Big City Reporting

Baby Toss

2009-07-01T15:49:00.001-07:00

Children: Painting the House

2009-06-29T11:16:00.001-07:00

At Wee Care Child Care, Gail spends all day planning fun activities for the children she babbysits, including this painting exercise on the side of her house.

SLAM DUNK: Tim's Driveway Hoops

2009-06-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

We just got a new driveway basketball hoop last Saturday. It's been a lot of fun pulling off alley-oops, slam-dunks and 360s. I dunk better than LeBron on a 7-foot rim!

Amanda Basketball

2009-06-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

Amanda loves her new basketball hoop. Ever since she got the hoop two weeks ago she has been teaching herself how to play.

Woodwork

2009-06-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Phil chops wood every day at 6:30 a.m. for the exercise, he said.

Fortin Turns 'Lights Off' on Teaching Career

2009-06-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

FORT KENT, Maine – Students piled into his classroom for the last time on Monday, squinting their eyes to see the wall paintings and crafts that decorate the room. Richard Fortin discovered his high school students learned better with the lights off.

“It was just cozier in the dark…I have this bank of windows in my classroom that give off enough light,” the retiring English teacher said. “I’ve never had kids have to read in the dark, but I do like it darker than I guess most teachers.”

The dim lighting provided just the atmosphere he needed to paint campfire-like scenes for his students, as they circled their desks together and heard tales of knights and chivalry and the black plague. The gray shaggy-haired and bushy-bearded teacher relished every chance he got to captivate seniors with his booming voice as he pounded his fists onto his desk for dramatic climaxes.

“I’ve had more fun doing this than anything I could think of,” Fortin said. “Most of my career, I didn’t understand why they were paying me to do it, it was so much fun.”

Fortin, an avid outdoorsman, plans to do more hunting, fishing and gardening near his six-acre home in Fort Kent with the extra time. He also hopes to spend more time with his wife, Joanne, whom he has been married to for 35 years. She is the Director of Nursing at Northern Maine Medical Center and he said it’s a “really high-pressure job,” so he wants to do everything he can to “make life a little bit easier for her.”

Fortin, 55, spent the last 31 years teaching students in Fort Kent and Van Buren, and encouraging them as they closed their high school careers. And now as he closes his high school teaching career his principal is wondering how he will fill the void.

“I just think kids who haven’t had a chance to have Mr. Fortin will lose out,” Fort Kent Principal Timothy Doak said, “because it’s just, each school has one, each school has a teacher who everybody cherishes and respects and can’t wait to have, and I think Mr. Fortin was that teacher for us.”

Fortin said he taught for as long as he could make it fun for his students. He is retiring now partially because he doesn’t agree with the direction that education is headed in America and it is starting to conflict with his teaching style. Fortin disagrees with No Child Left Behind and other similar policies he believes approach education from the wrong direction.

“Right now, a lot of times you’re governed by the tests that you give rather than the instruction that you give in your classroom,” he said. “To me that’s – I feel like I’m losing the autonomy of my classroom to teach what I want to teach.”

Fortin found success with his bizarre teaching style that encouraged students to design the classroom with their diverse imaginations. Crafts hang from the ceiling. And the walls are filled with various paintings from The Lord of the Rings, Brave New World, 1984 and other books they read.

“When I first got here I really didn’t know Dick (Fortin) that well, and I would walk by his classroom and would kind of find it interesting that he’s in there with the lights off and the room is painted,” Doak said. “But then the more I would do classroom visits and the more I would talk to kids, it just seems like Dick was one of the driving forces behind senior year...And he made it a very special time for our kids.”

It was 31 years of very special for Fortin as well, he said. He cherished each day he spent with his students. And now he’ll miss those students even more. But the classroom art will always stay freshly painted in his memory.

“The memories were always there,” Fortin said. “Every time I looked at my classroom, every time I looked on the wall, I could remember those kids and what we did and why they did it and why they did that particular painting and how much fun they had doing it. And so for me it’s been always really cool coming into my room.”

VIDEO: Taxi Horror Stories

2009-06-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

A fender-bender quickly turned into a double-assault nightmare for one Manhattan cabbie two years ago.

After being punched in the back of the head, Mohammed Abudakar chased his assaulter across Manhattan to the corner of 66th and York Avenue and kicked the snot out of him.

“I took his head when he was getting up and hit him with the partition,” Abudakar said. “I knocked him before he came out (of his taxi). That’s how the blood started oozing out.”

Abudakar was at a stop light with a passenger in the backseat when his neck snapped backward and he heard a clunk.

Another taxi had slammed into his back-bumper.

Abudakar jumped out to check the damage and noticed his car was fine, but the front of the other taxi was damaged. So he asked the other cabbie if he wanted to exchange insurance information. The other driver agreed and Abudakar climbed back into the driver’s seat and leaned over to the glove department to grab his paperwork.

The next thing Abudakar felt was the other cabbie’s knuckles bursting through the back of his skull.

“He hit me on the head while I was in an awkward position, knocking me, and my nose started bleeding,” Abudakar said.

The punch gave the other driver just enough time to race to his cab and speed away from the scene, hoping to avoid a ticket and fight.

“By then I was mad. That was a mistake,” Abudakar said. “I took off. I know karate…I was really angry.”

He followed the other driver from 66th street to 72nd street and cornered him.

“And fortunately, I had the upper-hand and beat the hell out of him, bad! But blood started coming out,” Abudakar said. “(He) couldn’t get up.”

Police blamed Abudakar for the brunt of the fight, and he was slapped with over $3,000 in fines, $2,000 in court expenses, a two-month suspension and one night in jail.

“The cops came and saw all the blood and said I took something and hit him,” Abudakar said. “They looked over and couldn’t find any object, a weapon or any kind…Just my fists.”

“They took me to court, I slept overnight in jail,” he added. “I had witnesses that said I followed him from one point to another point. That was my mistake. I should have called a cop.”

Abudakar called himself a “mild tempered person” who is generally “not a violent man,” but the sucker-punch ticked him off.

Abudakar said he lost his hair three years ago fighting all the stress of driving a cab, and he can’t wait for his retirement.

“It’s very difficult,” he said about driving a cab. “There’s a lot of pressure. 90 percent of the cab drivers, they have high blood-pressure. I’m one of them too.”

TAXI: 'I was a chicken without the head before I start Scientology'

2009-06-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, May 29, 2009 — Cornered by a sour economy and quick-to-ticket cops, one cabbie is taking control.

Hyder Jeffri is no stranger to stress. Each day he deals with impatient passengers and irritated drivers. But in the midst of the turmoil he turns to scientology for peace during troubling financial times.

“Most cab drivers, they count the money – decide the money, what they make – at the end of the day,” Jeffri said. “And I decide before I start my work that this is how much money I am going to make today, and end of the day, I have that money, nine out of 10 times, guaranteed. Because I control my environment. My environment does not control me.”

Jeffri turned his sights toward scientology three years ago and hasn’t looked back.

“I was a chicken without the head before I start scientology,” he said. “Any area in my life I had a difficulty, I did courses. One of them was stress. I took the course to handle (stress). So when I finished, my control in any area I educate myself through scientology…on a scale of nine to 10, nine-plus.”

That control was put to the test recently when he was slapped with a $115 parking ticket.

“I got the ticket. I’m going to pay for it,” Jeffri said. “But, on the other hand, that ticket will not financially hurt me because (the) teaching of scientology makes you more able how to control your environment.”

“Scientology in my own definition is science of miracles – how to make miracles,” he added. “$1,500, $200, $1,000, even $10,000 if I pay for a ticket, believe or not, that’s going to create (the miracle). Because the spirit is Allah will create.”

Jeffri isn’t immune to the problems cabbies face each day. He’s simple decided to rise above them.

“All this negative energy can keep on hitting me, but it will not knock me down,” he said. “Because I am the one who creates energy.”

TAXI: 'Every day I drive people who are out of their minds...I feel like someday my brain will get broke'

2009-05-29T14:01:00.002-07:00

NEW YORK, May 26, 2009 —New York City cabbie Mohammed Abudakar spends his day dodging traffic cops, listening to irate passengers and knotted in rush hour traffic that often begins right after lunch.

“It’s very difficult,” Abudakar said. “There’s a lot of pressure. 90 percent of the cab drivers, they have high blood-pressure. I’m one of them too.”

In Manhattan, a town known for its symbolic yellow hacks, driving a taxi has become much more difficult. And inside America's largest city, where there are more than 13,000 taxicabs, the crush of a financial slowdown, skyrocketing ticket costs and a surplus of cabs is making it harder and harder for drivers to earn a living. And that doesn’t account for the big Apple’s legendary traffic.

“The second most stressful job in America is driving a taxi,” said Bill Lindauer, New York Taxi Worker’s Alliance Campaigns Coordinator. “What’s the first most stressful job? Being president of the United States. So we’re only the second most stressful job. That’s why we make the big bucks.”

A trip in a Manhattan cab can be a short hop from Broadway to the Port Authority Bus Terminal or a long lift to one of the three airports, LaGuardia, JFK or Newark. And with each passing day, cab drivers report that passengers are getting more ornery.

“Every day I drive people who are out of their minds,” driver Hector Sadiq said. “They blame me for everything…And if somebody shows me a finger or is using bad words it hurts me…I feel like someday I will get a heart attack, or my brain will get broke.”

Many cabbies are fed up with what they call doormat treatment.

“Why should we be scabs for the city?” Lindauer asked. “The city never does anything good for us.”

And to make matters worse, some cab drivers believe they are being targeted for tickets.

“I hope that’s not true. I really hope so,” said Vincent Sapone, League of Mutual Taxi Owners managing director said. “But when you see our tickets you begin to wonder.”

Police deny the accusation, saying they are simply trying to keep the roads safe.

“Na, na, no. (The police) are just doing their routine job. They just doing their job,” Public Safety Officer Derick Everett said while directing taxis by the Madison Square Garden. “Most (taxis), they like to violate and skip and get between other cars and all that. So they know they’re supposed to follow the rules, but drivers here don’t usually follow the rules. So that’s why they always get pulled over and get a ticket.”

“See everybody has their different opinions, but from what I see, that’s what I see, I’m just here to follow rules and regulations, just like everybody else,” he added. “If they can’t comply with that, my best (advice) is just, ‘Take it to the mayor. Take it to the mayor.’”

Not all cabbies are claiming innocence. Most are asking for equality.

“The police sometimes excuse regular motorists, but they’ll pick up cab drivers,” Lindauer said. “And instead of giving them one ticket, we’ll give them three or four tickets at the same time. It’s a shame.”

Tickets have grown so common for some cab drivers they have become “part of the job” says Mohammad Hatta, a three-year cabbie. Taxis drivers lose their license after six points, so fighting tickets in court is more about erasing the points than getting the money back.

“We don’t mind to pay the fee – you know what I mean? – because we will lose anyway,” Hatta said. “You’re not going to fight the law. I mean, they always have to find a law to nail you. But at least we get out from the points. Sometimes paying them is part of the job.”

The drooping economy and constant tickets are causing some cab drivers to reexamine their careers.

“(A ticket) can mean most of a day’s income, or even more than one day’s income,” Lindauer said. “Does it pay for him to get out of bed? I think not.”

Still, many cab drivers are staring through the windshield, hoping for a better future.

“It’s just that I wish there was a way where somehow the cab driver could have a better life and something to look forward to, ok, in the future,” Sapone said. “Today it’s a stepping stone job to go get a hotdog stand or something. I mean, there’s no future. It’s terrible. And I feel for cab drivers. I got cab drivers in my blood.”

Tour guide tales from the Empire State Building

2009-05-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, May 17, 2009 — When Don Smith and Leighton Edwards signed up to sell tour tickets outside the Empire State Building they expected insulting rejections and tired feet.

But what they got is a comedy show.

“This dude jogging the other day, and was jogging full speed, coming passed the Empire State Building,” Smith, 30, said. “And he saw this girl, looked real nice, and he turned to look at her – ran dead into the pole and knocked out his front teeth.”

Did you help him out? Call an ambulance, maybe?

“No, we laughed,” he said. “It was just mad funny when we saw it.”

Sometimes the joke’s on them.

Edwards, 21, is trying to save money for college. Selling tickets is not always a fun job, but he said sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.

“You see loads and loads of people, so literally when you finish with one you got to turn around and go to the next person. One time I turned around and I just butchered it man, I butchered the whole speech,” Edwards said. “It was funny. They’re looking at me like I’m crazy and I was just laughing cause I messed up. I’m like, ‘You know what? There’s the door.’ I just pointed, ‘There’s the door.’”

With thousands of people passing by each day Edwards has seen it all – good, bad, funny – but overall he said it’s worth it.

“Honestly, I love it. I know how to deal with people,” he said. “Individual-wise, people, I would say, some of them, they stink. I would say sometimes I really hate people, I can’t stand it. Because sometimes I would open the door for somebody then the [explicative] wouldn’t say thank you. At least be moral, acknowledge me or something, you know?”

“But humanity collectively as a whole, beautiful, beautiful set of people,” he added. “Even as vile and as foul as people can be sometimes, beautiful.”

Shawn Ryan: Big Fists, Bigger Smile

2009-05-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, May 14, 2009 — When Shawn Ryan talks about boxing a small smirk kicks in.

He can’t smile too much. He’s supposed to be serious. And if his boss catches him talking to people about anything more than directions to Starbucks, he’s in for an exasperating conversation.

But standing in front of the Empire State Building for 10 hours a day watching crowds of people slide in-and-out through revolving doors is tiresome, and boxing is the one thing that keeps him sane.

“I like boxing,” he said. “As a teen, my uncle used to box, so I picked it up from him.”

Growing up he adored his uncle Steph – kept him off drugs, Ryan says.

But his childhood days of hunching over the bottom of the ring and sticking his head under the ropes to watch him box are long gone.

Each day Ryan, 35, shows up to greet people as they walk into the Empire State Building. Decked in a maroon suit and cap, he could easily be mistaken for a Buckingham Palace guard thanks to his professionally-trained straight face.

Like most doormen at the Empire State Building, he stands tall with his hands folded behind his body and his vision concentrated, staring into the distance.

But he’s much friendlier than a Buckingham guard. His smile gives him away. He’s more approachable, more personable.

A visitor approaches the revolving doors. Ryan turns his head to offer a slight nod and complimentary smile of approval.

Several groups stop to ask directions.

“The Strawberry store?” he asks three women to repeat, bending down to their level. “Yep, right over there.”

Then when they leave he hides his smile and snaps his straight face back on.

Until the next person comes to ask for directions.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for such-and-such a store?”

“Just around the corner to the right,” he says, stepping forward, leaning over and sticking his arm out to point the way.

And he always laughs at meaningless name-dropping jokes from people who know someone who knows someone who knows someone who works inside the Empire State Building.

He wants to make sure everyone feels welcome. That’s part of his job, and he takes pride in it.

But not everyone’s a pleasant customer. There are plenty of rolled eyes.

“All the time,” he says.

Sometimes he must ask people to move along and smoke somewhere else.

“They get pissed off,” Ryan says. “They don’t really say much, but they’re actions…”

It’s not all that bad, though.

“I’m used to it,” he says. “They don’t bother me.”

When he’s not dealing with angry locals and confused tourists, nothing makes his face light up like boxing, even if it’s just for a moment.

And if you can convince him to roll up his sleeve you’ll noticed a pair of boxing gloves engraved on his left shoulder.

Now, that tattoo is the only thing he has left to hold onto boxing.

“Never really played sports,” Ryan said. “Wasn’t ever good at basketball, baseball, those sports.”

But he was decent at boxing. He trained for three years earlier in his life, but eventually the pressures of school and work pulled him out of the ring permanently.

“I went for the Golden Gloves, but I chickened out,” he said. “I had too much going on.”

That’s where being a doorman at the Empire State Building comes in handy. It has its advantages. Special privileges, if you must, assuming he keeps it professional.

Ryan’s been able to greet all kinds of celebrities, like Michael Jordan, Hillary Duff and his favorite of all, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

The best day of Ryan’s life might just have been when he greeted Klitschko as the hulky 6’6” boxer walked through the doors of the Empire State Building.

“He’s the champ,” Ryan says. “I never got to become a boxer, so to see the champ was cool…That’s the only boxer I met up front and got to shake his hand.”

Klitschko, known as Dr. Steel Hammer in the ring, won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta for taking first place in the super-heavyweight division. He also has an older brother, Vitali, known as Dr. Iron Fist, who is another accomplished boxer. Together they hold an 89-5 career record.

“I would love to go to a boxing match,” says Ryan, who has never been to a professional boxing match before. He plans to attend the next one at the Madison Square Garden.

Who knows if that will ever happen. But in Shawn’s area of town at the Empire State Building you can count on two things: He will be there to greet you every time you walk through the revolving doors and he’ll always crack a smile at the mention of boxing.

Park Musician

2009-05-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Snuggled into a Manhattan park table, William Davis searches for the music inside his soul.

The jolly 52-year old with salt-and-pepper hair loves to go to Bryant Park each evening for several hours and teach himself new instruments. First the piano. Then the guitar. Can’t forget the keybord. And now the flute.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Davis says. “Man, keeps my mind off a lot of other stressful things. To me, music is real enjoyable. You’re never too old to do something you want to do.”

Davis didn’t discover his musical talents until late in life.

“My real interest was rekindled in my 40s,” he said. “I met a lady friend who plays the drums, so out of curiosity I sat down and wrote a couple songs, so with that it started a new beginning. It opened up a whole new world. But it’s kept quiet because I do it for me.”

Davis would love to someday play for big crowds and tips, but right now he’s still practicing. He started playing the flute only two weeks ago, but he already has a good feel for it.

“In the last few days I’ve adapted to it quickly,” he said. “I learn instruments real fast. Which I’m amazed, because I’m a late starter. It’s amazing. Sometimes people come by and give me encouraging words.”

“Right now, it’s basically the mere enjoyment, and if it goes any further it would be a bonus,” he added.

Music keeps Davis going. His life revolves around it. And he’s always looking for new instruments to add to his arsenal.

“The next step is to try other things,” he said.

World Journalism Institute utilizing the big-city effects of the Empire State Building

2009-05-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, May 12, 2009 — Buried deep inside the 102-story Empire State Building in midtown-Manhattan, the World Journalism Institute believes it’s in a prime location to prepare young Christian journalists for mainstream newsroom careers.

WJI Director Robert Case said the Empire State Building has been a perfect fit for the small program that is looking to integrate student journalists into a big-city culture. And thanks to WJI’s connection with the King’s College it can do just that without cost at the Empire State Building.

“One of the great benefits of coming here is the extraordinary hospitality of King’s College,” Case said. “We are here free. We can’t duplicate that in many cities. So because of our close relationship we have special privileges here.”

WJI serves as a journalism boot camp. Students keep busy around-the-clock, taking classes and reporting around the city from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week from May 10-29. They also have numerous pre-class and post-class assignments.

“I’m looking for people that hound me, that pester me,” Case said. “I want people that have professors calling me – I don’t really want your mothers calling me – but I want your professors calling me and saying, ‘You can’t have this course without this guy. He’s just too good.’”

Successful graduates are offered as much as $2,000 a month for their first internship, and $2,500 a month thereafter. While WJI doesn’t find internships for students, Case said it provides connections for students to build on and cultivate relationships with influential people in the newsrooms across America. The stipend allows students to tell newspapers they can intern for free, which Case said is important in a struggling economy.

“We can build a fire in your belly if the Lord’s called you to journalism, and we can say, ‘If this is what you want to do, if this is what God’s calling you to do, you can count on us,’” Case told his students. “Those that want to go into journalism, they find over and over again that we are an enormous friend...So what I expect is those of you that want to be journalists will get jobs, or internships.”

2008 alum Ryan McDonald couldn’t agree more.

“They are, and will continue to be, a valuable network of Christian journalists who want nothing more than for their students and alumni to succeed,” he said.

“With the help of the World Journalism Institute, my writing noticeably improved, I made unforgettable connections and developed lifelong friendships which continue to motivate me to this day,” McDonald added.

Case said his goal is to integrate mainstream newsrooms with young, Christian journalists who have multimedia skills.

“The fact that the World Journalism Institute is located in the Empire State Building shows people that we are serious about engaging with culture and we’re going to walk the talk,” said Katherine Devorak, a student at WJI this summer and King’s College year-round. “Because we’re located in New York City and the Empire State Building we can draw people from different places in the country, because obviously New York City is a hotspot and the Empire State Building is one of the epicenters of the hotspot.”

Being located in midtown-Manhattan also allows for a wide-range of reporting access for these students as they walk along the streets of Manhattan. It’s strategic, Devorak said.

“When I travel around the world people say, ‘Where do you work?’ ‘Where do you go to school?’ I say, ‘The Empire State Building,’ and immediately you have creditability and authority,” she said.

Vern Ehlers: America’s 75-year old science mastermind and Playboy star

2009-05-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 8, 2009 — Vernon Ehlers brings something to Congress few others can offer: Scientific intellect…And a spot in Playboy.

The 75-year old nuclear physicist made national headlines when Playboy ran a story and photo of him during his campaign several years ago.

But when he’s not starring in Playboy, he’s the scientific brains of Congress.

“Oh, it’s extremely helpful, because there are so few scientists,” Ehlers said. “My colleagues are constantly asking me questions about scientific issues.”

He was the first research physicist to be elected to Congress, and has served on the Science and Technology Committee ever since. And he’s tackled numerous issues, such as helping Congress decide, “Should we try to go to Mars?”

“We certainly could use more scientists in Congress,” Ehlers said. “There are quite a few scientific issues and very few scientists in Congress.”

There are even fewer Congressmen in Playboy. But that didn’t stop the controversial magazine from picking up a Grand Rapids Press story about him.

During a recent campaign, his opponent, Attorney Jim Rinck, developed an unusual statement that eventually got back to the magazine.

“I got him in Playboy,” Rinck said. “When I ran against Vern I announced and said he was the smartest man in the district. It was such an unusual statement it hit the wires and Keith Olbermann from MSNBC picked up on it. I don’t think anyone has ever ran for office and declared his opponent was the smartest man in the district. Eventually, Playboy picked up on it that I was running against the smartest man in the district. Kind of worth the price of admission if you know what I mean?”

Dave Murray, who originally reported on the story for the Grand Rapids Press, wrote a second story about Playboy’s coverage of the situation. Murray said the Playboy story was a short mention about Ehlers and was in the “newsy portion of the magazine.”

Ehlers laughed about the situation afterwards.

"I guess I'm a surprised that they didn't ask me to be Playmate of the Month," Ehlers told Murray. "But then I suppose their circulation would take a beating. I'm not too worried about it. I'm sure none of my constituents are subscribers."

Ehlers told Murray he’s not a subscriber either.

“I never knew how much I valued my integrity and my ethics till I got into politics,” Ehlers told The Herald’s Katherine Wisen when he visited Cornerstone University to speak on Feb. 20. “It’s really important to me to defend my reputation.”

Ehlers said his whole life revolves around his faith.

“I don’t think being a Christian in Congress is any different than being a Christian teacher or a Christian (lawyer),” he said. “Being a Christian affects your thinking and ideas and beliefs and every area of your life if you’re truly a Christian. So it’s not only about my Christianity affecting my science, but my Christianity affecting all parts of my life.”

And with his faith leading the way, Ehlers battled through the potentially embarrassing Playboy incident and continues to guide scientific efforts for Congress.

Courage and 'stupidity': successful sports reporting

2009-05-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. — It was really steamy in the locker room when Bob Becker waddled through the shower and sat down next to Joe Namath.

By the way, Bob was naked.

But that was the only way he could get the story.

Namath, a Hall of Fame quarterback, was devastated after a big loss, so he sat weeping in the shower for hours after the game. Bob, a former Grand Rapids Press sports editor, waited until everyone else left, stripped and went in.

Becker could have been fired, maybe even jailed.

“What the (heck) are you doing here?” Namath barked at Bob when he saw him pop a squat on the floor.

Bob explained, and they both laughed it off. Then they chatted for a while, and Bob got the story.

“(Namath) was kind of a weird guy and I figured he’d get a chuckle out of it,” Bob said. “He knew I stepped across the line and took a gamble, so he thought that was kind of cool.”

Not many reporters would have the guts to do that today. But then again, not many reporters have the courage Bob had during his award-winning career.

“You’ll find with a lot of people you interview the hardest part is getting them to talk, actually to agree to sit down and talk,” Bob said. “Once they sit down and talk, especially if it’s something they’re interested in, they’ll talk and go on and on and on.”

That wasn’t Bob’s only interesting encounter during his 30-year career, but it was his favorite.

He now teaches journalism at Cornerstone University, where his classes circle around his wealth of experiences. He might be retired from newspapers, but his stories are just as active as ever, making a big-time impact in students’ lives.

WJI Times-Observer

2009-05-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

You can see some of my stories at WJI's Times-Observer Web site....of course, you can see them here too, so make this site the first priority. But if you get a chance check out that Web site too.

Web site: http://www.wjitimesobserver.com/.

Tim's Bio: http://www.wjitimesobserver.com/staff/tim-devaney-1.1725911.

Worldview: The role of a Christian journalist

2009-05-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

WORLDVIEW

A worldview is a life perspective that everyone has, and it influences the choices we make on a subconscious level. It tells us right and wrong, good and bad. It’s a roadmap for our life that we trust more than anything. And it encourages us to slant our actions – even in the slightest manner – in the direction we believe. Therefore, it is essential for Christian journalists to have a thorough understanding of their own worldviews, and make sure it lines up with Christ.

Without a strong worldview that you have full confidence in, you will struggle through life, constantly wandering left and right, but never forward. But when you realize your worldview and follow it through life you can move forward.

Your worldview shapes the way you see things. It shapes your beliefs. And it can also shape the stories you tell. Is abortion right or wrong? Will I portray that person as a child murder or a suffering 16-year old girl? Will I portray an elderly homeless man as someone with an uncanny addiction to gambling, or an individual who is struggling through cold winter nights and hunger? Will I portray homosexuals as sinful people who have turned their backs on God, or human beings who just want to be accepted?

Or can I find a middle ground?

As journalists, we must find a middle ground. We are encouraged to be objective, and if we know our worldview biases we can better fight to be objective. We don’t have to agree with homosexuality or abortion to give fair coverage.

For Christians, our subconscious worldview may be to favor the church and give them more favorable coverage than we would give other similar organizations. But that’s not objective, and by realizing our tendencies, we can work to be more objective.

It’s important to keep in mind that our worldview comes from many angles. Yes, we are Christians, but many of us are also conservatives, journalists and even sports fans, and those aspects of our lives add to our worldview, as well.

As a Christian, my worldview starts with the basic foundation of God.

“God the Father has reconciled His created but fallen world through the death of His Son, and renews it into a Kingdom of God by His Spirit,” Herman Bavinck was quoted in Creation Regained.

It leads me to believe things like abortion are wrong, and divorce is not an option. Things like life are precious and murder is evil. It says sexual immorality is wrong, and purity is found in Christ.

As a conservative, my worldview says Republicans are good and Democrats are bad. Whatever President George W. Bush said was right, and whatever President Bill Clinton said was wrong.
As a sports fan, it says the Michigan Wolverines are everything good in life, while the Ohio State Buckeyes are despicable, almost to the point of sinfulness. It says, “Go Tigers, Lions and Pistons.” It leads me to believe that baseball is the truest sport, and basketball and football are pretty good too. And it testifies that sports are good, while other things, such as fine arts, are second-class.

As a journalist, my worldview centers around the Associated Press style book. It promotes concise writing and good story telling. It believes in objectivity, and can’t stand biases, even when it comes from church friends.

These are the things my heart tells me. The things buried in my subconscious. We all have them. But we know they are not always true. Ohio State can’t be that bad. Republicans makes mistakes, while Democrats do accomplish good things. And fine arts can be just as deserving as sports.

It would be easy and dangerous to blindly follow them, but as quality journalists we must rise above the challenge by realizing these worldview biases and working to neutralize them.
If we are to be top-notch journalists, we must know our worldviews inside-and-out and learn to react to our biases in an objective manner that is fair to both sides.

JOURNALISM’S ROLE IN REVEALING THE CREATION, FALL AND REDEMPTION

Journalism’s responsibility is to reveal the truth, and the creation, fall and redemption are all seen in various ways when the truth is presented.

When we write about miracles, such as the birth of octuplets, or showcase strawberry farms opening for the summer, we display God’s glory and creation.

Creation is an on-going process. It started with God’s act of creating the world. But He didn’t leave it at that. He’s constantly at work in the lives and nature all around us. He brings babies into the world. He tells the planets how to spin and the sun how bright to shine. And as journalists, he gives us creative ideas all the time. Think about it: most people struggle to write papers. But somehow we thrive at it and have turned it into careers. There’s no way that comes for me without God consistently giving me ideas for creative leads and phrases to weave into my stories.

When we cover murder trials and write enterprise stories on overflowing prisons we see the fall and corruption of man. The fall is also seen in the growing homeless population, and the spread of diseases.

The fall is all too prevalent and inescapable in this world. It’s the big things like murder, diseases and homelessness. It’s the divorces that tear families apart. And the everyday things like arguing with brothers and sisters.

Our only hope is in Jesus. He offers a better future and can even open our eyes and change our hearts to realize a better present. That’s what redemption is all about. And when we report about heroes saving lives, such as military accomplishments and fire fighters pulling people out of burning buildings, it reflects Christ’s redemption: A painful, yet noble cause.

These are all issues newspapers cover, and we have a choice to present them truthfully or with bias.

But we need not put a Christian emphasis, or tone to our writing, on any of these stories to showcase the creation, fall or redemption. Not only would it be subjective journalism, but we don’t need to explicitly mention the biblical story to display God’s truths. They are self-evident, and our responsibility as truth-bearers is to tell it like it is and let God do the rest of the work.

HOW DOES REDEMPTION AFFECT HOW A JOURNALIST CRAFTS A FEATURE STORY?

Christ’s redemption is all about hope. It’s offers a mind-boggling opportunity to enjoy life with God for eternity, and helps you avoid an eternity of ultimate suffering.

It’s hope that that led the lowly New York Giants to a Super Bowl upset for the ages over the almighty New England Patriots two years ago. It’s hope that spurs college students to great careers. And it’s a much greater hope that we have as Christians because of the cross.

So of all journalists we should be able to write with a glimpse of hope and a sense of confidence.

That’s what I did when five athletes at my college were suspended for violating the alcohol policy. They made a mistake, and we didn’t shy away from showing that. But three of them were repentant and I portrayed their remorse throughout the story.

It’s what I did when one of our soccer players, who was brutally assaulted, flirted with death. As he made it back we helped readers feels his pain and fear. But we also displayed a sense of hope in the second chance he received.

And it’s what I did when two Cornerstone track teammates suffered a car accident. One died, while the other struggled to survive. We battled all sorts of campus emotions in that story – grief for one player’s death, agony for her family and friends, misery for the player who survived – but we focused on the sense of hope she brought the community upon her return to the track team.

Hope is everywhere and it’s our responsibility to find it for our stories.

Reflection Essay: Heart of Evangelism

2009-05-10T19:39:00.001-07:00

My God-given passion is to become the best sports writer in America. But many times I get the feeling that’s not enough for the church.

The church places a premium on pastors and missionaries, but many times ignores the importance of other professions.

But God’s beauty is seen in the diversity He creates. Diversity for some to be doctors, schoolteachers and journalists. And by pursuing the passions God has given us we can glorify Him.

“God has created us to work as those who are made in His image,” Jerram Barrs said in The Heart of Evangelism. “It is the way we do what we do…that is of concern to the Lord. Jesus Himself spent most of his adult life as a carpenter. Are we to think that the Son of God was in some way a second-class citizen in the kingdom until He began His public ministry?”

My life should be a witness to God. It’s a whole life ordeal. It’s whether I take a reporting assignment in frustration or with eagerness to glorify God. It’s whether I rush through the job to get it done, or slow down and take a second look at what could make the story better. It’s my attitudes toward my bosses, colleagues and employees.

“Unbelievers are drawing conclusions about Christ and about the truth of Christianity from everything we say and do,” Barrs said.

And many unbelievers are in the mainstream newsrooms. God doesn’t call everyone to newspapers, but He is calling me there, and the best I can do for Him is to witness with my life actions while I’m there.

Book Essay: Rwanda

2009-05-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

“We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families” is a devastating account of Rwanda’s genocide in the 1990s.

Philip Gourevitch writes with a graphic, yet calm style, almost like he is still in shock years after the fact when he wrote the book.

Early on Gourevitch said it all: “The dead looked like pictures of the dead. They did not smell. They did not buzz with flies. They had been killed thirteen months earlier, and they hadn’t been moved.”

Then he explained why he threw himself into this massacre over a year after the fact: “That was why I had felt compelled to come to Nyarubuye: to be stuck with them – not with their experience, but with the experience of looking at them.”

And isn’t that what we all should do as effective journalists? Whether our stories are about genocide or the local stockbroker downtown, our task is to remain object, yet to give the readers a true sense of realness. And that’s what Gourevitch attempted. He didn’t subject himself to physically suffering in the same massacres to somehow justify his existence, but he went to grasp the situation and relay it graphically to his readers.

As journalists we will be faced with many emotional stories throughout our careers, and we must learn to get deep inside the minds of our story subjects and tell the story as authentically as possible without tipping the balance of objectivity.

Book Essay: The Bear

2009-05-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

The Bear by William Faulkner has an old-western feel to it. Think Davy Crockett. Bonanza.

It’s set in the late 1800s when hunting was a way of life for most men. Ike, the main character, observes the struggle between preserving the forests and building civilizations, which is one of two major themes in the book.

In the beginning, Ike is headed for his first hunting trip. It’s a strong family tradition, and he’s taking it all in.

As America’s landscape was changing, hunters had to learn to cope with it, and in today’s media industry it’s a similar tale. Newspapers can hold tight to old ways and phase out of existence, or they can utilize technology to improve.

The other theme involves consciously wrestling with the past mistakes of his family. Ike’s grandfather raped one of his slaves, which later led to suicide. That along with other issues led Ike to forfeit his inheritance, because he wanted to distance himself from his grandfather’s mistakes.

While his decision was noble, it did not need to be so extreme. In the Bible, Paul talks about eating the leftovers of food offered to idols, saying that food is food and if that’s what God provides then take it graciously. Ike was in a similar situation and wasn’t responsible for his grandfather’s mistakes.

Sometimes, as journalists we hold ourselves down for various reasons when we don’t need to, like Ike did. There’s a time for repentance. And there’s also a time to grab a hold of the opportunities God places in front of us. If that means working for a big news organization, do it. Because God has a specific plan for all of us, and He can use us there.

Book Essay: Frank Sinatra

2009-05-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Gay Talese displayed one of the most persistent journalistic attitudes in writing a story about Frank Sinatra for Esquire magazine without even interviewing Sinatra.

After Sinatra refused an interview, Talese looked to options A, B and C to complete the story, interviewing Sinatra’s companions until he had enough to print the story. Instead of worrying about what couldn’t happen, he took care of what he could do and let the rest fall into place.

There is always a way to get the story done, but as a writer you have to be persistent and passionate enough to find it. You can’t expect sources to respond to your email requests for an interview, and you can’t take no for an answer. You have to make it happen. And that’s exactly what Talese did.

Talese used a column-type style to write this feature, inserting himself into the story on multiple occasions, and giving writers another option to consider for the future.

While he was far from concise – a principle that is heavily enforced in journalism schools today – he was still able to capture the story and grab readers with colorful writing full of real-life details.

He used the main plot line as a base to weave in tidbits about Sinatra’s life. The main plot line showed Sinatra, who was depressed about a cold, slowly regain a cheery mood by the end of the story. He took a vacation, his voice started to feel better and things started to look up for him.

But along the way, Talese mixed in side-stories about Sinatra’s life from his lonely childhood to his children. Talese used these examples to show who Sinatra really was, rather than say it.

These are all insights that current writers can take from Talese and implement into their own styles.

Book Essay: The Shawl

2009-05-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Shawl is a devastating short story written by Cynthia Ozick about the Holocaust and the social pain of concentration camps.

The story depicts a mother, Rosa, her daughter, Magda, and niece, Stella, desperately trying to survive. It opens as they are lining up to go to a concentration camp. Rosa hides Magda in a blanket (the shawl) that’s wrapped around her body as a piece of clothing. Stella, who is a teenager, is lonely and jealous for Rosa’s attention, and when she takes the shawl away from Magda one day, the baby is discovered and killed as a Nazi flings Magda into an electric fence.

Sadly, Rosa was forced to watch her child being tortured and was powerless to stop it. All she could do was stuff the shawl in her mouth to keep from screaming and being killed herself.

Magda was her only reason for living, and now she was gone forever.

How do you cope with that?

How do you move past utter-despair?

There are no easy answers, but as Christians God will always be there waiting with His arms open for us to run to Him.

Few situations in life are as terrible as the Holocaust. But everyone suffers in different shapes and forms. For journalists recently it’s been about losing jobs. In Michigan, the Ann Arbor News is shutting down, and Christian reporters are losing their jobs. But God is still faithful, and as Christians we must remember that he will provide for all of our needs. Sometimes we will face unbearable situations and bad things will happen, but God’s still there.

Detroit: Final Four Sports Writing Seminar

2009-05-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

DETROIT — Friday morning Detroit highways were jam-packed for miles as college basketball fans flooded toward Ford Field for a chance to watch Michigan State and the other Final Four teams practice.

And Bob Ryan couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to catch up on his reading.

Forget widespread panic about arriving at work on time and angry drivers honking their horns. And don’t give a second thought to the crazed cheers of thousands of Spartan fans stuck in traffic.

All Ryan needed was a pair of reading glasses.

“I almost don’t blame people who stop and read at stoplights,” said Ryan, a Boston Globe sports columnist. “I’m the one person who doesn’t mind traffic jams. I hate being the first person in line; I’d rather be the second.”

Ryan spoke the day before at a sports writing seminar hosted by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association at Detroit Mercy. He might be the face of several sports talk shows on television, but he told aspiring journalists to stick their heads in the books. He emphasized the importance of reading, suggesting a variety of news publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker.

“In order to be a writer, you have to be a dedicated reader,” he said. “You will never be able to compete with those people who are better read than you.”

Reading is a great tool for self-learners who can pick up tips from better writers and mold those ideas into their own writing styles, ESPN Columnist Dana O’Neil said.

O’Neil was another panelist at the sports seminar, along with John Feinstein of The Washington Post, Shannon Shelton of The Detroit Free Press, Steve Carp of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Dick Weiss of The New York Daily News, John Akers of Basketball Times and the moderator, Malcolm Moran, who has written for USA Today.

The panel offered practical advice about entering the news industry to nearly 200 student journalists in Michigan, using stories from their own experiences as the selling point.

Feinstein recalled a time early in his career when persistence paid off. Running back John Riggins had been holding out from the Washington Redskins’ training camp. And after refusing to talk to the media, Feinstein showed up at his doorstep to find some answers.

“‘If you don’t talk to me my boss is going to fire me,’” Feinstein told Riggins. “He said, ‘Come inside and I’ll call your boss and tell him not to fire you.’ But I said that wouldn’t work. So finally he said, ‘Ok, fine,’ and he talked to me.”

When all else fails, O’Neil preached persistence.

“Why, why, why, why, just ask it 47 times in a row until you get a good answer,” she said.

While Feinstein was persistent in breaking through to Riggins, he also used his relationship skills as a reporter to help Riggins open up. He pointed to the significance of developing strong professional relationships with sources.

“Instead of saying, ‘How’s your family?’ you say, ‘How are John and Mike?’ so they know you’re paying attention,” Feinstein said about cultivating sources.

While the panel warned against developing friendships with sources, O’Neil did emphasize the importance of reaching out to them on a personal level.

“At some point, put the notebook down and just chat,” she said. “I was a person. I wasn’t just a reporter.”

Reporters occasionally run into their best stories by simply chatting, Shelton said.

“If you get in very good, meet the parents,” she suggested. “They’ll love to talk about Junior. He has a fascinating story, but you won’t get it from him. But you might get it from his parents. Get close to the people around the athletes. They’ll always know you as the person who did the first story on them.”

Many times the best story isn’t about Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, Feinstein said. It’s about what’s-his-name on the bench.

“Look for the guys that aren’t necessarily the star,” he said. “Sometimes the best stories are about an offensive lineman. The best stories are about people, and people don’t have to be stars to make good stories.”

This article was written as an entry to a scholarship contest. The seminar took place on Thursday, April 2, 2009. The open practices took place on Friday, April 3.

Accepted: Washington Journalism Center!

2009-05-03T11:04:00.001-07:00

I've been accepted into the Washington Journalism Center next fall!

The semester-long program begins on Aug. 27 and runs through Dec. 11. I'll be taking classes and living by Capitol Hill in the historic city of Washington, D.C. What a great experience!

The Best Semester program, which is affiliated with Cornerstone University, is designed to give students journalists a taste of reporting in one of the world's most important cities. I'll be interning three days a week at one of the city's more prominent newspapers (I'll be sure to let you know when I find out which one it is), and taking classes two days a week. The three classes are: 1) Foundations for Media Involvement, 2) Reporting in Washington, and 3) Washington, News & Public Discourse. I'll also be involved with a service project, such as volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

And I'll likely be the first ever sports intern at WJC. They usually have strictly news interns, but the director told me he has been hoping to get a sports intern for the last few years and I will probably be the person to pave the way for future sports interns at WJC.

See the acceptance letter I received on Thursday, April 23, below:

Dear Tim,

Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have
been accepted as a participant in the Council for Christian Colleges &
Universities’ Washington Journalism Center (WJC) for the Fall 2009
semester (August 27 – December 11, 2009). Very soon you will be joining a
talented group of student journalists from all over North America in this
unique semester program in the nation's capital city.

We hope the remainder of your spring semester and summer go well, and we are already looking forward to meeting you.

But once again,
congratulations!

Best wishes,

Terry Mattingly
WJC Director

Studying in DC will stretch me for sure, and interning with a newspaper will be even tougher. But I'm up for the challange, and I hope you continue to check my blog for more updates on this program.

Accepted: World Journalism Institute!

2009-05-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've been accepted into the World Journalism Institute!

It's a rigorous three-week study program in New York City (Manhattan). You can prety much call it journalism boot camp. We'll be taking classes in the Empire State Building in downtown Manhattan, and living one block away in the Herald Towers appartments. And for three-weeks we'll be working 9-9 six days a week, improving our skills in multimedia journalism and big city reporting...It will be instense and stressful, but the challange is worth it!

See the acceptance letter I received on Wednesday, April 15, below:

Tim,

We have received your complete application to the WJI New York
journalism course and I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted
into that course at The King's College in Manhattan. Kim Collins will contact
you for any further clarification on your application. We look forward to being
with you in May for a most rigorous and exciting course. Please contact us if
you have any questions. Congratulations.

Robert Case

I'm looking forward to this program and hope you continue to check my blog for daily updates this May....It will be exciting!