Sunday, April 12, 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

By Buy?

HEADLINE IN EDITOR & PUBLISHER ONLINE:

Gannett Rejects Offer to By Tucson Paper



Published: April 11, 2009 10:00 AM ET
TUCSON Gannett Co. rejected the latest offer from a California media group seeking to buy the Tucson Citizen but negotiations continue, a spokesman for the group said Friday.

David Ganezer, publisher of the weekly Santa Monica Observer and a spokesman for the Santa Monica Media Co. declined to elaborate because of a nondisclosure agreement with Gannett.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Bulletin Board

I will leave messages here.
You can ask questions or make comments using the comment mode. When you do so, they will pop up on my Google Reader.


  • Subject: Independent Florida Alligator Seeks Section Editors, Online Staffers and More!!

The Alligator is recruiting section editors and online staff. We are currently accepting applications for all positions. All students interested in getting involved with the Alligator this fall are encouraged to apply.

- A section editor is in a management position, responsible for finding, assigning and editing stories for grammar, content and style. Additionally, a section editor must communicate with other desks in the newsroom to work on collaborative projects.

- Online staff members help produce the paper daily, create multimedia and work on special online projects. Students with experience in video editing, HTML/CSS, Javascript and/or content management systems are preferred.

The deadline for submissions is August 21. Phone interviews will be held in the order that applications are received. It is possible that the position will be filled prior to the Aug. 21 deadline, so students are encouraged to complete the attached application as soon as possible. All applications should be sent to apply@alligator.org.

Brian Kelley

Managing Editor / Print

The Independent Florida Alligator

Cell: 904-412-4585

bkelley@alligator.org


  • ACES scholarships for editors.
Click here to download an application form.

Quorum of the Twelve Apostates



An Interesting Freudian Slip?



April 6, 2009 - Brigham Young University's student paper, the Daily Universe, made a very interesting typographical error.

Instead of typing the word 'apostles' into the caption of the photo published in their newspaper, somebody 'accidentally' slipped in the word 'apostates.' The caption reads the phrase as 'Quorum of the Twelve Apostates' rather than 'Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.'

Which by all accounts is hilarious.

But Brigham Young University is feeling the heat. And the local media are having a field day with the story.

Apparently, some 18,500 newspapers were recalled to be completely reprinted and students were simply notified to visit the newspaper's website until the new editions were published and distributed.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Burglary vs. Robbery

Burglary vs. Robbery

From AP: burglary, larceny, robbery, theft Legal definitions of burglary vary, but in general a burglary involves entering a building (not necessarily by breaking in) and remaining unlawfully with the intention of committing a crime.

Larceny is the legal term for the wrongful taking of property. Its nonlegal equivalents are stealing or theft.

Robbery in the legal sense involves the use of violence or threat in committing larceny. In a wider sense it means to plunder or rifle, and may thus be used even if a person was not present: His house was robbed while he was away.

Theft describes a larceny that did not involve threat, violence or plundering.

USAGE NOTE: You rob a person, bank, house, etc., but you steal the money or the jewels.


Because there has been some confusion between a burglary and robbery (and admittedly it can be confusing, but we as journalists want to use words as correctly as possible), I offer up two stories from the Sun that helps make the distinction I hope.

Here is the burglary story. Nowhere does it call him a robber or mention robbery. It does note he may be suspected in some thefts (maybe stealing stuff out of peoples’ cars or back yards or open garages) and other burglaries. MAKES THE DISTINCTION



Burglary

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080929/news/809290207

Man arrested in burglary where homeowner hit on head


An arrest has been made in the case of a homeowner who walked in on a burglary and got hit over the head.

Levy County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Michael David Santerfeit, 38, of Chiefland, on Friday.

He was charged with burglary, aggravated battery and grand theft for the Sept. 20 incident.

According to Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Evan Sullivan, Santerfeit broke into a home in the 9800 block of NE 65th Lane outside Bronson. Once inside, Santerfeit allegedly stole medication and other items worth more than $300.

The homeowner told deputies he got back to his home around 5 p.m. and saw that the back window had been broken. He told deputies that he walked in and was hit on the head with a crowbar before his attacker fled in a white Ford Escort. The victim was treated at the scene. He identified Santerfeit from a photo lineup and told deputies the man had done some odd jobs for him previously.

Sullivan said Santerfeit is also a suspect in several thefts and burglaries in Levy County and likely will face additional charges. Deputies are asking anyone with information on Santerfeit or who may have seen a white, four-door, Ford Escort being driven suspiciously in their neighborhood to call Investigator Mark Morgan at 486-5111. Callers can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 877-349-8477.

And here is one in which the guys is pulling up to open garages and grabbing stuff. No break-in here. It is a robbery.


Robbery

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080929/news/809290209

Couple thwarts robbery attempt

A 64-year-old woman and her 63-year-old husband teamed up to thwart a would-be robber at their home Sunday afternoon.

Maryjane and Michael Schaer told Gainesville Police that at about 11:40 a.m. they saw a man drive a 2008 Dodge SUV up to their open garage door in the 2000 block of NW 15th Avenue. The couple said the man began loading their power lawn tools — including a leaf blower and a generator — into the back of the SUV.

Michael said when he approached the man, the man tried to drive away.

Meanwhile, Maryjane got into the passenger seat of the SUV and turned off the ignition, reportedly telling the man not to leave. Michael told police he was at the driver’s door dialing 911 on his cell phone and trying to get the man to get out of the vehicle.

The man allegedly grabbed a knife with a locked blade from the console of the SUV and was opening the 4-inch blade when Michael began hitting him. The blows prevented the man from using the knife and he ran off.

According to an arrest report, the man was found on a creek bank a short distance from the Schaer home. The man was identified as Thomas William Sinnott, 50, of Alachua. He allegedly told police he would drive around and look for open garage doors so he could steal lawn equipment.

Sinnott was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon and burglary of an occupied dwelling for the incident at the Schear home. Police also charged him with failing to return leased property for not returning the SUV to Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

According to arrest records, Sinnott picked up the SUV from Enterprise at the Gainesville Regional Airport on Aug. 5 and renewed it for the next few weeks. Enterprise employees told police that when he quit renewing and paying for the rental, they went to his home, but neighbors told them he had moved out a week earlier. When he was arrested, Sinnott allegedly told police he had not made any payments for the leased vehicle in several weeks.