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news
Media must allay
fears
By Kimberly Pasquis
On-line Forty-Niner
Rich Archbold,
executive editor of the Press Telegram, calls it the most
difficult story to cover. Sept. 11, anthrax and Afghanistan
touch on fears that Americans have never had to deal with,
he said.
Print journalists from regional papers and local news services
participated in a media panel Monday at the Alamitos Bay Room
in the University Student Union to give the journalists' perspective
on coverage since Sept. 11.
The role of journalists at regional papers has been to cover
the local angle. Their job has been to investigate the effects
of the events on their areas, to answer questions and calm
fears of their communities.
The Press Telegram has taken the opportunity to connect better
with their readers. According to Archbold, the Press Telegram
has tried to explain as many different situations as possible.
Maps have been included in many papers to locate Afghanistan.
The paper has included many scientific stories to answer questions
about anthrax.
Overall, members of the panel said they found coverage difficult
because there are so many aspects of society that have been
affected.
"Events have all been happening so fast," said Bob
Baker, deputy metro editor for the Los Angeles Times. "Things
have mutated every day. [The story] has shifted focus 40 times
in 60 days."
The focuses of stories covered have ranged from mental and
physical health to immigration to religion.
But there has also been difficulty in finding a balance in
covering local events. Even though the war in Afghanistan
is a major focus, it is not the only story going on.
"Local news has kind of shrunk," said Sue Cross,
Los Angeles bureau chief for The Associated Press. "But
you can't disconnect our own communities to what has happened."
All panel members agreed the media must play numerous difficult
roles, particularly that of watchdogs of government action.
"There is a tendency to be ready to march in lock step,"
said Doug Faigin, president of City News Service, in Los Angeles.
"Media's role is to ask questions and put more pressure
on the government to get answers."
William Babcock, chair of the journalism department, said
he felt this panel would give a different spin to the many
types of discussions that have been happening on campus since
Sept. 11.
"These are eight different individuals, all from different
news organizations, giving eight different perspectives on
one very focused area," Babcock said. "They have
looked from a domestic standpoint not from an Afghanistan
standpoint."
The department of journalism, the College of Liberal Arts
and the student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists
sponsored the media panel
"I thought it was good to get the prospective of the
journalist," said Avianta Robertson, a sophomore broadcast
journalism major. "Even though I am a broadcast journalism
major, I prefer print coverage because they give more information."
Similar panels are planned, with members from the broadcast
journalism community, as well as from the alternative media.
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Ayako
Ando/On-line Forty-Niner
Panelists, Rich Archbold, left, executive editor
of the Press Telegram, listens as Rebecca Allen, Sunday editor
of the Orange County Register, speaks at the panel "A
Media Report Card on Terrorism Coverage Since Sept. 11: The
Journalists' Perspective."
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