Fire in the Summer

A fire destroyed 36 apartments and left one man dead in the Oak Park Village Apartments on Monrovia in the summer of 2011. 

The Lenexa Fire Station No. 2 determined the cause of the fire was a carelessly discarded cigarette. The man, whose name is not public record, will not face criminal charges for his mistake.

“Basically accidents are not a crime. The man who started the fire had no intent to harm the property or anyone else.  That’s what insurance if for; he has enough on his plate with the guilt of another man’s death,” said firefighter Bob Welch of the Lenexa Fire Station No. 2.

According to Welch, “The fire spread to three floors and each floor had 12 apartments. It just burned right down to the first floor, and it was 105 (degrees) that day and windy. They ended up calling four trucks out of the five stations available,” he said.

Welch said all four fire trucks were on the scene for the majority of the day. “I’m part of the investigative scene,” he said. “So while each of the stations had men out there a long time, me and the other investigators were literally on scene from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.”

The four stations that had trucks on scene continued circulating men for three days to keep the fire at bay.

“With a fire like this one, it’s never going to be completely under control until they get the heavy machinery in there and start moving stuff around. It’s not necessarily an active fire anymore at that point, but it will continue smoldering for a long time,” Welch stated.

Due to the fatality, officials were careful to keep the tenants out of their damaged residences while the scene was being assessed, but fire fighters later determined the damage was too severe for the residents to ever re-enter. Fire fighters were able to sporadically enter and reclaim items such as laptops, but more often than not the electronics were ruined.
            “Because the apartments were so old, they were not up to code with their sprinkler system,” Welch said.  “It’s not a crime, however, because they don’t have to retrofit. But when they rebuild they will need an up-to-date sprinkler system.”

“Fire prevention is a huge deal in our department. If you prevent fires, you don’t even have to mess with them in the first place. We have an inspection division that works 9 to 5, whose only responsibility is to look for building code violations. Sometimes they find blocked exits or that the companies have stacked something too high. It’s a yearly inspection for every business occupancy in the city of Lenexa,” said Welch.

Welch said the city of Lenexa still has their share of fires, but outbreaks like the large fire on Monrovia can be prevented with education and preparation.

Private Lives of Public Officials

The private lives of American public officials should be kept private, unless the topic is particularly relevant to the well being of the United States. While a journalistic guideline would prove complicated and difficult to enforce, it should be the responsibility of reporters to maintain a level of decency and respect.

            In class we discussed specific examples, including John Fitzgerald Kennedy bringing women to the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. for romantic encounters. This event would be relevant to report as Kennedy was more than 50 feet away from the officer who was responsible for carrying the codes to authorize the use of atomic bombs. This function was especially important in that time period because of Soviet threat. Americans outside of the president’s immediate circle should have been informed of Kennedy’s choices. While I am a fan of Kennedy, perhaps a backlash of negative reactions would have motivated the president to stay within range of his officer.

            Former Congressman Anthony Weiner received a plethora of notoriety after he accidentally leaked a private photo via his Twitter account. The event was guaranteed to gain attention because the social network is a public forum, but I do not believe it was necessary for media outlets to bring any additional attention to the event. As an American citizen I did not feel the information benefitted me in any significant way or changed my political feelings toward the congressman.

            Certain politicians and public figures “stir the pot,” and perpetuate gossip about themselves by their reactions to reporters’ questions. In class we discussed Colorado Senator Gary Hart who was a candidate in the presidential election of 1984. Hart, a married man, had a reputation for pursuing other women, but this was not problematic for his campaign until he teased a reporter. When being asked about his extramarital affairs, Hart replied, “Catch me if you can.” Shortly after, Hart was seen on a yacht called “Monkey Business,” with another woman.  These two factors only encouraged reporters to write about Hart’s less than faithful behavior toward his wife. I don’t believe that Hart’s affairs were representative of his abilities to perform as a president, but his behavior seemed to prompt controversial publicity.

            Critics argue that a public official’s infidelity can be representative of their character. I believe, however, that someone could be a perfectly good and well-qualified candidate as long as they focus on America’s best interest, regardless of marital issues. It seems in this day and age that irrelevant gossip has captivated the public’s interest more so than what is important. During an election, media coverage should advance candidates’ goals, beliefs and past experiences.

            Bill Clinton’s presidency is an example of this situation. Clinton was a successful president who also struggled with fidelity. Clinton lied during impeachment proceedings. A president’s dishonesty under oath is definitely worthy of publication, but his affairs should not have been the determining factor of his political character. Americans who used his affairs as the primary argument against the Clinton administration should have weighed his indiscretions against the economic health of the country during his presidency.

In the Harvard Nieman Reports, Florence George Graves wrote:
But even though the media sometimes report gratuitous stories involving sex—something I regard as unethical—we should not forget why some aspects of what for decades the press has defined as the “private lives” of public officials, when reported responsibly, are not only of legitimate public interest but also important to pursue and publish.

Graves went on to argue that not every story of a public official involving sex should be written off as too private. I agree with this one amendment to a “zone of privacy.” If a political candidate were to rape or sexually assault someone, such a crime would be pertinent information to publish for American citizens. This extreme scenario is one of the few instances of public officials’ private endeavors I would not hesitate to write about as a journalist.

Julius Duscha of The Chicago Tribune noted a similar situation in 1985:
The private/public issue has been in the news because of revelations about the marital life of John M. Fedders, who was director of the enforcement division of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fedders resigned after admitting he had beaten his wife seven times during the course of an 18-year marriage and “highly” regretted his actions. The admission came in the midst of a divorce proceeding in which his wife charged that he had frequently abused her. I don`t have much trouble with such a reprehensible private situation being made public in the case of a government official, particularly one who is directly involved in enforcing rules and regulations on the rest of us.

I agree with Duscha that public officials should be expected to follow the same rules and laws as private Americans. A man physically harming his wife is an actual representation of character, in my eyes.
            Judy Nadler of Santa Clara University made another reasonable example of private matters being publicly relevant. Nadler wrote: 

So, for example, the president of the United States submits to a yearly physical, which is made public, because his or her health is of such key importance to the nation. Similarly, illnesses that affect job performance of local officials may be legitimate subjects of inquiry. Behaviors that might impede performance, like substance abuse, are matters of public interest. Financial problems, especially in a person with budgetary responsibilities, may be germane.

I agree with Nadler’s examples, but don’t personally find all health related matters of public officials to be necessary to disclose to the public. According to PBS, Grover Cleveland underwent cancer surgery in 1893 and American citizens didn’t find out about the operation until many years later. Cleveland’s abilities as president were no different before or after his cancer diagnosis. It would have been unfair to publicize his health struggles and paint an image of an unfit politician. Moreover, a polio-ridden Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the press not to photograph him in a wheelchair or struggling to walk. The press respected Roosevelt’s wishes and allowed him to perform as a president without newspapers escalating unnecessary public concern.
            Overall, it is a complicated and fine line to walk as a reporter writing about the private lives of public officials. There are so many loopholes and exceptions to every seemingly obvious rule. It is up to each individual journalist to choose how to cover a presidency or other election. As a journalist, I would constantly ask myself if the story I was about to write would be beneficial to the American public or if the story was just being written to stir controversy. I understand the financial motivation of newspapers to cater to their audience’s interests; however, Americans are currently in a meddlesome mindset. Perhaps if newspapers and media outlets chose to resist the call for gossip, Americans would have no choice but to refocus on the truly relevant news.

Community Newspapers

Community newspapers are ultimately going to replace larger publications such as The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. The news consumers are going to continue their interest in local stories at a fraction of the cost of larger publications. Community newspapers, however, need to tackle the issue of funding.

Michael Liedtke, AP business writer of phys.org wrote, “Newspapers are hurting all over the United States, but the pain is less severe at small publications.” “CNN isn’t coming to my town to cover the news. Community newspapers are still a great investment because we provide something you can’t get anywhere else,” said Liedtke. He also noted that the potential for success at community newspapers is increased due to a lack of competition, which is present at the larger publications.

Rebecca Pocklington of the Reading Chronicle said that politicians as far away as the United Kingdom are stressing the importance of community papers. Pocklington mentioned Finance Secretary to the Treasury, Greg Clark, who said, "Local papers are vital to a community, they are almost required for it to function as a community at all.” The Secretary of State for Communities and Government, Eric Pickles, also weighed in on the issue, “Local papers are just as important as national papers and local news provides a voice for the community,” he said.

In class we discussed the current success of community newspapers. Community newspapers are able to get some investors who believe in hyper-localization. Hyper-localization is the idea of publishing extremely local news, such as the scores of little league games. According to Matt Daugherty, publisher of local papers, Kearney Courier, Smithville Herald and Liberty Tribune, communities will always have a vested interest in local news because it features their family members or other acquaintances.

While investors who believe in hyper-localization are present, the current conflict faced by community papers is how to fully fund their operations. Luckily for consumers, these papers can be offered at a lower rate. It is not necessary to pay the local reporters as much to drive ten minutes, as it is for the industry-wide papers that may have to send their reporters overseas or across the country. Christopher Helman of Forbes magazine, said:

It doesn’t take a lot of personnel to put out a monthly, especially when half its content is ads and coupons. Each edition usually has one editor and one reporter, plus a general manager, a couple of account executives and a graphic designer. No big-name columnists, no newspaper union members and no pension funds to worry about. The editorial voice is about as earnest and devoid of irony as you can get in this business.

Community newspapers have another leg up on the larger papers. Matt     Daugherty observed, “The industry shot itself in the head by allowing free online access to their papers.” Some community newspapers never allowed free access to their content and those that did have plans for change. Daugherty allows just fifty percent of his publications to be put online and is currently working on a “pay wall” to further offset expenses.  A “pay wall” allows the audience to access a monthly allotment of stories before they are charged to view more.

Internet cookies currently monitor Daugherty’s “pay wall”. He noted, however, that the system is not yet perfect, “technically readers could clear the cookies in their browsers and potentially be able to read infinite stories.” Each individual computer contains an IP address, but Daugherty has already foreseen the problems of monitoring his readers via IP address. “If I were to monitor by IP address then I would be blocking students at schools if their classmates have already read the paper. People at libraries could be blocked from seeing their grandson’s winning science fair story,” said Daugherty.

When asked if his audience would be offended or apprehensive about a “pay-wall,” Daugherty said he was confident it would not cost him any readers in the long run. “Generally if you communicate the message well of why you need to be charging, it will be received well too.” He allowed that readers could potentially be put-off at first about being charged, but they would eventually come around. “The problem is that people have begun to think that they deserve quality news for free,” said Daugherty.

Matthew Debord of scpr.org wrote, “The verdict on pay-walls seems to be that they're moderately despised but that if your content is good enough, then people will break out the credit cards. They just won't pay enough to save the print side.”

Advertising can be a driving force behind the funding of papers, but the current transition to technology has proved problematic for advertisers. According to The Huffington Post, 2011 marked the first year that news was officially consumed online more so than in paper form, “In December (of 2011), 41 percent of Americans said they got most of their news about national and international issues on the Internet, more than double the 17 percent who said that a year earlier.” The Huffington Post also stated that tablets were “the fastest-growing new digital technology, ahead of cell phones when they were introduced.”

Daugherty noted that all papers have to be prepared to adapt to the medium in which the audience prefers to consume the news, but “online advertising has been proved less successful than print.” He explained that advertisers monitor their success with a statistic known as the “click-through rate.” If an advertiser finds that they have a half percent “click-through rate,” for example, that means that one person has clicked on the ad for every two hundred people that have read the article. A half percent “click-through rate” is considered positive for a community newspaper.

In the most desperate of times, some papers will resort to writing a story about a company in exchange for purchased advertising space. Daugherty said he considered this practice unethical, but was unprepared to judge a company that found themselves in such dire conditions. Communities can only hope for a publisher as honest as Daugherty. Discussing John Garrett, community news publisher in Texas, Christopher Helman wrote:

Garrett doesn’t scruple publishing nice articles about his accounts. Ken Moncebaiz, who operates K&M Steam Cleaning in Austin, bought an ad in the first issue of Impact (Garrett’s publication) and has bought the inside back cover of the paper ever since, shelling out $11,000 a month. He has been rewarded with the occasional story. With ten trucks to keep busy, “I buy advertising for a living,” says Moncebaiz; most of his $33,000-a-month spend goes online to Google Ads and PaperClick. He doesn’t hesitate to call up Garrett when he sees ads for too many competing carpet cleaners in the paper.

While industry-wide publications are struggling to stay in business, community papers continue to thrive. If only the financial aspect could be quickly solved, readers would begin to realize the impact and potential of the local papers.

Changing Lives

Between 1981 and 1982, 30-year-old attorney Leo Logan granted one Kansas City couple the gift of new life.

            Logan had recently begun practicing law when he met John and Jane Doe (names have been changed to respect privacy), who had suffered the loss of their firstborn during delivery.

The Does were in their late 30s and had decided to start a family as they entered into their 40s with established careers. They were thrilled about the pregnancy and hoped to expand their family even further after the first child.

The birth did not go as planned, and when the newborn was placed upon Jane’s chest in the delivery room, the terrifying sight of a stillborn baby destroyed the occasion. The shock was more than the Does could bear. Devastated, they reached out to Leo Logan to help them determine the cause of death.

“They didn’t know if there had been malpractice,” said Logan. “But they knew that when the baby was born there was a lot of activity and concern in the delivery room by the hospital staff and doctor.”

Logan obtained the couple’s medical records to investigate the case and consulted with an obstetrician.

“The obstetrician advised me that it appeared there had been medical negligence in the manner of delivery using forceps,” said Logan.

Logan filed a lawsuit against the hospital where the child was delivered. While the case was pending, Logan was approached by a physician acquaintance who had a female patient with an unwanted pregnancy.

“I met up with the young woman and found out about her situation,” said Logan. “I asked her what she wanted to do and how I could help. She convinced me that she had given it a lot of careful thought and weighed all her options.”

The woman was young, jobless and not prepared to raise a baby. She wanted her unborn child to go to a loving and stable home. Logan thought of the Does and immediately contacted them to see if they were interested in adopting the baby.

“I spoke with the couple and told them about the opportunity,” said Logan.     “Without hesitation they very excitedly told me that they wanted to pursue adopting the baby.”

Before the child was born, Logan settled the Doe case with the hospital and doctor. All the Does had to do was wait in anticipation for their new baby to be born.
            “Although money could never replace their loss, the settlement and the knowledge that they were going to be able to receive a new baby into their home seemed to change their lives and outlook all over again,” said Logan.

The day the baby was born, Logan drove the Does to the hospital to meet their baby girl for the first time. The Does and the young woman never met each other, but the Does are forever grateful for her giving them the family they had always wanted.

“We finalized the adoption and they were able to take the baby straight home from the hospital,” said Logan. “The couple named me the child’s godfather out of appreciation for everything I’d done for them. It’s one of my fondest memories of my career and it happened very early in my career.”