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Al's Morning Meeting

Story ideas that you can localize and enterprise. Posted by 7:30 a.m. Mon-Fri.

Posted by Al Tompkins at 2:30 AM on Nov. 26, 2009

It may feel as though we are being express-mailed to hell these days, but the truth is that there is some good news. In the United States, cancer and heart disease deaths are down. AIDS deaths have dropped, too.

Read on to find out some surprising developments that took place in 2009, for which we can all be thankful.

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A dozen sites
I'm diggin'

*1. Medical ethicist Art Caplan explains what's accurate vs. what's right about the mammogram recommendation and how it plays into Obama's health care plan.

*2. Stateline.org provides a list of states that are about to allow MegaMillions and Powerball.

3. The Association of Independents in Radio has provided a one-stop shopping page for people trying to sell freelance radio stories.

4. Slate reported that some companies under criminal investigation still received stimulus money.

*5. Will digital recorders replace court reporters? The Des Moines Register reports on how this could play out in Iowa courts.

*6. Bob Dotson gives some practical responses to young journalists' questions about how to tell great stories.

*7. A kudzu-eating bug that also eats soybean crops has been spotted in the Western Hemisphere. Researchers are not very happy about it.

8. "Wired" explains how to figure out who is behind a Twitter page.

9. There's a new wearable HD camera for sports and action video that costs less than $350. Watch this sample video.

10. The Tennessean's "Life on Hold" project looks at the lives of 20-year-olds trying to "figure it all out." The project features some really nice multimedia.

*11. My favorite cartoon, "Rocky and Bullwinkle," turns 50 this month.

12. The Washington Post reveals how Washington, D.C., which has the nation's highest rate of AIDS cases, wasted millions of dollars on AIDS care.

All of my Diggin' sites are saved on Poynter's del.icio.us page.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but relies on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. We will correct errors and inaccuracies when we become aware of them.

Nov. 25, 2009

How to Find Out About Black Friday's Best Buys
Posted by Al Tompkins at 12:01 AM on Nov. 25, 2009

Roughly 77 million Americans are expected to head to stores Friday, often considered the start of the holiday shopping season.

A survey conducted for the National Retail Federation found that as many as 134 million people will shop Friday, Saturday or Sunday -- up from the 128 million people who planned to do so last year, The New York Times reported.

Read on to find out how to get the best deals during Black Friday weekend.

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Nov. 24, 2009

Inmate Paroled after Newspaper Investigates Wrongful Murder Conviction
Posted by Al Tompkins at 12:01 AM on Nov. 24, 2009

A New York inmate owes his freedom in part to a journalist who would not let go.

For 20 years, Christine Young of the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., has been bothered by a murder case the paper covered. She never believed that the police had the evidence to convict Lebrew Jones in the Manhattan killing of Micki Hall, a young woman who worked as a prostitute.

Young, a former award-winning television reporter, doggedly questioned the evidence, the tactics, the witnesses police missed and the connections to other killings that police failed to link.

The newspaper compiled the story and the mountain of evidence it had into a remarkable multimedia presentation. The project features audio and video interviews with key witnesses and the questionable confessions that Jones offered police years ago, and even explains through interactive graphics where Jones might have been at the time of the slaying. It also allows readers to navigate a time line that helps explain why Jones might not have killed Hall.

Read on to find out what drove Young to pursue the story and for her thoughts on the role of journalism in society.

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Nov. 23, 2009

4 Percent of U.S. Children Have Food Allergies
Posted by Al Tompkins at 12:30 PM on Nov. 23, 2009

An analysis of four sizable surveys shows that the number of American children with food allergies is growing. The condition affected nearly 4 percent of kids in the United States in 2007, according to a new report in the journal Pediatrics.

Four percent sounds low. But WebMD Health Notes tells us that many reports have suggested that food allergies in children are on the rise.

Read on to find out why this is not just a case of better reporting or parents who are more aware.

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Record Number of Foreign Students Provides Storytelling Opportunity
Posted by Al Tompkins at 12:05 AM on Nov. 23, 2009

The number of foreign students studying in U.S. colleges and universities is at an all-time high, with India, China, South Korea and Japan sending the most.

The figures come from the Institute of International Education, a not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization that has surveyed international students in the United States since 1949.

The Commerce Department says international students contribute $17.8 billion to the U.S. economy. How important are these students to the schools near you? What are your schools doing to recruit them? Below I've posted links to tons of data to help you get local. By the way, a holiday week like this is a great time to do stories on foreign students who may be stuck on campus while everybody else goes home.

Read on for background information to help you localize the story.

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Friday, November 20, 2009 Headlines

– Recommendation for Fewer PAP Screens Sure to Set Off Controversy

– "Authenticated Streaming" Could Change Broadcast TV

Thursday, November 19, 2009 Headlines

– California Restricts TV Sales to Energy-Efficient Models

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Al's Morning Meeting

Nov. 25, 2009

Nov. 24, 2009

Nov. 23, 2009

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