Connie K.

Chen

BIS 204 A

Dr. Min Tang

04/25/2020

Reflection Essay 1

My specific news topic or issue is the latest news and developments of COVID-19 in

Washington state. I chose local news because I think it's closer to our lives, and that's what

everyone cares about most in the UW community. So far, I've followed five news stories, most

of them from the Seattle Times and Washington Post, others from Google news.

The focus of the media outlet story I chose was the minimum custody doc inmates have

been released from jail, including some from pierce county. The Washington state Supreme

Court on Thursday voted 5-4 to reject a petition calling for the release of thousands of prisoners

who were about to be released and who were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. As of April

24, about 400 people on DOC's list had been released as a result of the governor's emergency

commutation. Fifty-four of them were from Pierce county. Two others from Pierce county are on

the short list. This media outlet reflects its position on this issue by concluding sentence. At the

end of the article, the author explains to the readers several have lengthy criminal histories, but

the offenses they were most recently serving time for are considered less serious. This means that

the author might believe that in this kind of virus outbreak period, to release some crime is not

too serious criminals is feasible and this will provide inmates with more physical distance in

prison to prevent infection to some extent.

I think there are three specific aspects of the article that are well done. The first is that the

article provides accurate data, such as "1,100 inmates", "54 from Pierce County", etc., which
provides factual support and credibility for the news. In news reports, data is the most accurate

way to truly reflect the occurrence, development and change of objective things. Data can make

events more intuitive and accurate to the audience. Second, the author explains to the audience

about the types of crimes committed by the released criminals from Pierce county, including

various gun and drug offenses, possession of stolen property, unauthorized use of motor vehicles,

and theft. If the types of crimes of released criminals are not known, releasing them may cause

panic among the people in this area. In addition, the authors note that although some people have

a long criminal history, the crimes they recently served are considered less serious. Such

statements may ease the concerns of residents in the Pierce county area. Third, a statement from

DOC's website is cited to the article for explaining to the audience why the state is considering

releasing some of the prisoners. The statement quoted from the official website provides

credibility for the news and rationality for the occurrence of the event. These three strategies are

worth learning in writing news stories. Among them, the most noteworthy is the use of specific

data for reporting. Data can accurately report news facts from a quantitative perspective, reflect

the development of news and explain the main body of the report, and can also be used as

auxiliary background material.

If I was a reporter, I would probably follow up on two fronts. First, interview the released

prisoners to ask for their thoughts and feelings at the moment, and to confirm whether they had

been tested for nucleic acids; After leaving the prison, what kind of isolation will be adopted. On

the other hand, I can also try to interview some Pierce county residents to learn what they think

about Washington state decide to release some prisoners or if they have any concerns on this

event.