Shannon a reader makes a good point about a headline on an Associated Press story about a murder conviction in Grand Rapids.

The story, headlined Man faces life in prison for killing prostitute, was short and essentially named the defendant, victim and detailed what happened and when.

Shannon commented: "Why do they have to just say "prostitute" in the headline? There was more to this woman than her choice of income source. It bothers me that the media dehumanizes people for the sake of selling news."

She's right but it's a tough thing to overcome.

Headlines tend to be short and simple, pushing people to read the story but providing enough detail make the story stand out.

'Man kills woman' is too generic.

'Man kills woman he met at industrial park' is too out there, not clear on what or why.

But there ways around the generalizations and dehumanization.

For instance, we could go with 'Man faces life for industrial park slaying.'

Thanks, Shannon.

Jim Hopkins, a former business writer and editor at the USA Today, has worked for a year or two on creating an online community for the tens of thousands of people who work for the paper's parent company, Gannett.

Today, the Today Show on NBC reported that rumors of impending layoffs numbering 2,000 will be coming from Gannett, which also owns the Detroit Free Press. Other reports put it at less, but everyone involved is still waiting for the official word.

If true, this is another successful scoop for Hopkins, as his Gannett blog first reported this several weeks ago, giving something like July 6th or 8th as the date the layoffs or reductions must be completed by.

Now, Hopkins' info comes from posters, his readers; all he does is provide a forum for the community to engage one another and share thoughts, ideas and, most importantly, news tips on their company, whether employee or stockholder or interested party.

It's not perfect, one reason I'm sure that Hopkins is abandoning his project. 

If you are interested in how such a site could be the future model of discussion groups or forums (as more consumers seek only the news they are interested in, not the full scope offered by the traditional newspaper), check it out. 

Instead of ideas, thoughts and tips, the site quickly devolved into insults, hate speak, and mostly lengthy repetitious rants against management in general and individuals in particular.

And everyone has reason to be unhappy, as the stock price has sunk to just a couple bucks from highs in the $50s just two years ago and papers' and tv stations' staffs have been reduced.

Hopkins said earlier that he was giving up the blog, saying it was to only be temporary project, but interest exploded and he nailed several stories -- including a massive round of layoffs in December that was first reported on his blog.

But the interest brought the negativity and after a lot of drama with him injecting himself into the commentary and story, he announced last month or so that he was closing shop in October to work on another project. 

Then he cut off the ability to post comments anonymously and the number of comments fell from 60 to 150 a day to about three or four. Anonymous comments are back and so is the info and the hate, but now he's shutting down in a week or so.

He's endorsed a follow up blogger to follow in his path, but check out his current effort as it is a great case study in what can be done and what one must deal with to do it.

 

Many worried about Farrah Fawcett not receiving enough attention because she had the misfortune of dying hours before Michael Jackson.

I don't think so, as her career was minor compared to his. She was an icon but known more for her celebrity than her body of work, and she was carried across front pages across the world and primetime broadcast specials as part of the Jackson coverage.

But what about Iraq?

Remember that story, kind of a big deal during that monstrous presidential election?

Well, we're starting to leave and today (their time) they were handed over control over policing their cities. 

Remember the entire debate about a firm deadline or a general but unstated plan, goals versus a date?

Well, it's June 30 in Iraq. The date's here and the pull out has started.

It'll take a while, but now we've got Iran and Honduras melting down and North Korea remains the crazed drunken driver on this global highway.

Of course, we've still got to find out about the tickets to Michael Jackson's tour and reimbursements, and then there's the funeral.

Michael Jackson, I believe, will go down in history as an incredibly
gifted performer (dancer, beat maker and singer) who was also a bit
eccentric, adding to his legend.
The stuff about the children will be a short-lived anti-Jackson bias
that will disappear as time passes.
And it should be that way.
Michael Jackson was never convicted of a crime, and he was tried.
It's not like an allegation disappeared into a politically charged
investigation. A jury acquitted him of all charges, after everything
was laid out for the public to absorb.
And in the end, his appearance was freakier than the allegations.
Of course, there was the earlier allegation, but that kid took the
money. And all that can be said, I think, is that Jackson, because of
his eccentric behavior, was a very big target for extortion.
The fact that the mother of his second accuser had previously sued
someone else, well, that makes her look like an opportunistic
extortioner.
Sorry, but that's how it looks.
I'm no fan of Jackson. In fact, I can only list Beat It and Billie
Jean as songs I've listened to and liked. Never cared for Thriller
and never saw the video all the way through. Weird Al had a bigger
impact on me.
But Jackson's legacy will be of his being a child star who carried
the starpower to the next level, going from 11-year sensation to
world-dominating chart-topper.
His nonstop journey through the tabloids and then the court system
will be a footnote, showcasing the power he held over the public.
On the other hand, superfreak super-producer Phil Spector will go
down as a freak for his gun-toting and standoffish ways. He killed a
woman, a jury ruled, and will likely die in prison. On the side, he
created the Wall of Sound and produced albums for numerous acts,
including the Beatles.
While he could be considered a background guy, doomed to have his
talents and contributions forgotten, I disagree. It's because he is a
murderer that he will be known for killing someone. Michael Jackson
was not a child molester, a jury found. He was a superstar singer,
though.
And speaking of Super Freaks, Rick James will go down more for his
troubles — cocaine, kidnapping, sexual assault — than his beats,
because... again, he was convicted.
Juries do matter.
And what you do will affect your reputation, carrying with you into
your grave.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton punched

It's only the favorite of the morning, just barely topping the one about the Tigers winning their fourth in a row.

But this guy is generally a source of controversy or at least surrounded by chaos, so I'm sure it's a win-win for the manager of the Black Eyes Peas, who, according to The Associated Press, popped pop cultures most annoying face.

This sort of mess is what this guy adores, so good for him, getting punched.

We should all strive for greatness.

It is a difficult story to understand because it seems so unfair.

Man runs down another man, killing him, while driving drunk. And not just a little drunk, but quite drunk (not super drunk, we're talking .12-plus, not 0.08 or 0.30.) 

He goes to jail -- for 30 days.

Days?

In Oakland County, it would be at least months, maybe years, if the driving was bad enough.

But Donte' Stallworth was not in Oakland County, and, many readers have noted, he is a rich NFL star.

And this story sickens me. I'll try to give him the benefit of a doubt.

I try not to get riled up by the news, especially political or crime reaction stories. But you want at least for the system to pretend to be fair.

I don't know what happens in other drunken driving causing death cases. If 30 days is standard in Florida, then OK, that's fine. It's what anyone would get, then that's the law or at least the way the law is practiced.

But in Oakland County, if you drink and drive and kill someone, look for the hammer. Juries are sympathetic, judges are outraged, and prosecutors are out for blood. No one in the media is complaining, and defense attorneys are generally outgunned by very efficient police forces who know how to gather and collect the evidence to prove the allegation.

Some examples from cases I've covered this decade:

***Thomas Wellinger: The former executive ended up pleading to charges that will keep him in prison for 19 to 30 years. He killed a mother and her two young sons in Farmington Hills, speeding down a road improperly in a middle turn lane and driving over their car. He was at something like a .35 BAC. (Keep in mind, he didn't even get the 28-year minimum handed to the illegal immigrant who drove his car over an off-duty police officer on a motorcycle, killing him.)

***Dean Lee Rector: The former auto worker received a minimum 25 years for running red lights for five miles from Rochester Hills into Troy, passing people at speeds of 90 mph-plus before slamming into a woman's SUV and killing her. He was not drunk; but was high on cocaine (he didn't help himself with, as Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Rob Novy characterized, by claiming cocaine fairies had left the powder outside his car, telling a jury he would never buy the stuff to get high. He just found it and because his back hurt, he snorted it. Judge Gene Schnelz doesn't like liars, especially the part about the throttle being stuck for five miles).

***Eugene Wright: He left a work party drunk and drove for miles on 3 wheels after striking a couch and flattening his tire. Still going, he finally clipped a car and forced it off of I-75, crashing and killing an 80-year-old Fraser woman, a mother to 20 grown children. He pled and was happy to receive 17-and-a-half years minimum.

***Sandeep Sabapathy: The one-time medical student from Troy was lucky to get only a 5-to-15 year sentence on a manslaughter charge after a jury declined to convict on a charge of murder (the judge found that stories about beer pong and partying were too prejudicial). He killed a friend when he tried to drag race a friend on a snowy night after returning back to a party following a Coney Island snack.

What I will give Stallworth is that he did stop at the scene and admit what he did. Except for Wellinger, who never stood a chance and had an entire region wanting to lynch him, these guys tried to weasel out of it. Of course, if one could arrange for a 30-day sentence then there's not much more to weasel. 

The years of home confinement and lifetime driving suspension will be interesting, down the road. Let's hope he's at least sincere about his regret and learning his lesson.

In court what amazed me was the stance of victim taken by drunken driving offenders, put off because they did not mean to kill who they killed or hurt who they hurt.

And if the victim's family (in their private settlement) pushed for the 30-day sentence as a trade off for a payday, then I really feel sorry for the victim and sickened by whole thing.

They're not a good mix, but last week, a teenager in Troy was
extremely lucky.
The situation came out this week, as a Troy police officer fired a
shot from his firearm at a 17-year-old who had been holding a very
real-looking toy gun, an Airsoft gun. The teen had been playing with
a group of other children and teenagers.
Some have questioned the officer for firing the shot, but I don't see
how he could have done anything else.
He was responding to a 9-1-1 call from a motorist, who had reported
seeing someone pointing a gun at a child.
A police officer cannot go to a scene, automatically suspicious of
the called in report.
So he arrives at the scene quickly and sees a teenager pointing a gun
at someone. He yells to drop the gun and the teen turns (saying later
that he thought the officer was one of the participants) and the gun
is in the direction of the officer. He shoots.
Luckily, he misses.
However, missing may be the only thing the officer did wrong. If he
thought that was a real gun and the holder of the gun refused to drop
it and instead turned, the officer had to fire. And police officers
don't shoot in the air as a warning or aim for legs or arms. They
shoot to kill when they perceive danger to the public or themselves.
That is the way it has to be, or we would have even more dead or
wounded officers.
Now, I'm not saying the citizen's report was at fault. He or she
thought it was a gun pointed at a child, and if you see that, you
must call the police and report it.
If the caller had reported that some kids were horsing around and
making too much noise or getting into the road while playing with toy
guns, the officer would not have arrived and pulled his gun.
But when the goal of play is to use realistic looking guns, people
not involved are going to assume they're real.
I'm not one to think that toy guns should be outlawed, it's just that
common sense would make bright-colored guns more acceptable. A little
red tip just isn't going to cut it.
It's too easy for people to blame the officer, but I remember the
Hazel Park officer who was responding to a simple nuisance dog
complaint made by a neighbor. She was looking out for a dog when a
drunken homeowner blasted a shotgun from the porch, killing her.
This recent incident was almost a perfect storm for a disaster.
Perhaps, the officer missed due to a subconscious last-second doubt
about the situation.
The teen is lucky and really has nothing to complain about.
PHOTOS: The top photo compares real guns with the Airsoft guns recovered from the teenagers. The bottom one is the complete haul from the teens. See, some of them had colored guns.