Is anyone visiting Chicago?

In almost any newspaper or publication, you can find a story about police brutality and another shooting. However we don’t often think about the total effect violence can have on an area, but in his Chicago Tribune piece titled “Can Chicago tourism overcome image of crime, police brutality?” Robert Channick looks at a bigger picture.

Channick doesn’t dance around the point, instead he jumps right in by explaining that in 2016 Chicago might not attract as many visitors as a result of violence. I can appreciate that the subject is important and sometimes those issues need to be stated bluntly.

Channick respects the research that is needed for this issue and supplies data for readers to show the changing atmosphere in Chicago. He explains that a record-setting 51.7 million people visited Chicago in 2015, but already the number for 2016 are down.

Henry Hearteveldt is a travel industry analyst that Channick quotes about the obstacles that Chicago may be facing this year. By using trustworthy sources like an industry analyst, Channick builds the confidence that his readers have in him.

Some readers may appreciate that Channick references that film ‘Chi-raq’ directed by Spike Lee, which talks about the Black Friday protests in Chicago. Channick also points to something President Barack Obama said in a recent town hall. These points, although not particularly important, may have been seen by his audience.

Channick shifts his focus back to the hard data suggesting that Chicago is in trouble. He references a campaign called ‘Choose Chicago’, which was started by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012. He continues to supply numbers and facts on the campaign, which must be focused on the long-run with their goal of 55 million visitors by the year 2020.

Channick keeps his opinion out of the story by supplying quotes from various sources, all of which help shed light on the issue he is focused on. By allowing many people to talk on the issue, it rounds out the picture for the reader. The article feels much more accurate because of how many people contributed to the information.

Channick wraps up the article by talking about the expansion of tourism offices for Chicago in Canada and Mexico. I like that he ends with this because it’s the first time that he shifts his lens to a broader view for readers to think about. Overall, Channick supplies the reader with great sources, good info, and a unique angle about the future of Chicago’s tourism industry.

Here is the article: Chicago's future of tourism

Pot Problems Put Simply

The marijuana legalization efforts have been alive for decades, but only in recent years has the idea of medicinal marijuana actually seemed possible. Many people are aware of the situation that is occurring, but others are in the dark about what may be occurring nationwide in the near future.

In his Rolling Stone article titled ‘What Will Rescheduling Marijuana Mean for the Pot Industry?’ author Alex Halperin gives everyone a good overview of the subject in laymen's terms. He stays away from a one-sided, opinionated rant about pot and instead provides context on what worries the voters and the government--not his opinion.

The focus of the article, is mostly on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s decision to see if marijuana should be rescheduled as a different class drug. Instead of being classified as a easily abused, and very addictive drug, it may be changed to have potential medical benefits and allows research to be performed by labs.

Halperin doesn’t tell readers whether he smokes or not, he doesn’t say whether he would legalize it or not, instead he provides valid and trustworthy sources to give facts about the situation. One source, is a cannabis lawyer who represents a Washington firm, and admits that she isn’t optimistic about the DEA’s pending decision. But he doesn’t stop there, he also allows the other side a chance to speak by quoting a California based therapy company who has a brighter outlook on the issue.

Often when I read articles like this, I get lost in legal jargon and can’t really make out what the issue really is but Halperin doesn’t allow that to happen. He uses clear phrases and simplistic writing to accomplish the goal of educating readers. On top of that, he explains the differences between schedule II drugs and schedule I drugs which will aid readers in the long run.

Overall I felt that Halperin did an excellent job of providing information for readers to draw conclusions with, and used valid sources. He didn’t ignore any angles of the issue, and allowed quotes from people who feel differently on the issue. The only thing that would have really strengthened this article would have been a government quote about the DEA and what they will need to do to reach a decision.

The full article can be read here: Rescheduling Pot

United States and Cuba Reunited

When the United States began normalizing communications with Cuba in recent months, I wanted to find a better angle on the story. I thought about what might influence each publication when writing their story about the U.S. and Cuba relationship, and geographic location played a big part in my decision. I decided that for a different take on Cuba, I would read something that was published close to the action--which is how I found the Miami Herald.

Florida is known for it’s close proximity to Cuba, and it’s no doubt that Miami has a large cuban population. So, I decided to take a look at “U.S. business relations with Cuba seem to have one speed: slow” written by Mimi Whitefield and see how the story might differ from something I would read in California.

From the beginning I could tell that Whitefield was doing her homework. She starts with a hook to lure in readers with information on cuban companies, and quickly transitions in her next few paragraphs to a quote from a trustworthy source. Whitefield reached out to a lawyer for a Florida produce company, something I see as a great journalistic decision. Not only will a lawyer be trusted as an official source, he will be easy to defend if anyone question his comments.

Whitefield supplies a few more pieces of evidence in support of the speed claims, before shifting her focus and allowing the other side of the argument to enter. She shows good journalistic value in allowing her voice to guide the story, but not to supply the facts. She uses sources from various places to supply the hard data and simply lets the reader decide how to interpret it.

Whitefield does something that I really enjoy seeing when reading publications from across the country, she quotes a professor from a university in another state. She uses a quote from a professor at University of California at San Diego, which lets me know that she was aware that there may be better source outside of Miami where she could get information. With today’s technology, there isn’t much of an excuse for not reaching out to the best source of information for a quote.

Finally when wrapping up her piece, the author provides the reader good background information on Cuba and its political system. The time she takes to do so is important because it gives readers context on the information they just learned. As a result, she has equipped the reader with enough to draw educated conclusions and find a stance among the issue.

You can read her article here: United States and Cuba: Slow

Remembering Mr. Madoff

I’ve always had a fascination with people who run scams, ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes. It’s just something that I know I would have a hard time doing myself, so I am curious when I hear about others who are involved in these devastating plans. I’ll never forget learning about Bernie Madoff, the man who ran a ponzi scheme and stole himself millions that belonged to other hardworking people.

My interest in this topic has led me to read some stories on people who are arrested for this type of thing, or who have risen to infamy as a result of their involvement. One piece, title ‘The Talented Mr. Madoff’, which was published in the L.A. Times stood out to me as a solid example of good journalism.

The scandal involving Madoff, was covered by writers Julie Creswell and Landon Thomas Jr., who did an excellent job of covering all angles of the story. Creswell and Thomas aren’t opinionated or judgemental in their writing about Madoff, which I seem to find can happen when the subjects of the story are easy to dislike. Madoff stole millions from others who had actually done the work to earn it, so it would be easy to write an opinion piece on why he should be put in prison--it would certainly be more challenging to stay objective like Creswell and Thomas.

But that isn’t the only positive that readers can take away from this article. One of my favorite parts of this piece of writing, is the intro that grabs the reader’s attention. It begins by describing Madoff not as a scumbag who plans to rob you of all you’re worth, but as a affable and charismatic man. Many readers would jump right into the heart of the scandal, but Creswell and Thomas paint a picture for the reader before letting the scene unfold.

In my opinion, a strong hook can really bring in an audience and earn reader’s attention, but staying transparent is key. Creswell and Thomas make concessions after stating evidence about Madoff. After quoting an F.B.I former special agent, they admit that he hasn’t met Madoff. So any diagnosis about his personality or habits are purely speculatory and haven’t been confirmed in person. With this, they show the reader that they are aiming to stay accurate and can be trusted as a source on this topic.

After reading ‘The Talented Mr. Madoff,’ I was intrigued and ready to learn more about the subject. For me, that means the authors did their job. They educated me on the subject, supplied evidence and not opinion based facts, and made concessions about their point--all good habits of a hardworking journalist.

You can read the article here: The Talented Mr. Madoff