Questions for Jonathan Randal

1. Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma where you had to choose between remaining objective to the situation and writing about it, and putting aside your notepad and pen to act in the welfare of others or yourself?

2. Some say Al Jazeera is biased against the West and others say it is more neutral and objective than Western media. Having spent so much time in Middle Eastern conflict areas, What is your first hand opinion?

3. Have you ever been censored, or completely suppressed, by a superior, governmental agency or your conscience for national security or the greater good?

4. What do you think will be the next big conflict?

5. What will your next book be about? When can consumers expect it?

Beat/Story Ideas

One of the more important issues today is the environment. WSU, like many other campuses is "going green" in a variety of ways, including recycling, research about sustainability, and using innovative eco-friendly building materials and designs. My beat will address environmental issues that are important on a wide scale, but with a specific connection to WSU. I think "green" issues are important to WSU students because most are aware they have the power to influence the condition of their environment, and many are concerned locally and globally.

In my beat, I plan to cover issues stemming from and influencing university research, student activities and campus renovations. Some key sources will be WSU researchers, student activism groups, administrators overseeing campus construction and budgeting, published and ongoing environmental impact studies, and WSU environmental press releases. I can cover this beat from Pullman because it is directly connected to WSU. The majority of my sources are local and easy to access. Other sources will be available online or via telephone.

WSU conducted a study that showed a connection between environmental toxins and inherited diseases like cancer and liver disease. I'll use the study to raise the issue about human exposure to chemicals in pesticides and fertilizers, and the organic trend.

• WSU Study Shows Environmental Toxins Can Cause Inherited Diseases Go beyond organic: Bliss serves up raw food with soul


• The foods you should definitely buy organic


• Keeping chemicals out of the classroom

An ever-growing popular trend is the switch from disposable water bottles to reusable ones. This is attributed to by an effort to create less waste for the planet to have to digest and to avoid harmful plastic chemicals such as BPA. This is of interest to WSU students because they are part of this trend, often spending $20 or more on a reusable bottle. This story will investigate the trend's origins, costs (locally, nationally, etc.) and connections to the environment.

• Choosing a reusable water bottle


• It’s the bottle that’s the trouble

Fuel is a hot topic for many students since even those who are not driving much now, will be when they graduate and start careers and commuting. WSU researchers are currently examining bio-fuels. Advances in bio-fuels could impact student pocketbooks and influence future car-buying decisions. This story will look into other alternative fuel sources, associated costs, supply and demand, and the effects it can have on students and the environment.

• Renewable Energy-Bio-fuels


• State looks at grasses, grains, wood products to produce fuel


• Clean Energy and Climate Change Law and You


• Research and Markets: Biomass Report - Market Research Report Ed 3 - 2009

Useful Sources:

• Cherie Winner, WSU News Service, 509-335-4846, cwinner@wsu.edu


• Mike Wolcott- Director of Institute for Sustainable Design, 509-335-6392, wolcott@wsu.edu


• Toni Nelson, ACUPCC Program Director, Second Nature, 859-940-2545, tnelson@secondnature.org


• WSU Green Media Resources


• John Gardner, Vice President Economic Development and Global Engagement, gardnerj@wsu.edu


• Howard Grimes, Dean of the Graduate School, Vice President for Research, grimes@wsu.edu


• Keith Jones, Director, Office of Intellectual Property, jonesk@wsu.edu


• Markus Flury, WSU professor of soil physics, 509-335-1719, flury@wsu.edu, $1 million grant for cleanup


• Jim Harsh, WSU professor of soil chemistry, 509-335-3650
  

Public Affairs Issue

Madonna booed in Bucharest for defending Gypsies
I think this is an interesting and well-written article that used an event to highlight an ongoing issue of racism and discrimination in Eastern Europe.

Caster Semenya- Public or Private Issue?

The International Association of Athletics Federations, I.A.A.F., challenged a female athlete's official sex and right to compete against other women, according to an essay in The New York Times by Alice Dreger, a professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. South African world champion runner Caster Semenya's sex was questioned in part because some say she is too man-like, athletically.

Dreger's essay detailed some of the biology commonly used to define male and female, and other biological factors that blur the definition. She wrote that the I.A.A.F. will determine Semenya's sex using a scientific team of various doctors and specialists, including an endocrinologist, gynecologist and psychologist. Dreger also questioned the guidelines for sex verification.

Is this issue a public affair?

Yes.

Not because Semenya's sex is something that should or should not be questioned. Not because she should or should not be allowed to compete against women. Not because the guidelines that differentiate between male and female are or are not accurate/biologically sound/ethical/etc.

The Semenya issue is a public affair because it asks those questions. It not only questions rules and guidelines that determine which competing class an athlete falls in within a sporting association, but it questions the very definition of sex. It questions biology. The results of this issue may impact similar arguments in other sports and arenas. These questions challenge the association between sex and gender, and what the many facets of those identities mean to people. These questions are a matter of general concern and interest because they reach beyond the sporting arena to the general public.

A Few Beat Interests...

• Science/Current research projects, advancements and new discoveries funded by WSU, or conducted by WSU faculty, students, etc.
• Crime/police reports in Pullman
• Local Politics/Small Government
• Education- all levels, including funding, programs, requirements etc.
• Environment- going green, pollution on the local level, advances and setbacks, affects on/ effects of agriculture, etc.