My assignment this week was to conduct an audit to a government agency to try and obtain public documents as stated below:
"Mission: By conducting a public records audit at Pensacola-area state, law enforcement, municipal and county offices, students will gauge compliance by local officials concerning Florida’s Sunshine Law and the challenges facing citizens and reporters seeking government information."
I was assigned the Escambia County Sheriffs Office where I was to obtain the daily log so that I could take notes on arrest and criminal reports within the past 24 hours.
Prior to conducting the audit, I called ahead to ask if there was a certain office or department that I need to go to find the log. I was transferred to three different people. and no one knew what I was talking about. I decided then just to go to the main entrance of the Sheriff's department where I was told to go to the records department. At the records department I told the woman working that I would like to see the daily log. She asked me what kind of log I was talking about and I told her the one with all the arrest and crime reports. She looked at me puzzled and then made a phone call. She told me usually there is a person who can print out these things upon request, but she was under the impression that you had to know a specific incident or street name where it occurred. This person who can print out crime incidents had already gone home for the day, apparently his shift is 8:30-1:00. She told me to come back then. I asked if I came back, if that meant that I would be guaranteed a copy of the log, and she said "I think you should be able to."
So I'm pretty confused now. How could no one really know what I was talking about? My boyfriend's mom who is a former police dispatcher said that usually sheriffs department have a book out that has all the crime incidents where anyone can walk in and take a look. I think this goes down as a comply, and I would have gone back today if I had the time today to see if I could actually obtain this information.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Post Graduation Plan
One of the things that entices me the most about journalism is the possibility of understanding the world, and traveling, and making the international community take notice to human rights issues. One of the photographers who has influenced me the most without a doubt is James Nachtwey. His photographs have impacted me in ways I never thought a visual image could. Its hard to believe that he hasn't been killed, as he has been documenting wars since the 1970s. This article in the NY times sums up his work pretty well:
I am partly over idealistic, and partly impatient but I can't see my self covering church bake sales, and girl scout meetings for the next some odd years while the thought of working on an international scale drifts further away. Its not that small town news isn't important, because it is. Local news actually means a lot to the people in a community. But while I am young, single, childless, and idealistic I want to take risk.
This is all coming to a point, I met a photographer a few weeks ago his name is Eric Zamora. http://www.ericzamora.com/ who has photographed environmental issues and did a project on a damn that was being built in a village in Belize and its effects on the people who lived there. We had a really inspiring conversation- the kind that you have with a stranger that leaves your head spinning with new and exciting possibilities.
Originally I thought that I would teach abroad for a year, but the cost of getting certified and placed is the same it would cost to upgrade my Nikon and purchase a laptop. I know that I want to go to South America, and document something. I am beginning to research issues, and the cost for doing something like this. I plan to go alone and spend at least three months shooting, converging, and writing. My writing skills, and photography skills need work and I plan on devoting myself to improving now that I have a goal. As this venture forms I have a lot of doubts of whats possible but I think that the risk is worth taking.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Farewell to thee, ASB - Opinion
Farewell to thee, ASB - Opinion
my editorial on why I resigned as president of Alternative Spring Break.
my editorial on why I resigned as president of Alternative Spring Break.
Guiliani Comes to Pensacola
Approximately 200 people packed tightly into the Fish House Wednesday evening despite the cold weather to hear what Rudy Giuliani had to say. The most popular issues that surfaced on his campaign stop were national security, the economy, and tax cuts.
Giuliani, who has been campaigning at an accelerated rate, is counting on winning the Florida primary on Jan. 29 to secure his spot in the presidential race.
Many spectators, like John Hardman clutched copies of Giuliani’s book “Leadership” hoping to get his signature at the event. Hardman said that the book was a factor in his support for the former mayor of New York City.
“I read Giuliani’s book, Leadership after 9/11 and was impressed with his role in handling one of the worst attacks America has had, he handled it very well.”
Like Many Floridians, Kate Casher, a sophomore at the University of West Florida remains an undecided voter. “I haven’t made up my mind yet, so I thought I would come out and see what he stands for,” said Casher.
Within seconds of entering the Fish House Giuliani began the rally with the issue that has been a concern for many American’s in the past few months; the economy.
“The Democrats wants to raise you taxes, do you think having more taxes is a good thing or bad thing?” he asked the crowd.
“Bad thing,” the crowd enthusiastically shot back.
Giuliani said the he believes a smaller government gives more control to its people. He said he wants to lower taxes by 25 to 30 percent. He said by getting rid of the inheritance tax, and death tax he would “fight the fight by fighting for all of them.”
“I trust you more than I trust the government with your money,” he told the crowd.
Giuliani claimed that for him, security comes first. He said that America needs to be kept on the offensive in Iraq and work to stabilize the country.
“We want to have success and victory and American should never aim for anything less,” he said.
In an attempt to boost national security Giuliani said he wants to increase the military by adding at least 10 new combat brigades to the Army and expanding the navy to more than 300 ships.
His stand on increasing the military and decreasing taxes gained mixed reactions from spectators.
Alan Huntley, a 40-year-old Republican is a supporter of Giuliani and said security is the most important issue to him personally. “I like the idea of having a stronger military, I lived in South Africa for a while and you really don’t care about your economy when bombs are going off,” he said. Huntley also said that the surge of terrorism threatens the U.S. and it is important that our country is prepared.
Charlene Smith, 60, had doubts about Giuliani’s plan to increase the military. “He has good ideas but I didn’t hear anything about how he would implement these ideas.” Smith said. “I would like to know how he is going to increase the military without having a draft.”
Giuliani, who has been campaigning at an accelerated rate, is counting on winning the Florida primary on Jan. 29 to secure his spot in the presidential race.
Many spectators, like John Hardman clutched copies of Giuliani’s book “Leadership” hoping to get his signature at the event. Hardman said that the book was a factor in his support for the former mayor of New York City.
“I read Giuliani’s book, Leadership after 9/11 and was impressed with his role in handling one of the worst attacks America has had, he handled it very well.”
Like Many Floridians, Kate Casher, a sophomore at the University of West Florida remains an undecided voter. “I haven’t made up my mind yet, so I thought I would come out and see what he stands for,” said Casher.
Within seconds of entering the Fish House Giuliani began the rally with the issue that has been a concern for many American’s in the past few months; the economy.
“The Democrats wants to raise you taxes, do you think having more taxes is a good thing or bad thing?” he asked the crowd.
“Bad thing,” the crowd enthusiastically shot back.
Giuliani said the he believes a smaller government gives more control to its people. He said he wants to lower taxes by 25 to 30 percent. He said by getting rid of the inheritance tax, and death tax he would “fight the fight by fighting for all of them.”
“I trust you more than I trust the government with your money,” he told the crowd.
Giuliani claimed that for him, security comes first. He said that America needs to be kept on the offensive in Iraq and work to stabilize the country.
“We want to have success and victory and American should never aim for anything less,” he said.
In an attempt to boost national security Giuliani said he wants to increase the military by adding at least 10 new combat brigades to the Army and expanding the navy to more than 300 ships.
His stand on increasing the military and decreasing taxes gained mixed reactions from spectators.
Alan Huntley, a 40-year-old Republican is a supporter of Giuliani and said security is the most important issue to him personally. “I like the idea of having a stronger military, I lived in South Africa for a while and you really don’t care about your economy when bombs are going off,” he said. Huntley also said that the surge of terrorism threatens the U.S. and it is important that our country is prepared.
Charlene Smith, 60, had doubts about Giuliani’s plan to increase the military. “He has good ideas but I didn’t hear anything about how he would implement these ideas.” Smith said. “I would like to know how he is going to increase the military without having a draft.”
Why I am studying Journalism
Way back in high school I took course to be on the newspaper- it seemed like the better alternative to any other elective. There was a group of girls that I wasn't particulary fond of, and yes they were the popular ones. But what really got me was how bad everyone wanted to be like them. It was a well known fact that they were all addicted to diet pills. As a result diet pills became the new fad for 17 year old girls at my school. I found this strangely disturbing. I wrote an article about the dangers of diet pills for the paper and got it published. The way they glared at me the next day made me realize that I loved journalism, and I was hooked from then on. I went on to write an article about teen drinking, after I went to a party that year and saw 15 year old girls drinking themselves to oblivion, and throwing up in bushes- only to brag about how cool they were the next week at school. I don't have an agenda but I found out in high school that there are some disturbing things going on in our society and people need to know about them.
Journalism is vital to democracy and I like the idea of doing my civic duty. I value the freedom that we have in this country to publish opinions and ideas without being killed for them. Most of all I love seeing whats going on in the world with my own eyes, and the atmosphere of a news room. I love the eclectic array of people who are journalist, and the flow of ideas as well as mayhem in a news room. I love working against a deadline and feeling so stressed out that my head might explode- and the rewards of seeing my finished product the next day.
There are so many changes going on in the industry- and that's what excites me most. I think convergence is the best thing to happen to journalism since the printing press.
Journalism is vital to democracy and I like the idea of doing my civic duty. I value the freedom that we have in this country to publish opinions and ideas without being killed for them. Most of all I love seeing whats going on in the world with my own eyes, and the atmosphere of a news room. I love the eclectic array of people who are journalist, and the flow of ideas as well as mayhem in a news room. I love working against a deadline and feeling so stressed out that my head might explode- and the rewards of seeing my finished product the next day.
There are so many changes going on in the industry- and that's what excites me most. I think convergence is the best thing to happen to journalism since the printing press.
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