An inmate revolt at an Ontario prison. Obama’s sinking approval rating. Why is Spain banning booze and cigarettes from its beaches? These are the top stories gathering buzz around the world.
Digital Journalists made sure to give readers hot news coupled with in-depth analysis, sweetened with some interviews and original photos. If you’re a passionate news junkie, you don’t want to miss out on these stories.
KJ Mullins reported on the sudden crisis at an Ontario prison, where prisoners refused to return to their cells. She interviewed the assistant warden to learn how Warkworth Institute quelled the riot, providing readers with pertinent facts. It was a major story for the region, and we’re happy we have a studious Digital Journalist like KJ to cover these breaking news stories.
Always the snap-happy photographer, Michael Cosgrove treated us to a wonderful tour of Lyon’s river and its nearby architecture. He described the beauty of Fourvière Basilica, overlooking the city, and highlighted the Renaissance-period buildings in the Saint Paul district. It almost made us want to pack our bags and travel to Lyon ASAP. Almost.
Our man from Lyon also reported on the slums skirting his region, talking to various Romanians who were shy at first from appearing in an article. But Michael knows how to sweet-talk an interview subject, and his quotes and photos gave us a nice overview of refugee camps rarely seen in the mainstream press.
Our Hollywood correspondent, Earl Dittman, once again wowed us with another stunning “get”: an interview with Katherine Heigl, star of the film “The Ugly Truth.” The Grey’s Anatomy star revealed what concerns her about the TV show, what film characters she enjoys playing and how much work she spent on The Ugly Truth. Definitely an informative profile, definitely a bookmark-worthy article.
Many other stories are popular on DigitalJournal.com, including:
• Defiance at Congressman Castle’s town hall on Obama birth records: This is the story that won’t go away quietly — President Obama’s birth records continue to be a hot topic. A woman at a town hall meeting demanded to see Obama’s birth certificate to verify he is an American citizen. Check out the heated comments for some post-article debate
• Pres. Obama Approval Rating Worse Than Pres. Bush: The White House doesn’t want this kind of publicity. Andrew Moran reported on approval ratings for Obama, recently ranking worse than President Bush at the same time of his presidency in July 2001. As we learned: “49 percent of respondents disapproved of his economic policies.”
• Inspector General: U.S. TARP Could Cost $24 Trillion: In other economic news, U.S. Inspector General Neil Barofsky announced that the financial bailouts could cost up to $24 trillion. Yes, trillion. Do you think the U.S. should have given away this amount of money to struggling companies?
• St. Petersburg Times Completes Series on Scientology Abuses: We all don’t live in Florida, so it was enlightening to hear about a comprehensive three-part series conduct by the St. Petersburg Times on Scientology. Carol Forsloff told us about the alleged abuses Scientology afflicts on to its flock, reporting on the whistleblowers who had enough of Scientology practices. A must-read.
• Names of murder victims in Fayetteville, Tennessee released: KJ Mullins worked hard on a breaking story out of Fayeteville where six people were killed in a stunning incident. She reported the story as soon as it happened, and then later filled us in on the names of the deceased. Great job, KJ.
• World’s oldest man dead at 113: What would you do with 113 year of your life? Chris Dade gave us a well-written obit on Henry Allingham, who was known as the world’s oldest man. He also enjoyed quite the expansive family — six grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, 21 great-great-grandchildren, and one great-great-great grandchild.
• No sex, alcohol or cigarettes; Spain imposes tough new laws: You thought Spain was pretty liberal, right? We now know that some areas are banning beach parties where alcohol and cigarettes are prevalent. The article read that in the Spanish costas, “those who remove their bathing costume on the beaches of the city face a fine of between 750 and 1500 euros. The nudists are protesting on grounds of discrimination…” Oh, those high-minded clothing-wearers!
• Mass pile up in Germany, 259 cars involved: Talk about an aggravating traffic jam! Jane Fazackarley described how 259 cars were involved in a major accident on the motorway between Hanover and Peine in Germany. Police admit they never saw a pileup like this before. And let’s hope they don’t see another like it again.
• Waiter, there’s a rubber in my soup: Eating something? Put it down now, you’ve been warned. KJ Mullins told us about this stomach-churning incident when a man found a condom in his French onion soup at a California restaurant. There were DNA tests, and several tests contradicted each other. No matter what, should anyone be chewing on rubber in a creamy bowl of soup?
• Beastie Boys postpone tour, Adam Yauch diagnosed with cancer: Heard of the hiphop group Beastie Boys? Then you’re familiar with MCA (aka Adam Yauch), one of the key ingredients to this musical crew. Yauch recently admitted he has been diagnosed with cancer in his salivary gland. But don’t worry, Beastie fans, Yauch said he’ll recover and still be able to belt out the hits.
• What’s Goin’ on at Comic-Con 2009?: In case you’re not a rabid nerd, Comic-Con is the conference for all things geeky, from comic books to sci-fi films to cartoons. This year, the Comic-Con show will feature personalities such as author Ray Bradbury and Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi. Check out Cristina Quiñones’ comprehensive overview to find out what else will be showcased at this fest.
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: Alethea Borgman, Brenton Currie, Chris Dade, Jane Fazackarley , Bob Ewing, Michael Krebs, Stephanie Dearing, Cristina Quinones, Carolyn E. Price, Andrew Moran, Michael Cosgrove, Matthew Moran,KJ Mullins, Mark Kersten, Christopher Szabo, and Carol Forsloff.
The Top Blog Post of the Week goes to Plinio Granado for his touching tribute to a Vietnam War veteran who recently passed away. The piece started with an imaginative recreation of what Ed Freeman contributed to his army squadron and how important he was to the U.S. military. Worth a read, and comment to let Plinio what you think.
