http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-ap-us-ansel-adams-lost-work,0,3439386.story?page=2

This article is about a collector claming to have found a collection of lost negatives belonging to Ansel Adams, the famous photographer.
There is some controversy whether the collection is truly Adams' work or not...the article contains quotes from both the owner, who claims they are the real thing, and a representative from the Adams family and the Publishing Rights Trust, both of whom believe they are fakes. I believe the article is a little quote heavy, and I believe the very end is not well done. It's:
"Norsigian is not fazed by naysayers. "Prove me wrong," he said. "This has been such a long journey. I thought I'd never get to the end. It kind of proves a construction worker-painter can be right."
I feel the fragmented structure of this quote makes it a weak quote, as well use of the words "kind of" and the awkward hyphenated "construction worker-painter" make it a weak quote overall, thus especially not a powerful ending. I actually think the quotes this journalist chose to use make the non-believers sound more convincing, and the believer himself sound a bit deluded. I am curious if that is in fact the case, or it was a matter of how this journalist wrote the article and the quotes he used, and if he had made different choices it could have come out completely differentely...or of course I am simply bringing my own bias into it!

Hi all,

I thought this article about Chinese authorities shaming alleged criminals was an interesting tie in to our conversation in class last night. Part of the shaming involves publishing lists of the accused. If China is doing it, we should think twice about it. Of course, this is different than shaming the proven guilty. Or is it? The good news is that there is a movement toward stopping this practice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/world/asia/28china.html?hp

Also, today's Globe has a list of Massachusetts' most wanted.

The announcement of a new BP chief- NYT and Boston Globe style

It appears Tony Hayward is being sidelined in favour of - wait for it- an American CEO. It's interesting to see how the two papers cover the story.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/07/26/bp_set_to_name_a_new_chief/?page=full

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/global/28oil.html?_r=1&hp

For once, the Globe article is on par in length as the Times. I thought I'd highlight the similarities and the differences between the two articles.

Differences

The Globe article is very much focused on Dudley – his background, his ability to lead and the fact that he's an American.

From the Globe: “It’s historic for them to pick an American,’’ said Amy Myers Jaffe, an energy expert at Rice University. “But it sends a message that merit and competency mean more than nationality.’’ is the closing line.

The Times on the other hand, dedicates the first couple of paragraphs to the financial impact of the disaster on BP.

As an aside, it looks like the Globe article was written earlier - the new CEO had not been officially confirmed by the board but only an anonymous source.

Similarties

Both articles include a dig at Tony Hayward's past performance. With the Globe including his quote “I’d like my life back’’ and the Times referring to his statement “sometimes you step off the pavement and get hit by a bus.”
The Globe includes a extra large photo of Hayward covering his face with one hand.

What's interesting are the other very similar lines which appear in both articles. Could this have come straight from a BP press statement or did they share the same news service?

Globe:

Dudley, 54, who grew up in Mississippi and spent summers fishing and swimming on the gulf, has been in charge of BP’s response to the spill for the past month.

Times:

Mr. Dudley, 54, grew up in Mississippi and has been in charge of BP’s response to the spill for the last month.

BP press statement:

The 54 year old was born in New York and grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is married with two grown up children.

Bob Dudley (54) is a main board director of BP and currently runs the recently-established unit responsible for clean-up operations and compensation programmes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Globe:

The United States accounts for about one-third of the company’s oil and gas wells, refineries and other business interests and 40 percent of its shareholders.

Times:

BP has about a third of its business interests and 40 percent of its shareholders and employees in the United States.

BP press statement:
No comment on this topic

One wonders how much of the same information these two papers share. Would you like to bet whether the journalists have each other's email addresses saved in their contacts?

pyramid scheme?

With little resources to improve traffic safety and driver knowledge, copper pyramids are being buried at some of the most accident-prone locations in Nagpur, India.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/pyramid-power-used-to-stop-road-accidents/story-e6frf7jx-1225891303955

The Herald Sun Australia article allows the reader information, several effective quotes and a statistic at the bottom of the article. Readers are able to conclude for themselves if the pyramid idea is a little nutty.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6160940.cms
The Times of India covers the story with less information on the traffic situation in Nagpur and quickly slants the topic, deciding for the reader. This is even evident in the title, which is designed to catch your eye: 'Cops Turn To Voodoo For Curbing Mishaps'. There are no interviews or quotes in the article.

A quirky story that can be seen as entertaining, silly or positive, depending on how it is approached. The story can even be acknowledged from an India cultural perspective, as the pyramid placement is guided according to Vastu (as mentioned in the Herald Sun Australia article), which is an ancient Hindu style of object positioning.

More on the Burka ban

I've been following this story closely because it's producing some surprising articles and opinions from unlikely places.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/ex-cricketer-warns-prime-minister-not-to-ban-the-burka-in-uk-1.1043508

This from The Herald Scotland is an interview with former Pakistani cricketer/politician Imran Khan which smacks of a press release. The story is interesting because it doesn't touch on any of Khan's controversial past which is constant tabloid news and instead has a steady flow of thought provoking and articulate quotes, including this one;

“People are allowed to take off their clothes and walk around virtually naked. And yet people who cover themselves don’t seem to have that freedom,” he told crowds in Glasgow.

From Canada's Globe and Mail comes this op-ed about a French business man offering to pay government imposed Burka fines, while based on a potentially interesting story bout a powerful man flouting the law, doesn't even form proper rhetoric and relies on general statements that are not supported by fact or authoritative opinion.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/fighting-a-burka-ban-with-a-bucketful-of-euros/article1640347/

Boston Globe Publishes Edited New York Times Article

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/world/asia/22military.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=north%20korea&st=cse

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/07/22/us_to_widen_sanctions_against_north_korea/

The New York Times and the Boston Globe released the same article concerning new sanctions against North Korea; but with a few notable changes.

First, the Boston Globe decided on the title "US to widen sanctions against North Korea", while the New York Times used "Clinton Visits Korean Border and Announces Sanctions" in its printed edition and "U.S. Announces More Sanctions on N. Korea" online.

Secondly, changes were made to fit the Boston Globes style book, where "Mrs. Clinton" and Mr. Gates" were changed to simply "Clinton" and "Gates." Also, some language was simplified, such as "Then on Wednesday" (Times) was changed to just "Yesterday" (Globe) and "enshrined in the latest Security Council resolution against North Korea" (Times) was reduced to "the Security Council" (Globe).

Most notably however, are the six paragraphs edited out for the Boston Globe version. The result is an article which is more succinct and less informed. The original story by the New York Times goes into more detail and was designed for an audience with a greater interest in the topic. The Boston Globe version, on the other hand, was reconstructed for a readership with a more passing interest - such as myself. I found it interesting that upon first reading the New York Times article, it was during the paragraphs the Boston Globe edited out which my concentration began to wain.

a little morbid, but...

Well, here is a strange little story about history, an auction and some embalming tools. An embalmer who supposedly handled Elvis' embalming, has listed funerary tools in a Chicago auction set in August.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-talk-elvis-autopsy-auction-0722-20100721,0,1877502.story

The Chicago Tribune article seems to handle the story as more of an announcement. The authenticity and the ethics of the tool set is questioned at the bottom of the article by president of a local mortuary college, Worsham College of Mortuary Science (in Wheeling).

On the other side of the Mississippi is an article written by the Commercial Appeal.
The paper in Elvis' home town, Memphis, has something else to say about the story. The article's lede is about the tools' authenticity.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/21/truth-about-macabre-auction-buried-in-past/

I feel it is sensationalistic that the have to show pictures of the tools. That, I just don't want to see. Scroll down on that if it's too much to view.