Beyond the Battle: Bringing Global Stories Home

Introduction

Weblog: tips, tools and resources

From API

MILITARY REPORTING
Coverage debates started before war wound down
by Joyce Gemperlein

Are the media afraid of 'embedded' journalists?
by Phil Nesbitt

Reporting the death of a soldier
By Ed Offley

Guidelines for covering a local unit in battle
By Ed Offley

How to spot a phony hero
By Ed Offley

Covering military air crashes
By Ed Offley

Finding reliable military sources on the web
by Phil Nesbitt

LOOKING AHEAD
From Poland, a lesson for post-war Iraq
by Peggy Simpson

USING THE WEB
Local Web sites ‘network’ for war coverage
by MJ Bear

Expand your reporting with the Internet
by Jennifer LaFleur

Delivering the news with integrated technology
By Lou Ferrara

Online news: Plan more, scramble less
By Rusty Coats

BROADCAST
The war: The new reality TV
by MJ Bear

War coverage: TV takes round one
By MJ Bear

An action plan for local broadcasters
By Deborah Potter

ART / GRAPHICS / DESIGN
As battles began, creativity ruled at newspapers by Phil Nesbitt

Editing tragic photos requires common sense and heart
by Phil Nesbitt

Golden rules of wartime graphics
by Phil Nesbitt

How an aircraft carrier works (1.9 MB PDF)

BEING PREPARED
Think ahead to deal with traumatized journalists
by Roger Simpson

Getting ready to cover a war
by Phil Nesbitt

COMMUNITY
Helping kids cope with war
By Jill Wolfson

Finding local links to international stories
By Paul Nussbaum

Bringing the world's news home
By V. Raman Narayanan

Using civic journalism to drive the news home
By Jan Schaffer

Keeping in touch with military personnel
by Phil Nesbitt

From the Heartland

Charles Apple, Graphics Editor at The Des Moines Register and an API discussion leader, takes you inside the day-to-day operations of one of the leading newspapers in the midwest. Read his Weblog

Journalist's Toolbox

Iraq-U.S. Conflict: AlertNet provides country data, info on relief operations and links to satelite images as well as news. One section is dedicated to Iraq. Find more resources like these on the Toolbox’s Conflict: Iraq and the United States page. Related Resources: Military, Global Journalism and Daily News.

SPECIAL REPORT -- BIOTERRORISM: We’ve launched a new section on the Military page dedicated exclusively to bioterrorism resources. The Department of Homeland Security has a new site, Ready.Gov , that offers plans and tips on safety resources. Also, dozens of bioterrorism expert databases are listed on the Expert Sources page. Related Resources: 9/11 Attacks and Iraq.

Gas Price Gouging: Gas prices have soared the past few weeks in upwards of $2 as the threat of war escalates. Track gas prices nationwide on two good sites: GasPriceWatch.com and FuelEconomy.gov. Related Resouces: Business Resources.

Cyberjournalist.net

As America gears up for a possible war with Iraq, now is a good time to start familiarizing yourself with the best Iraq-related resources online. CyberJournalist.net's guide gives you a good start.

Crisis Journalism

Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, API published the book Crisis Journalism: A Handbook for Media Response


We have extracted the following selections from that book for this package:
How to report, layer and present crisis news

Tips on how copy desks can handle big stories well

Packaging and presentation: Underscore the gravity of the event

Reporting plan: some suggestions

Infographics: A checklist for effectiveness

Picture editing / Headline checklist

In times of public tragedy, we learn to depend on media

Online: Plan now for the next time

'We did more right than wrong'

The right to produce timely independent reporting of US at war

For more resources online, go to:

By Chad Capellman | Wednesday, April 09, 2003

The Washington Post begins a series of global perspectives on local media coverage of the war by starting in Argentina. The people there, in a country only 20 years removed from its own dictatorship, are opposed to the war by about an 8-to-2 margin.

By Chad Capellman | Tuesday, April 08, 2003

Business Week reporter Frederik Balfour, embedded with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, writes a first-person account of his encounter with David Bloom, after the late NBC anchor's body was brought to the medical tent of the 703rd Battalion on Apr. 6. Elsewhere, Google's news collection site has ammassed more than 300 articles chronicling the death of a Reuters cameraman and an Al-Jazeera correspondent following U.S. attacks in Baghdad. The site also has a significant collection of pieces that look back at the life of former Washington Post reporter and editor-at-large of The Atlantic Monthly, who became the first U.S. reporter to die in the war.

By Chad Capellman | Friday, April 04, 2003

Suzanne C. Ryan reports in the Boston Globe on a situation where a journalist did not sit by and merely observe.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Friday, April 04, 2003

The Guardian has been publishing many stories that you won't see in U.S. media. They focus on the plight and emotions of the Iraqi people. One by Haifa Zangana, for example, is written by an Iraqi living in England who notes that his niece delivered her child by caesarian in Baghdad a month before it was due to avoid needing a hospital during the coalition's siege of her city. Her father tells Zangana that many women have done the same.

By Chad Capellman | Thursday, April 03, 2003

An interesting (and unscientific) poll is currently being conducted on Monster.com. The question, "How often do you interrupt your workday to check for news on the war?" received twice as many responses for "Never" (32 percent) as there were for "Constantly" (16 percent) with a total 31,070 votes cast as of 1:45 p.m. ET. Thirty-one percent said they check 1-2 times a day, and 20 percent said they check 3-5 times a day. Poll snapshot 1:45 p.m. ET

By Deborah Potter | Thursday, April 03, 2003

A live report from embedded MSNBC reporter Bob Arnot gave viewers perhaps their closest look yet at US troops in combat. "As Arnot described the action on the air, mortar shells and machine-gun and rifle fire whizzed by his position," MSNBC reports. At one point, Arnot persuaded an Iraqi family to jump into his foxhole and take cover. Cory Bergman of Lost Remote calls the report "the most incredible, riveting live phoner I've ever witnessed."

By Deborah Potter | Thursday, April 03, 2003

Sniping has broken out on the home front-between MSNBC and Fox News. Both channels have been using their news crawls to needle each other over the actions of their correspondents in Iraq. Fox reminded viewers that NBC had fired Peter Arnett for talking to Iraqi TV; MSNBC told viewers the Pentagon had expelled Fox reporter Geraldo Rivera for compromising tactical information. As if to rub it in, MSNBC then aired a promo promising objective reporting, that said, in part, "We will not compromise military security or jeopardize a single American life."

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, April 02, 2003

In a timely consumer story that could be duplicated on a local level, the British newspaper The Guardian has published "The Smart Donor's Guide to Aid for Iraq," which discusses the politics and logistics of deciding which aid agency to support. The advice could be applied to choosing aid agencies for any country in need.

By Deborah Potter | Wednesday, April 02, 2003

Want a different picture of the war in Iraq? Try a different source. The Washington Post is running a series on how television outside the United States is covering the conflict. After watching Germany's ARD, reporter Robert McCarney observes, "Germans appear to be viewing the war through a prism that highlights the human costs, difficulties and risks." Post reporter John Lancaster in New Delhi found coverage in Hindi newspapers overwhelmingly gloomy. And Walt Belcher of the Tampa Tribune writes that all three British networks have a more critical edge than their US counterparts.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Tuesday, April 01, 2003

Emerging Interest, a research company for marketers and technology vendors, has produced a fascinating -- and perhaps depressing -- special report to download that's entitled: "War In Iraq: Perceptions of Media Coverage."

By Chad Capellman | Tuesday, April 01, 2003

Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz spends some quality time with "The M Brigade" of veteran television reporters Jim Miklaszewski of NBC, ABC's John McWethy, CBS's David Martin and CNN's Jamie McIntyre.

The four are charged with the daunting task of taking all of the scattered reports from embedded reporters in the field and providing a big picture view, as well as sifting through the official line from the Pentagon.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Tuesday, April 01, 2003

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) has updated its report on the status of press freedom and published it as "Homefront Confidential: How the War on Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public's Right to Know."

By Deborah Potter | Monday, March 31, 2003

Two high-profile reporters are under fire for their reporting in Iraq. Reuters reports that Geraldo Rivera of Fox News is being removed from the country for reporting troop movements. And NBC has fired Peter Arnett for telling Iraqi television that the American war plan had failed. A day earlier, the network had defended Arnett, calling his comments “analytical.” But in the interim, Arnett’s comments had drawn harsh criticism from supporters of the war like Florida representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who accused him of "kowtowing to the enemy." Arnett is in Baghdad on assignment for “National Geographic Explorer,” but he had been reporting for NBC and MSNBC. Howard Kurtz, writing in the Washington Post, notes that Arnett faced charges of conveying Iraqi propaganda during the first Gulf War, when he reported that US bombs had damaged a baby-formula factory. American officials said it was a chemical weapons plant.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 31, 2003

Duct tape and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) got their start during war and have gone on to commercial success. Hummers the flat-topped multipurpose vehicles beloved by suburbanites who can afford them, also began in the military as Humvees.<

By Jennifer LaFleur | Monday, March 31, 2003

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that interest in listening to shortwave radio has risen during the Iraqi war, but not to the degree that it spiked during the 1991 Gulf War. Still, Larry Magne, publisher of "Passport to Worldband Radio," a yearly guide to shortwave listening, says interest in shortwave has definitely increased.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 31, 2003

There's nothing like a commentary on National Public Radio to make you sit in the car in your driveway -- and then sit there when it is over, thinking about what you've just heard. Scott Simon, National Public Radio's Peabody Award-winning correspondent and host of "Weekend Edition Saturday" has delivered a half-dozen essays about the war in Iraq that range from women in the war, human shields, freedom for the Kurds, the death of innocents and more.

Other commentaries that will keep you listening include ones by composer Paul Schwartz on the Dixie Chicks, Frank DeFord on athletes who have served in wars, David Sedaris on being an American in Paris at this time and Susan Stamberg with her thoughts on the conflict.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 31, 2003

As the televised Iraqi war proceeds with bombs lighting up the sky over Baghdad, the cost in human lives and future international relationships appears staggering. Archaeologists watch the war in Iraq with humanity in mind, but they have another reason to be vigilant and fearful: The smart bombs perhaps aren't smart enough to spare six or seven-thousand-year-old treasures from Mesopotamia, the cradle of the world's civilization.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Saturday, March 29, 2003

Ludicrous as it sounds, there are rules of etiquette for war. These, the Geneva Conventions of 1949, are the centerpiece of a body of law that attempts to regulate conflict. These have been invoked repeatedly lately by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld regarding coalition soldiers taken prisoner in the U.S.-led war against Iraq.

By Jill Wolfson | Saturday, March 29, 2003

As journalists and politicians are struggling to understand the geography of Iraq, they are also struggling to pronounce a new set of place and people names.

By Jill Wolfson | Saturday, March 29, 2003

Covering war can be dangerous business. Approximately 500 reporters have been killed within the last decade and now that number is steadily climbing. If you happen to work for a well-funded media organization, the company probably pays for your insurance. However, freelancers typically have no such benefits.

By Deborah Potter | Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Spanish-language broadcasters Telemundo and Univision are covering the war a little differently from other US networks, notes Richard Huff in the New York Daily News.

By Jonathan Dube | Wednesday, March 26, 2003

There is tremendous potential for news sites to use online infographics to enhance the presentation of information. How are some of the major news organizations creating infographics online? In a report for CyberJournalist.net, Nora Paul, the director of the University of Minnesota's Institute for New Media Studies, compares how news organizations are explaining the B-52 Bomber.

By Jill Wolfson | Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Recognizing their own limitations, daily news organizations are pointing readers and viewers to books in order to get a deeper understanding of war, terrorism and the Muslim world. The recommendations also make good reading for reporters and editors.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Depending upon how you look at it, the U.S. military's use of trained dolphins to de-mine Iraqi waters is news that either is interesting or dismaying. That's not to say using animals in war is a new idea.

By Jill Wolfson | Tuesday, March 25, 2003

The San Jose (Ca.) Mercury News found an interesting way to bring the war in Iraq to its Science & Health section.

By Deborah Potter | Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Watching the war unfold on television can be confusing. "Images trump everything else," says Tom Walter in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, noting several occasions when reporters with information have been cut off mid-sentence so the networks could air compelling but unexplained video. Marc Allen writes in the Indianapolis Star that your impression of how the war is going depends on what channel you’re watching. "If American media is gung-ho, the tone on the British Broadcasting's BBC America channel might best be described as 'uh-oh.'"

By Jill Wolfson | Monday, March 24, 2003

Artists and entertainers have always had a complex relationship with politics. Some remain steadfastly apolitical, while others use contemporary values and events as inspiration. So what are the creative types doing about world conflict, besides dressing down for the Oscars?

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 24, 2003

An interesting story and a good jumping-off point for upcoming Saturday religion sections is ABCnews.com's story, "How do military chaplains square war with their religious beliefs?"

By Deborah Potter | Monday, March 24, 2003

TV newsrooms struggled with a tough call this weekend. Should they air graphic video of dead US soldiers? What about tape of US prisoners of war being interrogated? The video from Iraqi state-run television was broadcast repeatedly around the world, but most US channels decided not to show it.

By Jill Wolfson | Saturday, March 22, 2003

When it comes to reporting on the Middle East, there seems to be no end to the critics -- on both sides -- who are quick to say that you are doing it all wrong.

Honest Reporting boasts 50,000 subscribers to its Web site that was founded to scrutinize the media for examples of anti-Israel bias.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Saturday, March 22, 2003

The BBC reports that the peace movement is now hacking into websites and defacing them as a form of anti-war protest.

By Deborah Potter | Friday, March 21, 2003

Depending on what you were watching and when, TV coverage of the early phase of the war was either riveting or confusing.

By Paul Nussbaum | Friday, March 21, 2003

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez is reeling from his viewing of the war on television, which he calls the ultimate in "reality TV".

By Rusty Coats | Thursday, March 20, 2003

Even though many newspapers downplay religious undertones of the story - even regarding how their own readers process news of war - BeliefNet.com has made religion an integral and interactive part of its coverage.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Thursday, March 20, 2003

Virus writers are taking advantage of the onset of war to release an e-mail supposedly offering a variety of war-themed attachments, ranging from secret U.S. spy pictures of Iraq to screensavers mocking President George W. Bush.

By Deborah Potter | Thursday, March 20, 2003

War coverage doesn't come cheap.

According to Variety, investment bankers estimate the major networks could lose up to $200 million combined, based on the loss of advertising revenue during commercial-free coverage and the expense of covering the war.

By Chad Capellman | Thursday, March 20, 2003

This is obviously a busy time for any newspaper executive, but Washington Post Executive Editor Len Downie took an hour to make himself available for an online chat at noon on Thursday.

By Rusty Coats | Thursday, March 20, 2003

And so it goes: War with Iraq has begun. With months of advance warning and a 48-hour deadline for Saddam & Sons to leave Baghdad, it's difficult to classify this military action as any kind of surprise attack. So news websites were more than prepared to launch special treatment.

By Paul Nussbaum | Thursday, March 20, 2003

The peace movement feels defeated but is not going away. Michael Kieschnick is president of Working Assets, the Web site billed as being for people with "progressive values". He writes on Thursday, March 20, as bombs and missiles were flying in Iraq ...

By Deborah Potter | Thursday, March 20, 2003

NBC lays claim to getting the first war report on the air at about 9:35 pm EST on Wednesday. Elizabeth Jensen in the Los Angeles Times says the credit goes to Peter Arnett, who stayed in Baghdad on assignment for "National Geographic Explorer," which airs on MSNBC.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, March 19, 2003

George Capaccio, a Massachusetts freelance writer, story-teller and artist, has made nine trips to Iraq since 1997. He writes a moving portrait of his experiences and relationships with the people there.

By Deborah Potter | Wednesday, March 19, 2003

The biggest radio conglomerate in the US has been sponsoring pro-Bush rallies across the country and raising some eyebrows along the way. Tim Jones reports in the Chicago Tribune that Clear Channel radio stations have sponsored rallies in Atlanta, Cleveland, San Antonio, Cincinnati and other cities and more are planned for next weekend. The story says no other big, publicly-regulated broadcast company has been involved in this kind of activity. Jones quotes a former FCC commissioner as saying, "I can't say that this violates any of a broadcaster's obligations, but it sounds like borderline manufacturing of the news."

By Jill Wolfson | Wednesday, March 19, 2003

As the nation prepares to go to war, parents are preparing to deal with a lot of questions, anxieties and ethical dilemmas raised by their kids. There are a lot of good sources and experts to point them to.

By Jill Wolfson | Wednesday, March 19, 2003

With the terrorist alert rising to orange-plus, Americans are looking for more than duct tape to deal with the growing sense of helplessness. A team of California therapists hope to build a sense of emotional resilience not provided through government reassurances or by stocking emergency supplies.

By Jill Wolfson | Wednesday, March 19, 2003

Even before the first bomb has fallen, a variety of organizations and industries are worrying about the rippling economic implications.

War with Iraq is likely to have far-reaching economic implications on the oil industry. But of course, nobody is exactly sure of what those repercussions will be.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Tuesday, March 18, 2003

The Seattle Times' Tom Brown is posting briefs daily in his newspaper's "Conflict Iraq" section. His blogs, which have links inside them, report on the doings of various reporters covering the war; a link to the DEBKAfile, a well-connected Israeli site, which tells a sale tale of an Iraqi defector who would have been beneficial to the United States; articles in the National Review and on Slate.com, and many more.

By Chad Capellman | Tuesday, March 18, 2003

With the threat of war looming as the NCAA men's basketball tournament is about to begin, we added another pull-out section from our book "Crisis Journalism: A Handbook for Media Response." The piece by Kenn Finkel "Trivial War references ruin our credibility" highlights some of the pitfalls sportwriters sometimes find themselves in when trying to convey the intensity of games such as the ones about to be watched by much of the country.

By Deborah Potter | Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Now that war appears imminent, some news organizations have decided it's time to get out of Baghdad. ABC and NBC asked their correspondents to leave the city, while CNN and CBS are staying put, for now.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 17, 2003

Detroit has the highest concentration of Arab-Americans, so the Detroit Free Press decided to answer some of the most asked questions about this population.

By Deborah Potter | Monday, March 17, 2003

If war comes, the first thing to go will be the communications grid. No surprise, then, that satellite phones are a hot item, not just for journalists but for business travelers. "They all want the phone that's supposed to work anywhere at any time," Nicholas Johnston writes in the Washington Post.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 17, 2003

Geoffrey Nunberg, a Stanford University linguist who offers commentary on National Public Radio, explores the history and evolution of the word "protest" and its relatives, "protest march" and "protest music. in "The Syntax of Resistance."

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 17, 2003

There's a passel of fascinating reading -- and listening and cartoon perusing -- on the state of the world at Working for Change, which bills itself as being "for people with progressive values."

By Jill Wolfson | Saturday, March 15, 2003

A federal appellate judge on Thursday, March 14, sided with two peace activists in Santa Cruz, California - a long established (and sometimes mocked) bastion of liberal thought and political protest.

By Rusty Coats | Saturday, March 15, 2003

Walt Disney Co.'s ABCNEWS.com yesterday launched ABC News Live, a 24-hour online service featuring streaming video news. Its focus is breaking news and live events, spurred largely by three things ...

By Joyce Gemperlein | Thursday, March 13, 2003

You've no doubt heard about Representative Bob Ney and the fried potatoes shaped like little sticks and bread soaked in egg. If not, here's a recap: Calling his action symbolic to protest French opposition to President Bush's policies on Iraq, Ney has ordered that the word "French" be stricken from House menus. Now, instead of French fries or French toast, the cafeterias there are serving "Freedom Fries" and "Freedom Toast."

By Deborah Potter | Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Want some background on the UN? What about a map showing troop deployments in the Persian Gulf? Major network news sites are building huge interactive libraries of Iraq-related information, with slide shows, clickable maps, and databases on everything from oil contracts to weaponry.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Monday, March 10, 2003

The public affairs departments of most universities are deluged with requests for experts on all things related to international conflict. Many have lists of experts on their Web sites. One example is Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Its public affairs staff has prepared an extensive list under the heading "Confrontation Iraq."

By Deborah Potter | Monday, March 10, 2003

Back in 1991, Gulf War briefings consisted of a general, an easel, and a TV in a ballroom. My how times have changed. The Pentagon is installing a $200,000 high-tech set in Qatar for military briefers to use this time around. According to the Army Times, the huge backdrop includes seven giant screens for video, computer images and maps. It's all part of a 17,000-square-foot media center for journalists covering the story.

By Rusty Coats | Monday, March 10, 2003

Although TV, newspaper and online shops are heavily devoted to news about the possible war with Iraq, cable viewers have other priorities. According to Nielsen Media Research, the top five TV shows on basic cable networks for the first week of March were...

By Rusty Coats | Monday, March 10, 2003

A surprising percentage of online users are relying on local news for news about possible war with Iraq. According to a recent online survey by Frank N. Magid Associates, 44% of adult women turn to local news five days per week for news about Iraq, while 37% check network news five days per week, 31% check cable news, and 23% check online news. (Disclaimer: Frank N. Magid Associates is a TV/media consultancy.)

By Andrew Nachison | Monday, March 10, 2003

Kevin Sites, an "embedded" reporter for CNN, is filing a diary from Kuwait that fills readers in on things they don't know they want to know. Sites' dispatches, filed on boingboing.net range from his confrontation with press officers to musings about the modern war newsroom ...

By Chad Capellman | Monday, March 10, 2003

The Erie Times has compiled a special section titled America at War which includes pieces on how local residents are dealing with the U.S. confrontation with Iraq as well as occasional wire stories on overseas events.

By Deborah Potter | Monday, March 10, 2003

With the White House warning journalists to get out of Iraq, the networks are facing a tough decision. Should they keep reporters in Baghdad or pull them out now?

By Chad Capellman | Saturday, March 08, 2003

Should a newspaper allow its journalists to be "embedded" into a military unit, where they will be watched closely by military public affairs personnel and limited in their ability to travel more freely and have a more "big picture" view of a war?

By Chad Capellman | Friday, March 07, 2003

I typed in "troops" and "local" into the news search pages on both AltaVista and Google.

By Chad Capellman | Friday, March 07, 2003

Is our country's obsession with standardized education and test scores preventing students from any real learning about the complex political relationships and issues that the United States faces abroad?

Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, reports on a study that finds teachers growing more and more reluctant and unable to tackle such subjects during the school day.

By Chad Capellman | Friday, March 07, 2003

An open letter to editors, publishers, producers and reporters appears on TomPaine.com conveying "a level of heightened expectation in your forthcoming coverage of the U.S.-Iraq situation."

By Chad Capellman | Thursday, March 06, 2003

Remember overhead projectors and transparancies that could -- layer by layer -- give a two-dimensional image more of a three-dimensional feel?

By Chad Capellman | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

As Salon reports, should the U.S. move forward with an attack on Iraq, the first shot might come via cyberspace in the form of shutting down the country's Internet access.

By Mike Reilley | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

Government and the military love acronyms - maybe in large part because it confuses the rest of us. So if you encounter AIMILO, EMILES or MILMOD, you can click on acronymfinder.com for a translation. The site lists acronyms, initials and abbreviations and promises it has 276,000 of them.

By Phil Nesbitt | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

The American Legion is leading a drive to bring back blue star banners, which are flags that hang in the windows of families of service men and women. serviceflags.com. One story of such a banner appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

By Mike Reilley | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

"Digital Dan" Dubno, a Special Events producer and technology correspondent for CBS News, has created a monster resource site - disasterlinks.net - oriented toward journalists. If you need sources or are just a disaster junkie, you'll love this site, which lists links for any calamity you can think of: biological weapons, oil spills, tsunamis, typhoons. Dozens of severe weather tracking sites, state disaster agencies etc.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

A cheery, bright yellow web page pops when visiting, the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s site of advice written directly to kids about sheltering in place and biological warfare The prose is as straightforward and calm as a document about making chocolate-chip cookies.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

There's nary a roll of duct tape or sheet of plastic to be found on store shelves here in Washington or its suburbs because of the nation's heightened alert status. But most of us wonder: Will those common hardware store materials - or anything else -- work to filter chemical and/or biological agents from our hiding places? Some say yes; some no. Still others say sort of, but you might suffocate. In a Knight-Ridder report scientists pooh-pooh the Office of Homeland Security's further advice that air purifiers with HEPA filters will do the job.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

You read and hear it everywhere: "The impending war." But, as an article in the Chicago Tribune points out, this phrase isn't objective. Michael Josephson, president of the Josephson Institute of Ethics says that when politicians use the word, it may be part of political negotiations, but when journalists employ it they are signaling that war is inevitable. The Tribune article contains many quotes from copy editors at major newspapers. Some, such as the Washington Post, don't see a problem with the word choice. Others, such as the New York Times, think it should only be used within a quote. (Seeking neutrality in the media's war of words)

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

Two interesting articles in the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Ca.) explore the Internet and blogging, and men and women in relationship to the possible war.

By Joyce Gemperlein | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

Despite the threat of war, students – at least in Michigan – are flocking to study-abroad programs. Leaders of programs that assign students to various countries say interest has increased, not decreased. They report anxiety among parents, however. The program for studying in Israel ended two years ago.

By Chad Capellman | Wednesday, March 05, 2003

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has always been a valuable resource for knowledge about the complex relationships among nations and cultures around the world, and with tensions rising over Iraq, the center continues to deliver.