Investigative Story Analysis

1. An investigative piece by WABC-TV’s Jim Hoffer entitled “NYPD Officer Claims Pressure To Make Arrests,” investigates the ongoing presence of arrest and summons quotas put into practice by NYPD officers in a variety of precincts. Officer Adil Polanco, one of the sources obtained in the article, confesses that precinct commanders pressure cops to meet the quota in an effort to show those at One Police Plaza that they are able to control their respective precincts and neighborhoods. Aside from containing a professional angle, Hoffer attains a tape of a roll call at the 41^st Precinct in which an officer lectures his rank and file officers, insisting that they not only meet the monthly “one arrest and twenty summonses quota,” but also go beyond it as an attempt to stand out and come off as tougher, fiercer leaders. The story also consists of a human element. Hoffer interviews two brothers, Elijah and Zebulun Colburne, who claim to have been arrested after falling while racing each other. Specifically, the brothers told the reporter that they were acused of “engaging in tumultuous and violent conduct that caused public alarm,” causing them to be kept in jail overnight. Overall, this story contains a variety of angles from both within the NYPD precincts and outside of it. However, I feel that it could have been strengthened with more concrete examples, as readers are exposed only to one instance of these quotas in action and only to the responses from one precinct. In order to better reflect a compelling, worthy, and original investigation, Hoffer should probably have uncovered more evidence from around the city, as the article does, in fact, pertain to all five boroughs.

2. In an effort to uncover suspicious deaths that occurred in New Orleans at the hands of NOPD officers following Hurricane Katrina, ProPublica, along with Frontline and The Times-Picayune, has launched an investigation. The work done as part of it has been extremely comprehensive, as it currently consists of five journalistic personnel cooperating to find out more details about what really went on in the weeks and months following the devastating hurricane. These reporters and editors include A.C. Thompson from ProPublica, Tom Jennings from Frontline, and Gordon Russell, Brendan McCarthy, and Laura Maggi from the Times-Picayune. Currently, the entire investigation is a collection of six articles, each of which exposing readers to new mysteries, such as one that involves police lying about the deaths of men whose bodies were “recovered” following the tragedy. Within each of these articles, people can see autopsy reports and maps describing where each of these mysterious police actions took place. These in-depth examples, mixed with concrete evidence and various bits of multimedia give new light to the story in a concise, professional journalistic and investigative manner.

3. In a report regarding the final hours of the Deepwater Horizon, The New York Times determined that every single one of the ship’s defenses failed, thereby causing the infamous BP oil spill. The article unveils never before seen photographs that point out the areas of the boat weakened, and eventually destroyed, as a result of the failure. In addition, the article states that precautions and communication on the ship, as well as other nearby ships, were not elaborate enough. The article provides many details to readers, as well as several bits of multimedia in the form of photographs. However, I feel like the story could have given more points of view from the people involved in order to provide for a more understandable story, as opposed to one that just throws information left and right at the reader. Regardless, the article is a good read and is informative, especially to those interested in the effects of the oil spill.