Unconventional Weapons Article Analysis

Click here for a link to the article. 

This piece drew me in with the title alone - "Panel Fears Use of Unconventional Weapon." It's not a particularly punchy title, but the thought of an attack on any country, let alone ours, is a frightening one after the recent attacks in Mumbai. 

The lede is a newsy summary lede: "An independent commission has concluded that terrorists will most likely carry out an attack with biological, nuclear or other unconventional weapons somewhere in the world in the next five years unless the United States and its allies act urgently to prevent that." 

This lede gives the reader the who, what, and why. Oddly, it doesn't provide the when, an addition I would make, or the where. However, this is provided in the dateline, it is Washington. The nut graf is found in the second paragraph - the reader should care because the report predicts attacks that might cause harm to them. 

The commission's report is the main source for the article, and rightly so. It is structured to provide information about the report foremost, and then provides background information about the report, including its authors. The conclusion is somewhat of an out-of-gas ending, but it also somewhat mirrors the conclusion of the report itself. 

Iraq Bombing Article Analysis

Click here for a link to the article I'm about to analyze. 

This article is pure hard news, and the summary lede reflects that: "Suicide bombings in Baghdad and Mosul took the lives of at least 32 Iraqis on Monday in carnage that recalled the levels of violence before the American troop buildup last year." In this lede, the reader is given the who, what, when, and where, and despite all this information, manages not to be awkward. However, I would move the Iraqis killed up to the beginning of the lede, because I feel that's the most important part of the news being delivered. 

The next few paragraphs provide more elaboration, but the lede appears to serve as the nut graf here since the following paragraphs deal with the different details of the separate suicide bombings. A storytelling structure is used here, and sources from both the American and Iraqi perspective are utilized. I particularly like the quotes from people on the street because they give the piece an air of authenticity. The article is also extremely good at portraying images, especially the image of the bloodstained boot. 

This article is unique in that it provides information about a separate incident at its ending. It utilizes an out-of-gas ending. 

Naval Hero Jeffrey Ahson Dies at 79

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--Jeffrey R. Ahson, U.S. Navy hero and Kalamazoo City firefighter, died last night at his home of causes related to emphysema. He was 79.

Mr. Ahson leaves behind an impressive legacy. A petty officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he was stationed on the USS Emery. In June of 1942 he participated in the Battle of Midway, proving himself truly courageous in the pitched fight.

During the battle, Mr. Ahson rescued four wounded soldiers and removed the body of a gunner from fire, placing himself at great personal risk. After removing the gunner's body, he took over the abandoned gun and shot down three enemy planes. For his heroic efforts, Mr. Ahson was awarded the Purple Heart, the Navy Cross, and promoted to the rank of ensign. "Ahson was a genuine American hero," said Jeraldine Fyfe, U.S. Navy Lt. Commander, in a statement released by Naval Public Relations. 

Jeffrey R. Ahson was born in 1929 in Chico, Calif. He left the Navy in 1946 and moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., taking a job as a firefighter. Known as a "fire historian," he collected firefighting memorabilia, including an antique fire truck. His collection can be found at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. After leaving that job in 1966, Mr. Ahson became a new car salesman at Don Seely Ford in Kalamazoo, finally retiring in 1985. 

The late Mr. Ahson was highly involved in the Kalamazoo, participating in several organizations throughout his lifetime. He was a member of the American Legion, Post 702; the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 4206; the local Elks Lodge; the National Checkers Association; and Gideon's International. Mr. Ahson also served as an usher for his church, John Calvin Presbyterian. 

Survivors include his wife, Therese Alpert, of Kalamazoo, Mich.; a son, Richard D. Ahson, of Phillipsburg, Kan.; two daughters, Angela Molino, of Omaha, Neb., and Lela Stalling, of Pipe Creek, Texas; five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Other survivors include a brother, Henry Ahson, of San Francisco, and two sisters, Judith Eaker, of Reidsville, N.C., and Shirley Solomon, of Newark, N.J.

A viewing will be held from 4 - 5:30 and 7:30 - 8 p.m. at Littleton Mortuary on Friday. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in the same location, immediately followed by burial at Memorial Park Cemetary. The family requests no flowers. 

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El Salvador Article Analysis

Here's a link to the original article.

This article starts off with a summary lede. "Nearly 20 years after the Salvadoran Army killed six Jesuit priest in one of the most notorious events of El Salvador's civil war, a criminal complaint filed in the Spanish High Court has revived hopes that those behind the massacre could face trial." It details some of the event's history and gives only the who, where, and what. That would seemingly make the lede weak, but since the lede already gives part of the piece's background, this would only serve to make it bulky and awkward. 

The lede is followed by a good deal of elaboration on the subject, giving the reader the when and the how. The second paragraph also provides the nut graf. This is then followed by a killer quote, a compact expression of the piece as a whole, and providing information from a direct source. 

The story goes on to provide the entire history of the event that the article covers. In this, it follows both a background/details structure and also serves as an update piece to something that happened 20 years ago. The piece ends with another source and a quote from her looking ahead to what may happen in El Salvador even if the trial in Spain fails. 

Minibus Article Analysis

Here's a link to the article about to be analyzed. 

The article begins with a summary lede: "A powerful explosion tore into a minibus in Russia's tumultuous Caucasus region on Thursday, killing at least eight people in what investigators said might have been an act of terrorism, possibly by a female suicide bomber." This lede gives the reader the who, what, when, where, and even some of the why. If I were writing this story, I might have changed the order and put the information about the people first, because they are what's truly important in the article. 

The following paragraph provides elaboration on exactly what happened and where, as well as giving the so what - 30 people were wounded in the blast. This is the nut graf. All this and the lede are properly attributed to investigators and officials. Later in the article, the article is given credibility by using a North Ossetia parliament member, a spokeswomen for the area's police, and the U.S. ambassador to Russia.

The piece doesn't have much of a structure. If any, it follows the background structure, and serves merely to provide information on what happened in this event. Information from what's occurred formerly in the region is provided as well. The article ends well, with a killer quote from the U.S. ambassador, John Byerly, which also serves as a look-ahead ending. 

"Project Reckoning" Busts Drug Cartel

By Ellen Jilek

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--A coalition of international, federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, known as "Project Reckoning," arrested 175 individuals on charges related to international drug trafficking September 16 and 17, according to an FBI press release. 

"We successfully completed a hard-hitting, coordinated, and massive assault on the powerful and extremely violent Gulf Cartel," said Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. 

"Project Reckoning" is a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA that targets the Gulf Cartel, an international Mexican drug trafficking cartel. It is a combination of several multi-district operations, including Operation Dos Equis, Operation Vertigo, Operation Stinger, and Operation The Family. Several international investigative agencies, including investigative agencies from Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Italy, aided U.S. officials. 

The 15-month investigation to date has resulted in the arrest of 507 individuals in the U.S., Mexico, and Italy. Authorities have also seized $60.1 million in U.S. currency, 16,711 kilograms of cocaine, 1,039 pounds of methamphetamine, 19 pounds of heroin, and 51,258 pounds of marijuana. Other items seized include 176 vehicles and 167 weapons.

The Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico's largest drug traffickers, is believed to transport cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana from Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, and Mexico into the United States. The cartel is also thought to be responsible for laundering millions of dollars in criminal proceeds.

"By spreading dangerous drugs and resorting to brutal violence, international drug cartels pose an extraordinary threat both here and abroad," Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey said. "Although I am pleased with the efforts so far, we cannot and will not rest on these successes."

In its most recent phase, "Project Reckoning" has also arrested and indicted the three leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano, and Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez. All three have been indicted in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on charges that they conspired to import drugs into the United States from Mexico. 

Individuals arrested in the operation have been charged with a variety of crimes, among them attempted murder, money laundering,  and drug trafficking charges related to cocaine and marijuana. Cases are being handled in Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, New Mexico, Florida, North Carolina, New York, and in the Criminal Division's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Office of International Affairs.

Though this major operation has thus far been a success, official continue to work to combat drugs. As David E. Nahmias, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said, "Through our sophisticated investigation and prosecutions, we have disrupted these organizations, seized large amounts of their poisons and proceeds, and now will work hard to lock up their members for many years to come."

Tainted Chinese Eggs Article Analysis

Here's a link to this hard news article.

This interesting piece begins with a lengthy summary lede: "Hong Kong food inspectors have found eggs imported from northeast China to be contaminated with high levels of melamine, the toxic industrial additive at the heart of an adulteration scandal in Chinese milk products." It provides the who, what, and where. Oddly, it doesn't provide the when - and this information is not actually presented until the end of the article. Better structure would have helped this lede, as while the food inspectors are important, the real news is that the eggs contain toxic additives, and the lede should reflect this. Thus, the egg-melamine relation should be placed higher than the food inspector information.

The why and elaboration of the story are provided in the next two paragraphs, the first of which contains the article's nut graf. The rest of the article goes on to provide background of how melamine has been involved in Chinese food in the recent past and what China's government has been attempting to do about it. By citing the government, including Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Chinese health officials, and a Chinese newspaper, the piece provides authenticity. However, this could have been aided by a few direct quotes from the sources. Only a partial quote is provided in the article. 

The piece is structured in a background format, providing the backstory for what's been going on with these food scandals. However, the structure could use some help, as the very last paragraph contains information that should have been much higher, perhaps even in the lede. This information includes the when and exactly who discovered the melamine problem in the eggs. To end, the article uses a fizzle-out ending. 

Food Crisis Article Analysis

Yet another article analysis. Here's a properly working link to the story.

The article begins with a typical summary lede, the first sentence. "North Korea is facing its worst food crisis in a decade, with a large shortfall expected this year, according to a new report released by the United Nations on Thursday." This lede provides the who (the implied people of North Korea), what, when, where, and even some of the why. This article is different in that the first paragraph is not merely the lede but also includes a sentence containing more information not as crucial as that in the first sentence.

The second and third paragraphs provide elaboration on the situation in North Korea, and cite the report itself. Vitit Muntarbhorn, the author of the report, is introduced as a source in the fourth paragraph to provide backup for the article's veracity. This paragraph also contains the kicker quote. 

In the fifth paragraph, background on Muntarbhorn is given. The three succeeding paragraphs serve to provide background information on the situation in North Korea as it has been proceeding in years past. 

In the last paragraph, the article concludes with a look ahead to what may happen in the future. The overall structure of the piece is that of a background/history of what has occurred. There is no nut graf: it is replaced by the summary lede.  

Press Release Link

A link to the press release can be found here.

The two people I would like to interview would be Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart, although it would also be a very good thing to interview the leaders of the Gulf Cartel. This could potentially involve interviewing a huge amount of people.

Crime Story Analysis

My analysis of a good crime news story. Here's a link.

This article's headline, "Man gets 35 years for using Facebook to lure teen victims," does a great job of catching a potential reader's attention. A large number of people use Facebook every day, and this article is thus relevant to them. So, the subject matter makes the article an interesting read.

A typical summary lede begins the story, giving the reader the who, what, when, and why. The reader already knows the where is in Chicago, so it is unnecessary to provide this information. However, specificity is also provided in that the man is from Fox Lake. Delayed identification is used in this piece as well, and the reader only finds out the man's name and age in the second sentence. The second sentence also provides elaboration on the details of what happened. 

The piece then goes in to detail, using a chronology structure to tell exactly what happened. In observance of AP style rules, minors' names are not given. The story then backtracks a little and provides more detail on crimes committed previously. Following the court details, the story fizzles out, having no more important information to provide.

This story is mainly a good crime story because of its material. Facebook affects the majority of American families today, and any reader, though they themselves may not have a Facebook, might have a child who does. Thus, it does a good job of drawing readers in and keeping them with a story that could happen to any family. The subject matter itself also provides an interesting, though disturbing, read. This type of subject always appeals to the morbidity in the reader. Structure is used well in the article, as are short, punchy sentences.