TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2007
Tuesday Edition: Streamlining Military Disability Assessment
Pay attention to this story from
The Navy Times about the Pentagon launching a new disability system. This could make a big difference for veterans by cutting the time they wait for disability payments in half. The system could be operational in a month. The story says:
The Defense Department will soon unveil a new, streamlined
disability evaluation system that, in tandem with the Department of
Veterans Affairs, will replace the current cumbersome process with a
single exam and single disability rating.
According to a copy of
the plan obtained by Military Times and confirmed by Pentagon
officials, veterans medically retired from service will be able to
apply for, and get, VA benefits immediately.
Overall, the time spent in the system, from the point a service
member is found unfit for duty until he or she begins receiving VA
disability payments, will be cut “by about half,” said Bill Carr,
undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy.
The plan
is the Pentagon’s best effort to make some fixes to the system
immediately, without having to seek congressional approval. A broader,
longer-range plan unveiled by the White House Oct. 16, based on recent
recommendations from a blue-ribbon commission, will require
congressional approval and will take longer to implement.
The
Pentagon’s interim plan will be phased in with a pilot program to be
launched in late November at three military hospitals: Walter Reed Army
Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; National Naval Medical Center in
Bethesda, Md.; and Malcolm Grove Medical Center at Andrews Air Force
Base, Md.
The plan will expand to other facilities as officials
evaluate its effectiveness, with the emphasis on facilities that treat
greater numbers of troops wounded in the wars. Carr said expansion will
take place “as fast as it can.”
The plan, a top priority of
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is the Pentagon’s answer to the Walter
Reed scandal earlier this year. Media reports described wounded troops
caught in facing a tangle of red tape during their treatment and
subsequent medical evaluations.
Murdering a Member of the Military Could be Capital Crime
As federal law stands, if a person killed a member of the military and knew the victim was in the military, he or she could be accused of a capitol crime.
Under proposed legislation, it could be a capitol crime whether the killer knew the victim was in the military or not. Similar laws are in place for victims who are in law enforcement.
Banning God From Flag Certificates
Since Congressman Timothy Murphy's Web site sponsored the legislation I mentioned in the above story on capitol crimes for killing a solider, I was browsing his Web site and discovered a story tip. An article on the site says that when people receive a flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol, the accompanying card can no longer include the word "God" on it.
The article explains:
Having a flag flown
over the U.S. Capitol to commemorate an important date or event is
among the most requested constituent services proved by Congressional
representatives. Flags have been ordered to be presented to members of
the military, Eagle Scouts, schools, and for many other occasions.
On
the certificate accompanying the flag, constituents may have a personal
message inscribed to reflect the occasion for which the flag is flown.
Statements often include the words, “for love of God, family, and
Country,” or “God Bless.” However, the Architect of the Capitol, under
the direction of the Speaker of the House, who oversees flag orders,
has recently begun to censor the word “God” from these inscriptions
because it is a form of “religious expression.”
In one case in
Congressman Murphy’s office, a constituent wanted to send a flag to the
troops fighting in Iraq. He had been corresponding with them and
sending them care packages. As a thank you, the troops sent him an
American flag. He wanted to return the gesture by sending them a flag
flown over the Capitol with the message, “In appreciation of all you do
for us here at home. God bless you all.” His request was denied by the
Architect of the Capitol because it contained the word “God.”
The Office of the Architect of the Capitol responded by issuing an update to its policy. The new policy says the card may contain whatever a congressman or senator wants, arguing that cards are a personal form of communication.
Read more here [PDF].
Al's Morning Multimedia: Holy Hostel
|
Jeremy Carroll and Noelle Walker |
Occasionally I pass along really nice video stories that are worth a look.
This is one that any of you who are attempting multimedia can learn from. The piece was done by photojournalist Jeremy Carroll and reporter Noelle Walker, who both work at KNTV NBC 11 in San Jose, Calif. Pay special attention to the great use of natural sound in this piece and to Jeremy's amazing use of natural light. His creative camera angles take your eyes where they normally do not go. I asked Noelle some questions about the project, which takes viewers inside a San Francisco church that has become home to homeless people who sleep in its pews. The project just won a national Edward R. Murrow award.
Q. How did you find this story?A. This was the initiative of the photographer, Jeremy. He saw it in The
San Francisco Chronicle, and approached me with the idea. The article was compelling, but we thought it was a story that was made for audio and video.
Q. I have heard that you did much of this piece on your own time. Tell me about that.
A. Simply put, we were a bit obsessed! It was a story we knew had great potential. A story that we thought viewers would be compelled to watch. We did not want it to get stuck in the fast track and miss the mark.
Q. How do you collaborate on adding words to the pictures? What were your discussions like during the scripting process?A. We talked about some of the iconic imagery we wanted to juxtapose against the gritty tenderloin. Jeremy gave me some incredible pictures to work with that seemed to beg for a little breathing room. There were times I would run line options by Jeremy. For the most part, I write with a "soundtrack" in my head. Sounds a bit nutty, but I hear the pacing of the reporter track, nat sound and sound bites in my head before I put them in the script. The advantage of working with someone who is on the same page and approaches a story similarly is that I don't have to do a lot of interpreting!
Q. It seems to me that journalists sometimes are squeamish about stories that concern religion. What worries did you have about getting too "churchy?"
A. I didn't think of this as a "church" story, or even a religious story. The church was a location for the piece. It is a story about humanity, and struggle and compassion.
Q. Your story does not include anybody who is saying something like, "We should get those bums out of here, this is a church." Is the support for allowing them to sleep on the pews all day as universal as I would think from watching the piece?A. That would have been a very different piece. If parishoners don't like the homeless hanging out in their pews, they're probably not going to church there. It was such an accepted thing. I watched a woman one day going through the stations of the cross, weaving her way through snoring men and women!
Q. The sounds in this piece really make it special, especially the sound of snoring. Give us a lesson in how important sound is to a video story. What makes for great sound?A. The sound makes the story. The less of me, the better! We've been asked if the snoring was real, which it was, of course! But not all snoring sounds the same. I took the wireless mic and walked through the pews listening for different, interesting snores. Same with the steam coming out of the manhole. I played "chicken" with oncoming traffic after midnight one night to get the wireless close to the source, while Jeremy watched my back and the traffic from the sidewalk!
Q. This piece includes music that you added during the editing process. Lots of journalists oppose adding music to video pieces. How did you think through that issue?A. The music helped set a tone and, maybe more importantly, helped weave the piece through the passing time. I don't think music sound should be a "bed" for a piece, but I do think that when used in the right circumstances, it can add to a piece.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
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 depends on the accuracy and integrity of
the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be
corrected.
Posted at 1:48:13 PM
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