Journalism 133: Prof. Craig: Fact Checking Exercise

Fact Checking Exercise

Numerous factual errors have been introduced into the following article, but it is based on a current real story. 

Please download the Word document of this story or paste the text below into a Word document.  Next, look up and verify all information, then use Track Changes to fix all errors and rewrite the story with all errors corrected.  Email the completed assignment to me by the end of the day tomorrow (Wednesday).

New laws make part-time firefighters full time

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new package of laws addressing the need for year-round resources to fight fires in the state. One gives every corner of the state better protections when it comes to fire and emergency responses.

The "Fight for Firefighters Act," co-authored by U.S. Senator Dave Cortese, acknowledges something that's becoming clearer - "wildfire season" in California is now a year-round phenomenon.

The legislation will allocate $275 million annually to make more than 5,000 seasonal firefighters with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) full-time state employees.

"There's nothing worse than having a fire break out in a place 25 miles from a valley floor, from an urban area … only to have no personnel in that station," Cortese said.

The December Southern California firestorm showed that in today's world, there is no offseason for firefighters in our state.

"In Southern California, it is year-round now, when you look at their graphs and longterm data," said SJSU Environmental Studies Professor Kate Wilkin. "In Northern California, it's getting longer and longer. It's not quite year-round yet, but maybe if we have some extended, extreme drought, it could become even longer."

Crews from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Urban Forestry Program will also go full-time. Wilkin says this will allow for more prescribed burns to prevent fires from growing, or even starting.

"By restoring prescribed fires in the landscapes, it could be vital to our future--in terms of resilience--to climate change and fires," Wilkin said.