Proper attribution

Looking further into the way the Star Tribune reported the story of Loa Nugyen, the Vietnamese student and spouse sentenced to deportation, I realized almost immediately that the paper could have sought more sources for Saturday's story.

Because Nugyen's husband, Dan Hanson, is nearly the only individual cited and quoted in the story, it lacks a balanced view of the couple's struggle and ultimately appears as if the paper has written a plea story for Nugyen's deportation. The facts are straight: Nugyen came on a student visa that expired when she took a break from her Ph.D. program to travel; the couple failed to properly file paperwork that declared them married; Nugyen failed to show at court, saying she had mixed up the dates and subsequently failing to notify her husband; the immigration court denied an appeal to reopen her case; and she remains detained, away from her husband and will be deported soon.

The facts were there, yes, but when a writer fails to properly balance his or her sources the story begins to look like a sad-tale about a separated husband and wife. Because the story is filled with quotes solely from Nugyen's husband, who is naturally distraught and sad for the situation of he and his wife, it appears one-sided.

The lead and following quote are remarkable effective:

"When Hoa Nguyen was shackled and jailed for failing to make an immigration hearing last month, she presented her reason to stay: Dan Hanson, her Illinois-born husband.

"I went down there [to jail] and thought, 'OK. Here I am. I'm her U.S.-citizen husband,'" Hanson said. "What can we do to make this right?"

Apparently, not much."

However, to insert the voice in which the last sentence is written, it seems to be the "Can't a guy catch a break?" motif. A motif, I might add, that seems inappropriate for a news story. Inappropriate because it inserts a strong voice of the writer, and inappropriate because the motif it implies would be empathetic or sympathetic--neither of which are ultimately appropriate for a hard news story.

There is a single mention that U.S. Immigration officials were not able to comment on the story; however, more background information could have been gathered on cases like that of Nugyen and Hanson, or the ways in which student visas expire or the number of citizens who marry immigrants and fail or improperly fill out paperwork.

Any indication that the reporter searched real records fails to be evident in his or her written work.

Other questions could be asked: How often do these deportation cases happen between couples? What does the actual law state about the matter? Did Nugyen attempt to contact the immigration office after she realized she had mixed up her court dates?

We only know the background of the couple, and that her family and roommates are "fighting for her," as she remains detained; her husband has the final word: "I don't think the fact that she's not going to die justifies this action."

There are holes throughout the piece about the complex nature of immigration protocol, or why the couple failed to begin correcting their paperwork in February when they realized something was awry. These holes are scattered like swiss cheese, but clearly present.