DR VS MAGICAL PUTTER By Amanda Alianell Emily

DR. V’S MAGICAL PUTTER By Amanda Alianell Emily Daley Jasmin Salas

STORY BACKGROUND CALEB HANNAN • Reporter for Glantland, Caleb Hannan, stumbled upon a You. Tube video featuring Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt’s (aka Dr. V) Magical Putter. • Dr. V was not featured in the video and Hannan couldn’t find a picture of her on the Internet. • Wanting to know more about Dr. V, Hannan emailed her.

STORY BACKGROUND WHO DR. V SAID SHE WAS • She said she was an aeronautical physicist from MIT who built the Yar putter. • Knew nothing about golf but has the technology to change everything about it.

STORY BACKGROUND WHO DR. V REALLY WAS • • She was a transgender Born Stephen Krol Didn’t receive any degrees later changed her name to Essay Anne Vanderbilt in 2003 Never went to MIT but was a former mechanic Married at least 2 times with at least 2 children maybe more Filled for bankruptcy in 2011 due to a court ordering her to pay $800, 000 to a commercial developer in Arizona. • Lived in Gilbert, Arizona • Attempted suicide in 2008

STORY BACKGROUND YAR AND MAGICAL PUTTER • Yar was created by Dr. V and Gerri Jordan after they met at a Arizona country club in 2006 • The Magical putter was the Oracle GX 1 • Designed for people with mobility and flexibility issues like the elderly and disabled.

Essay Anne Vanderbilt (left) and Gerri Jordan (right) http: //www. azcentral. com/community/gilbert/articles/20140124 gilbert-golfinventor-suicide-website-essay-anne-vanderbilt. html

STORY BACKGROUND THE STORY ITSELF • The story originally was about the putter but changed into Hannan trying to debunk Dr. V despite her insistence on it being about the putter. • “she insisted that our discussion and any subsequent article about her putter focus on the science and not the scientist. ” 1 • Her first email to him said, “my anonymity is my security as well as my livelihood” 1 • After receiving a tip from Leyland Frische, risk manager for Gilbert, Arizona, saying the Dr. V wasn’t who she said she was, Hannan began looking in the Dr. V’s past.

STORY BACKGROUND THE STORY ITSELF • Hannan confronts Dr. V about the information he has discovered about her past. • Dr. V respond saying “You have know idea what I have done and what I can do, ” which he perceived as a threat. • In a later phone call Hannah had with Dr. V she got angry with him and handed the phone to Jordan who said “Well I guess you’re just going to print what you’re going to print. Try to lead a decent life. Have a good one. ” • In their last communication she pleaded with him one last time and that it would do a lot of harm. • Soon after on Oct. 18 th, 2013 Dr. V was found dead; she had committed suicide. • The story was then published on grantland. com on Jan 15, 2014.

ETHICAL ISSUE #1 “We’re also supposed to call on our reserves of emotional intelligence to comprehend the people we’re writing about. “ 2 -Josh Levin Executive Editor for Slate SPJ Code of Ethics

ETHICAL ISSUE #2 SPJ Code of Ethics “I would hope Grantland would defer to the wishes of the trans community on that issue, especially since, as I understand it, the story causes so much pain. ” 3 -Kate Fagen of EPSN

ETHICAL ISSUE #3 “I understand Bill [Simmons]’ impulse to leave it online as a learning tool, but having the story stay up seems as if we are valuing Grantland’s right to learn over the trans community’s right to not feel anguished. As many members of the trans community have said on social media, ‘My life is not your teachable moment. ” 3 -Kate Fagen of EPSN SPJ Code of Ethics Bill Simmons is the editor-in-chief at Grantland

QUESTION RAISED BY THIS ARTICLE If you were the publisher or editor would you publish this story?

ANY QUESTIONS?

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. http: //grantland. com/features/a-mysterious-physicist-golf-club-drv/ 2. http: //www. slate. com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/01/essay_ann e_vanderbilt_dr_v_s_magical_putter_grantland_s_expos_of_a_t rans. html 3. http: //www. thenation. com/blog/178118/case-grantland-takedown-dr-vs-magical-putter#