Greg Mortenson 60 Minutes Interview

            The 60 Minutes report about philanthropist Greg Mortenson made him look like the sleaziest humanitarian alive. The report does a good job showing both sides of the story. They show the good things that Mortenson has done such as building schools in many poor third-world nations and helped thousands of children regarding education. They also show the obvious misdoings of Mortenson regarding his book such as the misappropriations of the charity’s funds. By accounts of those who know Mortenson personally, those involved in the organization, and those who helped him in his travels abroad, it seems pretty obvious that something within this company is fishy. He spends millions of dollars on advertising and travel, though some people in his organization say this is integral to the success of the group and the publicity is the reason people continue to donate. Regardless of if it is or not, the amount of money being appropriated to these is more than it should be and the story does a good job making the viewer understand that not all the money is going into building and sustaining schools.

Regardless of if Mortenson is guilty of fabrication or not, he has done great things in this world, and this story makes him seem more like a criminal than a humanitarian. I would hate to see an organization aimed at great things fall apart because of bad leadership. Viewers of 60 Minutes likely are not going to support this organization after this story, and I would like to see the company continue, just hopefully with somebody else handling the funds.

The Secrets of Bohemian Grove

What do Richard Nixon, Herbert Hoover, Art Linkletter, and Jack London all have in common? One thing, membership in the incredibly exclusive, all-male Bohemian Club located at Bohemian Grove in Northern California. Every summer, Bohemian Grove floods with the country's most powerful and important members for two weeks engaging in what they call, “fun and games”. These 2,700 acres of Redwood Forest located just 80 miles North of San Francisco host more than 2,000 of our country's elite each year to relax and get away from the public eye.

Lying desolately within the forest, hidden beneath the forest canopy, Bohemian Grove stretches along the Russian river of southern Sonoma County. For over a century our nation's richest and brightest have been meeting here. The club is divided into dozens of small camps, the most prominent called Mandalay. Just a few of the businessmen and politicians included in the Mandalay camp are Leonard Firestone, Edgar Kaiser, Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger, William French Smith, and George Schultz. President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George Bush, and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger are also members, but in different camps. Richard Nixon is a member, as well as the CEOs of multi-million dollar corporations such as Eastern Airlines, Amoco Oil (Standard Oil of Indiana), and Bank of America. According to employees of the Grove, most members of the exclusive club are above the age of 50, economically successful, and politically Conservative. Members are determined by personal invite only, and your chances are very slim if you are not rich, famous, or have the right connections. 

Bohemian Grove is as secretive as it is exclusive. Pictures and video are forbidden, and members are not permitted to discuss or write about the happenings within their boundaries. This is especially true for the press, who are distinctly excluded and forbidden. Though possible to take a boat up the Russian River and catch a glimpse of the Northern edge of the property, police are quick to escort unwanted visitors off of the premises before allowing any sort of investigations. 

Still there are those willing to research Bohemian Grove. Sociology professor William Domhoff found enough information to write a book.

Alongside the Cremation of Care ceremony, there are two plays performed each year. One entails high production values with elaborate costumes, a detailed set, and music, while old pictures of members dressed in drag suggest the other boasts humor. Other forms of entertainment include swimming, hiking, sunbathing, and enjoying Bohemian Grove’s privately labeled spirits.

Like most boys’ summer camps, there is a symbol. In Bohemian Grove, a giant owl rests in it’s epicenter, serving as a symbol for the camp, while a statue stands for Saint John of Nepomuk, a 13th century Bohemian king idolized for his respect of honor.

Wives and women in general are forbidden from the club, even as employees. As much fun as these two weeks may be, the men still tend to business. Bohemian Grove is the site where nuclear power was first discussed, as well as the origin of the Manhattan Project in the 1930s. In 1967, the Grove hosted Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon where they settled their presidential ambitions before the 1968 election. Each year speakers such as Henry Kissinger or Zbigniew Brzezinski are invited to discuss their expertise with the club.

This year presidential counselor Edwin Meese is amongst the guest speakers. He is one among many that come as guests of current members. Another joining in the festivities this year is current CIA Director William Casey, who joins former Director John McCohn as a confirmed guest. Major League Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn will be attending alongside Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley.

            Despite the economic clout held by the members of the Grove, it is not without its drama. Nuclear weapons protestors still gather outside the Bohemian Grove property waving signs and chanting slogans. The Grove also faces a suit by the state of California due to its policy of not hiring women.

            Still, Bohemian Grove faces no imminent danger. Herbert Hoover once called the Bohemian Club, “the world’s greatest men’s party,” and the list of men awaiting invitation continues to grow.

Bohemian Grove Article Link






THIS FORMATTING IS INFURIATING AND IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX!!!!!!!!

What You Learn From CNN

            Watching CNN for a full hour really allows the viewer to understand how news stories are written for television and the difference between them and print news. With images constantly changing, it gives the writer more opportunity to touch on many different subjects without using as many words. It is also much easier to keep the viewer interested because they are listening to somebody speak while looking at images as opposed to reading everything themselves. It is much easier to keep my attention after one sentence if I have something to look at and it is being read to me than if I just read one sentence. 

            Most of the writing that was being done was written specifically to the images that were shown. The usual setup was for the anchor to give a brief description to drag the audience in before they launched the story. When the story begins they usually pan to an image while they speak about it, as it slowly zooms in. For example, there was a brief story about Fred Duval whom has been beside Senator Giffords’ side since the tragic shooting earlier this year. They say that there are rumors of Duval running for Senate, which he dismisses as he says that she is the best option for the state of Arizona. As they spoke about the speed at which Giffords is recovering, they showed an image of her smiling the entire time, slowly zooming in on the image.

            The stories are written in active voice. Sometimes the anchors would go out of active voice, but on the most part they spoke actively. For example, when speaking about Dancing With the Stars on Monday night, they said that Kirstie Allen took a spill on dancing with the stars. They did an excellent job using active words and not adding pointless words or changing tenses too often.

            On the most part, the leads are usually interesting. The stories that were shown varied in their interest level. On a news network, I would not expect them to speak as much as they did about celebrity and irrelevant news. They spent time discussing Dancing With the Stars, tons of little fish swarming Vilano Beach in Florida (which apparently happens every year), Kate Middleton and Prince William not signing a prenuptial agreement, and the story of Jerry Weintraub, a Hollywood director. There are much more important things that CNN could be discussing such as the possibility of a United States government shutdown (which they did a short story on), Obama declaring he will run for re-election, an update on the labor union crisis in the North, or anything involving Libya. One story I did find interesting was about 9/11 suspects who will be tried at Guantanamo Bay despite Obama shutting down the detention center and saying all of these criminals would be tried in the United States since the very beginning of his presidency.

            Lastly, there is a lot more opinion involved in this type of reporting, especially by the news anchors. Whenever a story finished, they would comment on it and give their opinions about what they thought. This is more plausible and acceptable on a lesser partisan channel like CNN than it would be on a network like FOX.