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.

Ana P. Santos reveals the hidden issues with families of Philippine migrants

Pulitzer Center’s Persephone Miel Fellowship recipient Ana P. Santos revealed to Elon students that Philippine fathers are more susceptible to issues with migration than mothers.

One of the more powerful stories that Santos shared was the story of Nilo and his son Jake. Nilo’s own father was an overseas Philippine worker, which caused them to completely loose touch.

“His father was ‘nobody’ to him when he came back,” said Santos.

Santos said how Nilo was determined to prevent this estranged relationship to happen with his own son Jake.

“That would never happen with me and my son,” said Milo to Santos.

Because Nilo decided to stay in the Philippines with Jake, Nilo’s wife Mila traveled to Paris to work as a migrant worker.

Santos said that the men who stay at home in order to maintain their relationships with their children often receive the money from their wives and use it to buy alcohol and often get involved with other women.

There are 40,000 Philippine migrants in Paris that are undocumented migrants. It is common for families to be separated and Santos emphasized the negative effects that this separation has on a marriage. It is difficult for families to keep in touch in these situations, but Nilo’s  family has been able to via social media and webcam.

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.

CMT unveils honorees for artist of the year

When you want immediate knowledge into country music happenings, Country Music Television is the place to go. CMT is the hub of all things news, music, TV and radio. Filled with colors, images, videos and more, CMT.com becomes a haven for fans and friends all around.

With CMT acting as a national news outlet into the country music world it is not surprising that they have a separate press website strictly for news releases, programming, frequently asked questions and public affairs.

This press release about “CMT artists of the year” being honored at the fifth annual awards   immediately introduces the topic with an engaging headline, a compelling lede and important information.  In the lede the release jumps straight to the facts and says the artists’ honored, the location of the award show, the date, time and length of the show and what exactly will occur. Every piece of information in the release crisply reaches the point without fluff or exaggeration. It does a great job telling readers exactly what they need to know in a clear and concise way. The wording is clear and follows AP style precisely.

Information following the lede details nominee history and the importance of the event to the country music world. Similar to inverted pyramid styles, the release starts with the most relevant information then trickles down to to the least important facts. The reader could skim the first two sentences and be fully clued in to what exactly is happening and when it will occur. A quote in the third graph adds extra umph  giving personal insight to readers on what it is like to be an honoree.

I don’t know about you all, but I sure would love working for such an impressive organization. Internship applications officially in progress.

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.

What America could learn from fighting ISIS

In NY Times this article, Nick Kristof talks about how President Obama’s campaign in Iraq against the terrorist group ISIS is more focused on military funding than education. He believes that ISIS has grown to be stronger due to their extremist ways and oppression of women. He also believes that the US can use the opposite to their advantage: women’s rights and education.

The article is an opinion piece which differs from a straight news story. Instead of a lede, the introduction is used to set the scene for the rest of the piece. He doesn’t make his full point until around the third to last graph. Unlike a straight news story, the article is biased and opinionated. Kristof expresses his opinion using words such as “naive” and “unfortunately” to describe his opposition to Obama’s plan for ISIS. Kristof also uses many sources within the article so readers can understand what he is talking about. He uses these sources when he is talking about facts. When he discusses his opinion, there are little sources. Kristof uses questions to introduce his main argument in the middle of the article. This method is helpful posing a question causes the reader to fill in his or her own answers.

An idiot’s guide to inequality

Rather than keeping his points short, sweet and to the point, Nicholas Kristof uses emotion, vibrant language and a stream of consciousness to argue his point. He begins his column with a strong, amusing lead: “We may now have a new most unread best seller of all time.” The lede is its own paragraph and he continues on to introduce the topic and his opinion at a basic level before delving into the topic fully throughout.

The rest of the article is divided into five main headings to denote Kristof’s five main points. He then concludes with a friendly blanket statement that completes the opinion article. While he includes a number of direct quotes, they are incomplete and used more for emphasis of phrases rather than to portray the direct quote of an individual. He is less focused on portraying pertinent information to a large audience, and more focused on providing an entertaining article for people who are willing to take the time to read the entire paper.

McCain refuses to campaign against Udall in Colorado

USA Today posted an article today about the national Republican campaign to retake the Senate. Staff writer Catalina Camia wrote that Sen. John McCain, who is currently leading the campaign, refused to help Colorado’s Republican nominee against Democratic Sen. Mark Udall because of his past friendship with him and his family.

The article makes good use of sources and quotations, as it includes multiple sections of paraphrasing and a block quote. The writer chose to paraphrase direct sources instead of quoting them, which made the sentences flow. Most of the story was and both The Arizona Republic and Newsweek were used as sources in the article. The purpose of the two paraphrased sources were to explain the relationship between McCain and Udall’s family. The block quote was used at the end of the article and was a direct quote from McCain, which added a nice flare for the readers to enjoy. The entire article was well sourced and though it mostly included paraphrasing, the transitions between sentences were seamless.

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.

Traffic violation arrest warrant issued for person of interest in missing student case

This article, from ABC News published on Sept 21, reports that an arrest warrant has been issued for the person of interest in the University of Virginia’s missing student case. The article by Dean Schabner, says that Jesse L. Matthew has been issued an arrest warrant for reckless driving. His warrant is not related to the missing student case but the police would like to question him about that case as well since he is suspected to be the last person seen with the missing student.

Schabner did a great job using direct quotes from his interview with Timothy Longo, Charlottesville Police Chief, in his article. The quotes explain why police are looking for Matthew as well as his importance in the missing student case. The article contains five direct quotes from Longo. The quotes add insight and make the story more reliable since the information is coming straight from the chief of police. Schabner also paraphrases Longo in some parts of the article, which helps with the flow of the article and still incorporates essential information. This article did a great job using direct quotes, paraphrasing and finding a reliable and knowledgeable source.

Cocaine and Cupcakes

This fascinating article from the Boston Globe exposes the growing issue of recovering drug addicts who are becoming dependent on sugary foods to quell their drug cravings. These individuals do are in a habit of dependence and have not been taught how to properly take care of themselves. It cites a number of first hand accounts of the problem as well as a number of research experts on addition and nutrition.

The article does a very impressive job integrating quotes into its evidence. While it is quote heavy and relies little on paraphrasing, the inclusion of direct quotes from those affected pulls on the heart strings of the reader and direct quotations from research experts gives the article a lot of accreditation. It is able to integrate quotes seamlessly into its sentences rather than using the typical “so-and-so said” format, and instead using partial quotes. This takes a lot of skill and shows the writers full understanding of the topic as he is able to use the quotes as both hard evidence and analysis.

Man opens up about the murder of Etan Katz: “Something Just Took Over Me”

In this New York Times story, Pedro Hernandez, 53, made a full confession in court about the murder of Etan Katz. Hernandez allegedly killed the boy almost 33 years ago. Hernandez’s lawyer, Harvey Fishbein, told the court that the confession was false and that his client has mental issues that he shouldn’t be held accountable for. The court is still determining the outcome of Hernandez’s confession. The article was written by James C. McKinley Jr. and posted Sept. 15, 2014.

This story most resembles the anecdotal story structure. It starts off with a three-paragraph lede that describes the scene of the confession and that reveals a small portion of the actual murder. The fourth paragraph generalizes the main topic and sets the tone for the rest of the article. The next couple paragraphs go on to give context to the nut graph and from there the story develops and ends with the murderer taking the interrogators to the scene of the crime. The story structure creates a scene that is very captivating. The article wasn’t straightforward, but developed the story and added some suspense for the reader. I thought that it was interesting how the author went back and forth between the past and the present and how he went back and forth between the court room and the scene of the murder.

All of the information from the article came from the taped confession and information that the author was given from the court. The reporter offers no sources cited but within the article, he adds links to past New York Times articles related to the murder of Etan Katz. The article includes a few captioned photos and quotes from the accused and the interrogators as well.

Ray Rice cut by Ravens due to domestic violence video

This morning, staff writer Kate Belson of the New York Times published an article about how Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was caught on camera knocking out his wife unconscious. The entire video of the married couple quarreling in the elevator back in January was released today and has caused the suspension of Rice in the N.F.L. Rice was released from the Baltimore Ravens as soon as the video was leaked as shown by this Twitter post.

The lede of this story is simple and to the point. It mentions all of the key points within the article in one sentence and supports the header of the article. I found that the mentioning of domestic violence and a “graphic video” provoked me to read the rest of the article. The lede made me want to know the entire story and is simple enough where I know what the entire story is about in that one sentence. I think that the urgency that the N.F.L. must work with in order to combat the domestic violence case is emphasized and is apparent in the lede as they use words like “renewed scrutiny” to describe what the N.F.L. is faced with. I found that the lede instantly drew me in and I instantly wanted to read more about the story in depth. The second graph describes what the video was and gave more information about the events that occurred in the clip. This graph is also attention grabbing because it sets the scene and allows for the reader to picture the unfortunate events without watching the clip. The third and fourth graphs give the readers an insight to the case itself and give a background to previous events leading up to the full clip that was just leaked this morning. The entire article is informative and summarizes the case against Ray Rice.

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.