Article: Justices Stay Evenhanded on Abortion Case
Found in: The Los Angeles Times
Published: November 30, 2005

I found this an interesting article because it discusses the issue of abortion rights in a setting with the Supreme Court Justices. The article debates whether doctors should be required to notify the parents of a girl under 18 who wants to have an abortion at least 48 hours before the procedure. This article is objective because it contains both sides of the argument and it reveals these opinions through the different Supreme Court Justices. By placing the views in the mouths of the Justices, the reporter has brought the subject material to life and has structured the article like a conversation. This method is more effective for the reader in understanding the subject matter because the argument is not purely facts, it has been humanized and is easier to follow.

Article: Law Comes Before Personal Views, Alito Says
Found in: The Los Angeles Times
Published: November 15, 2005

This article was intriguing because it talks about how Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. has said that he separates his personal beliefs from his interpretation of the law. This comment was triggered over uproar about a comment Alito had made in 1985 about abortion which caused many people to doubt his authority and power in the Supreme Court. In the article, Alito is quoted as stating that his personal beliefs will have no factor in the interpretation of the law. This situation parallels very nicely with journalists and the inclusion of personal opinions in the news. It causes readers to wonder whether journalists commit this act and forces them to question the validity of the news and the ethics behind the act. I found the parallelism between the two topics amusing because the former situation has received a lot of media attention because the media believes Alito's attitude in interpreting the law is important to the public. However, the latter situation involving journalists does not receive much media attention even though the way journalists write the news profoundly impacts readers and their perception of the world.

Article: Judith Miller leaves New York Times
Found in: The Toronto Star
Published: November 9, 2005

I enjoyed this article because it revealed the repercussions of the CIA leak case. The article talks about how Judith Miller has decided to leave the New York Times due to a rift between her and her editors. This article is a testament to journalistic integrity and anonymous sources because the separation of Miller and the Times is a result of a journalist choosing to stand by and protect her source. The article displays Miller in a positive light, as a strong ethical journalist, and places the Times as a paper wishing to avoid conflict. I found this contrast very amusing and believe that many events will still unfold as a result of the CIA leak case.

Article: Anguished Families Await Identification of Airman Found in Glacier
Found in: The Los Angeles Times
Published: November 1, 2005

I found this article interesting because it is a human interest story that has relevance to the California population. The article is about preserved remains found near debris of a plane crash from more than 60 years ago in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I found this story particularly intriguing because it examines the tragic situation from many different perspectives. The article contains short interviews with people who could be related to or who could have known the person of interest. The story includes different histories of the potential "ice-man" (the attractive high school student, the sweet husband, the boy next door), but I believe the main moral behind the article is that many people lost loved ones in World War Two and society should not let the memories and lives of these great men die.

Article: CBS News President Andrew Heyward Steps Down
Found in: The Los Angeles Time
Published: October 26, 2005

This article talks about how CBS News President Heyward will soon be stepping down due to the drama surrounding the President Bush story that CBS News aired last year. The anonymous source that was in this article was a veteran CBS News employee who commented on what the internal structure of CBS News has been like since the scandal. I believe it was in the best interest for this anonymous source not to be revealed because it would put the employee's career at risk and create conflict between him and CBS News. I feel that this source was used properly because it allowed the reader an inside look at CBS News and shows the reader the reality of the newsroom. The anonymous source substantiates and adds support to the belief that CBS has been going downhill since it aired the story on President Bush.

Article: 30, 000 strokes to go
Found in: The Los Angeles Times
Published: October 18, 2005

I enjoyed this article because it chronicles the trials and hurdles of one man as he fights to swim from Catalina island to the mainland. The article is a human interest story because it pushes the reader to relate to the struggles of James Rainey as he fights fatigue and harsh water conditions to swim across this channel. The author makes notes about Rainey during different parts of his swim, describing the water, Rainey's attitude, and his progress in the water. The article also includes a history of Rainey, the reason for his motivation, and his physical journey to his present day situation. This provides readers with the appropriate context so they learn more about Rainey, and become his biggest encouragers and supporters. I found this article interesting because it is a story about the underdog and does not feature someone of high prominence; rather, it showcases the abilities and uniqueness of everyday citizens.

Article: A Nobel Prize for Creativity
Found in: The Los Angeles Time
Published: Monday, October 10, 2005

I found this article interesting because it takes an investigative look inside academia. Journalists do not usually delve into the world of Nobel Prizes so I found the topic of this article very unique. This article talks about how universities lay claim to professors and researchers that win Nobel Prizes even though they may only have studied there, taught there for a short period of time, or came in passing. The article includes many rhetorical questions, a writing style that makes the article simplistic yet mind-opening to the length universities will go to associate themselves with prestige and honour. The article also includes a history of the Nobel Prizes, providing context to readers so they have better understanding of the topic. The main purpose of this article though is to ask the reader to determine for themselves exactly why and how a university can link themselves to a recipient of a Nobel Prize. Should it be if the recipient did their undergraduate or graduate studies there? Or perhaps if the recipient conducted research there? Or does it have to be if the recipient completed their award winning, groundbreaking research at the university? This article forces the reader to acknowledge that universities may draw undeserved fame to themselves with these distinctions, and thus forces the reader to question the legitimacy of such titles.