How to become a multimedia journalist

This video presentation is the final assignment for my multimedia reporting class about techniques and methods I've learned at The Las Vegas Sun this semester. I've learned a lot about multimedia journalism and how to balance a print edition with an online publication. Hope everyone enjoys the video. It was a lot of fun to make. :)

NBA could become gender-neutral in 10 years

The ongoing argument in the world of sports this morning has been whether or not women will ever be able to play in the NBA.

I'm sure other sports issues are going on too, but this caught my attention because I happen to be a huge fan of the WNBA.

The whole debate began when NBA commissioner David Stern told "Sports Illustrated" that he believes women will be playing in the league within the next decade.

"I think that's well within the range of probability," Stern said. "I don't want to get into all kinds of arguments with players and coaches about the likelihood. But I really think it's a good possibility."

Some NBA coaches agreed with Stern, while others thought having a female athlete would be more of a publicity stunt. This depends on whether a woman would actually be allowed to play or just sit on the bench.

"If she was truly a full-time player rather than a modern day Eddie Gaedel," said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban of the dwarf who played major league baseball in a 1951 publicity stunt, "it would be enormous."

It would be enormous. In fact, it could possibly alter the way society views women's sports. If women are tough enough to play with the men then maybe the WNBA and NBA would be seen as having equal competitors.

Often women's basketball college coaches such as Pat Summitt hire male team managers to play against their girls to make them more physical. This is a good technique, but I think it sends the message that women don't measure up to the athleticism of men.

As of now, the top players in the WNBA, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi and Tamika Catchings, aren't considered strong or fast enough to play with NBA superstars Lebron James or Kobe Bryant.

After the article in "Sports Illustrated," James said in an ESPN interview that 10 years is "pushing it."

"Ten years?" James asked. "That's, like, right around the corner. [In] 10 years, I'll be 34. I'll still be in the NBA. I think 10 years is pushing it, honestly."

I find James' quote a little insulting because it implies that he is the best player in the league right now and no one will be able to take him on, especially not a feeble woman.

I'll agree with Stern that it might take a few years, but I truly believe when the right woman athlete comes along she will be able to knock down shots and defend a male athlete.

In the "Sports Illustrated" article by Ian Thomsen, New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh said the women in the WNBA play better than he did in college. He said women can play under the rim, drive and shoot just like shorter male NBA athletes. Who's to say a 6-foot-1 female player couldn't act as a point guard for a NBA team?

This would make history but it certainly wouldn't be the first time an NBA team signed a woman athlete.

In 1979 the Indiana Pacers signed Ann Meyers Drysdale, now GM of the WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury. Drysdale was a three-time All-American guard at UCLA and became the first woman to sign a contract with the NBA. Too bad the Pacers released her before the season even started.

Drysdale recalls that period of her life and the media's coverage of the signing.

"I had been liked by the media at that time," said the 5-9 Meyers, but that changed when she joined the Pacers. "I recall at the press conference that I was attacked pretty good by the media. You know: what are you doing, you're taking some guy's job, you can't compete, you're too slow, you're going to get hurt, you're too small, da-ta-da. But somebody gives you an opportunity, you're supposed to say no?"

Will the same thing happen again when the female Michael Jordon comes along? I guess only time will tell. What do you think?

Police: Female sexually assaulted at fraternity house

A female alleges she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house on Greek Row between 9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. and 6 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 4.

An e-mail alert sent out by Campus Police said the alleged victim told officers she could not remember anything that happened between that time period but believes she was sexually assaulted. Police did not specify which fraternity house the alleged victim said she was assaulted in.

The alert said police are trying to contact a friend of the victim to substantiate the location of the assault.

The incident is under investigation. Anyone with pertinent information is asked to call MTSU Campus Police at (615) 898-2424.

Check MTSUSidelines for more updates.

It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it...

Lately, I've been reading up on crime and court coverage techniques. I came across a Web site with some pretty unsettling statistics of journalists who have died on the job. Right now, I cover some crime and courts for the Las Vegas Sun, and it's scary to think that I could die on an assignment but it's true. I was aware of this when I fell in love with journalism, and it's something I'll always carry in the back of my mind. Regardless, I love what I do and I'm willing to risk my life to relay important information to the public. Read below if you're considering a career in journalism.

Personal Safety

Journalists frequently are at risk while on assignment.

The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) says 389 journalists were killed while on the job from 1992 to 2001. Of those, 62 were killed in crossfire and 298 were victims of homicide. Fourteen of the victims were Americans, and only four of those were working in the U.S. while killed.

In an infamous domestic case, Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles was killed by a car bomb in 1976 as a result of his investigations of organized crime. Two men were convicted and sentenced to prison in the case.

CPJ said at least 11 journalists since Bolles have been slain in the U.S. because of their work. In all but one case, the victims were immigrant journalists working in languages other than English.

Journalists sometimes are arrested or injured while covering clashes involving law enforcement. In recent years, such incidents were reported at International Monetary Fund demonstrations in Seattle and Washington, D.C., and during the federal raid to seize the Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez in Miami.

Some journalists have reported they were wearing proper identification when attacked by renegade police officers or units. In one recent case, a radio journalist covering the funeral of a man shot by New York police said he was assaulted and arrested on trumped-up charges.

Crime reporters can face special safety concerns while on assignment. In 1984, a New York newspaper reporter was seriously beaten during an apparent robbery in Brooklyn. In some big cities, a few crime reporters on assignment use war-zone safety devices, including helmets, body armor or outer garments boldly marked MEDIA.

But this strategy has been known to backfire. Over the past 35 years, journalists frequently have been targeted during riots.

Twin Cities Examples
In 2002, several Minneapolis journalists were injured during rioting that followed the shooting of a child in that city by a police bullet that ricocheted. A TV vehicle was torched, and several journalists were attacked.

A similar scenario occurred in that city 10 years ago. In that case, television reporter Julia Sandidge was seriously injured when she was punched in the head by a rioter. She was left unable to walk for two months. Sandidge told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the crowd turned on her and a cameraman.

She said, "It does happen very quickly. You really can't anticipate how it's going to happen." She said rioters saw her as part of the establishment.

"We were there and they were angry," she said. "They saw us more as the arm of the law than as an unbiased journalist."

Sandidge eventually left the daily news business, burdened by stress. She said the assault changed her perspective. She began to identify with victims.

"We'd cover crime and show the video on the news and not take into consideration the victim's family watching that," she told the Star Tribune. "I'd feel grief…I'd go home and cry myself to sleep at night."

Sandidge said she frequently shows video footage of her attack and its aftermath to journalism students. "I like to let young wanna-be reporters see what they are up against," she said.

Tips: Wear clear identification. Carry a cell phone. Store an emergency bag in your trunk with a change of clothing, bad-weather gear, a flashlight and a first-aid kit. In potentially dangerous situations, such as a riot, wear footwear and clothing that allow you to move quickly. Consider protective gear, such as a helmet. If journalists are being targeted, get to a safe location.

(P.S. I stole the name of this blog from "Repo! the Genetic Opera," which seems appropriate for this topic of death.)

First video project

Jam skating group offers youngsters creative outlet, support

Hip-hop beats blared from a stereo as Le Var Maxwell stared at his reflection in a mirror at his in-house studio.

The metal plates on his striped roller skates clanked against the wood floor while he walked through the steps of a routine in his head. At the exact count, he began to react to each musical beat with an arm movement and foot shuffle.

His feet slid smoothly across the floor, and he spun around in circles on his toes.

When he stopped spinning, he looked to the other members of his group and said, “Let’s loosen up and freestyle a little bit.”

Read more and view photos here.

Another round? No thanks.

Yesterday the newsroom had another round of layoffs. This time Greenspun Interactive suspended publication of two community newspapers that work in connection with the Las Vegas Sun. Everyone surrounding my cubicle was let go. Those people helped me and taught me how to cover courts, city council meetings and crime scenes.

I was on assignment at a preliminary hearing, so I didn’t know they had left until I arrived at the office around 5:30 p.m. Their desks were empty and the newsroom was quiet. It’s normally quiet, but not like this. Everyone is walking around like zombies and worrying about their jobs. I don’t blame them. If I wasn’t doing an internship, I would be just as worried.

Having to see amazing journalists let go because of advertising sales is harder than I thought. I’ve been told for the last five years that the newspaper business is in a slump, but I guess I didn’t recognize how bad things actually were. Now I see talented individuals losing their jobs and it makes me scared. Some people in the newsroom have said that the worst is yet to come. I hope it’s already over.

The thing that sets the Las Vegas Sun apart from most newspapers is its online presence. The print edition of the Las Vegas Sun answers the question why, but the online gives you breaking news and answers all of the other questions. My fear is that the economy is going to push the Sun’s Web site to reflect the print edition.

We’re running low on having enough people to update the Web site, and the interns are taking on a more active role. This is a good thing because I’ll learn more by stepping into the shoes of other journalists and trying to keep their beats afloat. I can step into their shoes, but I’ll certainly never fill them.

I have two semesters left until I graduate. I’m determined to find a job in journalism, but I can’t help but ask myself “what if I get fired?” Where will I go? Are you just supposed to pick up and leave? I can’t even imagine the heartbreak some of people who were let go yesterday are dealing with. It’s something you’ll never know until it happens to you.

Stop Child Trafficking NOW

Group rallies to bring attention to child prostitution

Listen to audio here.

Chants broke out on Las Vegas Boulevard late Saturday as community members gathered to raise awareness and money to help stop child prostitution.

Stop Child Trafficking Now organizers walked through residential areas carrying signs with slogans like “Real Men Don’t Buy Sex” and “Stop Buying Our Girls.”

Joseph South, local community organizer for Stop Child Trafficking Now, said the goal of the walk was to raise awareness and thank investigators working to save children from trafficking operations. Stop Child Trafficking Now is a national group that has organized walks in other major cities.

Andrea Pitcher, who walked with the group, said the "24/7" atmosphere of Las Vegas means teenagers can go unsupervised. She said parents work late hours and aren’t always around their children -- a factor that can push them in the direction of prostitution, she said.

“This is a very fast economy,” she said of prostitution. “It’s also very money-driven.”

She said lack of supervision allows children to get on the Internet and look for modeling jobs that aren't always as they appear. Terri Miller, who walked with the group Saturday, said she lost her niece after she responded to a fake modeling job.

“My niece was trafficked from here to Japan,” Miller said. “Luckily, her family made contact with her and got her back home.”

According to Regulated Management, a Las Vegas-based group that says its mission is to "evaluate the problems and effects of the criminal enterprise of illegal prostitution on Las Vegas society," about 1,500 children from 40 states were victims of sex trafficking in Las Vegas over a 13-year period.

“Las Vegas has a reason why it’s called Sin City,” said Bob Fischer, communications director of Regulated Management. “There are all different forms of prostitution, and there’s a great deal of apathy in this city.”

Jackie Capasso, of Christians Against Sexual Slavery, said while child and adult prostitution are separate issues, many women got into prostitution a young age.

UNLV researcher and assistant professor Alexis Kennedy said homeless children exposed to prostitution are taken to jail instead of receiving counseling.

“We’ve drawn them here with our bright lights and now we have to take care of them,” she said. “An 11-year-old is a child, and we had a 13-year-old arrested last weekend.”

Kennedy urged residents to speak to their legislators about the need for a safe house in Las Vegas.

For now, Las Vegas has Safe Place, a nationwide project that helps children who have been sexually or domestically abused get back on their feet. Safe Place spokesman Larry Lovelett said Safe Place, which has a drop-off center, is a service open around the clock for young people when they need help.

Lovelett said children need counselors who can talk to them about their victimization.

“Pimps have PhDs in human nature,” Lovelett said. “They are playing a psychological game with these kids.”

For more information about Stop Child Trafficking Now, visit www.sctnow.org.