Campbell Brown Speaks at Open Visions (Deadline Article)

In a field dominated primarily by angry, partisan men, anchor Campbell Brown attempts to hold her own against her competition on her daily political show on CNN. Brown strives to promote bipartisan views of new reports despite the relentless intensity of ratings competition, as she explained to the audience filling the Quick Center at Fairfield University last night.

Because of the immense shifts in the appearance and delivery of news in today’s world, Campbell was quickly forced to learn the difference between realistic, essential news and biased, less important stories.

“Sometimes we live in this bubble in our studio that’s detached from the outside world,” she said. “Cable news has the attention span of a gnat. It is constant, and it is relentless.” As a result, she explained, there are some weeks of hard-hitting news stories, while others are filled with less meaningful, fluff pieces.

This dynamic creates a constant challenge for Brown. She is under pressure on a daily basis to produce high-quality, unbiased news reporting in a world full of partisan, argumentative reporting.

“I’m not partisan,” she said, “but I do know the truth when I see it.” Her CNN show, Campbell Brown, strives to provide viewers with equally represented opinions from both sides of any political issue. This approach is drastically different from those of Brown’s competition – the other political discussion shows on both cable and broadcast networks.

“I just want to stop the charade and respect the intelligence of my audience,” Brown explains. “I do think CNN is the last man standing in the world when it comes to bipartisan coverage. I do believe there is still a place for good journalism without a partisan perspective.”

Despite her dedication to fairness and truth in reporting, Brown acknowledges that a significant factor of her show is dedicated to topics other than what she would prefer to air.

“At the end of the day, it’s about ratings,” she said. “That’s how I know whether I get to keep my job or not.” Though many elements of her show focus on topics and speakers that she know will garner her positive ratings, Brown is careful not to let the competition mask the truth in politics. She noted that although it makes for better ratings, all of the arguing of talking heads on camera simply creates “noise”, preventing viewers from listening and actually comprehending the ideas presented. Her show works to eliminate the noise in exchange for more honest, open dialogues with a variety of experts, even if it means sacrificing a few ratings points.

Ever since entering the world of journalism, Brown has been optimistic. When she first began reporting, she believed that her accounts of stories would have a great impact on the political pundits of Washington, DC, in addition to important figures around the country.

Even from a young age, Campbell said, she knew she was destined to become involved in the world of politics. Not only was her family very involved in political interest and activism, but her home state of Louisiana was very expressive in many political debates. When she decided to enter the world of communications, especially television journalism, she was following her “passion – not a love of journalism as much as a love of politics.”

“I wanted to try and find a way to hold politicians accountable,” she recalled. “It seemed like a noble calling – you could affect change and hold government accountable.” Now she realizes, however, that her cause may no longer be quite so noble.

“The business has changed quite a lot,” she acknowledged. “Technology is just changing so rapidly – I don’t think [journalism] is going to look like what it looks like now in the future.”

Last night’s forum was a change from the usual Open VISIONS fare; despite the variety of audience members, viewers of the presentation said they felt she was able to connect to the audience in a way that many other speakers cannot.

“A lot of people can relate to her, and she really connected with the audience,” said Peter Caty, a junior at Fairfield University.

Sophomore Tyler Wosleger agreed. He explained, “The jokes in her speech related to everyday life and put the listeners more at ease, helping the audience to really connect to her speech.”

Brown’s presentation at Fairfield University was an informative session, yet also allowed the audience a more personal glimpse into the life of the anchor off-camera. Her candid answers during the forum portion of the presentation were spontaneous and gave her more opportunities to reveal her feelings on different political topics and media industry standards.

CT Supreme Court Holds Trial at Fairfield University (Deadline Article)

Justice was given a new venue on Wednesday when the Connecticut Supreme Court brought deliberations for two court cases, one criminal and the other civil, to Fairfield University.

At the sound of the gavel, the audience stood as the seven justices entered the stage in their flowing black robes to participate in the second of the two cases. The civil case, AllState Insurance Company vs. Stephen Palumbo, concentrated on the debate over the legitimacy of insurance coverage for Palumbo and his fiancée, Lisa Deveau.

On Jan. 31, 2002, after accidentally setting fire to the house in which Palumbo, Deveau and Deveau’s daughter lived, Palumbo filed a claim with AllState Insurance Company to pay for the damages. The damage to the house was estimated at about $60,000, according to papers released by the court.

Palumbo was given the payment by AllState, but was sued soon after by the insurance company because he was not listed on the insurance plan. Only Deveau’s name appeared on the payments for or the official description of the insurance, as she was the official owner of the home. As a result, AllState demanded that Palumbo reimburse them for the money they had paid him to cover the damages in an equitable subrogation action.

“Otherwise, [Palumbo] will be unjustly enriched,” said the counsel for AllState, explaining that the money needed to repaid immediately to fulfill AllState’s legal demands.

The first two lower courts found in favor of AllState. However, Palumbo brought the case back once again, this time to the Supreme Court, arguing that as a full-time resident in the house, an equal contributor to home expenses and without a house or home insurance of his own, he was in fact a tenant of Deveau’s. This contingency would grant him dismissal from AllState’s equitable subrogation demand.

A debate soon ensued over the use of the term “tenant” instead of “social guest” – each side argued that Palumbo was a different type of resident. Because the definitions can be bent to conform to either side’s argument, the judges had a challenging time determining which correctly applied to Palumbo. They questioned both the plaintiff and the defense about the specific interactions and expectations between Palumbo and Deveau in order to gain a better understanding about the relationship in terms of the residence.

Finally, the counsel for Palumbo offered a new suggestion to the justices, saying, “I believe his proper definition is as cohabitator.” By the end of the discussions, the court had three different definition options, each of which would end with a different consequence for Palumbo. The ruling on the case, however, will not be issued for at least a few months, as it must follow the general Supreme Court decision-making process.

The audience was able to view the arguments given by the counsels for both the plaintiff, AllState Insurance Company, and the defense, Stephen Palumbo, throughout the cases as they spoke in the makeshift courtroom constructed on the stage of the auditorium.

Immediately following each of the cases, a question-and-answer session gave students an opportunity to voice their questions to experts in the field. Attorneys Justin Clark and Daniel Klau conducted the panels, using their personal experience from serving as Supreme Court law clerks to respond to student inquiries.

According to a University press release, the Court’s visit is a part of “Supreme Court on Circuit”, a program in which the Court travels around the state to better educate community members, especially students and educators, about the justice system. The program has been in effect for over 20 years.

Matthew Sullivan, a junior at Fairfield, thought the program was worthwhile.

“It was a great opportunity to have real-life experience rather than just a textbook explanation,” he said. He went on to explain that although he is currently enrolled in a class focused on the U.S. Supreme Court, seeing the proceedings at the “Court on Circuit” provided him with a manner in which he could see the actual operation of the court, rather than just focus on the final decisions in a variety of historical cases.

Sullivan’s sentiments were echoed by other Fairfield students who attended the court sessions. Erika Gjestby, a sophomore at Fairfield University with an interest in law and politics, also appreciated the opportunity to experience courtroom proceedings firsthand.

“We were able to really get a feel for how the court actually works,” she said. “Instead of seeing just an outsider’s view, like reading about the case in a newspaper, it gave me a chance to really see under the surface.”

In-Class Press Conference: Frank Ficko

The importance of safety on Fairfield University’s campus was highlighted yesterday with the release of the 2009 Jeanne Clery report, compiled and released by the University’s Department of Public Safety.

The data in the report reflected a minor increase in the occurrence rates of a number of dangerous or criminal campus activities despite the department’s diligent and proactive handling of many dangerous situations on campus.

The most notable of the changes in the 2009 statistics at Fairfield University was the dramatic increase in the number of liquor law violation disciplinary referrals. 1,285 referrals were reported over the course of the 2008 academic year, up from 900 referrals in 2007 and 756 referrals in 2006.

Frank Ficko, the associate director of Fairfield University’s Department of Public Safety, acknowledged the significant increase in referrals, saying, “Maybe we had good Resident Assistants last year, maybe we were more reactive, or maybe students were sloppier last year.”

He could not pinpoint a particular reason, instead explaining that many different components likely contributed to the problem.

However, the increases in the occurrence of unsafe activities across campus were small in relativity to the number of students enrolled in the University and should not reflect poorly on the actions of the Department of Public Safety at Fairfield. Along with the increases, there were also many notable decreases in categories such as burglaries, drug abuse violation referrals, and larcenies.

Issued annually by every secondary school in the country as required by federal law, the report provides statistics highlighting the number of occurrences of different commonplace criminal issues on campuses, including larcenies, sexual offenses, and hate crimes. The data is compiled from a variety of campus resources and offices, including the Dean’s office and data logs from the Department of Public Safety.

This year’s report included a few new components as well, including amendments concerning hate crimes and emergency evacuation procedures. These new amendments increased the strict nature of the report, implementing fresh guidelines for reporting statistics and expanding the definition of hate crimes. In addition, the new rules allowed for the availability of the report in both digital and paper form. Anyone interested may find copies either on Stagweb or in the offices of the Department of Public Safety.

Public Safety adapted their data to comply with all of the new requirements of the report, and illustrated their serious dedication to the integrity of the report. As Ficko points out, the report records “who you are, what you do, [and] why you do it”, leaving very little room for masking the reality of rule violations. If schools do attempt to hide their safety problems when filing their reports, they risk serious punishment – each violation comes with a fine of $27,500.

“It doesn’t matter [if a school is] public or private, everybody must comply” with the requirements of the report, Ficko noted. Yet not all schools report to the same quality level as Fairfield.

“It’s a little frustrating,” Ficko said, when schools attempt to hide their real statistics by bending the guidelines as set forth by the Clery report. He takes great pride in the accuracy of Fairfield’s report, and even goes beyond the requirements of the report. Ficko wants to provide as much information as possible to members of the university community and the outside population, and includes categories that are not necessary in order to improve the quality of his data.

“I have [the statistics for] larcenies in my report,” Ficko said. “It’s not required.” He includes extra information in his report because he believes it is in “the spirit of the Clery [report] - to give everyone an idea of what’s going on.”

“Everyone wants to know how safe their kid’s going to be” at school, he said.

“I feel really safe on Fairfield’s campus, especially in light of the incidents that have happened recently at other schools nearby,” said James Mathews ’12. “It’s nice to know that Public Safety is always available to help, and is prepared to respond to a serious problem if necessary.”

Sophomore Sarah Paulus agreed with the feeling of safety on campus, saying, “Public Safety takes precautions to minimize trespassers and strangers on campus, and they’re always available if you need help.”

Rather than giving credit for the immense level of safety on Fairfield’s campus solely to the Public Safety officers, Ficko acknowledges the members of the campus community for creating their own safe environment.

“It’s everyone looking out for each other’s back,” that keeps the campus so safe, he said. As long as individuals continue to look out for one another, he said, the campus will continue to be a safe place for students and other University community members.

In-Class Press Conference: Betty Wong

Professor –

Economic crises, massive layoffs caused by significant budget cuts, and important changes in the world of journalistic reporting would intimidate any normal journalist. But for Betty Wong, the third most senior international editor at the Reuters news agency, handling them such challenges has become second nature.

As Wong points out, both she is now responsible for much more than just simply reporting news events.

“The world has gotten far more flat,” Wong observes. “It was hard to get news [before]; now it’s easy.” People are much more connected and the exchange of new ideas is much easier, she says. Wong says she is excited to be a part of the new push towards technology and creative outlets in the world of news.

With outlets in two hundred countries and information being exchanged in at least seventeen languages, it is clearly an influential international outlet. Yet Reuters is still not impervious to the recent changes in the economic and journalism realms of business – Wong notes, as do many others, that there are a great deal of layoffs and cuts that cause sacrifices throughout the media world.

Because of her position as a senior editor, Wong has been in charge of the business aspects of reporting on many occasions. On a recent trip on Air Force One to follow and report on the actions and initiatives of the President of the United States, Wong totaled the money spent just to send three reporters on the plane.

“One of our trips to Asia cost us $250,000,” she recalls. “I know how expensive it is to produce news.”

“The atmosphere is tough,” Wong says. “It is a very tough field…you really have to want [to write and succeed], and want it badly.”

As the third most senior editor at Reuters, Wong possesses a great deal of responsibility, and in this time of journalistic change and upheaval, her skills have become even more essential. Despite the recent cuts of expenditures in the world of journalism, new advances are occurring. The world of news consumption is quickly being altered, she says, leading consumers to expect a very different multimedia experience than they have demanded in the past.

“Things have changed. It’s about meeting customer needs,” Wong says. The new technology accessible to the public has brought expectations much greater than in any previous years. As a result, news providers like Reuters are expected to provide fully packaged visual, auditory, and text components with their news. There is “more of a demand for video and audio,” Wong says. “This generation expects the full multimedia experience.”

“The atmosphere is tough,” she says. “It is a very tough field…you really have to want [to write and succeed], and want it badly.”But despite all of the pressures, expectations, and changes in the journalism industry, Wong believes that being a journalist is still the “greatest career in the world.”

High School Friend --

Betty Wong had no idea she would become a journalist, let alone the third most executive editor for Reuters, a world-renowned news agency. The path to her current title was anything but straight, but she “doesn’t regret it at all” because it led her to “the greatest career in the world,” she says.

In an in-class press conference on Friday, Wong described her employment journey in the intense world of journalism and helped to introduce the concepts of the media environment to a course of Newswriting at Fairfield University.

As a daughter of a strict Chinese family, Wong was directed to follow her parents’ expectations. Early in her life, they decided she would become an engineer, leaving no room for the consideration of her aspirations. She enrolled in Stony Brook University in New York and focused on studying math and science – but she was never truly happy, she says. As she considered changing her focus in college, Wong remembered her days in high school working on the school newspaper, and soon realized that she was much more interested in writing and media than she was in engineering.

Her next hurdle, however, was even more daunting than her decision to change her major, essentially altering the course her life would take; she needed to ask her parents for permission. Wong’s first generation Chinese-American parents were certain about her path in life and were not very open to her suggestions. After great discussion, they finally agreed to allow Wong to change her major and become a journalist.

Wong later transferred to New York University to focus her studies on media and journalism. Immediately after graduation, she secured a job at The Wall Street Journal at the age of 24, becoming the youngest reporter for the paper in its history. Wong quickly realized, however, that she didn’t want to become stuck at a particular institution for too long.

“I could spend a lifetime at The Wall Street Journal, or I could see what else was out there,” Wong says. After deciding to leave the paper and experimenting with a number of other news outlets, she settled on Reuters.

A company that “does far more than media,” Wong notes, Reuters is a fast-paced company where she could grow as a reporter and as an editor. With outlets in more than two hundred countries exchanging information in seventeen languages, it is a strong example of the changing world of news consumption. Though she started as a reporter, Wong quickly worked her way to editing, and soon emerged as one of the most senior ranked editors for Reuters in the world.

Wong is proud of her decision to change her major in college and redirect her goals in life. The world of media has given her “the chance to do a lot of cool things….[that is] why I find journalism fascinating,” she admits. Because of her career, she has been able to travel to more than fifty cities around the world – everywhere from Shanghai, China, to Sydney, Australia - and meet important figures from a wealth of countries.

With her great life experiences, Wong is generous with her advice. She suggests finding a mentor, someone who can have a great influence on your life and career success.

“[There are] mentors who have shaped me, [and] helped me in realizing what I want,” she explains. Their key guidance was essential in Wong’s career decisions that have led her to her success today at Reuters. But more than just a handful of mentors, good advice and decisions have helped Wong through the course of her life.

“Be open to anything,” she says. “Have a mental list of what you want to do, [and] don’t hold back on anything you want to do. Go where you think your career can take you…you don’t have to stay anywhere longer than you want to.”

But Wong’s greatest achievements have been coordinated by one piece of advice, which has led her to take chances, risk everything, and has driven her to the great success she has today. To all students and adults alike, she suggests, “When the opportunity strikes, say yes.”