United Way works through the recession

            Fundraising during a recession can seem daunting, but the United Way of the River Cities amplified their fundraising effort and reached 80 percent of its 2009 campaign goal.

            Nearing the end of 2009, the United Way of the River Cities had only raised $600,000 toward their goal of $1.4 million.  It was then that the board decided to extend the deadline until the end of January 2010.  This extension gave them time to raise $1.1 million which was much closer to their goal.

            “The country’s economic situation has most certainly affected our region,” said Executive Director Laura Gilliam. “It has made it difficult to raise funds.  We experienced a fundraising shortfall of approximately 20 percent during 2009.”

            The United Way’s fundraising team consists of 16 volunteers from the community that are affiliated with local businesses including St. Mary’s and Cabell Huntington Hospital, as well as regional banks and other organizations.

            According to the United Way, the key to successful fundraising is a combination of fun, enthusiasm, careful planning and broad-based participation.

            “The majority of funds raised comes from contributions from individuals and corporations,“ Gilliam said.  “We also receive funding from federal and state grants, grants from private foundations, and as the result of special fundraising events.”

            The money raised by the United Way goes toward four focus areas including: Learning and Earning, Families and Children, Health and Wellness and Basic Needs/Unforeseen Hardships.

            The focus of the United Way of the River Cities is to better the human condition in the Tri-State area and they feel it is important to know that the money raised stays within the community and addresses the needs of local people.

            “Most of the funds raised in the community are distributed to partners such as those listed on our website,” Gilliam said. “That list changes, however, from year to year.  In addition, we provide support to Success by 6, the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership, and the Financial Stability Partnership.”

            For more information on the United Way of the River Cities visit their Web site at www.unitedwayrivercities.org.

Tri-State Airport Authority Meeting - March 18, 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE:  As part of my Reporting Public Affairs class at Marshall University, I have been asked to pick an organization and sit in on their meetings.  I have chosen to cover the Tri-State Airport Authority.  Once a month I will write an article that will convey what happened at those meetings.

            The Tri-State Airport Authority met on March 18 to discuss finances and upcoming airport projects such as extending the taxiway and creating an Interstate 64 exit specifically for the airport.

            At the opening of the meeting, Financial Director Don Wiseman reported on the financial operations of the airport for the month of February and delivered a summary of bank account balances, passenger statistics and gallon fuel usage.

            The overall expenses were slightly under budget and the enplanements for this year were up by 965 from 2009 and by 2,657 from 2008.  As for fuel usage, 1,312 more gallons were used in general aviation in comparison to that of February 2009.

            There was to be an approval of the Airport Directors Compensation Package, but due to the absence of two board members, the board decided to table the discussion until the next meeting.

            Maintenance Manager Bob Maynard updated the board on the runway extension project and said that 90 percent of the brush has been removed from the site and that completion of the building foundation and lighting was 40 percent complete.

            R.W. Armstong, who will be doing the Master Plan Update for the airport spoke about the possibility of buying homes and land to make a direct link from Interstate 64 to Tri-State Airport.

            The board also discussed the emergency exercise held on March 13.  This was a tri-annual exercise that consisted of 170 victims and approximately 1000 emergency responders.  During the mock disaster, Tri-State Airport unveiled its new Oshkosh Striker 1500 fire truck. 

 

Investigative journalism in the age of technology

            The state of journalism is constantly changing due to the economic uncertainty this country is experiencing and could make an older establishment rely on new technology to survive.

            The outlook of journalism staying the way that it has always been is doubtful.  At this time, newspapers and magazines are cutting their bottom line and eliminating staff positions.   The era of "big business" journalism could be on its last leg.  This new era of journalism may be just as much about entrepreneurship as it is about writing.  Creating a Web site and working from home could be the new wave.   Journalists creating a new online format for news and possible relying on income made from advertising on their Web site could be the new trend.

            It is safe to say that our society is already turning toward the Internet to get their fix on everything that happens in the world.  This is where blogging will come into play.  At this time, most of the writers in the blogosphere have turned their attention to entertainment media and writing about their own life experiences.  There is a chance that these people who have an interest in writing will eventually make the change from covering gossip to forming a viable source of investigative journalism.

            According to members of the Harvard Kennedy School, investigative journalism has not only started to slip away from the standard printed newspapers.  They believe that broadcast journalism is losing its touch for investigative pieces as well.  Radio has never been a regularly used forum for investigative journalism and television has the tendency to trivialize its reports to the point that they are hardly useful to the public anymore.

            When looking at blogging as the next viable source for investigative journalism, one has to wonder if this is just another trend.  A recent study by Yahoo! News stated that Web sites like Twitter and Facebook are already starting to lose popularity.  Blogging could be another trend that will just go by the wayside.  When searching through blog listings it is not uncommon to find blogs that have been abandoned after only a few posts have been written.  Other times, bloggers just post erratically and do not keep a regular writing schedule that will keep readers coming back.

            Even though blogging has the potential to strive or fail, it is possible that investigative journalism evolving into a completely online medium may not be out of the question.  There is a good chance in this economy that the hard copy form of the newspaper could be a thing of the past.  In reality, most people get their news from the Internet anyway.  Statistics from Socialnomics.net, a social media blog, states, “24 of the 25 largest newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation because we no longer search for the news, the news finds us.”  It would make sense for newspapers to cut their losses with the hard copy format and invest more into building reader-friendly Web sites.

            While the future of investigative journalism may be based on the Internet, blogging and online journalism may not be the only alternatives.  With the invention of new technologies like the Amazon Kindle and the Apple Ipad, buying and reading books on the go has become easier than ever.  This means that a new form of investigative journalism could be taking a little bit from the old school and adding it to a new form of technology.

            In the past, writers like Upton Sinclair have used the novel as their weapon of choice for uncovering problems that were found around them.  In Sinclair’s 1906 novel, The Jungle, he wrote about the atrocities that were going on within the United States meatpacking industry.  This novel caused a public uproar that lead to the Meat Inspection Act and the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.

            With the invention of the Kindle and Ipad, investigative journalists of the future could be putting their own time and money into finding the story and writing with the hopes that they can sell the rights for a book.  This could once again be a viable way for journalists to make money. 

            While the state of journalism is constantly changing and its future in a hard copy medium may be on its way out.  Investigative journalism is not something that is going to completely disappear into the ether.  There will always be a need for investigative journalists whether everyone is interested in their articles or not.  It is in the best interest of people all over the world to be invested in the potential corruption in the world around them.