Mr. Weiss – Journalism II – Faculty Advisor

← →

Storytime!

February 21, 2008 · 9 Comments

There is a huge story working through journalistic circles right now…

Please Do Now:

  1. Read the following story that broke on the New York Times this morning: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
  2. Make a list of all attributed quotes and facts – and who they are attributed to.
  3. Make a list of all unattributed quotes and facts – and how the reporter characterizes the unnamed sources.
  4. Would you take this story to press in its current form?  Why or why not?
  5. Why do you think this story might have been published TODAY?

Today, students will:

  1. Finish midmarking job reflection pieces and other outstanding assignments.

Tonight’s homework is:

  1. SECTION EDITORS: Journalism I first drafts are being published tomorrow.  Read them over this weekend and make general comments to the author.
  2. PHOTOGRAPHERS: Take at least one photo for each article coming through the pipeline. 
  3. OTHER STUDENTS:  please review your individual job responsibilities and how you are being graded this quarter.  Certain things are due for many of you today!

Categories: Daily Lessons

9 responses so far ↓

  • aarong2010 // February 21, 2008 at 4:18 pm

    Attributed Quotes and Facts
    1) “He is essentially an honorable person,” said William P. Cheshire, a friend of Mr. McCain. “But he can be imprudent.”
    2) “That imprudence or recklessness may be part of why he was not more astute about the risks he was running with this shady operator,”
    4) He shouldn’t be able to “put this behind him,” Mr. Black said. “It sullied his integrity.”
    5) “Our political messaging during that time period centered around taking on the special interests and placing the nation’s interests before either personal or special interest,” Mr. Weaver continued. “Ms. Iseman’s involvement in the campaign, it was felt by us, could undermine that effort.” She (Iseman) never recieved any special treatment.She was everywhere.
    6) “I never had any good reason to think that the relationship was anything other than professional, a friendly professional relationship,” Mr. Salter said in an interview.

    unattributed quotes and facts
    1) “Why is she (Ms. Iseman) always around?”
    2) One of McCain’s aids asked iseman stay away from the Senator.
    3) The lobbyist (Iseman), a partner at the firm Alcalde & Fay, represented telecommunications companies for whom Mr. McCain’s commerce committee was pivotal. Her clients contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his campaigns.

    I would take this story to press in its current form but later write a follow-up article if anything new is found out or if their is more concrete evidence. This article is interesting to the readers and will draw attention to their newspaper. We are reading it aren’t we.

  • alexco09 // February 21, 2008 at 4:22 pm

    Mr. Black said Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman were friends and nothing more. (<<This is an Attibuted quote)

    But in 1999 she began showing up so frequently in his offices and at campaign events that staff members took notice. One recalled asking, “Why is she always around?” (<<This is an unattributed quote. The writer refers to the person as just an employee in the office)

    A former campaign adviser (<< very beat-around-the-bush method of attributing a quote) described being instructed to keep Ms. Iseman away from the senator at public events, while a Senate aide recalled plans to limit Ms. Iseman’s access to his offices.

    Separately, a top McCain aide (<< Unnamed, not attributed to the EXACT person who gave this information) met with Ms. Iseman at Union Station in Washington to ask her to stay away from the senator. John Weaver(<< CLEAR contrast to the information before, this IS attributed and even gives a brief description of his current employment), a former top strategist and now an informal campaign adviser, said in an e-mail message that he arranged the meeting after “a discussion among the campaign leadership” about her.

    I would not send this to the press in its current form because it leaves readers wondering too much about where their information comes from. It’s all too shady. Journalism should not be shady.

    I don’t know why this is published today.

  • corinag2009 // February 21, 2008 at 4:22 pm

    Unattributed
    Mr.McCain has written letters to government regulators on behalf of lobbyist’s client
    -Reported by news organizations
    Some feared that a time would come when the attention would focus on her involvement
    -Former campaign associate
    He is relying on corporate lobbyists to donate their time running his presidential race and has recently hired a lobbyist to run his Senate office.
    The lobbyist, a partner at the firm Alcalde & Fay, represented telecommunications companies for whom Mr. McCain’s commerce committee was pivotal. Her clients contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his campaigns.

    Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman attended a small fund-raising dinner with several clients at the Miami-area home of a cruise-line executive and then flew back to Washington along with a campaign aide on the corporate jet of one of her clients, Paxson Communications. By then, according to two former McCain associates, some of the senator’s advisers had grown so concerned that the relationship had become romantic that they took steps to intervene.
    -Former McCain associates
    Described being instructed to keep Ms. Iseman away from the senator at public events, while a Senate aide recalled plans to limit Ms. Iseman’s access to his offices.
    -Former campaign advisor
    Attributed
    They never had a romantic relationship
    -Stated by Mr. McCain and the lobbyist Vicki Iseman themselves
    Mr.McCain had vowed to hold himself to the highest ethical standards
    “He is essentially an honorable person but he can be imprudent”
    “That imprudence or recklessness may be part of why he was not more astute about the risks he was running with this shady operator”
    -William P. Cheshire, friend of Mr.McCain
    Mr. McCain acknowledged behaving inappropriately and pledged to keep his distance from Ms. Iseman.
    Mr. Weaver added that the brief conversation was only about “her conduct and what she allegedly had told people, which made its way back to us.” He declined to elaborate.
    “I never discussed with him alleged things I had ‘told people,’ that had made their way ‘back to’ him,”
    -email message by Ms.Iseman

  • margaretc09 // February 21, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    Attributed:

    -“Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship.”
    -“‘Unless he gives you special treatment or takes legislative action against his own views, I don’t think his personal and social relationships matter,’ said Charles Black, a friend and campaign adviser who has previously lobbied the senator for aviation, broadcasting and tobacco concerns.”
    -“Mr. Black said Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman were friends and nothing more. But in 1999 she began showing up so frequently in his offices and at campaign events that staff members took notice.”
    -“John Weaver, a former top strategist and now an informal campaign adviser, said in an e-mail message that he arranged the meeting after “a discussion among the campaign leadership” about her.”
    -Ms. Iseman acknowledged meeting with Mr. Weaver, but disputed his account.
    “‘I never discussed with him alleged things I had ‘told people,’ that had made their way ‘back to’ him,’ she wrote in an e-mail message. She said she never received special treatment from Mr. McCain’s office.”

    Unattributed:
    -“Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.”
    -“When news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s client, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.”
    -“But he later resigned as its chairman after news reports disclosed that the group was tapping the same kinds of unlimited corporate contributions he opposed, including those from companies seeking his favor.”
    -“Mr. McCain’s friends dismiss questions about his ties to lobbyists, arguing that he has too much integrity to let such personal connections influence him.”
    -“Mr. McCain’s confidence in his ability to distinguish personal friendships from compromising connections was at the center of questions advisers raised about Ms. Iseman.”
    -“A former campaign adviser described being instructed to keep Ms. Iseman away from the senator at public events, while a Senate aide recalled plans to limit Ms. Iseman’s access to his offices.”
    -“In interviews, the two former associates said they joined in a series of confrontations with Mr. McCain, warning him that he was risking his campaign and career. Both said Mr. McCain acknowledged behaving inappropriately and pledged to keep his distance from Ms. Iseman. The two associates, who said they had become disillusioned with the senator, spoke independently of each other and provided details that were corroborated by others.”
    -“Separately, a top McCain aide met with Ms. Iseman at Union Station in Washington to ask her to stay away from the senator.”

    I would take this story to press in its current form. I think it has a lot of valid and interesting information. Though a lot of it is unattributed, it is important and adds facts to the article. I would definitly publish a follow up article when things are a bit more resolved and facts are proved true or untrue.

  • jdermer // February 21, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    - Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship.
    -“He is essentially an honorable person,” said William P. Cheshire, a friend of Mr. McCain who as editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic defended him during the Keating Five scandal. “But he can be imprudent.”
    - “That imprudence or recklessness may be part of why he was not more astute about the risks he was running with this shady operator.”-William P. Cheshire
    Unattributed- His campaign has already begun comparing his credentials with those of Senator Barack Obama.
    “I would very much like to think that I have never been a man whose favor can be bought.”-Mr. McCain
    - The lobbyist, a partner at the firm Alcalde & Fay, represented telecommunications companies for whom Mr. McCain’s commerce committee was pivotal.
    - Mr. Black said Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman were friends and nothing more.
    Unattributed- A former campaign adviser described being instructed to keep Ms. Iseman away from the senator at public events.
    Unattributed- Two former associates said they joined in a series of confrontations with Mr. McCain, warning him that he was risking his campaign and career.
    Attributed- Ms. Iseman acknowledged meeting with Mr. Weaver, but disputed his account.
    Attributed- Mr. McCain said that the relationship was not romantic and that he never showed favoritism to Ms. Iseman or her clients.

  • juliac2008 // February 21, 2008 at 4:28 pm

    all attributed quotes and facts:
    –“He is essentially an honorable person,” said William P. Cheshire, a friend of Mr. McCain who as editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic. “But he can be imprudent.”
    –Mr. Cheshire added, “That imprudence or recklessness may be part of why he was not more astute about the risks he was running with this shady operator”
    –“If I do not repress the memory, its recollection still provokes a vague but real feeling that I had lost something very important,” he wrote in his memoir. “I still wince thinking about it.”
    –Mr. Feingold said. “It had to do with his sense of honor,” he said. “He saw this stuff as cheating.”
    –Mr. Black said Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman were friends and nothing more.
    –John Weaver, a former top strategist and now an informal campaign adviser, said in an e-mail message that he arranged the meeting after “a discussion among the campaign leadership” about her.
    –Mr. Weaver continued. “Ms. Iseman’s involvement in the campaign, it was felt by us, could undermine that effort.”
    –Mr. Weaver added that the brief conversation was only about “her conduct and what she allegedly had told people, which made its way back to us.” He declined to elaborate.
    –“I never discussed with him alleged things I had ‘told people,’ that had made their way ‘back to’ him,” she wrote in an e-mail message. She said she never received special treatment from Mr. McCain’s office.
    –Mr. McCain said that the relationship was not romantic and that he never showed favoritism to Ms. Iseman or her clients.
    –The senator declined repeated interview requests, beginning in December. He also would not comment about the assertions that he had been confronted about Ms. Iseman, Mr. Black said Wednesday.
    –Mr. Davis and Mark Salter, Mr. McCain’s top strategists in both of his presidential campaigns, disputed accounts from the former associates and aides and said they did not discuss Ms. Iseman with the senator or colleagues.

    all unattributed quotes and facts:
    –When news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s client, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.
    –William Black, one of the banking regulators the senator met with, argued that Mrs. McCain’s investment with Mr. Keating created an obvious conflict of interest for her husband. (Mr. McCain had said a prenuptial agreement divided the couple’s assets.)
    –according to two former McCain associates, some of the senator’s advisers had grown so concerned that the relationship had become romantic that they took steps to intervene.
    –according to two former McCain associates, some of the senator’s advisers had grown so concerned that the relationship had become romantic that they took steps to intervene.
    –That February, Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman attended a small fund-raising dinner with several clients at the Miami-area home of a cruise-line executive and then flew back to Washington along with a campaign aide on the corporate jet of one of her clients
    –In interviews, the two former associates said they joined in a series of confrontations with Mr. McCain, warning him that he was risking his campaign and career.
    –Both said Mr. McCain acknowledged behaving inappropriately and pledged to keep his distance from Ms. Iseman
    –Separately, a top McCain aide met with Ms. Iseman at Union Station in Washington to ask her to stay away from the senator.

    4)Would you take this story to press in its current form? Why or why not?

    I would not take this story to press in its current form. Yes, there is more attributed information compared to unattributed. Yet, I feel a good news source, about such an important story should not contain any unattributed facts. For all those facts and so-called quotes could be untrue, giving society false information.

  • miriamk2009 // February 21, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    Attributed
    “Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship.”
    ‘“He is essentially an honorable person,” said William P. Cheshire, a friend of Mr. McCain who as editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic defended him during the Keating Five scandal. “But he can be imprudent.”’
    ‘Mr. Feingold said. “It had to do with his sense of honor,” he said. “He saw this stuff as cheating.”’
    ‘“Unless he gives you special treatment or takes legislative action against his own views, I don’t think his personal and social relationships matter,” said Charles Black, a friend and campaign adviser who has previously lobbied the senator for aviation, broadcasting and tobacco concerns.’
    “Mr. Black said Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman were friends and nothing more.”
    “John Weaver, a former top strategist and now an informal campaign adviser, said in an e-mail message that he arranged the meeting after “a discussion among the campaign leadership” about her.”
    ‘Ms. Iseman acknowledged meeting with Mr. Weaver, but disputed his account. “I never discussed with him alleged things I had ‘told people,’ that had made their way ‘back to’ him,” she wrote in an e-mail message. ‘
    “He made the statements in a call to Bill Keller, the executive editor of The New York Times, to complain about the paper’s inquiries.”

    Unattributed
    “Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.”
    “When news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s client, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.”
    “But to his advisers…”
    “… a nonprofit group…”
    ‘Mr. Bush’s allies called Mr. McCain “sanctimonious.”’
    “Mr. McCain’s friends dismiss questions about his ties to lobbyists…”
    ‘But in 1999 she began showing up so frequently in his offices and at campaign events that staff members took notice. One recalled asking, “Why is she always around?”’
    “By then, according to two former McCain associates, some of the senator’s advisers had grown so concerned that the relationship had become romantic that they took steps to intervene.”
    “A former campaign adviser described being instructed to keep Ms. Iseman away from the senator at public events, while a Senate aide recalled plans to limit Ms. Iseman’s access to his offices.”
    “Separately, a top McCain aide met with Ms. Iseman at Union Station in Washington to ask her to stay away from the senator.”

    This story is way too long to be published in print. It does not get to the point fast enough. Maybe if they put the affair news in one story, and allllll the background info in another, it would be more easily accessible.

  • janessac2009 // February 21, 2008 at 4:31 pm

    Attributed quotes and facts:
    •“That imprudence or recklessness may be part of why he was not more astute about the risks he was running with this shady operator”
    • “I never had any good reason to think that the relationship was anything other than professional, a friendly professional relationship,”

    Unattributed quotes and facts:
    • “Why is she always around?”
    • One of McCain’s aids asked iseman stay away from the Senator.

  • ashlieh2008 // February 21, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Attributed (where you got it from)
    -Mr. Cheshire added, “That imprudence or recklessness may be part of why he was not more astute about the risks he was running with this shady operator,” Charles Keating, whose ties to Mr. McCain and four other lawmakers tainted their reputations in the savings and loan debacle.
    -Mr. Keating, a Phoenix financier and real estate developer, became an early sponsor and, soon, a friend. He was a man of great confidence and daring, Mr. McCain recalled in his memoir. “People like that appeal to me,” he continued. “I have sometimes forgotten that wisdom and a strong sense of public responsibility are much more admirable qualities.”
    -William Black, one of the banking regulators the senator met with, argued that Mrs. McCain’s investment with Mr. Keating created an obvious conflict of interest for her husband.

    Unattributed (un-named source)
    -“He is essentially an honorable person,” said William P. Cheshire, a friend of Mr. McCain who as editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic defended him during the Keating Five scandal. “But he can be imprudent.”

    -It had been just a decade since an official favor for a friend with regulatory problems had nearly ended Mr. McCain’s political career by ensnaring him in the Keating Five scandal.
    -In interviews, the two former associates said they joined in a series of confrontations with . McCain, warning him that he was risking his campaign and career.
    -The two associates, who said they had become disillusioned with the senator, spoke independently of each other and provided details that were corroborated by others.
    -The banker gave Mr. McCain free rides on his private jet, a violation of Congressional ethics rules (he later said it was an oversight and paid for the trips). They vacationed together in the Bahamas. And in 1986, the year Mr. McCain was elected to the Senate, his wife joined Mr. Keating in investing in an Arizona shopping mall.

    #4. Based on the information in the article along with the attributed versus unattributed ratio, I would find this article to be un-publishable and pointless. While the amount of information received from attributed sources outnumbers the unattributed, the importance of the information on both parts is very low. I agree with the response from McCain completely; this is an attack and completely random based on timing of publication.
    “It is a shame that The New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit-and-run smear campaign. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election.
    “Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career.”

You must be logged in to post a comment.