Furst Draft

This is why we avoid the term "rape"

From David Brauer's Braublog at Minnpost -- I didn't see the Pioneer Press story about that horrific attack over the weekend but did see the Strib story and thought it was lacking a few details regarding use of the word "rape":

Late last week, an alleged sexual assault in Minneapolis’s Powderhorn Park got a lot of attention; from the Pioneer Press’s original story, it’s not hard to see why:

    A mother was skiing through the snowy park with her 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son when five juvenile males accosted them. One was armed with a handgun, [police spokesman William] Palmer said. Two of the boys raped the mother and threatened to rape the daughter, but the mother "basically says that's not going to happen," Palmer said.

On Sunday, the family released a compassionate statement that — in its commitment to a “great” neighborhood and recognition of the alleged perpetrators as “hurting, scared children who didn't get the kind of nurture, love and care that they needed” — might be more unusual than the crime.

The statement also included some media criticism:

    I do want to correct one major inaccuracy in the news that I have read. None of us were raped, to the best of my knowledge.  Yes, I was sexually assaulted but the girls did manage to fight off the boys and escape before anything happened.  I really have a huge repulsion at the labeling of us as victims.  I see us as strong and capable of taking charge of our safety.

So did an already horrific crime get mislabeled?

 

The editors at the metros say the criminal sexual conduct charge includes the term "rape," so that's what they went with. That may be true, but most people have a pretty clear idea of what "rape" is, versus sexual assault. I haven't seen the criminal complaint, but the woman says in her public statement that she wasn't raped. That would seem like a pretty big misunderstanding -- more than just a "mislabeling" -- and an error to be corrected.

We generally avoid use of the term "rape" for exactly this reason.

 

'Raising barriers to posting bad comments is still a smart first step'

Several readers pointed out this relevant story in the NY Times today regarding anonymous comments online:

Where Anonymity Breeds Contempt

By Julie Zhuo

THERE you are, peacefully reading an article or watching a video on the Internet. You finish, find it thought-provoking, and scroll down to the comments section to see what other people thought. And there, lurking among dozens of well-intentioned opinions, is a troll.

“How much longer is the media going to milk this beyond tired story?” “These guys are frauds.” “Your idiocy is disturbing.” “We’re just trying to make the world a better place one brainwashed, ignorant idiot at a time.” These are the trollish comments, all from anonymous sources, that you could have found after reading a CNN article on the rescue of the Chilean miners...

Sound familiar? Some of those "trolls" apparently use our site, too.

The solution, according to Zhuo:

Instead of waiting around for human nature to change, let’s start to rein in bad behavior by promoting accountability. Content providers, stop allowing anonymous comments. Moderate your comments and forums. Look into using comment services to improve the quality of engagement on your site. Ask your users to report trolls and call them out for polluting the conversation.

Regarding P-B, we're not prepared to require registration or eliminate anonymity at this point, even if that were possible. We do, as of Monday, preview reader comments on stories to make sure they meet our terms of use. Not sure what service is available to improve the "quality of engagement," but I'll check it out. And we do ask users to report inappropriate comments by trolls.

 

Reader comments on new reader comment process

Day One of previewing reader comments is out of the way and hopefully we kept up with the flow of comments fairly well. We had about 80 reader comments on the issue yesterday, and here's my comment on that feedback:

Thanks for the comments. Quick responses, and I'll have more in a column tomorrow.

I appreciate the positive feedback because I think this is, in fact, a change that will make our reader comments a lot more substantial and interesting. At some point, the comments area became a kind of direct-message chat room for people who wanted to vent, attack, defame, etc. That was never the intent of allowing comments on stories.

Regarding the time lag: I think we did pretty well for the first day of previewing comments. We'll have a better app and faster servers before long, which will make our work easier and also speed up the site, hopefully.

Regarding "moderating" the site: We're not moderating, we're deleting comments that violate our terms of use. We don't edit or touch the comment in any way, other than to make sure it doesn't get into libel, defamation, obscenity and inappropriate personal attacks.

Regarding "censorship": The online world is full of places where you can vent your opinion. This is our platform and we intend to keep it a reasonable, civil and interesting place for comments on stories.

Regarding anonymity: No plans to require registration, etc., at this point...not sure how that would work anyway, and if we correctly screen comments to keep them within our terms of use, I think there's a place for anonymous comments, just as there's a place for signed comments in print and online.

Thanks again for your feedback and ideas.

Also, David Brauer posted an item on our changes at Minnpost. Again, we don't call it "moderating comments," we're just filtering out violations of the terms of use. We have software that filters out comments for obscenities; our preview process is to filter other violations that software can't catch.

 

New approach to reader comments

New for us, anyway.

As of today, editors are screening reader comments, rather than allowing them to be posted directly to Postbulletin.com. We're not editing, endorsing or anything else, but if a reader comment violates terms of use -- if the comment is potentially libelous, defamatory, vulgar or just beyond the pale of good taste -- we won't let it go through.

To this point in our web history, we've deleted comments after the fact. (We also use a software filter that catches most comments that contain vulgar language.) Now, though it takes a fair amount of editorial effort, we'll screen comments and weed out the relatively few comments that are inappropriate -- and also the commenters who routinely abuse our site.

I'll have more on this in my print column this week. Bear with us, in the meantime, as we learn the new system.

 

 

 

'It's the working poor...that'll be using the buses'

Here's a reader comment about the new Second Street bus shelters. Kinda funny that city leaders, including business and civic group leaders, haven't commented, as far as I know:

The interesting thing is that one of the largest users of the new bus shelters will indeed be the poor and under-served. It's the working poor and just plain poor that work at the clinic and downtown that'll be using the buses.

Personally, I think they are great and avoid the low rent feel that normal shelters do. Lord knows you could put things like the Government center in a Morton building to save money...

   -Dean

'Don't unbutton at the Thanksgiving dinner table'

Too late for me...but perhaps others can benefit from this yet tonight:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

Don't Unbutton at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table
Katie Rice Jones’ Fashion Rule #125
San Francisco, CA (November 23, 2010) ¬¬–This Turkey Day when you push back from the dinner table resist the urge to unbutton.

“Thanksgiving is not the time to wear your skinny jeans,” says Fashion Stylist Katie Rice Jones.  “If you do, you are bound to look great during the first half of the feast, but as it moves on to the pumpkin pie you will feel like sausage stuffed into its casing.” 

This Thanksgiving dress like a fashion pro by wearing jeans that look hot and feel comfortable. Here are a few candidates Katie loves:

•    Joe’s Jeans “Honey” – Ten percent of these babies are made of stretchy material so they will comfortably expand with you yet their cut will keep you looking sassy.

•    Gap’s Boyfriend Jeans – Roomy jeans, like these, make feasting comfortable. Plus baggy denim will actually make you appear thinner than if you had a pair super tight jeans on.

•    Not Your Daughters Jeans’ “Tummy Tuck” - Patented 'criss-cross' stitching inside the front panel of these jeans comfortably controls your turkey filled tummy.

Katie says enjoy the holiday feeling relaxed and looking great. “Being fashionable and comfortable are not mutually exclusive – in fact the more at ease you are with how you look the more confidence you will project.”

About Katie Rice Jones
As a little girl, Katie Rice Jones had an instinct she liked fashion. Following her instinct has resulted in great experience and in a career she loves as a fashion stylist. Today she speaks with clarity and confidence about attaining style. She has appeared on Shine.com
CNN.com, In Touch Weekly,E, Style Network and HGTV.   Find Katie on the web at www.katiericejones.com

More on the Armistice Day blizzard and Wasioja

Here are a couple more links related to the Armistice Day blizzard and the memorial at Wasioja, from today's paper.

 

Two poems for the occasion

Jane Belau and Bruce Snyder of Rochester submitted poems regarding Veterans Day and also the new Freedom Shrine being dedicated today. Here they are, and I believe we'll publish Jane's in print Friday with coverage of the event.

The Freedom Shrine

Jane Belau

The Freedom Shrine serves to remind us
Of hundreds of years of contributions behind us
Documenting the Nation’s founding structure
The Country's growth along the way
The remarkable speeches of men and women
Who have molded our society's clay
Visionary, eloquent, committed leaders
Their historic product here for observers and readers

The Freedom Shrine should serve to ignite
Recognition, appreciation, the resolve to fight
As Patriots in the need to restore
Our strength and greatness as it was before
As one nation of many parts
Can still meld into one of common hearts
With freedom of speech, of worship
Freedom from want and fear
Hope in our history can be found here
The Magna Carta, Constitution, the Bill of Rights
Documents on voting, civil and human fights
The Freedom Shrine is more than for youth; it is for us all
To view, to prize, to protect and recall.

The company of the black marble, flag-marked Veterans Memorial
Standing tall at its nearby site
Honors those who fight, who fought, were wounded and those who died
To protect each and every right with pride

On this Veterans Day of dedication
Our fervent and solemn appreciation
For our Veterans, for our hard fought freedoms
And for the Freedom Shrine
Reminding us of the past years
Showing us that hope and persistence of will
Can fulfill our dreams and overcome our fears.

+++

Thank You, Veterans

Bruce Snyder

Thanks to the men and women who are so brave
Some for freedom their life they gave.
Others return but they're not whole
What they've seen or done has hurt their soul.
With some their wounds are in plain view
But others have those never seen by me or you.
There are those that went but did not fight
They enlisted and served because it's right.
They cooked, they healed, they typed, they fought
And be very grateful we really ought.
The servicemen and servicewomen have suffered through it
In place of us who cannot or will not do it.
They come in times of peace and war
Willing to fight for things worth fighting for.
To each and all who choose to serve
We say Thank You which is less than you deserve.
 

Free food and car washes for veterans

Here's an e-mail making the rounds among local veterans, and we'll double-check against our list in print Thursday:

FYI:  Veterans Day - November 11 Events  Please pass this information on to your e-mail lists and all Veterans.
 
Free Breakfast for anyone who wishes to attend the Rochester Veterans Day Program from 8:30 - 10:00 AM
courtesy of the Canadian Honker.  Program follows from 10:30 - 11:40 AM.  New Life Worship Center at 6301 34th Ave NW.
 
Free Breakfast for Veterans from 7-11 AM at all HyVee locations.
 
Free Meal for Veterans from 11 AM - Midnight at all Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar locations. Six item menu. Military ID required.
 
Free Dinner for Veterans 5-7 PM or until gone.  VFW Post 1215, 16 6th Street SW, Rochester. Military ID required. $5 for
non-veterans.  Turkey Dinner.
 
Free Car Wash for Veterans - Simoniz Car Wash at 3939 West River Parkway.  Military ID required.

Free Car Wash for Veterans - Express Car Wash at 333 Crossroads Drive SW. 
 
Free Car Wash for Veterans - Full Service Car Wash & Lube Center at 3223 41st Street NW.

 

MN Orchestra the greatest in the world -- for one day

If you're not into classical music, you'll want to move on...

Minnesota Public Radio's Brian Newhouse, who's a fine announcer but is prone to hyperbole in describing artists and ensembles, is heard currently on MPR promoting the Minnesota Orchestra "channel" of recorded performances. He says the New Yorker magazine has called the Minnesota Orchestra "the greatest orchestra in the world."

As excellent as the Minnesota Orchestra is, that quote has struck me as unlikely for weeks. So I finally looked it up.

Alex Ross, the music writer for the New Yorker, had this to say about the Minnesota Orchestra in an article published on March 22:

For the duration of the evening of March 1st, the Minnesota Orchestra sounded, to my ears, like the greatest orchestra in the world. 

That's saying a lot. The comments about Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra are glowing, no doubt about it. But is it the same thing as saying it's the greatest orchestra in the world?

Nope. "For the duration" of that evening, the orchestra sounded to Ross' ears like the greatest. Ross is a careful and insightful writer; I don't think he aimed to say anything more than that.