Research Report

Lead Levels In Flint, Michigan, Water Have Residents Avoiding Tap

•  Holt, Lester. "Lead Levels In Flint, Michigan, Water Have Residents Avoiding Tap - NBC News." NBC News. 08 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. 

• This is the first mention of the scandal on the popular nightly news cast, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Formally presented by Brian Reagan, the news cast is watched by a very large audience and is known for it's presentation of liberal media. Although they have experienced controversy somewhat recently, they are usually very accurate in their sharing of facts and statistics (Example), and the show has been running since 1949. Their logical arguments and their longstanding place in media makes it easier to trust them than other news media.  The target audience for the NBC nightly news cast is mostly families tuning in at night for a discussion of updates about the daily and weekly news. The fact that this source is dependent upon testimonies of families who were effected reflects this, as does the fact that the tone of the source is much lighter than other newscasts. The purpose of this podcast is to simply inform, rather than assign blame. This is substantiated by their use of facts and history, rather than a dependence on political rhetoric. This source is great for the facts rather than for the blame game, and it really establishes the current situation of Flint. 

"How Flint, Michigan's Tap Water Became Toxic"

•  Ganim, Sarah, and Lihn Tran. "How Flint, Michigan's Tap Water Became Toxic." CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. 

• This source, "How Flint, Michigan's Tap Water Became Toxic", is a segment from a CNN newscast about the origin of the toxicity of the water. CNN is another well known Newscast on the cable network CNN. CNN, as a cable news network, is host to many different types of events, such as the presidential debates. This fact gives it a well rounded feel to the viewers. It also has access to resources that smaller news productions don't, such as world travel. Unlike NBC, however, it is less targeted toward a "family" audience. This newscast depends on facts and statistics, like the specific data for the rise in lead levels, and uses less emotional rhetoric than would be used on a family oriented newscast. The goal for the segment was to inform the audience of the seriousness of the situation. The fact that they use actual footage in a resident's home substantiates this claim. They also use a doctor's interview on the subject, adding crediblity to their claim. Overall, this news segment is good for understanding how the water is affecting the residents and how professionals are understanding it themselves.

"Flint Mother Gives Emotionional Testimony of How Water Crisis Affected Her Children's Health"

•  Jacobo, Julia. "Flint Mother Gives Emotional Testimony of How Water Crisis Affected Her Children's Health." ABC News. ABC News Network, 29 Mar. 2016. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

•  This source is a segment from an ABC newscast on the effects of the water on Flint families. ABC, unlike CNN, is a privately owned news corporation, and is usually directed towards families as their audience. The author of this segment is Julia Jacobo, a well known ABC writer that has had her focus on controversies and political scandals like Flint for awhile. Her twitter feed states that she has not only been hosted on ABC, but also Elite Daily Magazine and Haute Living Magazine. The targeted audience is obviously families, families with kids, who are going to be able to make a difference. This is substantiated by the fact that this video focuses solely on a mother's testimony. The audience is better able to relate to her rather than a strange newscaster. She also uses very emotional language in regards to her children, at one point even stating, "...it keeps me up at night". The audience would feel personally affected because of their own connection to her their children. The purpose of this source is to show how the residents have been affected rather than focusing on who is to blame for the issue. The testimony shows this, as does the transcription bellow that us describing the whole ordeal she had to go through. This source is different from the previous two because it depends on emotional rhetoric rather than just facts. It is a different perspective, which is important for context when deciding the right solution.

"Blame game erupts over Flint's toxic water, Dems target GOP gov"

•  Pergram, Chad, and The Associated Press. "Blame Game Erupts over Flint's Toxic Water, Dems Target GOP Gov | Fox News." Fox News. FOX News Network, 19 Jan. 2016. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. 

• This source comes from Fox News Network, which is another cable news provider. The author of this particular source is Chad Pergram, as well as any Associated Press at Fox. Chad is very well known for his congressional coverage at Fox, but he has previously worked for PRI, NPR, and the C-SPAN network. He is clearly a well rounded journalists; each of those companies are known for different types of coverage. His twitter feed is covered in congressional stories; clearly he brings his work into his personal life. The audience for a fox news cast is usually more conservative businessmen, and this source is no different. It is composed of political rhetoric that could only be understood if one is keeping up with this presidential election. For example, it discusses the actions of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at the debate on Sunday, January 17th. The source also consists of it's own debate between a republican and democratic analyst. Really, this source is not about the dangerous situation itself, but about who is to blame for it. There is no mention of the residents or their issues, and the transcription below seems to only consist of key politicians and government agencies. Despite this, I really think this source is good for discovering what the two political parties think the correct solution is.

"Flint Begins The Long Process of Fixing It's Water Problem"

•  Shapiro, Ari. "Flint Begins The Long Process Of Fixing Its Water Problem." NPR. NPR, 1 Feb. 2016. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. 

• This NPR source is different from any of the previous entries because it is not a video. The podcast was written by Ari Shapiro, who is the host of All Things Considered, a popular segment of the show. He has a very worldly resume, from covering wars in Ukraine and Iraq to presenting stories on 5 continent. He also has a presence on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook which implies that he has multiple connections with different audiences. The audience for this particular podcast, based on the casual language used and the references to the volunteer efforts, is obviously more philanthropic and humanities based. The purpose of this podcast is to not only inform of current efforts, such as supplying bottled water and food, but also to question what the further efforts will be. This is demonstrated by the interview with Kaufman, a professor at the university of Michigan. This source is good to understand potential solutions that are being proposed. It is also beneficial for understanding why this happened.

"Why It Won't Be Easy or Cheap to Fix Flint's Water Crisis"

•  Bosman, Julie. "Why It Won’t Be Easy or Cheap to Fix Flint’s Water Crisis." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. 

• This source, unlike the sources I have discussed previously, is a text only source. It is an article from the New York Times about potential solutions for the Flint Water Crisis. The author is Julie Bosman, who normally covers political controversies for the paper. She has had a long run at the paper, since 2002, and worked at The New Republic. Her twitter feed is full of articles about politics, and she even has a quote from Rob Snyder, a key player in the Flint issue, on her front page. She is clearly dedicated to her work. The audience for the NY Times are usually businessmen, and such is the case for this article. The article depends on the audience's knowledge of not only politics but also basic economic knowledge, something a businessman is bound to have. The article is also structured in a Q&A style, which would make it easier to read for someone who is short on time. The purpose of the article, as discussed before, is to propose a counter-argument to a proposed solution. In fact the third and fourth "questions" are dedicated to the solution already enacted and why it doesn't work. The author also uses rather negative language when talking about the efforts done so far. I think that this is a great example of what I am trying to accomplish in my video essay because of it's specificity of detail about the current situation and amount of evidence against the solutions proposed.

"Here's How to Fix Flint's Water Problem: Privatize It"

•  Moore, Adrian. "Here's How to Fix Flint's Water System: Privatize It." Reason.com. 01 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

•  This source is different from every single other source because it comes from a private blog, rather from a newspaper or newscast. The blog is called reason.com and is dedicated to discussing the free market and capitalism. The author of this particular post is Adrian Moore. Moore holds a PhD in Economics and holds a spot in a think tank dedicated to "advancing free minds and free market." He has also co-authored multiple books on economics, including Mobility First: A New Vision for Transportation in a Globally Competitive 21st Century. The audience for this post is most likely economic enthusiasts; the language is tailored to those with previous exposure to economics. The issue is also analyzed through an economic lens, rather than a political or environmental lens. The purpose of this blog post is to suggest a counter-solution to the ones already suggested by both politicians and scientists. This is evidenced by not only the title, which suggests that the solution is the privitization of Flint water system, but also by it's use of examples of previous situations in which free market economics was applied as a solution. This source is good to discover a variety of different solutions, specifically from an economic standpoint. It is also a great way to get the opinions of someone who has not been influenced by politics or anything of the sort. 

"How the Water Crisis in Flint, Mich., Became a Federal Emergency" 

•  Durando, Jessica. "How Water Crisis in Flint, Mich., Became Federal State of Emergency." USA Today. Gannett, 20 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

•  USA Today is a newspaper that is fairly widespread across the states. They tend to publish stories about national events. The author of this particular story is Jessica Durando