International Journalism Exchange

Rocky Mountain News long history

Rocky Mountain News long history

El 23 de abril de 1859 salió a las calles de Denver, Colorado, este periódico que ha hecho historia en la region.

Aquel día, uno de los editores, William N. Byers, escribio:

"With our hat in our hand and our best bow, we this week make our first appearance upon the stage in the capacity of Editor," Byers wrote.

"We make our debut in the far west, where the snowy mountains look down upon us in the hottest summer day as well as in the winter's cold; here where a few months ago the wild beasts and wilder Indians held undisturbed possession - where now surges the advancing wave of Anglo Saxon enterprise and civilization; where soon we fondly hope will be erected a great and powerful state, another empire in the sisterhood of empires . . .

"Fondly looking forward to a long and pleasant acquaintance with our readers, hoping well to act our part, we send forth to the world the first number of the Rocky Mountain News."

De entonces a la fecha han pasado 148 años de altas y bajas, pero de constate trabajo. Miles de historias se contando en la páginas del Rocky Mountain News, y en muchas de ellas están relacionadas con los intereses y las necesidades de su comunidad.

En sus casi 150 años realizando una importante labor informativa en el estado, ha dado cuenta de buenas y malas noticias.

Una de ellas se escribió con sangre.

On April 20, 1999, in the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. When the day was done, twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead.

Estuve afuera de esa escuela y no pude evitar derramar una lágrima por los que inocentemente perdieron la vida. Después, ya en la redacción pude leer lo que este periódico reportó al respecto y me reafirmé mi percepción sobre la seriedad y respeto del manejo informativo.

Estoy muy complacida con mi aprendizaje en este periódico y trataré de poner en práctica en El Universal, con 91 años de vida, las herramientas que los editores, reporteros y columnistas del Rocky Mountain News compartieron conmigo. A todos gracias por la oportunidad.

Ah por ultimo les quiero mostrar una foto personal de mi visita a la que fuera la casa de la primera ministra de Israel Golda Meir.

VERSION EN INGLES

Rocky Mountain News long history

On April 23, 1859 went to the streets of Denver, Colorado, this newspaper made history in the region. That day, one of the editors, William N. Byers, wrote:

"With our hat in our hand and our best bow, we this week make our first appearance upon the stage in the capacity of Editor," Byers wrote.

"We make our debut in the far west, where the snowy mountains look down upon us in the hottest summer day as well as in the winter's cold; here where a few months ago the wild beasts and wilder Indians held undisturbed possession - where now surges the advancing wave of Anglo Saxon enterprise and civilization; where soon we fondly hope will be erected a great and powerful state, another empire in the sisterhood of empires . . .

"Fondly looking forward to a long and pleasant acquaintance with our readers, hoping well to act our part, we send forth to the world the first number of the Rocky Mountain News."

From then to date have past 148 years of ups and downs, but found work. Thousands of stories are counting on the pages of the Rocky Mountain News, and many of them are related to the interests and needs of their community.
In its nearly 150 years informative doing important work in the state, has realized good and bad news.
One of them was written with blood.

On April 20, 1999, in the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. When the day was done, twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead.

I was out of that school and I could not avoid shedding a tear for those who innocently lost their lives. Then, in the drafting and I could read what this newspaper reported on the matter and I reaffirmed my perception on the seriousness and respect of management information.

I am very pleased with my learning in this newspaper and I will try to put into practice in El Universal, with 91 years of life, the tools that editors, reporters and columnists of the Rocky Mountain News shared with me. All thanks for the opportunity.
Ah finally I want to show a photo of my visit to the former home of the prime minister of Israel, Golda Meir. The importance of Golda's Denver experience is documented in her 1975 autobiography My Life, where she states, “It was in Denver that my real education began...”

Goodbye, Houston

These are some pictures I took of the Houston skyline from the 65th floor of the JP Morgan Chase Tower, which stands opposite the Houston Chronicle.
  As you can see there is some smog all over, signs of the industrialisation here in the City. But it is fine at ground level.
  Unfortunately the Chronicle is undergoing some renovations, so one cannot see much of its exterior which is covered in plastic sheets and nets.
  Well, this has been the city I have spent the past three weeks at. Incidentally, the time has passed by pretty fast!
  Houston is a sprawling city and it can be tough getting around without a car. But I have done pretty well for myself (I think) and managed to get around very easily by Metro bus and rail.
  I am quite an expert at it now - having learned how to get a trip planner to go any place where the Metro rail and bus go to.  I find the Metro system rather efficient and the drivers are helpful too if you ask them for directions.
  You get a wide variety of people taking the bus, although it seems 'more popular' with the poorer folk!
  Well, at RM3.50 (Malaysian currency - the Ringgit) to US$1, I guess I am pretty poor in Houston!

  Cheers,

    JOSEPH RAJ

 

Mark Oloo - Laptop gift

Hallo,

The executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat Newspaper Bob Garbodi (left) and the local desk editor (my host editor) Rebecca Cantley yesterday presented to me a gift of brand new laptop which they believe will radically improve my work as a career journalist. I am very glad. Thanks. (See attached photo).

Regards,

MARK Z.OLOO

Evangelina Hernandez - On the other side on the border

Mexican visitor's lament: Our best hands are here

Tina Griego, Rocky Mountain News

And so I am driving around the city last week talking to immigrants and baseball fans when my colleague, a visiting journalist from Mexico City, turns to me and says: It is my dream to end illegal immigration.

With that sentence a door opens and a view from the other side of the border revealed.

Evangelina Hernandez is a co-editor at El Universal, a major Mexican daily. She is 42; her father is a tractor-trailer driver, her mother stayed home to raise Evangelina and her four siblings. Evangelina received her master's degree in politics and communication and has been a journalist for 22 years.

That's the resume. The person herself is intelligent and opinionated and confident enough to corner Colorado's newly assigned Mexican consul general and tell him to get out of his office and visit his countrymen because they are lonely and afraid.

He said he is trying, she told me.

Evangelina has been in Denver almost two weeks. In that time she has spoken with many Spanish-speaking immigrants, legal and illegal, and she says what has affected her most is the fear she hears in their voices. The mother in Greeley who sends her American-born children to the store because she is afraid to go out; the Guatemalan wife of a man who has permission to work here one more year and then must leave.

You will spend $8,000 on fines and attorneys to stay here one more year, Evangelina told the couple, recounting the conversation. Why not take that money and go back to Guatemala?

"Y despues?" the woman responded. And then? There is no work, no opportunity. Shall I watch my children starve?

"It is too sad," Evangelina tells me. "All the time I am talking to people here, I want to say, 'Don't worry about returning to Mexico because there is something for you there.' But, I can't. It's a lie. And what can I do? It's the big question inside me. As an editor, I tell my reporters, 'When you write a story try to offer the readers something positive, something to do.' And now, I am looking in my mind for something positive, something special to offer my people here and I have nothing."

She describes a Mexican town's annual Immigrant Day celebration. In this town, she says, all the boys and most of the girls leave for the United States, crossing illegally, before they are out of middle school.

"There is no thought about education," she says. "It's sad for me, and embarrassing, too, to recognize that we receive a lot of money from immigrants. The remittances are second only to oil. That's why when these immigrants come back to Mexico, it's oh, how wonderful, and we don't think about the cost to us as a country. And you know what else is so sad? Here, in this country, they are not valued, but when they return to their small towns, with their dollars and their big trucks and their presents, they are big and proud. They are someone."

She wishes the $500 million sought by President Bush to help Mexico fight drug traffickers could go to education. The solution to illegal immigration is education, she says.

"The huge job for (Mexican president Felipe) Calderon is to create opportunities for his people in his country. The 20 million people here illegally, sure, they send money home, but most of it, they spend here. They pay rent, they buy groceries, they buy clothes, they pay taxes every single day. And what happens to your country's economy if 20 million people go away?

"I know they go to school and they use services, but it's not free and it's ignorance to suggest Mexican people here receive everything free. They are making money for this country without any rights, without a single right. Nuestras mejores manos, las mas trabajadoras, estan aqu'. Our best hands are working here. We miss them. We need them."

Why hasn't there been that investment in Mexico, I ask her and she sums up decades of history with, "the greatest enemy of Mexico is corruption." But people there now are demanding the government create more opportunity.

"Every day people of conscience work for something new, something better. My son is in a better school than I attended. That is the future."

A wall along the border will not stop people, she says. "This is a problem we have to work on together and not as the U.S. looking at Mexico and saying, 'We are a strong country and you are our little neighbor.' No more."

A few days ago, Evangelina met a Greeley worker caught in the Swift raids. He went to court and agreed to return to Mexico in November. He told her he was from Camargo, Chihuahua.

"That is where my mother was born," Evangelina told him, excited. "She still has a sister who lives in Camargo. I'll call her. Maybe she can find a job for you."

She called her mother that night. Oh, her mother said, the factories have left. No hay nada en Camargo. There is nothing in Camargo.

With reporter’s eyes

See the challenges that newspapers in US are facing from inside - with reporter’s eyes. Last day I had a long conversation with a young (29 years old) BJ’s reporter, who left daily newspaper in

Wisconsin

just 3 months ago. According to the newspaper’s site he was pretty good reporter, his stories appeared very often on the 1’st page. But he left…  His opinion about “webalisation”, bloging, taking pictures and movies for paper’s site was: “Crap”...

With reporter’s eyes all that is seen like publishers and editors are pushing reporters to work more for the same money. He said, that newspapers in

Midwest

are hiring more inexperienced reporters, often – students, because experienced journalists deny taking pictures and writing the same story in two ways - for web and paper edition. The work conditions are becoming worse, but the publisher expects more and more stories form each reporter.

What would you say, dear colleagues?

It’s amazing what money can do

Last Friday I spent on the boat show in

Fort Lauderdale

with the reporter of South Florida Business Journal Brian and photographer Mark.

It is amazing what money and people’s desires can do in our world. Enormous yachts, huge sailships. That was great! By the way – that was the largest boat show in the world – that’s way we spent the whole day loafing around, talking with people, watching yachtsmen and their families relaxing))) We even got a tour on one yacht to the ocean. 

I interviewed one guy, who is selling yachts all over the world. Of course asked him about the Russian customers. He said, that they got a lot of clients from

Russia

. But most of Russians already bought the yachts during the first 2 days of the show. Then I asked him, what kind of yachts Russians are buying usually. The answer was short: “Huge boats”))))

Rockies-Tigres

Evangelina Hernandez

Denver, Co.- While the Colorado Rockies lost their chance at the World Series, the Tigers gave Lindavista the end home run that gave them the victory. That was great Jorgito. In the same day, luck smiled not equal to the two teams. The Colorado Rockies, but were already in the bag the championship of the National League, nothing like being champions of the World Series. But the swept their opponents in their field and took the victory. For Lindavista Tigers. They returned home with the satisfaction of having won.

The only thing in common between the two teams is the love and faith of their fans. On the streets of Denver last Sunday, followers of the Rockies said: "Hope dies at last" and therefore supported his team even after they lost. The streets of this city were dressed in purple from the start of the World Series and that color remains. Two days after the defeat, still says people in banks, stores and restaurants: "Next year we are going to achieve." And hope that the consolation.

But fans Lindavista The Tigers kept the taste of triumph and joy to remember the effort of the players to win.

Versión en español: Denver, Co.- Mientras los Rockies de Colorado perdían su oportunidad en la Serie Mundial, Los Tigres de Lindavista daban el batazo final que les dio el triunfo. Ese fue del gran Jorgito.

En el mismo día, la suerte no les sonrió igual a los dos equipos. Los Rockies de Colorado, aunque ya tenían en la bolsa el campeonato de la Liga Nacional, nada como ser campeones de la Serie Mundial. Pero sus adversarios los barrieron en su campo y se llevaron la presea. Para Los Tigres de Lindavista. Ellos regresaron a casa con la satisfacción de haber ganado.

Lo único en común entre los dos equipos es el cariño y la fe de sus fans.

En las calles de Denver el pasado domingo, los seguidores de Los Rockies dijeron: “La esperanza muere al ultimo” y por eso apoyaron a su equipo aún después de que perdieron. Las calles de esta ciudad se vistieron de morado desde que empezó la Serie Mundial y ese color permanece. Dos días después de la derrota, todavía la gente comenta en los bancos, tiendas y restaurantes: “El próximo año lo vamos a lograr”. Y esa esperanza los consuela.

Pero los fans de Los Tigres de Lindavista mantienen el sabor del triunfo y la alegría al recordar el esfuerzo de los jugadores para ganar.

Another attack on freedom of expression

Evangelina Hernandez

This text is written in Spanish and translated into English by a translator. Thank you for your understanding.

Denver, Co - When it comes to freedom of expression regularly image in the minds of journalists is related to pressures from the government or people of organized crime to prevent the exercise of that right. But they are not the only enemies: racism and discrimination are trying to infiltrate into the consciences of comunicadores. In this city two colleagues, the reporter Fernando Quintero and columnist Tina Griego have been victims of attacks through e-mails and phone calls, the issue they write: immigrants from Latin America. Every time that they published a story on the matter of them receive response from your readers, "always against" says Fernando Quintero. "Just try to put the faces of the people, their stories, the idea is not to victimize the Latino community but to present what is happening to them, but people accuse us of promoting illegal migration and ensure that those people have no rights". The centerpiece of the messages is noted that Latin Americans belong to an inferior race with regard to the Anglo-Saxon, but some that are very radical propose that all Latinos in general -are placed together with their children- in front of a firing squad to disappear forever. Tina with 20 years of experience and Fernando with 10, continue their work in spite of verbal attacks because for them is a very important task to communicate the reality of Latin Americans in the United States. For them, this phenomenon is very strong in the state of Colorado because it is not a migration issue as old in the border areas, "it is rather something that has been increased in recent decades."

Versión en español: Denver, Co.- Cuando se trata de libertad de expresión regularmente la imagen en la mente de los periodistas se relaciona con las presiones provenientes de gente del gobierno o del crimen organizado que tratan de impedir el ejercicio de ese derecho. Pero no son los únicos enemigos: el racismo y la discriminación tratan de infiltrarse en las conciencias de los comunicadores.

En esta ciudad dos compañeros, el reportero Fernando Quintero y la columnista Tina Griego han sido víctimas de ataques por medio mensajes de correo electrónico y llamadas telefónicas, por el tema sobre el que escriben: la inmigración proveniente de Latino América.

Cada vez que se publica una nota de ellos al respecto reciben respuesta de sus lectores, “siempre en contra”, comenta Fernando Quintero.

“Sólo tratamos de poner el rostro de la gente, sus historias, la idea no es victimizar a la comunidad Latina sino presentar lo que les está ocurriendo, pero la gente nos acusa de promover la migración ilegal y aseguran que esa gente no tiene derechos”.

El eje central de los mensajes es señalar que los latinoamericanos pertenecen a una raza inferior con respecto de la anglosajona, pero algunos que son muy radicales proponen que todos –los latinos en general- sean colocados, junto con sus hijos, frente a un pelotón de fusilamiento para que desaparezcan para siempre.

Tina con 20 años de experiencia y Fernando con 10, continúan su labor informativa apesar de los ataques verbales porque para ellos es una labor muy importante dar a conocer la realidad de los latinoamericanos en Estados Unidos.

Para ellos este fenómeno “es muy fuerte en el estado de Colorado debido a que migración no es un asunto viejo como en las zonas fronterizas, “es más bien algo que se ha venido incrementado en las últimas décadas”.

At work

 

The photo seen here was taken at the scene of a fatal industrial accident that I went to with a reporter and a photographer at highway 118. The highway is being expanded and the man who was killed was a 31-year-old construction worker who somehow slipped and fell onto a spinning auger and was flung off hitting his head. He died on the spot. The scene was tragic, but I was able to observe how the Star staff handle such situations. They were respectful and empathetic and people were willing to talk to them because of that approach, though the police were a little hostile at first.

Día de los Muertos

Yesterday, I was fortunate to be able to visit the Ventura Historical Museum, which had just launched its display on Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). The festival is of Mexican origin and it involves people honoring their dead by placing altars with their photos, the foods they had loved and other mementos. Skulls and marigolds featured in many of the displays, some of which were done in sugar by school children. There were also huge elaborate displays done by noted artists, several collectors' items as well as smaller more intimate displays.

As part of the ceremony to launch the exhibit, a Mexican cultural group performed several dances in the museum's forecourt (see photo above) and then a Mariachi band took over to entertain visitors. When we left, the museum was filled to capacity. Many of the visitors took their children as there were several activities outside, including face painting and making sugar skulls which taught them about the significance of the event. Dia de los Muertos is observed on November 1 and 2.