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Despite controvery, editor upholds story April 7, 2009

Posted by Chris Stover in Clips & Videos, Philadelphia.
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Original post from The Temple News.

CHRIS STOVER
Editor in Chief

Shannon McDonald stands by the 22nd Police District headquarters. A story she wrote on an officer recently garnered media attention (Julia Wilkinson/TTN).

Shannon McDonald thought a ride-along with a Philadelphia Police officer would make a good story for her capstone journalism class.

Though she received an ‘A’ on the report, she is now embroiled in a controversy that might not have been worth the grade.

“I just wanted to get some crime specifics and information on [the neighborhood] and … to see how the officer interacts with the community,” said McDonald, a senior magazine journalism major and managing editor of The Temple News.

McDonald wrote the article, titled “Black and Blue,” for the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the capstone course for journalism seniors. The article was published to MURL’s Web site in early February.

In it, she quotes Officer William Thrasher, 24, as using derogatory terms and expletives in describing the district he patrols, which has a large African-American population.

“These people are f—— disgusting,” Thrasher reportedly said per McDonald’s article. “It’s like they’re animals.”

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Crime on rise in Center City, Philadelphia May 29, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Philadelphia.
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The Philadelphia Police are reporting an increase in robberies in Center City, Philadelphia.

In areas typically considered “safe” and “busy,” like Society Hill, Old City and even City Hall, robberies are on the rise. More than 300 have been reported in the past month. One suspect allegedly said to his victim, “I’ll blow your brains out” at Sixth and Spruce streets.

To keep citizens in the know, the Philadelphia Police have created a Web site that allows you to enter an address or intersection and see a list of crimes committed in that area within a certain time frame.

Click here to check out crime stats for your neighborhood, Center City or otherwise.

Behind the Byline: Covering a campus shooting May 19, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Clips & Videos.
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A few posts down, you saw how my colleague LeAnne Matlach and I covered a shooting on the immediate outskirts of Temple’s campus.  As a refresher, here are the links to all the stories:

Shots fired at 15th and Norris – spot news coverage of shooting
Temple responds to shooting – e-mail sent to Temple students
Search still underway for shooting suspect – after some researching, I found some priors
No TU-Alert a louder message after shooting – colleague Shannon McDonald gives her take on the response

So…here’s the story…

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BREAKING NEWS: Shots fired at 15th and Norris May 14, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Clips & Videos, Philadelphia.
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Read original post from The Temple News.

shooting2-051408.jpg

LEANNE MATLACH
CHRIS STOVER
The Temple News

Philadelphia Police have confirmed shots fired at the intersection of 15th and Norris streets early Wednesday morning.

Lt. Quaiser of the Philadelphia Police Department confirmed at the scene that an 18-year-old female, a non-Temple student, was shot in the chest and taken to Temple Hospital. There is no word on the victim’s identity or condition.0514080209.jpg

Witnesses said as many as five shots were fired outside of a security kiosk by the turf field shortly before midnight Tuesday. The kiosk has bullet holes in it, and the security guard who was in the booth at the time is fine.

Temple Police said the victim was shot while standing in front of the security kiosk and talking to the guard on duty.

After the shots were fired, people in the area began screaming and huddling, witnesses said. Police closed access to Norris Street from Broad Street after the incident. The scene was mostly cleared by 2:10 a.m.

Police took about nine witnesses, including some Temple students, to Police Headquarters for statements. No suspects have been named at this time.

“My friends were walking home from 7-Eleven and the streets were blocked off. I came outside and the cops were everywhere,” junior journalism major Audra Neff-Williams said.

0514080150.jpg“I called Temple Police, trying to find out what happened, and they said they could not provide any information,” senior business major Mike Sweet said. “I think we have a right to know what’s going on. No TU-Alert was sent out.”

As of 2:10 a.m., no TU-Alert was sent by the university. Temple tested the system last Friday.

“I understand that cops won’t say anything at crime scenes, but Temple’s whole thing is the TU-Alert,” Sweet said. “I mean, they just tested it [a few] days ago.”

Facilities Management planned to board up the kiosk in the early morning. Temple Police said another security guard will be on duty at that location later today.

Stay with temple-news.com for continuing updates on this developing story.

Chris Stover and LeAnne Matlach can be reached at templenews@gmail.com.