Local: “It’s officially impossible to afford NYC rents on the minimum wage”

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/impossible-afford-nyc-rents-minimum-wage-article-1.2352294

 

I found this article to be somewhat informative, although the headline was very poorly written and the writing was mediocre at best. The article, which provides details about the financial difficulties of which all New Yorkers are aware, helps to clarify the severity of the situations faced by many residents of the City. Having never experienced the problems caused by high rent myself, I was startled to discover that even a minimum wage of $15 would not be even remotely livable for people in New York City.

In regard to the goal of objectivity, the writer of the article did a good job of reporting factual information, although it does seem unnecessary to claim the results of the study as “new” when they really were just known all along.

National: “A Columbine Parent Reflects on the Prospects for Gun Control”

http://www.vice.com/read/a-columbine-parent-reflects-on-the-prospects-for-gun-control-903

This article, which is more of a Q&A discussion about an important political issue rather than a real “news story,” probably does not fit within the context of “good reporting” due to its one-sidedness and broadness. The subject of the piece, a man whose son was killed 16 years ago in the Columbine High School mass shooting, was really the sole contributor to this story; thus, his pro-gun-regulation opinions are what stand out the most (as opposed to if the reporter had incorporated firsthand opinions from, say, an NRA member). With that being said, the article’s significance as a political piece should not be undermined by its unsuitability for “traditional” news. The need for gun regulation grows exponentially with every mass shooting (“mass shooting” is defined as an incident in which four or more people are shot – I recently read this in a book on the topic called “The Spiral Notebook”), and the validity of the Columbine father’s words should not be discounted just because his interview discusses “old” news. I found the following quote to be especially poignant, not just within the context of gun control, but regarding American politics in general: “We make these excuses but then we never get around to really dealing with what we are going to do about it.”

International: “Plutonium Is Unsung Concession in Iran Nuclear Deal”

From both a scientific and a political perspective, this New York Times article is especially interesting in the wake of the recent nuclear weapons deal with Iran, which will be placed before congressional vote within the next several weeks. The writing style is excellent and typical of the paper’s standards, but this article goes a step further and educates its audience about a popular (but rarely understood) subject: nuclear weapons. The reporter explained the general process of nuclear weapons better than other other source I’ve read, and the political element of the controversial Iran deal was mostly well-explored as well (although the writer should have included another small section about the controversy of the bill instead of explaining its provisions).