Covering the Police Beat in Journalism

Covering the Police Beat in Journalism The police beat can be one of the most challenging and rewarding in  journalism. Police reporters get to cover some of the biggest breaking news stories out there, ones that land at the top of the front page, website  or newscast. But it isnt easy. Covering the crime beat is demanding and often stressful, and as a reporter, it takes time, patience and skill to get the cops to trust you enough to give you information. So here are some steps you can follow for producing solid police stories. Know The Sunshine Laws Before you visit your  local police precinct in search of a good story, familiarize yourself with the sunshine laws in your state. This will give you a good sense of what kind of information the police are required to provide. Generally, any time an adult is arrested in the U.S., the paperwork associated with that arrest should be a matter of public record, meaning you should be able to access it. (Juvenile records are usually not available.) An exception might be a case involving national security. But Sunshine Laws vary from state to state, which is why its good to know the specifics for your area. Visit Your Local Precinct House You may see police activity out on the streets in your town, but as a beginner, its probably not a good idea to try to get information from cops at the scene of a crime. And a phone call may not get you much either. Instead, visit your local police station or precinct house. Youre likely to get better results from a face-to-face encounter. Be Polite, Respectful - But Persistent Theres a stereotype of the hard-driving reporter youve probably seen in a movie somewhere. He barges into the courthouse, DAs office or corporate boardroom and starts banging his fist on the table, shouting, I need this story and I need it now! Out of my way. That approach may work in some situations (though probably not many), but it definitely wont get you far with the police. For one thing, theyre generally bigger than we are. And they carry guns. Youre not likely to intimidate them. So when you first visit your local police precinct to get a story, be polite and courteous. Treat the cops with respect and chances are theyll return the favor. But at the same time, dont be intimidated. If you sense a police officer is giving you the runaround instead of real information, press your case. If that doesnt work, ask to speak to his or her superior, and see if theyre more helpful. Ask To See the Arrest Log If you dont have a specific crime or incident in mind that you want to write about, ask to see the arrest log. The arrest log is just what it sounds like - a log of all the arrests police make, usually organized in 12- or 24-hour cycles. Scan the log and find something that looks interesting. Get the Arrest Report Once youve picked out something from the arrest log, ask to see the arrest report. Again, the name says it all - the arrest report is the paperwork the cops fill out when they make an arrest. Getting a copy of the arrest report will save both you and the police a lot of time because much of the information you need for your story will be on that report. Get Quotes Arrest reports are very helpful, but live quotes can make or break a good crime story. Interview a police officer or detective about the crime youre covering. If possible, interview the cops directly involved with the case, those who were on the scene when the arrest was made. Their quotes are likely to be much more interesting than those from a desk sergeant. Double-Check Your Facts Accuracy is critical in crime reporting. Getting the facts wrong in a crime story can have dire consequences. Double-check the circumstances of the arrest; details about the suspect; the nature of the charges he faces; the name and rank of the officer you interviewed, and so on. Get Out of the Police Precinct So youve got the basics of your story from arrest reports and interview with the cops. Thats great, but in the end, crime reporting isnt just about law enforcement, its about how your community is being affected by crime. So always be on the lookout for opportunities to humanize your police stories by interviewing the average folks who are affected. Has an apartment complex been hit by a wave of burglaries? Interview some tenants there. Has a local store been robbed numerous times? Talk to the owner. Are local schoolkids being confronted by drug dealers on their way to school? Talk to parents, school administrators and others. And remember, as the sergeant in TVs Hill Street Blues said, be careful out there. As a police reporter, its your job to write about crime, not get caught in the middle of it.

Answer the 5 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer the 5 questions - Essay Example During wars, it is not uncommon to hear that efforts are being made to ensure that children, for example, are protected; yet it is on record that these same people they claim to be protecting lose their lives, at worst, or get injured at the least. The second premise provided is that wars destroy property. This seems to be one of the most conspicuously evident of all the premises given. To know if indeed war has ravaged a place, one has to check if there is a dearth in the property owned by those devastated by war. During wars, properties that have been gathered over many years turn into ashes within a couple of minutes, leaving a permanent and horrific dent in the lives of people. environment that was formerly good to behold becomes a ghost of itself. Of course, closely-knitted to environmental issues is the wellbeing of the people that dwell within such an environment. In any place that has been ravaged by war, preventable illnesses are what usually send people to their early graves. The effects of wars on the environment are particularly felt after the wars have been spent. The amenities which make life easy to live are also destroyed. It is not even enough to say that social amenities are destroyed, it is also important to say that they have upsetting effects on the environment. Thus, they consequently, inhibit people from living a life of high social standing because anywhere there is threat of starvation, one’s social standing doesn’t come to mind. The fourth premise is that wars often lead to rise to power of authoritarians, who more often than not are warlords or anarchists. In any society where there is a total breakdown in order, law and harmony, loopholes are created for people who are undeserving of power to occupy opposition they do not deserve. It is a common parlance that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. As a result of the foregoing, whenever those who are undeserving of

In this course you have been exposed to many current trends in Term Paper

In this course you have been exposed to many current trends in Business Intelligence. Two important emerging trends are the u - Term Paper Example Moreover, there are technologies such as reality mining which are also emerging in the business world. Reality mining is mainly used to analyze the collected machine-sensed environmental data with regard to social behavior of human beings (Doody & Shields, n.d., pp. 1-31). The paper intends to present an elaborative explanation of a few of the current technological trends being used in the business. Furthermore, the paper would also depict the various impacts of RFID technology and reality mining on the present day organizations. The paper would also discuss the merits as well as the demerits of the aforesaid technologies in business. Discussion Technologies have a very crucial role to play in the present altering business environment. There has been a continuous emergence of new technologies in the business world. A few of them such as RFID technology and reality mining would be explained in details below: Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) i s one of the most important tools or technologies for business entities. This technology is quite effective and is capable of replacing the present modern day technology such as bar code. The technology offers strategic benefits to the business as it can track the record in case of supply chain activities more competently and effectively. This technology also provides real-time-in-transit visibility (ITV) and can also observe the general enterprise assets in the business (Sweeney II, 2010). A few of the present day examples of RFID is recognized in supply chain to create pallet tracking application which is used in companies such as Wal-Mart and its suppliers. The access control system such as keyless entry is also a RFID technology. Apart from this, applications like point-of-sale, automatic tool collection system, and animal tracking devices among others also use this technology (Hunt, Puglia & Puglia, 2007). Impacts of RFID on an Organization (Pros and Cons) The impact of RFID fo r the organization is based on how it is being handled by the organization. The ability of the technology to ensure services such as real-time and serialized data could prove to be quite essential to the organization. The best way to know the impact of the RFID on the organization is by assessing the area of the business where this technology is employed. The overall impact of RFID to the business can be assessed with the assistance of three distinct work flows. They are business processes, physical infrastructure as well as system and information. Proper execution of these three aspects alone would depict the major impacts of the technology in the organization (Sweeney II, 2010). On the other hand, the technology also has certain demerits that are quite vital to be analyzed. It has been observed that the technology of RFID reader at times faces difficulties to read the information if the tags are installed in liquids as well as in metal products. The problem occurs because liquid a nd metal surfaces replicate the radio waves, which makes the tags unreadable. Again, certain interventions can be observed in the proper use this technology if devices for example forklifts as well as walkies-talkies are in the surrounding area of the distribution centers (Shah & Murtaza, n.d. pp. 1-9). Effective Use of RFID Technology in Business By Harnessing the Benefits and Avoiding the Pitfalls The use of RFID technology in

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 8

Essay Example A randomized control trial or RCT consists of two groups where the subjects are assigned randomly to the following: (1) experimental group, a group who receives intervention being tested, and (2) comparison or control group, the group who receives alternative or conventional treatment (Kendall, 2003). Any differences between the outcomes will be followed up by the researcher, and the trials’ results and subsequent analysis are used in assessing the efficacy of the intervention (Kendall, 2003). Kendall added that the most stringent way of determining the existence of cause and effect between the intervention and outcome are the RCTs. (1) In order to achieve appropriate generalisable results, the sample being studied must be appropriate to the tested hypothesis. Sufficient patients will be recruited in the study to allow it to have probability of clinically detecting important clinical differences between treatments if a difference exists truly. Assume that your recommendation is that the application should not be funded, and explain carefully any faults that you feel the proposal may have. I suggest you concentrate on the methodology for the study and whether it will achieve its aims and answer the research question, and whether the proposed study would be ethical, in terms of what would be done to the participants. If you feel the study will not achieve its aims, state why; if you feel that it is ethically flawed, explain your opinion. After reading the grant application concerning the treatment of back pain by physiotherapists, it is hereby decided that the proposal will not be funded by the regional committee for the following reasons: The researcher did not discuss the basis of doing randomised controlled trial method in the clinical research study. The advantages of using this type of sampling over other types of clinical trials must be clearly indicated in the proposal. It was noted in the study that

Evaluation of a multiprofessional community stroke team Essay Example for Free

Evaluation of a multiprofessional community stroke team Essay The study aims to conclusively evaluate how effective it is to employ a specialist community stroke team for the rehabilitation of stroke victims in a community based setting. This is clearly established at within the opening lines of the article. In the summary at the beginning of the article the author claims that the available evidence is inconclusive and his aim is to provide conclusive proof with regards to evidence based practise for the patient. A research article should state its’ aims clearly and should assume the audience has no previous background knowledge (Greenhalg, 2006). The literature reviewed in this article was from a variety of sources such as the Cochrane database and a selection of journal articles. On this basis the authors were able to deduce that previous research carried out provided contradicting reports. For example Roderick et al (2001) as cited by Lincoln et al (2004) found no significant difference in the effectiveness of rehabilitation which had taken place in the home to that which had occurred in a hospital setting. On the contrary Gladman et al (1993) as cited by Lincoln et al (2004) found a significant difference in a small group of younger patients. It was also suggested that there was a shift of focus from mainly hospital based rehabilitation to community based rehabilitation of stroke patients. According to Polger and Thomas (2008) a literature review should provide appropriate background information. That is, it should show the current knowledge level in that area of study. The author appears to have utilised much of his own previous work in the study and some are more than ten years old. This could possibly be an indication that indeed, there is a large gap in knowledge of this subject area. On the other hand it may indicate that the author has done a selective search of the literature. A quantitative approach was utilised in this study and the method used was a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). The articles’ methodology was well documented. According to Sim and Wright (2000) an analytic study attempts to quantify the relationship between two factors, that is, the effect of an intervention or exposure on an outcome. A term used to describe the design randomized controlled trial according to Greenhalgh (2006) is Parallel group comparison. This is when each group receives a different treatment and both are entered into the experiment at the same time. By comparing the groups an analysis is provided. In the Lincoln et al (2004) study Participants were divided into two groups, A and B with the former receiving routine care while the latter received the intervention – rehabilitation with the multi-professional community stroke team. The question posed by the authors could have been answered using a qualitative approach. The question could possible state; Evaluation of a multiprofessional community stroke team: a phenomenological study. SAMPLE Altman (1991) states that a study should have enough participants recruited in order to detect a significant effect if one exists. The sample group consisted of patients referred to the Nottingham Community Stroke Team who had suffered a stroke within the last two years, who were over sixteen years old and needed intervention from more than one multidisciplinary team member. Patients who lived outside the geographical area and/or had been treated by the community stroke team in the preceding two years were excluded. Four hundred and twenty eight patients were randomly selected at the start of the trial and randomly allocated to either Group A or Group B. An error resulted in seven people being recruited twice. This error was corrected by including only the outcome of their initial recruitment when the results were being analyzed. The target population of this study is relatively clearly defined (patients who have had a stroke within last two years, over the age of sixteen, etc ) and lends credence to the external validity of the study (Payton, 1994). According to Sim and Wright (2000) the accessible population is the portion of the target population that is available to the researcher and the sample is then taken from this accessible population. The groups are similar to each other with regards to gender and age distribution; this also increases the validity of the study as this similarity reduces the variables of the study. The overall population was a convenience sample which was then randomized to two groups. Six months after randomization all the patients were sent a letter asking them to consent to being in a study to evaluate the input of a community stroke team. According to Lincoln et al (2004) the consent forms and outcome questionnaires were sent this late so as to reduce bias. It was thought that group A which was receiving routine care would have lower expectations if confronted with the realization that the alternate group may receive superior care. Some would possibly insist on being referred to the specialist community stroke team The Local Research Ethics Committee granted ethical approval for this study to go ahead. This indicates that the value of the research undertaken outweighed any harm that this consenting method may have caused as patients in Group A were still receiving routine care. However, the department of health has issued guidelines which state that participants must be consented and all pertinent information given prior to the start of any study. Data was collected via a questionnaire comprising of the Barthel Index, Extended ADL, General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) and Euroquol. The participants were also asked to rate their knowledge of the expected extent of recovery from their stroke, and their overall satisfaction with the services they received from the community stroke team. The use of a questionnaire for data collection has both negative and positive aspects. Greenhalgh (2006) states that a questionnaire is an instrument used to measure human psychology, so whilst sending the questionnaire via post proves to be cost effective as the alternative would be to hold face to face interviews with the participants as focus groups or individually, it raises concerns about the reliability of the study. This is because the researcher is not present to interpret facial expressions and body language when the participants answer the questions. The alternative of conducting face to face interviews with such a large number of participants would prove to be costly and time consuming. However, according to Oppenheim (2003) long questionnaires are sometimes off putting and may generate low response rates, conducting these questionnaires via the postal service could possibly increase the likelihood of a low response rate. The results were shown as a table and diagram, the Mann-Whitney U-test which was used to compare the groups showed no significant differences on independence in personal or instrumental activities of daily living or on the patients’ mood. There was also no significant difference between the groups in their knowledge with regards to the resources available to assist them in adjusting to life after a stroke. There was also no difference between the two groups with overall satisfaction or in satisfaction with the practical helped received. However, patients in the Community Stroke Team were significantly more satisfied with the emotional care they received. (Lincoln et al, 2004) According to Wright et al (2009) the Mann-Whitney U-test is used when one group from the sample is larger than the other and when both samples are from the same population, as is the case with this study. There was no significant difference in carers’ mood between the two groups. However, the strain on carers of patients seen by the community stroke team was significantly less than that of carers of patients randomized to the routine care group. The carers of patients in the community stroke team group were significantly more satisfied with their knowledge of stroke and had higher overall satisfaction than the carers of those in the routine group. By utilizing the randomized controlled trial design the author lends credence to its validity as this design allows for the eradication of systematic bias. (Sim et al, 2000) This was done through the sampling process of selecting the participants from the target population and randomly allocating them to Group A which received routine care or Group B those in the care of the community stroke team. The collection of data by using a postal questionnaire helps to â€Å"blind† the researcher as he cannot influence the participants’ response. Although some participants did not respond to the questionnaire, others responded with incomplete forms, some died and a few were recruited twice, the author is cognizant of this and incorporates it into his findings. Crombie (2000) states that if the withdrawals and failures to respond can be seen as being consistent between both comparison groups then the results of the research will not be negatively impacted upon. This is because the results show that these failures are random among both groups and not specific to one. However one major fault is the fact that the services received by Group A were not collected due to impracticalities and unreliable recollections of the patients. Critical appraisal is not just an exercise in fault finding, it is the analysis of these faults and the assessment of their potential impact on the research which allows the reader to come to a decision regarding the strength or usefulness of the article being critiqued. In order for the research results to be utilized in clinical practice its’ reliability and validity are essential aspects which need to be covered. (Polger and Thomas, 2008) This article shows a research that was methodically sound and well designed. The sample was representative of the population being examined and attempts were made to minimize bias. The author was aware of the shortfalls of this research and attempted to incorporate this in his findings however, most of the issues identified did not affect the results of the study. The study if repeated would provide comparable results. However, the author states that the study provides evidence supporting the use of a community based stroke team to assist in the rehabilitation of stroke patients because of the increased emotional support for patients and greater satisfaction and reduced strain on carers. This statement would have been better justified on results from a qualitative study as this type of study aims to interpret people’s emotional and psychological response to the intervention or interventions being employed. The results from such a study would be closer to the patients’ and carers true feelings as the methodology behind that study would be different.

greek comedy :: essays research papers fc

Tommy Coleman Intro to Theater Process Kimmika Williams-Whitherspoon Greek Comedy and The Process of Putting on a Show   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Poetics, comedy is defined as â€Å"a representation of an action that is laughable, lacking in magnitude, complete, [in embellished speech,] with each of its parts used separately in the various elements of the play; represented by people acting and not by narration.† (Aristotle, pg. 43) Therefore a play that does not adhere to this definition is not considered funny, nor does it produce laughter, which is highly essential to the genre. ***   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Kimmika told me that I was going to be doing a Satyr piece, I was devastated. I was so confident that I would be doing a musical piece in some shape or form. I would’ve even enjoyed opera, but not Satyr (of all genres) to do a project on. I was intimidated by the genre for my lack of knowledge about it. I was also fearful that my production would not add up to the caliber of the one I saw last spring semester, which followed all the rules, it seemed, of what a Greek comedy was supposed to be. With such anxiety eating at my psyche, it was difficult to move forward confidently with this project. On top of that, I was in the middle of rehearsals for Jitney, so I was not sure that I would pull my weight for the project. What is funny is that for the most part, my fear should’ve been the same fear as my partners who did not do as much as I did for this project at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Firstly, as far as meeting with my group members was concerned, that idea was cute in the beginning. Abbey, Phuong and I met during classes and discussed ideas for a possible Greek play. Then we suggested ways to come up with concepts and bring them back to each other. However not too long into the duration of the project, communication became non-existent. The only time I talked to my group members was during class time in Theater 011. Outside of class, there were no meetings. There was an attempt at one, but we got our times scheduled wrong. For me, it was impossible to meet during the evenings due to rehearsal for â€Å"Jitney† by August Wilson, performances of â€Å"Jitney†, and then rehearsals for a fashion show that I was a part of.

Advantages of Using Ict as a Tool for Teaching and Learning Process

Advantages of using ICT as a tool for teaching and learning process in higher education institution. ICT defined as information and communication technology (ICT) the hardware and software that enables data to be digitally processed, stored and communicated. ICT can be used to access, process, manage, and present information model and control events, construct new construct new understanding and communicate with other. In the context of learning process, ICT may be referred as a necessary tool for any student who desires further learning shortly after the internet explosion of the 1990s.ICT was immediately integrated into educational field. Even though symbolized advancement in human knowledge was seen as a setback by many educator and instructors at the university. There are many advantages of using ICT as a tool for teaching and learning. The advantages such as ICT can be used at anytime, anywhere, access to remote learning resources and it help to prepare individual for the work p lace. First of all, the advantage of using ICT as a tool for teaching and learning process in higher education learning is anytime and anywhere. Dr.Ken Olson, President of Digital and Equipment Corporation who said he had prescribed a time when computers will weigh no more than one and a half tons. One defining feature of ICT is the capability to transcend time and space between time. ICT make possible asynchronous learning or learning characterized by a time lag. For example, internet can be accessed 24hours per day for seven days per week. ICT based educational delivery such as educational programming broadcast over radio or television also dispenses with the need for all learners and instructors to be in one physical location.In addition, certain type of ICTs, such as teleconferencing technologies, enable instruction to be received simultaneously by other learner at higher learning institution. In a nutshell, we can see that using of ICT tools in higher learning institution give many advantages. The advantages in information technology have heavily influenced especially in teaching and learning process. In 2000, most excellent student of National University of Malaysia used ICTs tool as medium to excellent were stated and published in Berita Harian newspaper.All the benefits can lead many student to excellent in their study and at the same time they can diverse their knowledge in their study and provide so many resources if they really want to do some research about their study. They also can communicate better with their lecturers or instructors through the web cam on their computer. Internet services provide â€Å"Skype† to make people easier to communicate with each other. They can ask their lecturers or instructors about so many question and clarify better about their assignment or lecture syllabus. The most important thing it’s a free services.