The covers of the most recent publications of NewsDay pertained for the most part to one major event; The Presidential Primaries. Every cover had a reference to the very tight Democratic primary elections with a sub-note about the less heated Republican primaries. The two frontrunners of the Democratic primaries, Senators Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton( NY), have been vying for the nomination in a race that has come down to the vote of the minorities. While Obama has been pulling large numbers within Black and Interracial populations, Clinton has had a majority of the Latino vote. Clinton has been riding on name recognition, due to her husband, former President Bill Clinton’s precedent of helping the Latino population during his time in office. However, that could change as Obama, whose father came to the United States from Kenya, continues to put an emphasis on his family’s immigrant past as well as reassure immigrants of their safety in the United States. He also continues to campaign that if given the Democratic nomination, he is more likely to sway previous Clinton supporters than Clinton would be able to sway previous Obama supporters. But after Super Tuesday’s Democratic split, it appears that the final state Democratic primaries will be falling in the hands of minorities.
The impact of this story is great because it is highlighting two prominent figures that have potential to become the next President of the United States. It is also highlighting a nationally potent event such as the Presidential Election. It is a strong headlining story because it has a high proximity to every state in the United States as well as many other countries. While many articles simply target the states that voted on Super Tuesday, this article also highlights states that have yet to vote. Even in a paper that circulates primarily to Long Island and New York’s five boroughs, an emphasis on the national importance of the remaining votes has proximity because it affects those living in New York. It has timeliness due to the recent primaries across the country that have been conducted for the last few weeks as well as Tuesday’s mass amount of primaries. There is a hint of conflict in the story due to the much publicized mudslinging between the Obama and Clinton campaigns in recent months. (NewsDay, 02/06/08 P. 2)
The story I found most interesting, yet not the most impactful, was a soft news story mixed in with the first few pages of headlines written by Joseph Mallia. It discusses a sixteen year old cold case about a missing boy. When a knapsack was recovered out of a river, the photo inside, which had been protected by tight glass framing, revealed the missing links to the location of the body. The structure of this story is its best quality. It uses a mixture of telling key facts but also story telling to lure the reader through the story. It is very descriptive, pinpointing key details such as the three heavy stones also found in the knapsack and the involvement of a school teacher in the identification of the photo. It also is a strong example of the inverted pyramid structure because it feeds small but potent facts in the beginning then fills in the blanks as the story continues. It is an oddity because not many cold cases are solved by a photo found in a knapsack, let alone ever reopened. While it is not hard news, it could also serve as a source of inspiration on how to approach other cold cases or missing persons cases. It is very much a human interest piece as well, due to the details describing the family’s relief in having their loved one’s fate put to bed. (NewsDay, 2/1/08, p. A5)
Other influential and interesting headlines were scattered through this week’s editions. One of which was Clinton’s apology after making a ‘Nazi’ Comparison earlier that week (NewsDay, 2/2/08, p. A5). There is much of a social stir due to recent Baghdad suicide bombings executed by mentally and physically disabled women, killing as many as 91 this week (NewsDay, 2/2/08, p. A5). International news continued as a second Kenyan political opposition leader was assassinated (NewsDay, 2/2/08, p. A25). On a medical front, Swiss scientists working on AIDS cures have found conditions and treatments that may allow HIV positive people live normal and safe sex lives without fear of infecting others (NewsDay, 2/2/08, p.A39). And finally, the Iraqi government has passed into effect that members of previous dictator Saddam Hussein’s party may be able to reapply and return to their previous government jobs under the new regime (NewsDay, 2/4/08, p. A24).
