News Gems

Summer Vacation

jonmarshall — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:25:00 GMT

We're taking a break from News Gems for a week to enjoy a little vacation time. We'll be back with more stories on July 28. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions of great journalism you think we should feature, leave a comment below or send us an e-mail at newsgems@sbcglobal.net....(read more)

Treatment or Abuse?

jonmarshall — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:54:00 GMT

In Boston Magazine's "The Shocking Truth," Paul Kix does a masterful job of investigating the use of electro-shock therapy at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC), a Massachusetts home for mentally handicapped and behaviorally impaired youth. The story explores the controversy surrounding the use of the machine, the only one of its kind in the country, and reaches some surprising conclusions. As Kix puts it, "Spend enough time around the machine and it will test everything you know about right...(read more)

The Front Lines

jonmarshall — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:25:00 GMT

Reading most American magazines, you would never know we're a nation at war. The July issue of Texas Monthly doesn't let us forget, however. Matt Cook's brilliant "Soldier" gives a first-hand narrative of what it was like to start basic training the day America was attacked on September 11, 2001, and then endure multiple tours of duty in Iraq. Cook spares us none of the grit of what it's like to serve in the Army. Here he describes his first encounter with a drill sergeant: I make eye contact...(read more)

Where's the Sheriff?

BrianSummers — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:22:00 GMT

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona's Maricopa County boasts that he's the "toughest sheriff in America." Two years ago he began a highly publicized crackdown on illegal immigration, and last month he announced that deputies had booked their 1,000th suspected illegal immigrant. But in a comprehensive East Valley Tribune series, "Reasonable Doubt," Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin report that while illegals are being rounded up, serious felonies are being ignored. In Guadalupe, grocery store employees waited...(read more)

Thinking Outside the Box (or Going Ape)

BrianSummers — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:24:00 GMT

Yesterday we featured a story about gorillas. Today we want to give equal time to orangutans. At first glance, it seemed like a simple story. A baby orangutan battered by his mother in a Colorado zoo was moved to a surrogate mother in the Milwaukee County Zoo. But in the hands of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Jan Uebelherr, editor Mark Katches and other innovative thinkers at the Journal Sentinel, "Ambassador Mahal" became much more. Here Katches outlines the project and describes...(read more)

Gorilla Murder Mystery

jonmarshall — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:43:00 GMT

"Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas?" by writer Mark Jenkins and photographer Brent Stirton in the July edition of National Geographic is a fascinating tale of intrigue set in the majestic mountains of central Africa. While tracking down the killers of seven gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they explore the impact of war, poverty, greed, and environmental destruction on these rare and beautiful creatures. To capture the story, Stirton and Jenkins endured conditions few journalists...(read more)

The Nurse Shortage

BrianSummers — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:29:00 GMT

Roy Wenzl of The Wichita Eagle has written a nice two-part report on how the nationwide shortage of nurses is affecting a local health-care provider, the Via Christi Wichita Health Network. The first part, "Health Care's Looming Crisis: A Need for Nurses," describes the problems that arise when nursing staffs are stretched too thin. Paul Harrison, a surgeon who directs trauma care at Wesley and serves on its board of trustees, said the shortage of nurses, and of doctors, has made the practice of...(read more)

America's Toughest Mayor

jonmarshall — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:41:00 GMT

The July edition of Esquire features an excellent story about the man who may have the toughest political job in America -- improving life in Newark, New Jersey. Scott Raab's "The Battle of Newark, Starring Cory Booker" profiles the city's young mayor, who is determined to make it "America's leading urban city in safety, prosperity, and nurturing of family life" despite some of the worst housing, unemployment, schools and crime in the country. Raab masterfully uses dialogue to create scenes...(read more)

Invasive Species

BrianSummers — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:06:00 GMT

Two newspapers have produced noteworthy reports on non-native plants and animals that harm local environments. The Statesman Journal's ten-month series, "Invasive Species of Oregon," written by Beth Casper and Henry Miller, covers a wide range of species. Here's an excerpt on water weeds. When it comes to the obnoxious, choking water weeds Egeria and watermilfoil, it's a case of yesterday's aquarium ornamentals becoming today's aquatic nightmare…. Once Egeria and milfoil become established in a...(read more)

Weaving Themes

BrianSummers — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:35:00 GMT

When AP's Helen O'Neill wrote "Money Ruling a Remarkable Woman's Legacy," she could have focused on any one of several themes: disabilities, discrimination, public policy, triumph and tragedy. But by choosing to tell a love story, she was able to weave them all into a single narrative. Here's the lede, in which several story elements begin to appear. He thinks of her every time he gazes at the painting — a blazing orange sun she drew a few years after the tragedy. It is the only splash of color...(read more)

The Good Shepherd

BrianSummers — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:46:00 GMT

For five weeks in Iraq, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Moni Basu and photographer Curtis Compton shadowed Chaplain Darren Turner as he counseled battle-fatigued soldiers. Their 8-part narrative, "Chaplain Turner's War," is a finely crafted package that offers profound insights into how soldiers react to the horrors of war. Here Chaplain Turner discovers that he will have to plan yet another memorial service. Spc. Charles Jankowski, 24, was hunting for makeshift bombs hidden along the roads...(read more)

Fourth of July

jonmarshall — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:47:00 GMT

Brian and I are taking the day off from News Gems to celebrate our country's birthday. If you have a hankering to see some good journalism while we're gone, check out our archives on the left rail. We hope you all have a great holiday. See you back here for more Gems on Monday. ...(read more)

Olympic Dreams

jonmarshall — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:04:00 GMT

NPR is running some inspiring stories about athletes who hope to compete in this summer's Olympics. "Olympic Profiles: Bound for Beijing" stories describing the Iraqi sprinter who dodges sniper fire as she trains, a shot-putter experimenting with hypnotherapy, the tae kwon do hopeful who is trying to become Afghanistan's first medal winner and the Alabama boxer who rose from obscurity to Golden Gloves champion in three years. My favorite is Wendy Kaufman's profile...(read more)

Mid-East Media War

BrianSummers — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:32:00 GMT

Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post has written a revealing two-part series on the Mid-East media campaigns of the U.S. government and al-Qaeda. It's fascinating to compare the campaigns' structures and their results. The centerpiece of Washington's campaign is the Arabic-language TV network al-Hurra, which Whitlock describes in "U.S. Network Falters in Mideast Mission." Al-Hurra is a bureaucratic system plagued by inefficiencies and mistakes. Since its inception, al-Hurra has been plagued by...(read more)

Scenes From a Recovery

BrianSummers — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:04:00 GMT

Bill Reiter, sports reporter at The Kansas City Star, visited storm-ravaged Iowa to report on the recovery efforts. The result, "Iowans Are Reclaiming Their Lives and Their Sports," uses scenes from Des Moines, Parkersburg, West Des Moines, Ames, Waterloo and Iowa City to show how "a state trying to put itself together has done so, in small but meaningful ways, through sports." In the following excerpt, the people of Parkersburg and its neighboring communities demonstrate the Iowans' spirit. ….The...(read more)