopes that they can then have a second trial to prove if the vaccine is viable or not. This is the first trial run, but with a large number of volunteers, the possibility of synthesizing a vaccine is coming closer with each day.

CNN released a video which talks about the vaccine and the possibilities of finding a cure, and has a surprisingly upbeat tone during the whole segment. The lede was stated right at the beginning of the segment, with the soundbite coming in even before the footage of a scientist working with the vaccines came on the screen. The lede is very straightforward in stating that a vaccine is being worked on, but fails to mention that it is just one of quite a few steps necessary in conducting human trials and eventually creating a successful cure.

The segment goes on to show footage of a volunteer having blood drawn and tests taken, and gives an air of urgency to the whole project by using words such as “rushing” and describing labs as “state of the art” and using other buzz terms. There are soundbites over the footage of the volunteer giving blood explaining what goes on in a trial such as this, followed by a statement from the volunteer that she is happy to do this and believes that the risks are negligible. The next segment shows more scientific work with a soundbite over it stating that this is in fact the first trial, but that it hopes to have results by December.

The entire segment is very optimistic, which seems drastically different from news stories that I have come to see regarding the Ebola outbreak. At the end of the video, it was even stated that vaccine trials using thousands of volunteers could be started as soon as January of next year. All in all, it seems that this story was meant to quell public concerns about the Ebola virus and to show that there is something being done to cure it and help.

Long-lost siblings find each other on Facebook

A 31- year-old Wisconsin resident, Susie Wilson, tracked down her long-lost half brother using Facebook. The pair reunited in New Orleans, where Wilson’s father originally gave up her half-brother for adoption.

ABC news released this video, which discussed the details of how the siblings found each other. The video also shows the emotional footage of when they met for the first time, which made the video insightful and intriguing. The lede immediately grabs the attention of the listener. Unlike most print ledes, it doesn’t give all the information, instead uses a blind-lede approach to leave the viewer wanting more.

The video uses on-camera direct quotes, the two were immediately interviewed after they met for the very first time. The entire video uses a voiceover, where the anchor tells the story while it unfolds on camera. When the video isn’t showing direct footage of the sibling’s meeting, it displays pictures of the two when they were children, or when they later went to a football game. The absence of an anchor in this video allows all the focus to be on this emotional human interest story.

Boy paralyzed after mystery illness continues to recover

This video was presented on WCVB Boston’s website covered by John Atwater on Nov. 5, 2014.

New Hampshire native and 13-year-old Dan Dugan was strangely diagnosed with enterovirus D68, a rare illness that caused him to lose all feeling in one of his legs and part of his arm.  Dugan is currently recovering at Spaulding Rehab from this disease and keeping an optimistic attitude throughout the process.  Doctors are unsure if Dugan will be able to walk on his own again.

This story will appeal to readers because of the emotional context behind it.  This illness is a struggle for this young boy and his family, and this will only encourage viewers to remain updated on this story, or spark an interest in pursuing a cure for this sickness.  Also, because it is a local story, it especially hits close to home in that it is happening nearby to MA/NH residents.  The footage really gives viewers an inside scoop on this story, and the voiceovers, as well as variety of clips is appealing to the eye and keeps the viewer engaged and entertained.

On a personal note, I am a true believer that WCVB is one of the absolute best news sources in the country.  Call me biased because I’m from Massachusetts, but the broadcasters put off such a positive image and are just incredible at their jobs.  The camera skills and set for the production is phenomenal.

Swift breaks up with Spotify

After releasing her new album ‘1989’ last week, Taylor Swift has already sold well over a million copies. Fans raced to the stores to purchase Swift’s new diary soundtrack. Her new modern, upbeat style has people buzzing about where Swift is going and the success that is coming along with it.

The album was noticeably missing from iTunes substitute Spotify after the release. Not only was ‘1989’ not available, but all of her previous records were removed from the streaming site as well.

This NBC Today Show package was intriguing. Swift is the hottest ticket on the market right now with her new release dominating the music industry. This was mentioned in the lede first, but then switched to her rebellious move of removing all of her music from Spotify. No words are wasted; the broadcaster, Willie Geist, cuts right to the chase of what the story is about. After the lede, the video switches to pictures that go along with the story. When Swift is mentioned, a picture of her is flashed on the screen. Having the pictures correspond with the script makes it easier for viewers to follow along with the story.

Direct quotes are used in the video by Geist saying the quote and written text appear on the screen simultaneously. In this package, a picture of Swift is on the left while a text box is to the right, creating the visual that Swift is actually speaking.

This package includes interviews of two different viewpoints, one supporting Swift and disagreeing with her decision. By having both viewpoints, it keeps the story unbiased and is more attractive for listeners.

The package ends with clever puns and play on words about Swift.

“It looks like Spotify might be Taylor Swift’s new high profile ex,” said Geist.