A Nice First Quote

WASHINGTON (AP) -- People in this country have been volunteering at record levels in the years following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but that voluntary service dipped slightly in 2006, a study found.
More than a fourth of the population, 26.7 percent, did volunteer work in 2006, down from 28.8 percent the previous year, according to a new report by the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency with a board appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
"We can't expect every year to be a new high so we're not really concerned moving from '05 to '06 with a small decrease," said David Eisner, chief executive officer of the corporation. "We would get concerned if that repeated itself year after year."
An increase in volunteerism from 20.4 percent in 1989 to 26.7 percent in 2006 was heavily influenced by a sharp increase -- almost doubling -- in the volunteer rates of young people ages 16-19, according to the report, released at the start of National Volunteer Week.
"Out of the tragedy of 9/11 and the devastation of hurricanes has come an unmistakable good: a strong interest in volunteering and community involvement," said Eisner.
But he said there's plenty to be done to expand the country's service to others.
The percentage of beginning college students who believe it is very important to help others in difficulty reached a 25-year high in 2005, the Higher Education Research Institute found.
Eisner called the young people "the 9/11 generation."
"They came of age during 9/11. They learned new habits of responsibility, new habits of volunteering and those have stuck," he said.
But volunteerism rates also have increased for most age groups.
The volunteer rate for seniors has increased from 16.9 percent in 1989 to 23.8 percent 2006. Volunteerism among adults ages 45-64 has also increased since 1989.
The overall volunteer rate was at 27.4 percent in 2002 and has stayed close to that level for the last five years.
The corporation, which administers volunteer programs including Senior Corps and AmeriCorps, prepared the report in partnership with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. The report is intended to help expand the ranks of volunteers and encourage people to continue that volunteer work.
About 61.2 million people volunteered in 2006, according to the study.
The study found:
--The number of volunteers serving in an education or youth services organization nearly doubled from 15.1 percent in 1989 to 27 percent in 2006.
--Religious institutions were the most popular organization choice among volunteers.
--On average, two-thirds of volunteers who served in 2005 continued to serve in 2006.
The top five states for volunteerism in the new report were Utah, Nebraska, Minnesota, Alaska and Kansas, with volunteer rates ranging from 45.9 percent in Utah to 38.3 percent in Kansas.
The lowest five were Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, New York and Nevada with volunteer rates ranging from 24.2 percent in Mississippi to 17.5 percent in Nevada.
The study also looked at civic engagement in the country, including activities like voting and neighborhood engagement, which refers to attending neighborhood meetings and helping neighbors.
The top states for levels of civic engagement were Montana, Vermont, Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

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The quote does a nice job of backing up the lead. This is because the lead talks about volunteer service declining in 2006, and the first quote provides an opinion on this subject from David Eisner, the CEO of the corporation conducting this research. The first quote is on topic and able to further the story's development.
Instead of stating facts, Eisner uses opinion to comment on the subject, using words such as "concerned" to illustrate his opinion.
Next, the verb of attribution is "said." This is definitely the most appropriate and accurate verb to use. It is an active verb, and it works well in conveying the message. Rarely does the verb "said" not work when attributing a quote within a story.
David Eisner is undoubtedly the best source for the story's first quote. As the corporation's CEO, he should be the most informed about the study and the most reputable. Moreover, he can best strengthen the story's lead by providing his professional opinion on the declining numbers of volunteers.

A Lead I Like

Bush to Visit With Troops at Walter Reed

By JENNIFER LOVEN

Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — President Bush carries a promise of better treatment for neglected war veterans on a tour of Walter Reed Army Medical Center Friday, but critics questioned the timing of the visit six weeks after shoddy conditions were exposed there.
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I like this lead because it is tight and focused. The words are concise and anything superfluous has been omitted. It presents the who, President Bush, the what, a promise of better treatment, the where, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and the when, Friday. Also, it ends with a teaser that induces the reader into continuing with the article. Instead of presenting too much information, it tells of Bush's critics questioning his motives but does not give away the entire argument. The usage of the word "but" will catch readers' attention because it connotes a controversy. In addition, the two verbs used are active voice instead of passive voice. "Carries" and "questioned" are much stronger than if the writer used "has promised" and "have questioned." What's more, it leaves ample opportunity for the writer to insert quotes from both President Bush and his critics within the article. This is because the lead presents the each side's point-of-view.

There is not much that I do not like about this summary lead. However, if I must critique something, it is that the writer was not very creative in this lead. It is your typical lead and may fail to seduce readers into reading the article because of its predictability. While it will suffice, I think it could be made a little bit more original.

Absence of Malice

Absence of Malice does a good job addressing the ethics involved in the world of journalism and reporting. Many times journalists will not follow the proper code of conduct when collecting data to compose news columns. This is a problem that is oftentimes ignored as newspaper editors choose to turn a blind eye to this unethically obtained information. If the story will sell more copies, then the companies may bend the rules to improve the story's audience appeal. However, as Absence of Malice illustrates, unethical journalists may find short-term success by utilizing such incorrect techniques, but in the end they are typically caught and the consequences could cost them not only their current job, but also their ability to obtain future jobs because of damaged reputations.

Men's College Basketball Player of the Year

Acie Law IV, Aaron Afflalo, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, or Alando Tucker?

www.espn.com