After listening to the interview and reading the articles, they seem like night and day. Both sources prove that the interview was insensitive at certain points. However, after listening to the interview, you get the sense of just how emotional Eng and Kao Kalia Yang were.

I do not believe Robert Krulwich actions were justified because he needed both sides of the story. There have been plenty of interviews where there are opposing views, and the interviewer manages to remain neutral.

I do not believe they were fair and balanced in their reporting because Kao Kalia Yang is quoted saying the primary reason she chose to accept the interview is so the “story would be heard and the Hmong deaths would be documented and recognized.” It proved to be the complete opposite and complete chaos.

Yes there is a responsibility to be sensitive to their sources. There are ways you can get the truth without belittling your source and using an aggressive tone. The story could have been handled differently by the manner in which the questions were asked, specifically the tone and interruptions during the interview. Once the interviewer realized the sources were becoming uncomfortable and the shakiness of her voice, he should have ended it or changed the direction of the interview. I agree that there was too much time spent on criticizing the sources, instead of listening.

In spite of all of Serena William’s success as a tennis champion, she continues to be scrutinized for her body image. Ben Rothenberg states, “body-image issues among female tennis players persist, compelling many players to avoid bulking up.” I strongly disagree with this statement because the only female player constantly scrutinized is Serena Williams. When she was a teenager people criticized her and her older sister, Venus Williams, for the beads in their hair. If it isn’t the beads in her hair, it is her overall body image.

Rothenberg also states, “I knew it was going to be a touchy subject.” If he knew it was going to be a touchy subject, he should not have reported on the issue, especially at a time when she was competing for another championship.

“I wanted it to be a conversation starter.” Unfortunately, someone forgot to inform Rothenberg that this conversation had been going on for years. Serena’s latest appearance on the cover of New York Magazine, silenced critics and hopefully ended this conversation once and for all.

In regards to the article, “How Taye Diggs Is Transforming the Role of Hedwig,” initially I felt the reporter, James Hannaham, was simply trying to tell readers about the challenges of the role that Diggs faced, in comparison to roles he is known for.

His statement, “If you start to salivate when you hear the phrase ‘black men with jobs,’ then Diggs is your guy,” was offensive for several reasons one of them being race. His statement contributes to the stereotype that African American men with jobs are hard to come by, and was very offensive to many readers. Both articles proved to be offensive on the basis of racism and sexism, and could have been avoided if certain statements were not made.

Some of the dangers faced by journalists working in Syria are the lack of protection and guidance, as well as experience. Many of the journalists are sent as freelancers or in the early stages of their careers. Unfortunately, covering the news in a foreign country has proven to be more dangerous than rewarding. Local journalists have the advantage in terms of their knowledge of the area, but similar to foreign reporters, they are also at a disadvantage in terms of safety and protection.

The news media is responsible for delivering the news and events occurring as accurately as possible, while maintaining their safety. It is somewhat of a contradiction because in order for them to report the news, they have to be given access to various locations. However, these locations are often when they are the most at risk. It is almost as if the news media is reporting a story about a war, that they are a part of.

The situation regarding the dangers of reporting in Syria will only progress if the media begins the address the issue and informs reporters, as well as readers of the conditions. Until more attention is drawn to the issue, things will not change.

I do believe The New York Times was fairly criticized for several reasons. As stated, investigative reporting is used to inform readers and raise awareness about issues that are not visible on the surface, and are often based upon one source. Which in this situation the one source happens to be Sarah Maslin Nir.

Nir makes it clear that one employee was not paid for three months, and that often many are not compensated for overtime, or paid as low as $10/hour. As stated in “What the ‘Times’ Got Wrong About Nail Salons” it is hard to believe that any employee would settle for “one-seventh or one-eleventh of that amount” for three months, if it is clear that some salons pay from $70-110.

“Rebuttal to the Nails Rebuttal,” provides further details about the positions in nail salons, specifically the small, middle, and big jobs. Nir fails to inform the reader of this information, or may not have been aware herself. Michael Luo continues, “The ad also doesn’t specify per hour or per day. The reporter confirmed that it was referring to per day.”

Lastly, Nir states that in 2012 there were over 2,000 nail salons, however in her reporting she states that only 29 salons were investigated. This leaves questions about the accuracy of the reporting as well as the time period covering the investigation.

Although she was heavily criticized and questioned about the accuracy of her information, essentially Nir completed her objective, which was to spark conversation about nail salon employees, their wages, and work conditions.

There were several areas that The New York Times went wrong, with the first being the editor’s selection of words. Based on the diction, the article falsely implied that Hilary Clinton committed a specific act of “criminal inquiry.” Although The New York Times attempted to correct their errors, as stated by Margaret Sullivan, “…you can’t put stories like this back in the bottle – they ripple through the entire news system.”

Another issue is the lack of credibility from the sole primary source. As stated the anonymous source was “sent back again and again.” As reputable of a newspaper that The New York Times is you would expect more accuracy and credibility, especially when it comes to legal charges against a public figure. Anonymous sources are elements that you would expect more from a tabloid.

Many of the emails were not labeled as “classified,” in Clinton’s personal e-mail, therefore it shows that she was not hiding legitimate information. The biggest mistake The Times made was not notifying their readers of the corrections. The information submitted to readers was inaccurate and showed lack of credibility. They could have retracted the information and made sure there was a note sent to readers via email or print with factual information.

Similar to the issues presented with the Bill Cosby Rape allegations, the topic of discussion is sensitive and controversial. It involves the on going debate of whether it is morally correct to report the facts, based on the sensitivity of the issue. In the case of Edwards Snowden, I do think news organizations had a duty to publish information about the case. As news reporters they are obligated to the deliver news, especially if it impacts the greater population.

In The Holder of Secrets, Laura Poitras states, “…I think you just take this out altogether. The whole thing. It’s too identifying. I think, given the risk, we should be careful.” Similar to her statement made, many reporters may have felt that the information was too revealing and posed a threat. In situations like these you have to remain mutual and consider both parties.

Just because it is the NSA, does it make it acceptable to not reveal the information? No. The media could have reported the information in a way that wasn’t detrimental to the government or people of the United States. It is also important to remember that although journalists have certain restrictions they must abide by, at the end of the day they are also citizens of the United States.

The three articles pose different arguments regarding the Bill Cosby Rape allegations. The first article brings up a good point about how many media outlets ignored the initial allegations, in which some happened almost ten years ago. The issue presented here is that rape is a very sensitive issue, however that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be addressed, especially when it comes to public figures.

In contrast, the first article states that police declined to file charges that one of the women initially filed against Cosby. The questions that should be asked in regards to this situation is why the officer failed to file the claims, and was this information made available to the public? If it was public knowledge then all media outlets are responsible for not covering this important issue, whether it is one or ten “Jane Does.” If it was not public knowledge than media outlets were at a disadvantage in terms of reporting the facts.

More disadvantages and challenges the media faced when covering the allegations are lack of factual information, sensitivity of the situation, and also defamation of character. Due to the lack of victims that initially came forward, the allegations seemed false based on Cosby’s reputation. The more women that came forward, the more credible the issue seemed to be. In no way am I saying that one victim is not enough to address the allegations. I am simply stating that for some media outlets and spectators, Bill Cosby is viewed as one of “America’s Heroes,” and could have been in denial.

The second article states that Oprah and Don Lemon never questioned Cosby about rape allegations, however the third articles says that Cosby was not one to speak about his personal life. As an interviewer, whether you are Oprah or a Baruch Student you should respect your interviewee and their demands, especially ones given prior to being on air.

My issue with the second article is that it is very one-dimensional and lacks common knowledge. It talks about R. Kelly, Terrence Howard, and Whoopi Goldberg’s comment about rape. It seems as if the author is making the connection of them being African-American to support his argument, as to why they didn’t question Bill Cosby. I am certain that Oprah and Don Lemon were not the only ones to have interviewed Cosby within those years.

Moving forward hopefully the media will cover such issues in a more urgent matter, and not allow the number of victims to dictate the reporting, as long as the information is factual and has evidence to support it.

Local – Mercer County – NJ Times

1. Bye-bye-bennie day: The greatest day of the year at the Jersey Shore | Mulshine

– “Around the World,” is a party thrown by beach visitors known as “beenies,” dressing up and drinking excessive amounts of beer. Although this does not serve as the greatest political issue in Mercer County, it is relevant based on the number of visitors the Jersey Shore receives, and the safety hazard it could potentially present.

Link: http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/09/bye-bye_bennie_day_the_greatest_day_of_the_year_at.html#incart_most-readmercer

2. NFC exec on new Eagles QB Stephen Morris: ‘He’s bad’

– Based on the location of where I live in New Jersey, the Philadelphia Eagles are the professional football team that most residents support. With the NFL season approaching the Eagles have been one of the primary topics of discussion. Although the story was not as intriguing as other stories, it served its purpose of spreading news.

Link: http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2015/09/what_you_need_to_know_about_eagles_qb_stephen_morr.html#incart_most-readmercer

3. More searches planned for woman missing from Hamilton

– This article is significant because it identifies a missing woman whose car was abandoned last week and notified by her family. The mercer county area is not as large as New York City, so every detail about Christine Rosie was important towards finding her.

Link: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2015/09/more_searches_planned_for_woman_missing_from_hamil.html#incart_river

National – CNN

1. Jen Welter on Coaching in the NFL – This is an important national story because Jen Welter recently became the third female to become a coach in professional sports, which is a male dominated industry. The story provided insight on the life of a female coach and was well covered.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/06/us/jen-welter-nfl-coaching-experience/index.html

Report: Dentist Walter Palmer, who killed Cecil the lion, to return to his practice – This story has been in the news for some time now based on the popularity of the African Lion, “Cecil the Lion.” Many readers are interested in Walter Palmer’s reasons for killing the lion and further solutions. The story was very well covered and provided detailed information.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/07/us/walter-palmer-dentist-cecil-lion-interview/index.html

2. Kim Davis asks Kentucky Governor to free her in same-sex marriage case – This story has been one of the most talked about topics in the news. With same sex marriage being legal in the United States, Kim Davis has caused much controversy based on her disapproval of the law and refusal to give marriage license. Overall the story was accurately covered.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/07/politics/kim-davis-same-sex-marriage-kentucky-governor/index.html

International – NY Times

1. U.S. Revamping Rebel Force Fighting ISIS in Syria – This story covers the Pentagon’s efforts to improve combat skills, and increase their program by using safer zones for fighters. This is article is well covered because it provides details about how and why the changes came about.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/world/middleeast/us-to-revamp-training-program-to-fight-isis.html?src=mv&_r=0

2. As Europe Grasps for Answers, More Migrants Flood Its Borders – For approximately 36 hours 13,000 immigrants traveled through Hungary before reaching Germany. The issue presented in this article is how the immigrants will be accommodated and prevent the challenges of poverty. This article is well covered because it talks about future meetings and many of the controversies such as religion and space.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/world/europe/pope-calls-on-europeans-to-house-refugees.html?src=mv

3. Melting Ice Isn’t Opening Arctic to Oil Bonanza – An impoverished fishing village located in Russia was expected to become an “energy powerhouse,” but has yet to be renovated. One of the key problems listed is turning the arctic environment into one that will produce oil and gas. It is very well covered because it provides information about the financial aspect of the renovation and the most difficult challenges they are facing.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/world/europe/melting-ice-isnt-opening-arctic-to-oil-bonanza.html?src=mv