D3 Watson’s meltdown: Benchmark Lessons

33 Replies to “D3 Watson’s meltdown: Benchmark Lessons”

1. It’s a basic answer but i don’t really believe there is any other one at the moment. It has to be any news about the coronavirus. It is rare but this is an event that actually directly affects absolutely everybody. That is, hopefully, a once in a life time occurrence.

2. I know a lot of my fellow classmates already talked about this, but when someone so significant such as Kobe Bryant passes it definitely needs to be shared so he can be honored in the right way. Someone like him who impacts so many lives in a positive way deserves to get honored in the news in the right way. The passing of him makes me want to have no enemies and treat all people with respect because they can be gone at anytime in life.

3. This may have not necessarily been a groundbreaking news story, but when I was reading a magazine the other day I came across a short article talking about pollution in Sequoia National Park. What really grabbed my attention was the opening and closing sentences. The opening line consisted of “massive, ancient trees, endless granite ridges sheltering tiny alpine tarns, and worse air quality than Los Angeles.” Hearing that a national park had worse air quality than a major city due to nearby oil and gas extraction fields blew my mind. The closing sentence repeated what I was feeling in saying “in any case, it’s perverse to need a gas mask to wander through a giant forest.” I think it’s a good combination of an opening that shocks the reader, and then ending it with something that basically cements what the reader was feeling.

   • That sounds like a good feature story examining an issue in depth. One hallmark is the soft lead, another is a memorable ending. Hard news is more often delivered in formats that invite cutting from the bottom.

   • I would say this is a breaking news story. The location is probably important because it shows how this might affect readers within the city limits or it might cause people to be even more aware of their surroundings. The broadcast version definitely seems a bit more exaggerated but it still gets the point across.

4. I have been following the Australia fire situation pretty closely. I was talking to my spouse the other day about a story I read in the New York Times about why these fires are so different than other fire prone areas like Canada and the California. One of the things that struck me as pretty amazing and unbelievable is that a large part of the firefighting force for this are volunteer firefighters. Apparently a lot of these rural bush fires are being fought by people who do this while working full time jobs. They don’t have enough training and in some places equipment. The figures I read from that article are staggering.

   “At least 29 people have been killed. Hundreds of millions of animals, by some estimates, have perished or are facing starvation or dehydration in devastated habitats. And more than 2,500 homes have been destroyed.”
   https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/world/australia/fires-size-climate.html

   And yet the response from the leaders of the country seems to be not enough, too little too late and the season isn’t over until March/April. I feel for these people who are just exhausted and trying to keep their homes and livelihoods from burning. And the wild animals that are suffering, it’s awful.

   • It’s a hellish situation. Australia is a very competitive news media market. Coverage of the story will likely focus attention on the firefighters’ sacrifices, hopefully leading to reforms.

5. I saw a few replies about this already but the passing of legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant was one that needed to be shared. He was a huge impact not only on the game of basketball but life in general. After reading about it I went on twitter and saw a SportsCenter clip of Jay Williams saying that life is precious and we should take a look at the people around us and let go of the things that wrong between us. Life is precious and we take it for granted. We should appreciate the people who are here in our lives. That part really got to me. At the moment, I was having issues with a close friend and I texted them immediately. This story impacted me in ways I didn’t think it could.

   • When celebrities from any field die young it can have that effect, rippling far beyond their workplace or profession. The challenge for news writers is finding a fresh approach on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th follow-up and so on. And I don’t mean digging for dirt about a person. Referencing Kobe’s competitiveness, in itself, can serve as a starting point for any number of tightly-focused feature stories about countless endeavors.

   • Truth.

6. As I’ve seen other posts about this too I will also have to include the passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the others in the crash. What grabbed my attention the most is how tragic the actual event is and that tomorrow is not guaranteed. It’s like a wake up call that life is real and not fair. I read article after article and was in complete shock and sadness, which made me want to tell other people. The reason here is who is involved in the news, which made me want to tell others and talk about it. So many people can hear this story and have it affect them whether they are a Kobe fan or not. He was a father, a husband, a superstar, etc. Stories that seem to amaze me or capture my attention in some way is what makes me want to share it. Whether it is happy or sad.

7. Being a huge sports fan the breaking news story that I couldn’t wait to tell a friend was about the passing of NBA player Kobe Bryant, who in my opinion is a legend of the NBA. Upon first hearing the news it was reported that he perished from a helicopter crash. Then as more breaking news was being released it was said that not only did Bryant pass in the crash, but so did his 13-year-old daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant. A short time later after that news broke, reports came out that seven other passengers was in the helicopter and also perished. What grabbed my attention about this story is growing up I always looked at athletes and musicians as superhuman in a sense, it was definitely a great shock and not something that I ever imagined happening. Initially I was hopeful that is was just a horrible rumor and he would make an announcement that he was okay. The entire story has been for me devasting, heavy and sad. It’s a reminder that no one is immune from passing on.

   • We can all use reminders not to put off things till tomorrow.

8. A big news story that I keep hearing about wanting to talk with other people about is the Coronavirus. Every time I hear an update, I’m so intrigued by it and want to talk about everything that is going on. I think the reason why it is so interesting and widely talked about is because, first off, people are scared for their personal safety and wellbeing. The public tends to talk through intimidating things out of concern. And to me, it is interesting to talk/discuss/debate all the dangers of the spreading, what potentially should be done to mitigate the issue, and what the CDC is actively doing in prevention. I heard yesterday that the Coronavirus has the potential for a pandemic, with a 3% mortality rate so far. With that incoming flight from China to Anchorage, a lot more discussion is ensuing. Now that the disease has entered the US and potentially Alaska, it is definitely a topic to discuss and consider.

   • This news story is so interesting and slightly concerning. When I heard the news of the flight from China coming to Alaska that definitely made me research everything I could about what was going on. Then to read there are five cases in the U.S. You are right this topic needs to be discussed.

     • A key thread to watch is how the virus spreads. So far, one doctor told me, it appears to be limited to direct contact. If it mutates to an airborne virus… particularly one with delayed symptoms, what’s known as extended latency. That’s a pandemic formula.

     • This was a very alarming news story especially since I am on the UAF campus. I researched this a bit to find out what was going on. Now five cases in Alaska makes me wonder if thats what brought it here.

9. A couple of weeks ago, I was in the car with my boyfriend and I happened upon a headline that announced over 500 Delta employees were filing a lawsuit against Delta Airlines due to toxic uniforms, I was so surprised…I guess I’ve never really been aware of anything like this being a problem. I remember wanting to share this news with him because he has his own little startup clothing brand in Alaska, and I wanted the possibility of hazardous materials being in clothes to be something he was wary of. I remember being especially shocked because the companies involved were so widely recognized professionally. Delta Airlines’ uniform manufacturer is Land’s End. Land’s End refused to comment on the situation, but Delta acknowledged that while they found their uniforms certified to be safe, people are having reactions; both of these statements can be true at the same time, so changes are being made and new uniforms will start being produced. It caught my attention because it was such drastic side effects to be experiencing as a reaction to cloth. Apparently the tests ran from employees found traces of chemicals and heavy metals “far in excess of industry accepted safe levels for garments” (CNN) which caused health problems such as vocal cord dysfunction, respiratory issues, blisters and rashes, blurred vision, nosebleeds, migraines, headaches and fatigue.

   • Wow, this is the first I am hearing about this. You are right Delta Airlines is a huge company and with 500 employees filing a lawsuit you would think the uniform manufacture Land’s End would jump at the chance to make a formal statement, especially with their reputation being on the line. Also, I have never heard of anyone having such severe reactions to clothing. It makes me wonder if the employees are reasonable for washing their own uniform. If they are responsible, did they wash their uniform with their personal laundry. If so, did their uniform contaminate their personal clothing items? Did they have the same reactions to their personal clothes as with their uniform?

     • It’s not uncommon to hear about garments made from some new synthetic or with a tweak to the dye, some chemical additive in soap, or shift to cheaper food source or livestock feed ingredients with unexpected consequences. Lawsuits can be a great source for case examples and other facts supporting or debunking such claims.

   • The story about Delta Airlines’ toxic uniforms is very concerning and interesting. I’m curious about how the fabric’s “toxins” can be absorbed into the body? My other questions would be, a) is this uniform dry clean only? b) what part of the uniform/material is causing the toxic poising c) how did they come to test the fabric- did Delta Airlines test the fabric or was it tested by an outside agency?

     I think I will take this case on contingency.

10. I don’t usually pay that much attention to the news which might seem funny since I’m in a news writing class I read the headlines and a few current events, but for the most part try to keep myself insulated from the rapidly changing, insane drama that has become of today’s news cycle.

    On January 23th of this year, I first heard that China’s government posed a lockdown on the city of Wuhan, population 11 million to quarantine the spreading coronavirus Seeing this news story set off alarm bells inside of me. I immediately understood that this was serious and predicted this would have severe financial impacts on global markets in the next few months due to the fact that the virus would inevitably spread and create panic. I was mildly annoyed that the rest of my country was obsessed at that time with celebrity helicopter crashes and presidential impeachment drama instead of the potential devastation of a global pandemic.

    I spent the next several days learning everything I could about the situation. As this is still a developing story only time will tell how accurate my prediction is about the economic fallout of this epidemic which is, at this time, an undeclared pandemic. I bought some extra dried food in case Fairbanks is also quarantined or cut off from supplies, and I bought some natural immune-boosting supplements to, well boost my immune system. While I wait for the Wuhan coronavirus fallout, I have decided to re-focus my attention on my studies, because there is nothing I can do to stop the situation from playing out. Being constantly glued to the current news cycle is unhealthy for my mental health.

    • My last paragraph should read: EDIT

      I have spent the next several days learning everything I could about the Wuhan coronavirus health emergency. As this is still a developing story only time will tell how accurate my prediction is about the devastating economic fallout of this epidemic which is, at this time, an undeclared pandemic.

      To protect myself I bought some extra dried food in case Fairbanks is also quarantined because of the virus or cut off from supplies, and I bought some natural immune-boosting supplements to boost my immune system. While I wait for the Wuhan coronavirus fallout, I have decided to re-focus my attention on my studies, because there is nothing I can do to stop the situation from playing out. Being constantly glued to the current news cycle is unhealthy for my mental health.

      Reply ↓

      • Stockpile food, and keep your eyes and ears open!

11. A breaking news story that has been shared constantly is the passing of Kobe Bryant. I was born and raised in L.A.. everybody looked up to him or knew about him. It was not abnormal to wear a Kobe Bryant jersey to school everyday. I forget that he has been around for pretty much my whole life. In L.A., he was a legend. He is very much so apart of the L.A. culture. If you live in L.A. and don’t know Kobe it is almost seen as disrespectful to Los Angelenos. The story also grabbed my attention because of how he died. My husband has to fly in a helicopter to remote places in Alaska. I freaked out. I got scared because I did not want to lose my husband the same way Kobe died (I obviously can’t control that). But he reassured me of many things and that they never fly in fog because of how dangerous it is.

    • It’s amazing how many lives this story will impact, and for so many different reasons! Growing up in LA… wow. For you, the volume of losing Kobe would be the same as me losing a resident of my home town. He was an American icon. What a gripping story! The kind that tear at your heart and hit home because it puts life in perspective. With stories like this, a personal attachment to Kobe is not needed. It can affect anyone that has ever flown, a sports fan, a father/mother, a child, a husband/wife. Wow. So much to process in these situations, which makes people want to know more about the story.

      • All true. And at a certain point, the media will be blamed for covering this when other “more important” issues are overlooked. The reality is that media will cover this from every angle just as long as it draws viewers and readers. (Good reporters are creative coming up with new angles to revisit anything the audience is likely to care about.) There will be the dedication of a monument at the crash site… Look forward to anniversary accounts of the tragedy. Free Pre$$.

    • One of the big continuing storylines on this will be the decision to fly in what sounds like very poor conditions. It’s been reported that copter lacked warning devices carried by most aircraft today. That could lead to stiffer requirements. Bryant’s influence on the pilot’s decision-making will be subject to speculation in the very least. The increasing use of helicopters to beat traffic in big cities may even come under discussion. Would those kids and parents have been flying if Bryant wasn’t the coach, I predict we’ll all hear plenty about that.

12. I have to admit, when I heard about Kobe Bryant’s death, I was anxious to talk about it with my friends and my parents. It’s not the type of news that is exciting to share, but it creates emotions that are difficult to set aside and not explore. I heard the news while I was traveling for basketball, so the idea of Kobe dying in a helicopter crash really hit hard. The story grabbed my attention for multiple reasons… he’s a superstar in the field of sports, he’s a husband/father/son, he died while flying, the details of the crash had not been revealed, his daughter was also on board. There were so many questions and thoughts spinning through my mind. I really wanted to talk about it with my parents because they are Laker fans and follow basketball religiously, and I really wanted to talk about it with my teammates because we just happened to be flying that day, ourselves. I suppose there are a variety of reasons that might spur someone to hurriedly tell a friend about a breaking news story, but for me, this one had solemn reasons.

    • Bryant’s death is going to stop a lot of people in their tracks. Older readers will recall how he butted heads with Shak, found a way to partner resulting in championships, then emerged as a true superstar in his own right. For many younger readers, he symbolized competition not only in highlight videos, claiming attention even in retirement. When someone like that passes, it takes time to digest.

13. I’d like to know more about that. Is it true that “pay-to-print” applies in the top-ranked journals?

14. It’s very tough working on a story that begins as a rescue or determined search and ends with confirmed tragedy. Tragedies, in general, are very difficult to cover. It’s not unusual to be attacked by family or friends as you collect details, and yet later the same people will apologize, sometimes even thank you for a well-researched story, particularly if it includes a balanced profile of the victim(s).

15. It’s very tough working on a story that begins as a rescue or determined search and ends with confirmed tragedy. Tragedies, in general, are very difficult to cover. It’s not unusual to be attacked by family or friends as you collect details, and yet later the same people will apologize, sometimes even thank you for a well-researched story, particularly if it includes a balanced profile of the victim(s).