Page 17 - The NOISE November 2015

NeWsbriefs By J. KeNdALL PerKiNsoN
NAU CeNsors Live shootiNg CoverAge
Two nAU officials are deflecting blame for censoring live news coverage of the Friday, October 9 shooting on campus. The campus-produced news program NAZ Today pre-records Friday evening broadcasts, which meant that the shooting, which occurred early that morning, would not have been featured. NAZ Today journalists worked all that day to be prepared for a live, six-minute segment on the shooting to replace their pre-recorded opening, but as it was about to air, the entire show was pulled.
nAU owns the television channel on which NAZ Today airs (nAU-TV), and was therefore legally permitted to censor the broadcast. However, the decision outraged a number of students and faculty, who pointed out that NAZ Today is currently the region’s only television news broadcast. student newspaper The Lumberjack quotes journalism professor Mary Tolan as saying, “NAZ Today is about giving the community news. It’s not an entity to make nAU look good. we have the First Amendment on the wall [of the school of Communication] and it’s still there, but they were denied the right to the freedom of press.”
Manager of Television services, Bill Ferris, claims that he contacted the head of nAU Marketing, Carla Andrews-O’Hara, to discuss what to air that night. Mr. Ferris says the decision to prevent the live, updated information about the shooting was made by Ms. Andrews-O’Hara, and that he would have been willing to put out a live broadcast containing relevant information.
In an interview with student media, subsequently approved for publication by Mr. Ferris, he claimed that he and Ms. Andrew-O’Hara “discussed a number of factors, and Carla made the decision that she did not believe it would be appropriate to have a new newscast.” Mr. Ferris did not explain what those factors were, why the marketing department would have been contacted, why Ms. Andrews-O’Hara would have had authority over the matter, or respond to a request for comment from The Noise by deadline.
In an official comment on the matter, Ms. Andrews-O’Hara told The Noise that Mr. Ferris contacted her with a recommendation rather than a request for advice. “I supported Bill Ferris’s recommendation to make a program change that day. I also advised that I was available for appeal or any further discussion, and was not contacted again during the day by any parties about the options, or the decisions,” Ms. Ohara said.
sALt river WiLd horse KiLLed, $8,000 reWArd
offered
A horse belonging to the wild salt River herd was found dead last month, just as the controversy over the roundup and euthanization of the animals died down. “Dotty,” was discovered near Coon Bluff with a fatal gunshot wound. Investigators initially thought that the shooting was probably an accident, the result of a stray rifle bullet. After a necropsy, it was discovered that Dotty was killed with a small-caliber firearm, leading them to believe that the incident happened at close range and was therefore intentional.
The salt River wild horses were the focus of fierce controversy after the Forest service announced plans to round up and eliminate the herd earlier this year. As reported in the september issue of The Noise, outcry from the public and state politicians caused the Forest service to put those plans on hold indefinitely. Dotty is the second of the herd to die since that time. Thefirst,“Thunder,”washitbyavehiclealongBushHighway. Thedriverwasneverfound.
The salt River wild Horse Management Group, which was primarily responsible for preventing the August roundup, has offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for Dotty’s death. Two other organizations have contributed funds as well, bringing the total reward to $8,000. sheriff’s deputies request that anyone with information call the sheriff’s Office’s Animal Cruelty Hotline at 602/876-1681 or email animal_cruelty@mcso.maricopa.gov.
ex-NUrsiNg stUdeNt oWes $111,000 for
LAWsUit AgAiNst PimA CoLLege
when former Pima College nursing student Terri bennett was suspended for complaining about students speaking to each other in spanish, she filed a lawsuit against the institution. Her legal fees were paid by the national lobby group Proenglish, which defines its mission as
“defending english’s historic role as America’s common, unifying language, and persuading lawmakers to adopt english as the official language at all levels of government.”
A jury unanimously ruled in the community college’s favor after evidence at trial showed that Ms. Bennett referred to Hispanic students as “spics, beaners and illegals,” and called the spanish language “gibberish” in her complaint. A judge recently ordered Ms. Bennett to pay $111,000 in attorney fees to Pima College, a sum that covers only one third of total costs. Taxpayers will end up covering about $10,000 for the community college’s defense
ArPAio’s PoteNtiAL iNCArCerAtioN rests oN
“stAte of miNd”
As Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio’s standoff with the federal government continues in a Phoenix courtroom, there is a growing possibility of his incarceration. Mr. Arpaio has been defending himself against charges of contempt of court for ignoring federal orders to stop practices of racial profiling.
Contempt of court can be categorized as either a civil or criminal offense based on the defendant’s “state of mind” at the time, but only criminal offenses can end in jail time. Plaintiffs in the case are attempting to show through Mr. Arpaio’s own words that his actions were willful defiance rather than negligence, opening the possibility of a criminal conviction. The defense has not yet made their case in the trial.
| J. Kendall Perkinson has the scoop on Northern Arizona. news@thenoise.us enewsbrief
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