Inside the HIV struggle afflicting India. Fox News insults the Canadian military. And why Stephen Colbert likes messing around with NASA contests. These are the top stories gaining attention around the world.
DigitalJournal.com was treated to many great stories showing the hallmarks of stellar journalism: a nose for news, digging to find the truth behind the hype, stunning photography, intriguing quotes.
A dedication to fine reportage was exemplified by Carol Forsloff once again in her Hurricane Katrina series. In part 5, we learned about the grief a family can face when a loved one perishes in a natural disaster. Showing the human side of Katrina’s effect on New Orleans added a powerful nuance to the article. We look forward to reading Carol’s final installment of this series soon.
Readers also got a whallop of heavy news when KJ Mullins reported on India’s struggle to provide proper drugs for HIV sufferers. She used a new bill as the hook for her story, and then investigated the extent of the HIV crisis, why the poor aren’t able to get the proper medicine and what’s being done to rectify the situation. Complementary photos bring out the human faces to this issue, and they are all each worth checking out.
Many other major stories are winning acclaim on DigitalJournal.com, including:
• Canadians insulted after Fox News shows its true colours, again: It is one of the hottest stories lighting up attentions on both sides of the border — a Fox News show called Red Eye insulted many Canadians by mocking their military. KJ Mullins reported on how the panelists insulted Canadians Mounties, police forces, military personnel and other aspects of Canadian culture. Even more interesting is the outpouring of sentiments from both Americans and Canadians in the comments section.
• Greg Gutfeld Issues Apology To Canada: In a follow-up to her previous article on the subject, KJ stuck to the Red Eye story and updated readers on host Greg Gutfeld’s apology to Canadians for his harsh words. He said in a statement: “It was not my intent to disrespect the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military.” Was this a true apology or just saving face?
• Sarah Palin Faces Big Problems Again: She’s baaaack. But Palin isn’t making headlines for anything cheery. In fact, she’s in hot water for facing mounting legal fees. She has constantly been trying to defend her reputation with a lawyer in toe, although owing half a million dollars to an Anchorage law firm isn’t making her smile these days. She can now see debt from her backyard.
• Bailout for Newspapers Being Discussed in Senate: “I truly believe that no democracy can remain healthy without an equally healthy press.” So declared a former newspaper editor who is hoping the U.S. government will help the struggling media market. Michael Krebs reported on a proposed bailout package making moves in the Senate. The DIgital Journalist explained: “The Newspaper Revitalization Act would allow newspaper companies to operate as non-profit entities…However, newspapers that receive this bailout would not be allowed to endorse political candidates.”
• Five Countries Declare Polar Bears Threatened by Climate Change: Enviro-reporter Bob Ewing told us about news detailing how climate change threatens the existence of polar bears. But Greenland opposes the idea of protecting polar bears, publicly wondering why the species has become the “icon of global warming.”
• Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Magazine Pulling out of New York Offices: The economic ugliness is forcing the adult company to pull out from New York nice and slow, yeah, that’s it. Oh, sorry. So around 100 jobs will be affected, the article states, which could mean job applicants for “Naughty Letters Editor” could be on the rise.
• American Academic Unravels Sudoku Code: Sorry, Sudoku fans, your favourite crossword puzzle has been hacked. An American computer science professor emeritus is spoiling the fun by creating an algorithm that can solve any Sudoku puzzle. He called it a “trivial puzzle.” Zing!
• Lourdes: Possessed woman kills mother with crucifix: An incredibly popular story on DigitalJournal.com came from the pen of Richard James, who recounted the crime of a French woman allegedly killing her mother with a crucifix. It sounds like it’s out of a Clive Barker film, but the details are sadly as real as it gets. Bart B. Van Bockstaele comments: “It’s not the first time, and while I would hope it to be the last, current resurgence of religious insanity seems to make that a very unlikely perspective.”
• Colbert Gets Last Laugh on NASA, Wins Room-Naming Contest: It’s almost as if Stephen Colbert enjoys messing with real-life contests and websites (remember his Wikipedia rigging?). Now the Comedy Central host is winning the race to name a NASA room on the international space station, urging fans to vote for the “Colbert” title. He’s beating out front-runner “Serenity” and if NASA doesn’t intervene, it looks like a comedian’s surname will be gracing outer space in the near future. Strange times, indeed.
• DNA tests confirm boy, 12, not a father: The 12-year-old who supposedly is the father of a child is evidently not the papa after all, according to an article by Chris V. Thangham. DNA tests proved Alfie didn’t impregnate the 15-year-old mother. She has to now look for the baby’s real child.
• Tears of Joy For Famous NBA Player Michael Jordan: Leo Reyes isn’t just DigitalJournal.com’s boxing columnist but also a sports fan who recently covered the success of Michael Jordan’s son. Marcus Jordan scored a game-high 19 points to lead Chicago Whitney Young to a 69-66 victory over Waukegan. Jordan Sr. was tearfully happy to see his son do so well in a game. Well, especially because Marcus’ final free throws sealed the victory for his team. Sound familiar?
TopFinds Awards
The honourees of this week’s TopFinds Awards attracted impressive attention and widest readership. Digital Journal thanks the following Digital Journalists with Awards for their passion for covering the top issues of the day: Michael Cosgrove, Bob Ewing, Michael Krebs, Chris V. Thangham, M Dee Dubroff, KJ Mullins, Sandy Sand, Richard James, Rhonda Straw, Leo Reyes, and Carol Forsloff.
The Top Blog Post of the Week goes to Michael Cosgrove (wow, he’s busy!) for his heart-wrenching and quirky story about a girl looking for her biological father. She called Michael, thinking it was him, but you’re going to have to read the convesation transcript to find out what happened. The DigitalJournal.com community responded favourably to the post, and even one person couldn’t help but reveal her own similar adventure.
Finally, the Top Comment of the Week is awarded to B. Thomas Cooper. He penned an insightful comment on the article about the Christian Science Monitor going online only. He told us that newspapers aren’t always reliable sources of news — “There are plenty of hacks working at major newspapers.” Cooper also called for action from his fellow journalists, proclaiming the need for online reporters to fill the void left by disappearing newspapers “one article at a time.”
