Tag Archives: CNN

American Ebola arrives at Emory in Atlanta

9/10/2014

My article was about more people that have contracted the Ebola virus going to other countries. According to the article, a male US citizen who contracted the Ebola virus from Sierra Leone arrived at the Emory Hospital. He was seen to be healthy, able to walk with the help of others. This man was taken from Africa in an air ambulance said the State Department. Then the article moves on talking about more patients that have contracted the virus from other African countries such as Liberia and Nigeria.

The statistics are introduced next by stating that 4200 cases of Ebola have been reported since the first documented case in December. The fatality count has surpassed 2200 and many officials believe that the number to extremely under-reported. Thus, they believe that the current epidemic is a dire emergency with the possibility of becoming the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.

Also, WHO stated that the rapid spread of the virus in Liberia shows no sign of slowing. “The number of new cases is increasing exponentially,” WHO said, calling the situation a “dire emergency with … unprecedented dimensions of human suffering.”

Then, the article talks about the current status of the Western African nations that are under the effect of the virus. Liberian citizens are facing a crisis where no beds in hospitals are available for the infected. They have reported that taxis are filled with refugees trying to leave the contaminated areas. According to one of the WHO officials, as soon as a new Ebola treatment facility is opened, they are expecting it to be filled immediately.

Due to demanding requests of aid from Western Africa, the US has decided to remedy the situation by sending them $10 million additional funds. Thus, it has added more on top of $100 million the US has already sent to help fight the outbreak. The new funds will help pay for the additional 100 staff workers to fight the epidemic. They will be sent to countries such as Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

The article did a great job of explaining the current situation of the Ebola crisis in Western Africa. Even though the article seems to just contain the important facts regarding the outbreak, the public seems to get a different reaction. As I read the comment sections, not so many people were concerned with the virus itself but rather held negative views against patients coming back from Africa. Some didn’t understand why the US was accepting the infected people and others believed that the US shouldn’t help the countries in need. When I was first introduced to the news of Ebola, I had opinions where the virus was a minor issue and that it should just stay in Africa, and be dealt by the Africans. However, I found that more people that I thought are in need for additional medical support that their countries can’t afford. Thus, the article was helpful to have me realize that it actually can cause multiple organs to fail which could be fatal, and that the rate of infection is not slowing down. Therefore, CNN did a good job of addressing the factual situation of the current Ebola crisis.

article: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/09/health/ebola-patient-emory-atlanta/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

12 people die in an Islamic attack on Somali prison

September 3, 2014

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/31/world/africa/somalia-bombing/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

The site of a car bomb and gun attack on a prison and intelligence headquarters in Mogadishu on August 31, 2014.

I read this article on CNN this past week. The issue at hand is an attack on a high security prison near Mogadishu Somalia. The article reports that Islamic rebels detonated a car bomb in front of the main gate of the prison and then proceeded to open fire on the prison guards. The prison guards responded and we able to neutralize the rebel group. This attack lead to the loss of life of 3 prison security guards as well as 2 civilians. The article also reports that the Islamic rebels were part of the Al-Shaabab military group which is said to be linked to Al-Qaeda. Al-Shaabab openly took credit for the attack and said they we trying to free members of their group who were inmates at the prison.

I found this article important because it is about a military conflict that happened in Africa. In last week’s class we discussed how the media reports a lot of attacks/conflicts in Africa and how the media paints a distorted picture of Africa to the American population. The media stereotypes Africa into this war torn country that needs to be saved. The media often uses different tones to convey a sense of disparity as they report about conflicts in Africa. These articles about military conflicts convey a sense of danger which I think is often stereotypical and should be discouraged in journalism.

When reading this article, I found it a bit stereotypical. The author of the article actually does not write very much into the story. Most of the article is straight quotes from eye witnesses and government officials. In most articles, I find quotes to be very useful when coupled with sufficient text explaining or backing up the idea captured in the quote. I found the arrangement of the quotes in this article not very useful due to lack of text backing the quote. When reading this article, I found that the quotes being used were arranged in a way that seemed to give it a stereotypical tone. I feel like the author isn’t explaining the entire story but instead uses bits and pieces of dialogue to create a dramatic feel.

In my opinion, I think this article could have had a very different tone if more text was used to back up the quotes being used. The heavy use of quotes gives the piece a cut and dry feeling of conflict but does not give much information on parties involved. To me it seems like a typical “Africa is a dangerous place” terrorist attack article. I found myself wanting to know more information about the prison that was attacked as well as the rebel group who initiated the attack. If the author took more time to add information about the prison and the Islamic rebels, I believe the article would be much more effective at reporting a deadly terrorist attack.

-Nicholas Stahl

Ruthless leader aims to extend reach of Al-Shabaab, eyes the West

Terrorist seeks revenge

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/24/world/africa/al-shabaab-leader/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

Tuesday September 2, 2014

In yesterdays news, after the first initial report published last year that came out of a Kenyon mall. A terrorist group by the name of Al-Shabaab and its leader were the hub of the problem. He is heartless when it comes toward opponents, too secretive and a true believer in global jihad. The issue discussed is that Mukhtar Abu Zubayr the emir of Al-Shabaab was hiding out in southern Somalia and has planned numerous terror attacks that includes the most deadliest in Kenya since the U.S Embassy bombing in 1998. This issue is important because Zubayr has a 15 terror resume and the U.S State Department has offered 7 million for his whereabouts. The authors of this article by the names of Tim Lister and Paul Cruickshank key words to describing the situation that Al-Shabaab is presenting is that he “is ruthlessly eliminating real and imagined rivals” within the group.

The tone that the authors give is that they are very cautious of what Zubayr will do next. My impression that I get from the words/tone used for this article would be hopeful. The reason that I say hopeful is that even though the problem may be difficult to face in the present. I am hopeful that whatever circumstance comes along that the results will be justified.

The source of the story I chose is CNN. I chose CNN because there topics are so current in today’s society. I also like how CNN goes in depth with breaking to even past headlines and explains thoroughly what’s happening in the world. I agree that the source negatively impacts the choice of words/ tone used? I say this because mostly if all of the article talks about the different terrorist attacks that is happening in Africa. Zubayr has already directed 2 suicide bombings against bars in Kampala, Uganda, in 2010, and last year’s Westgate mall siege in Nairobi, Kenya. When the Uganda attacks were over which killed over 70 people, Zubayr warned : “What happened in Kampala is just the beginning”.

My personal thoughts about the issue discussed and the tone is that from reading the article it is very explicit and cruel what a group of terrorists can really do. The tone just alone makes it hard for a man like Zubayr can just kill innocent people for no apparent reason. I think people like him should either be in prison for life or receive the death penalty for their actions. Africa is a beautiful country but with history of crime that is far worse than the United States crime violence rate. In order for this world to be in better place we need to end violence such like this in Somalia. People will only continue what they want to do if you let this crime continue.

 

 

The Ebola Epidemic Stereotype

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/01/world/africa/ebola-ghost-town/index.html?hpt=iaf_t2

For this assignment, I read the CNN article “Funerals, Ghost Towns and haunted health workers: Life in the Ebola Zone.” The article discusses the Ebola epidemic that is currently plaguing the northern Liberian area of Africa. Ebola is not only stealing human life from the infected villages- it is robbing them of religious practices as well. Due to the level of contagiousness equated with Ebola, individuals are stripped from being able to practice their typical burial ceremonies. This is important not only because of the number of lives it has claimed, but also because of the multiple levels in which it violates the families. The article continues to deeply describe the extreme precautions that are being taken in order to avoid Ebola. It describes men dressed in “space-suit-like outfits, cautiously throwing the dead body into the grave, [pausing] only to toss in anything else they are wearing that came into contact with the deceased.”

The key words that are used within the article are mourning, burying, devastating, suffering, deaths, and abandonment. Judging by the frequency and duration of the words used, the tone of the entire article is a mix of fear and morning. The author wants the reader to feel the pain that the affected individuals are subjected to. I suppose that CNN could be giving a stereotypical impression of Africa because of the bleak and pitiful nature of the article. It projects a vibe of helplessness towards the reader, which can be found in the majority of articles written about Africa. CNN is also known for having biased views on a myriad of topics.

Even though the language suggests differently, it’s hard for me to personally label this article as stereotypical. The reason behind this lies within the attached video, in which locals are interviewed and asked about how Ebola is currently affecting them. It might be easy to believe that the author is exaggerating the torment Ebola is inflicting upon Africa, but the words that came from the mouths of the locals makes the suffering seem real. For example, there’s a section in the article that describes the Ebola response team had been called to a village where a woman died of unknown causes. The health team is required to cover their entire body with gowns, goggles, and gloves in order to collect the body; which is then placed in an airtight polythene bag. When the team exits the house, the article states “those crying are the dead woman’s family members; for their own safety, they can only mourn from a distance.” I personally feel that whether the article is biased or not isn’t an issue. I doubt that the writer would go into such detail about the pain that is experienced if it was not true (at least on some level). It’s heartbreaking to hear about the abrupt fashion that Ebola steals loved ones. Whether you’re from Africa, the United States, Germany, or even the North Pole- death is devastating. It’s devastating to live through and it’s devastating to read. Ebola is largely equated with death, so no matter what, this article is going to be an unpleasant read. I’m not sure how the author could have rewritten it in order to not give off a bias view of Africa.

Funerals, Ghost Towns and Haunted Health Workers: Life in the Ebola Zone

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/01/world/africa/ebola-ghost-town/index.html?hpt=iaf_t2

9/1/2014

In the past several months the extremely deadly Ebola virus has ravaged many African countries, hitting Western Africa exceptionally hard.  Liberia, situated on Africa’s west coast is perhaps the country that has felt the biggest effects from the Ebola epidemic. Throughout the article numbers related to the Liberian Ebola situated are presented and they are truly frightening.  In Zango Town, many of the houses and buildings have been abandoned and barricaded in an effort to prevent any possible spread of the deadly virus.  Everybody that had previously lived here has either contracted the disease and died or deserted the town hoping to elude the sickness.  Several miles away in Barkedu, a small town of approximately 8,000 people has contributed to about 20% of Liberia’s 1,000 Ebola caused deaths. Because of the severity and spread of the disease in this small town, a quarantine has been issued; no one gets in and no one gets out.  Another effort to potentially stop the infectious virus from spreading any further. The disease is not just stopping at the villagers however, with an entire clinic of health workers that had come in to help contracting the virus killing all but one of them.  The bodies of those whose lives were claimed by the Ebola virus are not even receiving proper burial for precautionary measures.  The virus can still be spread from a dead body so health workers use special suits to prevent transmission and then dispose of the body and any clothing that could have come in contact with the infected person. Many Liberians are victim to terrible nightmares with the imposing virus terrorizing them even in their dreams; dreams of themselves contracting the disease and of their loved ones dying from it.

The reader immediately is exposed to the severity and tragedy of the situation with a title like “Funerals, Ghost Towns and Haunted Health Workers”. The article is filled with negatively connoted words such as “devastating suffering” and “abandoned”.  The source, CNN, has a past with controversy and this story seems to fit that mold.  A study showed that 41% of articles posted on CNN were clearly negative, while only 13% were clearly positive with the remaining 46% being neutral or having a slight lean one way or the other.  This article fits right into the clearly negative category because of all the tragedy and destruction in the article. The words make the reader feel as if the African countries are unable to protect themselves and are weak and in need of aid from larger, more powerful countries.

Even though the story is negative I feel like CNN was right in organizing the article like this. However awful it sounds, that’s how bad it really is.  The article brings into light the importance of the situation and the importance of putting an end to the spread of Ebola before more lives are potentially lost. It makes the reader realize that special measures need to be taken and people need to come together in an effort to help out those who are affected or those who have lost loved ones.