Week 4 Media Blog Post:

TOPIC 1: EDNA AND SPJ'S CODE OF ETHICS -- Consider the Society of Professional Journalists' "Code of Ethics,” which we discussed in class, and let's consider the work of Edna Buchanan.

1. Minimize harm. Edna does follow this principle when she seeks to publish the appearance of serial criminals, missing persons, or other people whom the public can help find.
2. This will help minimize harm because the serial criminals will be apprehended sooner and the missing persons will be more likely to be found. Regarding a four year old who's troubled mother had put him up for adoption but who's live-in grandfather was looking for him, Buchanan writes, "Once the story and the picture ran in the morning "Herald," Corey was lost no longer. A reader who saw it had Corey. He had been safe with her all along. His mother had left him at the Catholic Family and Children's Service, saying she could not care for him....Sam [grandfather] and Corey were [happily] reunited that day."
3. Yes, I think Buchanan did the right thing. She caught a case that had been dropped by policemen because they thought they boy had been found. Another similar case resulted in a lost, mentally-confused aged man being found by his loving wife because a nurse at the home that had picked him up saw his picture in Buchanan's article. "'He could not communicate,' explained a hospital administrator. 'It seemed like he was incoherent, so he was placed in the institute," reported Buchanan.

Note: Be the first to "publish” for Topic 1, because you will have to find another topic from Edna's book if somebody else gets there first.

TOPIC 2: EDNA's TIPS FOR JOURNALISTS -- 

Tip #1: Edna Buchanan has formed relationships with the cops and even with the subjects of some of her stories.  I just read the part about her friendship with drug-runner turned FBI-informer Emilio.  Obviously, the subjects of her stories were not just material to make money on, she loved them, even when disaster followed them wherever they went, like for Emilio, who on what was supposedly a simple trip to drop Buchanan off at the airport, they were involved in a car chase with policemen.  

Although Buchanan had to try hard to convince Emilio to just drop her off at the airpot, she obviously has a high-tolerance if not appreciation for drama in her own life as well as in her stories.  "I vowed to never, ever get in a car with this man again...The airport!  The airport!  I shrieked," says Buchanan, writing about the car chase; although even after he dramatically declared his love for her at the airport, despite the fact they were not even dating, she continued to take his calls.  I would say that this tip is to have a high appreciation for the complexity of humanity and not be too judgmental.  (Buchanan got a lot of good information from Emilio.)

Edna writes about Emilio's complicated relationship with patriotism, confounded by the fact that as an informant he wasn't paid enough by the FBI to support his family, so he continued to do illegal drug activity.  Before Buchanan's car ride to the airport with Emilio turned dramatic, "We drove by the White House and the Washington Monument in a light rain.  Same old wacky patriot, he was so proud, his eyes welled.  I had to smile to myself."  These are Buchanan's most appealing moments.

Tip #2: Buchanan bonded with everyone, not just the men.  She beautifully describes women she admired in her area of work who she obviously was on good terms with.  And Buchanan is not an apologist for bad behavior from cops.  An example of both of these traits is the story of Roxcy Bolton and Wanda Jean, a young women whom cops abused and then tried to hide away.  Roxcy figure out where she was, went and rescued her, and saw justice, the best that could be at that point, served.

Learning of the place where Wanda Jean had been stowed away from public view, "Roxcy marched down the hallway booming in that big voice: 'Wanda Jean!  Wanda Jean!.... This is Roxcy.  I'm a sister."  It's always nice to hear of women sticking by women, and of established professionals still continuing to champion the underdog and not protect their peers if their peers have done wrong.

Federal Shut-Down Unnecessary

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, photo courtesy of his website

The current federal shutdown is unnecessary, according to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden.

The government could be back up and running by having two separate votes: one to approve agreed-upon government functions, and a second to debate the President’s priorities, specifically the building of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

In week four of the ongoing federal shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, Sen. Ron Wyden spoke at his annual Linn County Town Hall. It was held at Linn-Benton Community College’s Russell Tripp auditorium on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. Several hundred people ambled past Wyden staff and  security officers on their way in to the auditorium.  Family members of the middle-school chorus rehearsing the national anthem hung out in the lobby along with retired steel workers who were there to present a certificate of thanks to Sen. Wyden.

In the Town Hall, the senator focused on health care, including health insurance and mental health. Wyden said that without good health, citizens cannot focus on their quality of life. His brother suffered from schizophrenia, and his constituents suffer from the high cost of medicine and hospital bills.

As an insurance agent, Albany City Councilman Alex Johnson II is concerned about clients whose medicine has more than tripled in the past six to eight months, and furloughed government employees who are worried about their health insurance being canceled unless they pay the full price out of pocket under COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act).

Sen. Wyden also addressed the recent federal tax-cut given to wealthy U.S. citizens, saying that not a single big earner in Oregon ever called for a tax cut. “What a great statement amount the Oregon way,” Wyden said. “They didn’t want it to go up, but they never asked for it to go down.”

The senator also answered questions about military spending and his votes for security and barriers at the Mexico-U.S. border.  One questioner asked about health-care for all and according to the website VoteSmart Wyden voted against "Medicare for All" in 2017 although at the Town Hall that vote did not come up in conversation; at the Town Hall Wyden was voicing a very pro-health care for all stance.  According to an article in the Advocate, Corvallis Women's March speaker Page Kreisman was urging audience memers to "call Sen. Wyden and urge him to stop opposing Medicare for all."

Town hall audience members who had a question were given a ticket and when their number was called they asked Wyden their question. John Green told Wyden that if he could remove two people from federal office in Washington, D.C., it would be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Trump. The shutdown, entering its fourth week, has caused the salaries of many government employees, including security personnel, to be furloughed. Speaker Pelosi recommended that President Trump refrain from giving a televised State of the Union address since security workers are not currently being paid. President Trump then canceled military transport for a U.S. delegation to Afghanistan where Pelosi and other U.S. officials were going to visit U.S. troops.

Sen. Wyden stayed afterwards to field more questions from about a dozen audience members, including Chareane Wimbley-Gouveia, who is on the faculty at LBCC but attended the event as a citizen. Before the event, Wimbley-Gouveia expressed concern about the government shutdown, saying, “I think it’s wrong to tell people to work without pay. It erodes young people’s faith in our government.” Wimbley-Gouveia went on to say, “In my opinion, government isn’t a political game. It’s a service for our fellow citizens, working for the common good.”

A theme among attendees at the Town Hall echoed Sen. Wyden’s call for bipartisan communication and education about current events. Audience member Jason Lawyer, a resident of Albany, voiced appreciation for the event. Lawyer said the more advertising the better for events like this, saying: “I’m sure there’s a lot of city and government things that are going on but I never hear about them; I think it’s great to hear about everyone’s ideas and hear discussion about them.”  Lawyer had heard about this event from a friend who was overseeing the sound booth.  Lawyer said that craigslist and facebook are places that he gets news and learns about events.

There are two upcoming opportunities on the LBCC campus for students to share their opinions. One is the Civil Discourse Club at LBCC, which has meetings on Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon in Takena Hall, Room 207.

The other is on Wednesday, February 6th when LBCC will host a Heterodoxy event regarding free expression on the LBCC campus. The Heterodoxy Academy is a national group of folks in higher education who want to increase diversity of thought. Students will have an opportunity to join in on the discussion from 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm in the LBCC Board Room. RSVP to coxly@linnbenton.edu if you are interested.