CIA Holds Terror Suspects In Secret Prisons from The Washington Post
This story was one of the first in presenting to the public the controversial and suggestive details of the CIA’s secret prisons where terrorist suspects were being captive. An article, making such a bold claim has got to build up the trust of the readers. Priest does this by providing rich details, history and scope to this issue. Proving that this story was well-researched with its claims, the readers are more likely to trust the controversial content that it has found.
For the details that still remain vague or unclear, the article makes sure to mention them early and why they were not able to obtain the information. By describing the barriers that Priest hit while finding out details and what could be published, Priest further gains the readers trust and gives a better picture of the seriousness of the situation.
Radio Conglomerates Skirt Payola Laws, Critics Say by from the Los Angeles Times
What’s the best way to have audiences understand a complex way around the law for radio stations to exhibit power over artists? A specific example. That’s exactly how this story starts and ends, providing a clear and specific example of Bryan Adams song, and how it remained on the radio stations of one company well after the other stations had stopped playing his story.
This example is the first thing readers see, giving them a simple understanding of a smaller situation to grasp the larger one. The use history and background, that of the “payola” scandal, to tell how this scandal compares.
Making a claim against businesses is hard to do and must be substantiated with hard facts and figures. This story, through many different examples and instances, brings clarity to a complicated way around the law.
100 years, 100 million acres of land saved from the San Francisco Chronicle
The detail given out in the headline displays this story’s most interesting element that intrigues readers.
“1 million acres of land for each year of his life.”
This story advances from the lead by using a quote of praise. You see at the end of this quote that it was said by Bill Clinton at a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony. You only realize, as a reader, after the quote how important those words are. 100 years gives Kay plenty of material and achievements to highlight in this story. Through Wayburn’s life, Kay is able to put his biography alongside the history he has lived through.
The Judge and the G-Man from the Village Voice
“The case of People of New York vs. R. Lindley DeVecchio has now entered week two in the new Supreme Court building in downtown Brooklyn, and the parade of gangsters, molls, and G-men to the witness stand is expected to last several weeks more.”
This is the lead used in this story, which ultimately ends up being a story about the judge overseeing this case. It is certainly an off-beat approach to what becomes an off-beat story. This is a story about a judge who lived through the turbulent 60’s to find himself on an FBI list. It brings readers from the interesting material of a gangster filled court room to an interesting look back into the background of a judge.
The approach of bringing readers along to believe one thing, then eventually leaving them at a completely unexpected different place keeps a story fresh and interesting. Robbins is able to find parallels between the life of a life-long mobster and a judge. This is the heart of the story, and what it becomes about.
Help is a long wait away at 18,286th on the list by Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald
How do you best portray the desperation of a desperate situation? For Cenziper, writing a story about the housing troubles and evictions Miami residents face as the result of government failure to provide affordable housing is best told through an anecdote. Ingrid Gordon is 18,286 on a list for a government voucher to help pay her rent. It gives the readers a scope of how big the problem, how desperate her situation is, and how pathetic the actions of the government have been in attempting to alleviate this problem.
A crumbling housing complex, mold, rat nests and feces, are just a few of the details Cenziper gives to help readers understand the condition Gordan’s family is living in. It doesn’t ask for the readers’ sympathy, it demands it through the use of specific details.
the Vagabond Journalist 
The Village Voice has had some of the best reporting in the nation many times, despite the fact that it is considered an “alternative press” publication… or maybe BECAUSE of it, because they really get at things the mainstream ignores too often.
You should start isolating your “Top Three Tips” on this particular assignment each week into a little info box. Type it in Microsoft Word and then use Grab to make it an image that you can drop into your layout with your synthesis in WordPress. Ask me if you need help. I would like to see everyone doing this on these assignments from now on (and even going back to insert them in the first three assignments).