Archive for May 19, 2007
Six people arrested – suspected of smuggling bombs from Iran
I found this article in the LA Times (May 19) and only in the LA Times.
Six suspected militants thought to have smuggled roadside bombs from Iran were captured in northeast Baghdad.
The suspected militants rounded up Friday were thought to be smuggling armor-piercing bombs from Iran to northeast Baghdad. The mostly Shiite area, home to Sadr City, is a stronghold of radical cleric Muqtada Sadr’s Al Mahdi militia.
“The individuals targeted during the raids are suspected members of a secret cell terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
One of the detainees is believed to be “responsible for the planning and coordinating of numerous murders, kidnappings, assassinations and attacks on Iraqi civilians and coalition forces,” the statement said. Garver, the military spokesman, said the network previously had been targeted by the Americans, but declined to provide details.
The main newsvalue present in this story is Timeliness as this is breaking news it appears other newspapers are yet to have gotten the story or do not find any significance in the story. Proximity is also a factor as America has an important interest in Iran as the war on terror. I suppose Currency is also key because Iranian matters have been a ongoing concern to the rest of the world.
Add comment May 19, 2007
Next round of talks – Iran and EU
I found an article in the SMH about “next round of talks between Iran and the European Union on Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme” (SMH May 19) but i had trouble finding articles in other papers that related to this article.
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, a Spaniard, last met in Turkey on April 25-26 to discuss the nuclear row and agreed to meet again but without fixing a date and venue.
“There is a high possibility that it will take place in Spain,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told the ILNA news agency, suggesting the meeting would be some time between May 22 and May 31. The official IRNA news agency earlier this week said May 31 was the agreed date.
This actually isnt much of a story and it tended to reiterate what was already know about the Iran nuclear power debate
Iran is embroiled in a deepening standoff with major powers over its atomic ambitions, which the West fears are aimed at making nuclear weapons. Tehran says it only wants to produce electricity.
The United Nations has imposed two sets of sanctions on Iran since December over its refusal to freeze uranium enrichment – a process that can be used to make atomic warheads.
US officials have warned of a third, tougher resolution if Tehran does not halt such work, but Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they will not bow to such pressure.
The article has uses the news value of prominence and currency as the nuclear debate is an ongoing and important issue. Although Im still confused as to why other news organisations such as The New York Times, the Independent UK and the LA times havent placed any importance of the story – this is evident in absense of articles.
Add comment May 19, 2007
Hicks expected home
I decided to follow up the David Hicks story, looking at the latest developments about when he is expected to arrive back in Australia. Unsuprisingly, the Australian papers such as the Sydney Morning Herald, the Adelaide Advertiser, the Age and the Brisbane Times, all had articles suggesting the time of his departure and his arrival back in Adelaide.
SMH (19 May) titled “Hicks expected home Sunday” was the leading article in the online paper. SMH offers a additional angle to the story and also inlcuded Terry Hicks’ (David’s father) perspective on the situation
Hicks’s father Terry said the federal government was likely to wash its hands of the case once his son returns to Australia.
Mr Hicks, who is waiting for a call from the Australian consulate to say his son is back in Australia, said he believed the government would say the Hicks matter was now a state government concern.
“I don’t think it is, I still believe it is the Commonwealth government’s (responsibility),” Mr Hicks told reporters at an anti-war forum in Sydney today.
“The federal government are the ones who should be taking a belting in the backside for how they’ve handled all this.”
Mr Hicks does not expect to see his son for up to a week.
“Once he’s in the (prison) system we can get a meeting with the jail to find out visitation rights, what we can take in to him and what we can bring away for him and that sort of thing,” he said.
He is angry about the secrecy of the transfer and said the federal government was maintaining that his son was a security risk.
“Look at his charges,” Mr Hicks said.
“How can he be a security risk guarding a tank that doesn’t work.”
He said there was a real possibility his son would be placed under control orders, rather than undergoing meaningful rehabilitation, once he is released from prison in December.
Hicks was also under the catergory of ‘top stories’ in the Adelaide Advertiser. This paper however featured more stories on the subject, inlcuding a full spread on Terry’s reactions and feelings. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21760482-5006301,00.html and another extensive story about the Greens reaction to John Howards arrangement to have Hicks brought home on a private jet. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21758667-5006301,00.html. I didnt find this suprising however because Hicks is a local boy to Adelaide so it makes sense that Adelaide Advertiser has more information on the topic – this is a perfect example of the news value Proximity.
The Hicks story is also a leading headline in The Age – but this article is pretty brief – it doesnt mention the controversy about Terry or the Greens opinions.
I found it interesting that the story isnt featured in the major headlines in the Brisbane Times, but is the exact story published on The Age’s newspage. They are both fair fax digital news stories which makes it understandable that they are the same story, however i just find it interesting that they both place different importance on the story – I’m assuming this is because of the Proximity news value once again.
The New York Times had nothing in their online publication about Hicks being released. The latest story i could track down about Hick was written at the beginning of April. I tried finding an article in the Los Angeles Times but the closest seach was about two gay men trying to have a baby…The Washington Times also didnt feature the story – this is surprsing to me becasue America had a great to do with his arrest so I thought they would have some interest in his departure?
The News Values present in this story is currency as the David Hicks saga has been ongoing for years.
Timeliness is also apparent because each news organisation is trying to be the first organisation to get the news about when Hicks will arrive back in Aus, consequently they are publishing stories that are predicting when he will get home.
Proximity is a huge news values, as seen by the Australian papers placing more importance on the story, and the Adelaide Advertiser taking all different angles on the story.
I suppose David Hicks can be seen as a prominent figure - but definately for the wrong reasons – he is an important subject, but in a very negative spotlight.
The Terry Hicks angle of the story can be taken as Human Interest as it goes simply beyond the facts of the story and includes an emotional aspect.
Add comment May 19, 2007
