Research Exercise

1.) In 2006 there were 4 sexual oriented hate crimes in Pullman. In 2007 and 2008 the Uniform Crime Report did not show comparable tables though. This is unfortunate because it makes it extremely difficult for people to deciver and compare statistics. Also, if there is a common crime that keeps happen repeatedly each year it would be hard to find by looking over these tables.
A website such as this should make it a goal to have comparable and identical tables each year.

2.) In 2010 the assembly/house candadite Terry Nealy received the most monetary contributions. Nealy's two main contributers were Wal-Mart and Avista. The forestry contribution gave the most money to the republican party. ($212,252) The next largest contribution that they gave was to the democratic party. ($149,368) The lobbyists contributed almost twice as much to the democratic party as they did the republican party. A difference of
$22,828,626 to the democrats and $13,063,471 to the republicans.

3.) "virtual reality" http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=y6ofAAAAEBAJ&dq=%22virtual+reality%22
"portable personal computer" http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=nC0oAAAAEBAJ&dq=%22portable+personal+computer%22
"automobile" http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=E9lrAAAAEBAJ&dq=%22automobile%22
"cordless telephone handset" http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=UNMoAAAAEBAJ&dq=%22cordless+telephone+handset%22

Frontline

Frontline was fascinating to watch because it made me think more closely on where I choose to learn my news and information from. More people are going to blogging websites or other internet sources because it has the ability to portray a more trustworthy and realistic environment. Most people know who the main news stations are and what their main political views are. 

People also are aware of the fact that news stations are mostly driven by the desire to make high revenue and entertain. With both these goals in mind it can allow people to only hear about certain news stories, or wrong facts all in general. It is too easy in our society for people to trick, so to speak, one another. Technology has really grown, which has brought speed and character to our daily news. New technology has also made it easy to mix facts with own opinions, and more importantly post these view points almost anywhere you feel necessary.

I do believe that people have the right to give opinion and the chance to share news that other large news stations may be depriving us of. As a society though, we do need to be careful on how great of an impact this type of 'blogging news' has and that we are critical thinkers when determining its credibility. 

Profile Article

Pullman may be known for its reputation as a boisterous college town, but is also the home to many individuals who seek a slow-paced lifestyle and closely-knit community.

Meghan Wiley, a Washington State University professor and general manager of the Pullman Holiday Inn Express, has lived in Pullman for her entire adult life.

Wiley graduated from WSU in 1992 with a degree in Hotel Restaurant Administration. Wiley immediately entered a Holiday Inn management-training program following her graduation and has been in the hospitality field ever since.

“My training recruiter joked about placing me with a job back in Pullman,” Wiley said.

Coincidently, Wiley did end up back in Pullman less than two years after graduating from WSU. The Holiday Inn Express offered Wiley a management position that she has held ever since the hotel’s grand opening.

Wiley loved her college experience at WSU and was able to move back to Pullman while many of her friends were still living on the campus.

“It was perfect timing and a great opportunity,” Wiley said.

The close community and ability to always bump into a familiar face are the reasons Wiley continues to work in Pullman today. Wiley did not originally plan to become a part-time teacher as well but has enjoyed re-familiarizing herself with the campus.

“Teaching has reminded me how hard it is for students to both work a job and attend school,” Wiley said. “I have become a lot more understanding.”

Wiley considers herself to be quite the workaholic sometimes and her newly recent teaching position has allowed her to step out of the office more. Working on campus has also allowed Wiley to find many perspective employees for the Holiday Inn Express.

“I loved how professor Wiley was able to use real-life experiences from the Holiday Inn Express during class lectures,” Alissa Beason, a student in professor Wiley’s class, said.

Although Wiley has been enjoying teaching and remaining active on the WSU campus, she simply appreciates Pullman for its beauty and serenity.

“I love winter and summer breaks in Pullman when it is a little more quiet,” Wiley said.

Pullman has not only provided Wiley with two careers she loves but has also given her an environment to relax, explore and form close friendships.

"Media Hype" video questions

1.) I think that it is ethical to alter a photo or video when it could unnecessarily harm a person's reputation. For example, if a particular photo was risqué without the person's intention to act this way, I believe that a news source should have the decency to crop or blur this portion of the image. It would be unethical to frame a story about someone by catching them doing something accidental or unintentional. Any person would want a video or photo of themselves altered if their intentions and actions were pure. Although it may be hard to judge the situation or a persons motives, it is still the medias responsibility to take this into consideration and not harm a person's image carelessly.

2.) I believe that the news should make it their priority to inform rather than entertain, so to speak. Too many news stations have gotten in the habit of stretching facts or stories simply to gain peoples attention. I think that each news station should work more closely at the stories they are relaying and double-check for their accuracy. Although viewers may tune-in to a 'entertaining' news station more frequently at first, I do believe that truth does have a way of proving itself overtime. The longer that a news station does its best to remain credible and truthful, more people will begin to catch on to this.

3.) I think that this limits the ability for a journalists point of view or the truth of a story to be expressed. It is a tricky situation for journalists because it puts them in two difficult situations. Firstly, a journalist must now choose who he/she wants to side with and what incentives each party can bring to the table. This automatically leads the chance for wrong motives. Secondly, the journalist may risk upsetting a PR firm or lobbyist for the chance at writing a story he/she desires. 

4.) I think that so many news stations fall for fake stories because they simply want to believe in them, regardless of if they have an instinct that the story is far from accurate. News stations feel the constant obligation to always have some new and interesting fact to report. Since reporting to the public is their primary job, many news stations will purposely choose to look past the obvious in order to have a new breaking story. I think that news sources on the internet are less likely to fall under this pressure because they do not appeal to the entertainment portion of media. Television has a way of applying pressure to entertain, whereas the internet does not. This simple difference is exactly why I cannot see the internet to be likely to cover fake stories.

Article #3 Idea- President Floyd

I want to do my profile on President Floyd of WSU. I would like to focus my piece of what parts of the college campus he enjoys most and relate it to the things he once enjoyed during his college years. I would also like to find out what he does for fun or relaxation when the Pullman craziness gets to be a little much. 

I would like to find out what his family thinks about living on campus and how it affects/dictates their everyday lives. Also I will discuss why WSU was the campus for him and what about it makes it a desirable place to be.

I will also interview Floyd about his hopes and goals for the future of WSU and allow him to tell me what he thinks will help to better our university. 

Article #2

Summertime is known to be the most desirable yet expensive months to get married, but during this economic recession brides may be able to score quite the deal as wedding venues scrape for business.

            “During this economic recession people have been tightening up their purse strings,” Elizabeth Averill, catering sales manager at the Davenport Hotel, said. Although weddings are still being booked, many wedding venues and catering businesses have needed to change their rates and offer incentives.

            The Davenport Hotel, located in Spokane, Wash., has booked nearly the same amount of weddings during the economic recession as it has in past years, Averill said. Reservations have remained steady due to accommodating, cheaper fares though.

            The going rate for the Davenport Hotel ballroom is $4,500, but a large number such as this began to scare off customers as the economy worsened, Averill said. In order to attract more business, the Davenport Hotel has changed their starting set-up fee to $1,500 and the choice of food and beverage costs to be determined independently.

Even if money-related issues do not personally pertain to a bride and her family, people in general have been feeling more guilty and reluctant to spend a large figure, Averill said. Along with reduced fares the Davenport Hotel has also added incentives such as a free hotel room for one night, a bottle of champagne, and free parking for the new bride and groom.

Special advertising techniques have also been highly important during the recession, Averill said. The Davenport Hotel is known for luxury but has the ability to seem overly expensive to certain customers with financial struggles.

“We are trying to take the expensive stigma out of the public eye while remaining a luxury hotel,” Averill said.

Price cuts are affecting wedding venues statewide. The Lake Union Crew, a Seattle wedding venue, has also been impacted by the poor economy. Summertime weddings are the most popular and desirable, yet the Lake Union Crew summer fares are now the same price as any other season, Laina Sobczak, Lake Union Crew employee, said.

The Lake Union Crew has needed to lower their rates in order for reservations to remain steady, Sobczak said. Almost every summer weekend has been reserved for weddings, but presumably because of new reasonable rates.

“Finding a way to do things yourself is key right now,” Brittany Miller, a local Washington bride, said. Brittany Miller and her fiancé are getting married at the Leifer Manor in Marysville, Wash. The tables and chair coverings for the reception were both free as an incentive to book with this venue, Miller said.

Many venues and bridal stores are also offering coupons with excellent savings in hopes to attract more business, Miller said. It is a good time to find a great deal.

Story #2 Ideas

Idea #1

Is the economy impacting people's plans to get married? The recession has had a large impact on peoples ability to spend money and I want to research whether this problem has gone as far as postponing a wedding. I would interview different catering businesses and see if popular wedding destinations have had to reduce their prices. Possibly see if the combination of rising divorce rates and a bad economy are stopping people from wanting to spend thousands of dollars on a wedding.

Idea#2

What impact does summertime have on weight loss subscriptions? Do more people subscribe for dieting plans during the summer and how much does this increase? I would interview representatives from weight loss organizations such as Weight Watchers and Jenng Craig. I would also research if people drop weight quicker during the summer on weight loss programs than they do during the other months. I would also possibly touch on the issue of eating disorders and the anxiety summertime can bring to certain girls. I might also include healthy ways to diet and easy ways to figure out a steady weight loss plan depending on your body type.