Earthquake!

I was feeling a little dizzy right before noon today at the Republic and then this story broke about an earthquake in Mexicali. Wonder if they were connected. We have been working on getting reports from the public since noon from people who felt it in Arizona.

Click here to read the story.

Suicides? Suspects?

Azcentral.com published this story about the suicide of a man who was suspected of committing domestic violence against his girlfriend. 

The first thing I wondered about is the Republic's unspoken code of ethics that designates that suicides are normally not covered because they are more of a private matter. I understand this was probably covered as the event was unfolding, but I wonder if the reporter and editor contemplated taking a hands-off approach once the suicide was made public information. 

Also, it bothered me that the story used the word "suspect" which generally puts unclear blame on a person. Even if he was convicted, media outlets would cover themselves and say convicted instead of guilty. 

The double-whammy about this case is that the man cannot be tried to establish if he was the attacker. 

Nie Nie

I just finished reading the first installment of Climbing Back on azcentral.com. This feature is a story about Stephanie Nielson and her effort to recover from -3rd and -4th degree burns she suffered after she was involved in a single-engine plane crash with her husband and his flight instructor.

Her story is breathtaking and beautiful. You can visit her blog and see the tales of her life and her children before, after and during the incident. The stories and the multimedia projects on azcentral.com are heartwrenching.

Sometimes it is impossible to comprehend what happens to people and why.

Nielson's story is an important one for everyone to read.

Student vs. Reporter

I was sent this to cover an especially rousing round of Must-see Monday this week and wrote this story about Sheriff Joe Arpaio's visit to ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication for azcentral.com.

Oddly enough, being an ASU student and a Republic reporter made me realize I needed to control my reactions, my facial features, and my urge to join in with my fellow students when protesters began singing.

When Dean Chris Callahan said, "Thank you, some of my students are here," I (without thinking) pumped my fist and had to stifle a cheer. My friend Leigh Zinsmeister immediately pushed my hand into my lap and whispered, "You're a reporter right now."

To be honest, I was glad I didn't see myself on the 9 p.m. news segments, but I did have a small conflict of interest when I reported on that story. I was embarrassed Leigh to tell me to pipe down, but I was glad she did.

As for the event, I was sad to think that some journalism students didn't want to see Arpaio questioned by our professors, but the singing protesters made for a tighter, easy-to-swallow story. I knew what Arpaio was going to do and how he was going to answer the questions, because I am lucky enough to sit next to the sheriff-beat reporter at work. I wasn't extremely impressed by the professors' questions and methods, but I really wanted to hear Arpaio's answer to Rick Rodruguez's last questions. Alas, we shall never know what "tape-recorded" response he would have given.