Road Improvements

Today I went to Moberly to cover the public meeting on road construction on Highway 24. The project includes adding a center turn lane to the highway for a one-mile stretch west of Highway 63. I was interested to see what people in this area thought about an extra lane being added to a highway close to where they work or live. I found a good CCC, Bob Riley, who co-owns an appliance store along Highway 24. He said the turn lane would help his business because customers would be able to access it easier. I also talked with a representative from MoDOT to get the official point-of-view. I was hoping to get someone who maybe wasn't happy with the proposal, but I couldn't find anyone who was in that boat. There weren't too many people that came to the meeting.

I got some good shots of the traffic and nats sound in the area affected and was able to put that together with my sound bites well. I had some good nats sound breaks and video sequences, I thought.

I certainly learned a lot this semester. A learned how to put together a more complete story with graphics, hard facts, a standup, nats sound and multiple sources. I feel very good about the progress I made. I will continue to work hard to get better and improve my stories. I also learned a lot about communicating with sources and staying in-touch. It is such an important part of the business and I have learned how important it is to have great relationships with everyone you come in contact with.

The Local Effect

With the Department of Economic Development's report being released yesterday with some significant job changes, I wanted to see what the impact is locally. I called around to some manufacturing companies because the state said 3,800 jobs were added in manufacturing from June to July of this year. I was able to get someone from Central Missouri Countertops to talk with me and he was a great interview. He let me get shots of the guys working on some projects, which provided great sequences and nats sound. During the interview with operations manager, he told me the company did increase employees by about 10 percent from June to July this year. It was good to get those hard facts and numbers to put into my story to add context locally.

I also got in contact with Don Laird at the Chamber of Commerce to get a citywide perspective. I talked with him for just a bit and I think it also added more context to the story to show how the whole manufacturing industry is doing. He also was a contrast to the manager at the company because Laird told me the manufacturing industry is still having trouble.

I think editing turned out well. I was able to get a few sequences in my story, nats sound breaks, a graphic and a standup. I wish the sequences were just a bit better and I will keep that in mind next time I am out shooting.

Tracking Down Slow Internet

I hoped to humanize a story on slow Internet in the state today, but it didn't turn out like I hoped. I actually had saw a story on the NBC Nightly News a few weeks ago of a farmer whose daughter had trouble getting school work done because the family's Internet connection was so slow. I thought I could a story done like that on the heels of Missouri's application for $142 million of federal money to improve broadband access. I went out to Jefferson City to talk to the governor's spokesman, Scott Holste. I got great information from him. I thought the shot of the interview was good too, but when editing I saw that he moved a little during the interview and the part I wanted didn't look as good as it should. After interviewing Scott, I headed out looking for someone without a broadband connection available. I couldn't find anyone. All the people I spoke to in Audrain and Callaway counties said they have high-speed Internet, and I visited some pretty rural areas. In hindsight, I probably should have made a few calls to local electric/Internet companies first to try to find areas where they did currently provide broadband around Mid-Missouri. I ended up making these calls when these places were already closed.

I headed back to the station and put together a VO/SOT with an on-set. I think it turned out pretty well, with some good information from Holste. My video wasn't that great either since I couldn't find a family. I took some shots of me on the computer in the blue room and some Internet cords in the newsroom. I learned a lot today about who to get in contact with first in situations like these and how it is important to identify a CCC first before you head out into the field.

Spray Painter Vandals

I got to the station early today to work on my HFR and received a tip during the morning that there was a rash of vandalism overnight in Moberly. I thought this would be a good story to do nightside. I ended up doing the story and had a very willing source who provided some good sound bites. I also set up an interview with the PIO at the Moberly Police Department and I was off. I got a lot of shots of the spray painting, which provided some great visuals. I was done pretty early and got back down to the station at about 6 p.m.

I edited pretty quickly, but there were a few things I probably would have changed. I think I would have shown more pictures of the swastikas, because that is the most shocking video I had that we could use on air. I think it would have proved the point better visually about how hurtful the images could be to the residents there. I think just one more shot could've helped. I also wish I would have added a nats sound break. I didn't think I could because I didn't have any meaningful sound, but maybe just some outside noise would've helped in the middle. It's something to keep in mind from now on. I also learned that the lighting warning messages can sometimes not appear on the camera if the setting isn't flipped on. That could've helped my shot of the cat that was otherwise a good open shot. I think my on-set went pretty well, hopefully the makeup turned out OK for my first time!

Following Up On Missing Man

I thought it was important to follow up on the man found dead in a lake west of Columbia. It was reported the man was a severe diabetic and I wanted to know if the family had any more to say to educate others on this disease. I spoke with the man's wife and she gave me an oral statement that I wrote down and used in my package. I also got in contact with an endocrinologist and University Hospital to get an "official" view on hypoglycemia, which the wife said was the cause of the accident. With this interview, the statement from the wife and a few b-roll shots of the hospital, I headed back to the station.

I pulled some file video from yesterday's story and got to work. I had trouble figuring out which order to put my bites in from the doctor. This took me a little longer than I expected. I think I will just get faster with this in time. It is especially hard for me with official sources and one that is my only source on camera. There wasn't much video to work with and it's hard to work with video you didn't shoot. I also wish I would have put my standup further up in the story to engage the viewer better. Again, I wish I would have had better video but I think the bites were very important for viewers to hear.

Spreading Out

I went to the meeting between consultants, Columbia airport officials and residents tonight at the ARC. It was kind of a tough place to get good video, but I was able to go the airport beforehand to get some shots of airplanes and people in the terminal. Unfortunately, there weren't any planes taking off or landing when I was there. I then headed to the ARC and found a few people to talk with. They were both farmers who lived near the airport. The first person I talked with said he thought it could be a good thing for Columbia because it shows the airport is growing when many others are not. The other person I talked to said he would have a large chunk of his land bought from this airport if the proposal went through. I decided he would be a great CCC and built my story around him. I also worked in comments from the other farmer to give a different point of view and the airport manager, to get an "official" point of view. After all of these interviews, I went back to the airport to shoot a standup. I shot it along route H, which would be moved if the proposal went through. I wasn't able to use the stand-up though because I couldn't find the information I needed online to confirm what I said.

I got back to the station and was editing at 7:40. I thought the story turned out pretty well expect I realized it would have been really nice to go to this guy's farm after the meeting and get some shots there. My second shot in my package especially would have been perfect for a shot of the farm. I also would have liked to work in nats sound in the middle of my package (possibly some jet noise), but there wasn't enough from what I shot at the airport. I thought the package still turned out well with many points-of-view and an interesting CCC.

Tough One

This may have been the toughest story I've ever had tonight. I worked off a tip from a caller earlier in the day who said she felt she was excessively pressured by a salesman from APX Alarm, a security system company. I talked to her by phone and she said she could do an interview, but not on camera. I asked if anyone else in the neighborhood that she knew felt the same way about the salesperson or salespeople from APX. She said she couldn't find anyone who could talk about it. She did say the person next door disconnected the service she bought from APX a few years ago. I kept in contact with this woman throughout the afternoon as she kept checking in with neighbors. Meanwhile, I called a local security system company to get its take on door-to-door sales. I set up an interview with the owner there at about 5 p.m. After that, I headed to the person's house who made the call to KOMU. I talked with her for a few minutes and then decided to go into the neighborhood to see how other people felt. I talked with two people who said they felt the salesperson made a fair pitch. I wondered at this point if I actually had a story. I called Mike Brannen and he told me to keep pursuing. I went to a house that had an APX sign in front of it. There, I was able to talk to a woman who said she has had no problems with APX. Now I had both sides of the story. I was able to get some shots of the security equipment in her house and some nats sound of the system working.

I headed back to the station and arrived at about 8:30. I got to work and realized I needed to do a phone interview with the spokesman from APX. I recorded this at about 9 p.m. and then started editing. Mike moved me down to the D block to allow for more time to edit. A graphic was created for the phone interview. I put all this together and my story made it in its spot in the D block. It turned out pretty well, I think for the time I had. I should have been back at the station sooner, but it was hard to find people to talk to in the neighborhood. I think I definitely need to set a goal of being back by 7 p.m. each shift from now on. That will guarantee I can get everything done the way I want it to. I need to start working quicker from the very start of my shift at 1:30.

Change At The Fair

Today I investigated a story on the Callaway County Sheriff's Department not sending deputies to the county fair this year. I called the sheriff and he was very willing to talk with me. I also was able to talk with the man at the company that set the sheriff over the edge by agreeing to have a show at the fair, Mid-Missouri MMA. This company is up in Moberly, so it took some thinking about how to schedule the interviews. I decided to head to Fulton and the sheriff's department first. I talked with the sheriff and got in contact with officials from the Callaway County Fair. I was able to talk to the officials at the fairgrounds and I was able to get some b-roll as well as a stand-up there. I then headed out to Moberly to talk with Ricky Davidson from Mid-Missouri MMA. I got some quick b-roll with good nats sound there and did a quick interview. I got back to the station a little after 8:30.

Writing and editing went pretty well. I wish it would have been a little quicker, but I was still done with about 10 minutes left before the show. I was upset to see a little bit of the camera shadow in my shot on my stand-up. I didn't see this in the viewfinder when I was shooting. It was only in the HD portion, so it wasn't too big of a problem. I also wish I would have made it clearer that the Mid-Missouri MMA company is the one performing at the fair next week. It did kind of seem to me that the company I talked to was just another company and not the one actually performing.

Taking Off

I was called in early to the station today to report on the reopening of a renovated runway at the Moberly airport. I arrived at the station at about 12:15 and hit the road about 10 minutes later. I arrived at the airport and a caravan was heading out to the renovated runway. I followed them and then got footage of the ribbon cutting and some quick shots of the new surface of the runway. After the ribbon cutting, a man offered to take me up in his plane. I said I would go, but then declined to actually go up in the air and decided just to take a quick taxi around the airport. I got some shots while doing this, but I wasn't able to make any work in my story. I was able to humanize this story around the pilot and how he has been flying here for 20 years. He said he thinks the new runway will help Moberly attract more businesses. I also interviewed the public works director for the city. For some reason his audio was really bad. I think it may be because the mic was too low on his tie and it was very windy out on the tarmac. I will have to keep that in mind next time I am in that kind of a situation.

I got back to the station at about 5 p.m. and was editing by 6:15. The package came together pretty well with the exception of the audio on my interview with the public works director. I think I used nats sound well from the airport and had good referencing. I was also able to get some good pictures up on KOMU.com with my still photo camera that I used this time. I was happy with how much better they can look than some of the video stills.

Treading Water

Today I called pools around Columbia to see how they are faring during a tough summer economically. I found the West Broadway Swim Club had memberships drop by about 40 families this year compared to last year. I was able to get the source for this information agree to an interview with me at the pool. Before calling this person, I went to the city's Douglass Pool to find out how it is faring this summer. I was able to talk to an assistant manager who told me attendance has increased there since they lowered the price to $1 per person in 2008. She says they are seeing more families come out because it is more affordable. I then got some shots of kids playing in the pool. From there, I went over to West Broadway to talk with the man I set up the interview with. Before he got there, I talked with a member at the pool to help humanize the story. She said she would have to drop her membership if there were changes in her family's budget. She said it was important though to keep the membership while they still had the funds because it was a way to build memories and continue a tradition during the summer. It was important to get this view to show what someone who is paying the membership fee thinks about this cost during this economy.

Once I had all these interviews, I got back to the station with plenty of time to edit. I put together a pretty good package with nats sound and the three sources. I wish I would have included the price at the Douglass Pool in my package ($1), but I think it got cut out somewhere in the editing process. I think it would have helped to make the story a little clearer. But otherwise I think the story turned out well. I liked the information in the tag that I was able to add. I added information that I gathered from two other pools I talked with earlier in the day. This was able to add further context to the pool business in Columbia.

Building Up

Tonight, I followed up on a lead I got when reporting yesterday at Cool Stuff. An employee there told me he was laid off in the construction industry and has since been hired in the retail industry at Cool Stuff. He said construction companies are laying off more experienced workers in favor of cheaper ($10/hour) employees. I went back to Cool Stuff today and he was working there. He did want to give the name of the company that laid him off, however. But he did give me a tip that many laid off construction workers hang out at the Black & Gold Bar on Business Loop 70. I headed there and found some people in the construction business but none were willing to talk on camera. So, I went to a few construction sites around town asking what the workers there thought about the industry. I finally found a good interview subject at the Alive in Christ Lutheran Church in south Columbia. I was able to get a good interview with him explaining what he thinks about the state of the Columbia construction industry. He gave some good insight on why jobs may be falling. I still needed one more person on camera. I looked around town for more construction going on because the construction at the church was just finishing up for the day as I arrived. I found people still working on the Brady Commons project on campus and began to shoot that. Just as I put the mic on one of the workers there to interview him, a supervisor came up and said "no interviews." So, at 7 p.m. I didn't have many options left. I headed back to the station and began to edit a mini-pack.

Ryan Takeo said he had scripted an on-set with a mini-package for me. I got to work and had everything ready to go by 9:40. The on-set went pretty well, except I jumped the gun a little bit starting off. Gordon told me about that in the critique. I have to wait for my cue to start talking from the floor director. Tonight, I just went off when Jim and Angie were done talking. I know now to wait for the floor director's cue. I thought the package turned out well. I wish I would have had another source, but I think it still turned out OK.

The Retail Industry

On Wednesday night, I pursued a story on retail jobs in Columbia. There had been a report that retail jobs were up 40 percent in Columbia from 2002 to 2006. I tracked down the MU professor who was part of the report and was able to get a great interview with him in his office. I then headed downtown in search of a local business that could provide some further "today" context on the story. I wanted to see if a business could support these findings from the professor and how its hiring was going now. I wanted to see if retail hiring saw an increase or a decrease from 2006 to 2009. I tried many stores and none were able to give me enough information or were not willing to go on camera. Finally, at Cool Stuff, owner Arnie Fagan agreed to speak with me. He said he is actually hiring more this year compared to years in the stretch between 2002 and 2006. This was a good contrast and added context to what the professor said.

I got back to edit in plenty of time, at 8:15, but there was a problem importing my clips into Avid. I accidentally closed the video converter when I was importing clips from one memory card into Avid. This is because I was trying to convert my clips from the other memory card while importing the clips I all ready converted. I know now that this is not possible. This mistake cost me a lot of time as I had to reconvert everything from the first card, which had most of my video. I was able to get a package on the air, even though it wasn't edited very well and the shots were not that interesting. I had better plans for the package, including adding nats sound of the cash register, but the converting problem really set me back. I also probably should have lit my standup a little differently. I also know to shoot less video overall because it is hard to convert just what you want out of a lot of video. I learned a lot once again from this shift and I now have many things to keep in mind for the future.

Back At It

I'm back in Columbia for the start of broadcast 3 so it's time to restart the blog. I had my first two reporting shifts this week and there were some challenges, as well as some excitement, as I got back into newsroom.

On Wednesday, I was assigned the story of an Eldon man involved in a multi-state dog fighting ring. I called the Miller County Sheriff's Department and the Eldon Police Department. They both said they didn't have any information on the address of the man. So, I loaded up the gear and took off for Eldon hoping to find someone there who knew where he lived. My producer, Mike Brannen, called when I was in Eldon and he said he found the address from another report so I headed for the street. I talked with some neighbors there who confirmed the house where the man lived and said they saw the dogs being taken in the morning. None of the four neighbors I talked to wanted to go on camera, but they all were willing to talk to me off-camera. All of them said they had no knowledge that dog fighting was taking place at the home. I talked to one neighbor who said the woman he lived with might be home, but I didn't feel comfortable going to the door by myself knowing this could be a very violent home.

I was upset I could not get anyone on camera to do a package, but at least I was able to get shots of the house and some comments off-camera from neighbors. I was able to turn in a pretty good on-set that led the show on Wednesday. I did forget to print the script which had two lines for me to read when the anchors turned, but was able to adjust. I need to remember all of the parts of the on-set and I will be especially careful after this experience during my first one.

On Thursday, I followed an interesting story on Jefferson City water customers who will have to pay for four months worth of sales taxes that were left off of their bills. I found one man who was rather upset about the issue, even though the total cost that has to be made up averages to about $1.50 per household. He was a good CCC, although it took me awhile to find him. I tried about six or seven houses with sprinklers running and no one wanted to go on-camera. That led to me not heading back to the station until about 8 p.m. Then I realized I left my mic cords at the man's house, so I went back to get them. I didn't get back to the station until about 9 p.m. I was able to get the package on with help from many people in the newsroom. Holly suggested after the show I should have called back to see if someone could pick up the cords for me to help save time.

I thought the package did turn out pretty well. It had both sides of the story, from a customer's perspective and an official's perspective. The only other problem was my distance from the microphone during voicing. I need to remember to stay closer. Again, more time would have helped.

I learned a lot this first week and definitely know some things to work on. I look forward to the rest of the summer and continuing to improve.

Oil Spill

(Picture source: treehugger.com)

Continuing the theme from last week's post, another area that is probably a bit undercovered in the mainstream media is the effect of American companies in foreign countries. Some of these companies can leave long-lasting effects on foreign people but not show the same kind of care they do in the U.S. because of the distance involved. I think 60 Minutes' story this week on Chevron's impact in Ecuador is a great look at a major conflict between an American company and a foreign country it left behind.

Reporter Scott Pelley first sets the table for the story in an on-set intro to his package. He tells of the most astounding number in this case, which is the $27 billion that a group of Ecuadorians are suing Chevron for. He also explains that Chevron is America's third largest company, giving the viewer important perspective on just how big the players are in this lawsuit.

The story then gives a good historical prospective to open up. There is video from the 1960s when Texaco, now owned by Chevron, first came to Ecuador in a partner deal with Ecuador's national oil company. Then, it cuts to shots of the problem that is left behind today by the oil drilling. It is pits that were dug for toxic oil waste that still have not been removed even after Texaco left. This is causing oil to remain in streams and on properties across Ecuador. The story then cuts to shots of one person who has one of the oil pits next to his house. He says the pollution leaked into his water well. This helps to humanize the story as it shows an example of how the pits have affected one Ecuadorian's life.

There is an excellent stand-up in this story about three minutes in after they talk with the man whose water is contaminated and an environmental advisor. Pelley walks through the Amazon jungle to a site where one of the oil pits are. He finds that there are pipes attached to the pit that drain water from the pit when it rains. There is water dripping out of the pipes so he collects some with his hands and smells it. He then says he can clearly smell the oil in the water. That is an excellent way to show the viewer the problem first-hand. It also shows what a reporter can find when they get up-close to the conflict in the story and how helpful it can be in the story. I liked how Pelley got into the really remote areas of Ecuador to report the story the best that he could.

Pelley also talks with the judge in this lawsuit case in a small Ecuadorian town. It is probably not easy to deal with a foreign country's government, especially the judicial system which seems to have different laws and rules across different countries about who they will talk to from the media.

I also think Pelley benefited from being able to speak some Spanish. The judge spoke Spanish in his interview. Pelley also speaks Spanish with some other Ecuadorians who are part of the group suing Chevron as he goes to meet them near a remote river in the country.

I think this story is a great piece of reporting, with equal time spent on both sides. Pelley talks with a representative from Chevron who gives her side of the story and what she believes about the claims. This story has all the elements of great journalism as Pelley stops at nothing to get the interviews and perspectives he needs to show and tell the complete story.

Like I mentioned last week, my reporting is finished for the semester but I am always trying to stay in contact with people around town about possible stories. My goal is to continue to build more contacts that will lead to interesting and better stories. I am very satisfied about what I learned this semester in this class. I learned how to pull all the elements of great storytelling together. I am very excited to continue to build on my skills and keep improving as I head into my senior year.

Following Up

Follow-up stories are sometimes hard to find. It seems like there should be more done than there are. They are probably even harder to find when the story involves an animal or animals as victims. That's where this E60 story about some of the dogs once owned by Michael Vick is different.

The story starts off with video of Vick's apologies to his teammates, the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons' coach and owner after he pleaded guilty to dog fighting charges. Jeremy Schapp, the ESPN reporter, then brings up a great point that hasn't yet been covered. Vick didn't apologize to the dogs, who were his victims. Schapp goes on to explain how elaborate the dog fighting operation was on Vick's property. There is an interview with a federal authority who testified about how much land was devoted to dog fighting.

Schapp then goes on to explain where many of the dogs who were found alive on Vick's property have gone. It turns out many have gone to kennels. Schapp visits one animal shelter where many beagles, who were not involved in any fighting, were taken. Schapp goes to one of the owner's homes who adopted one of the beagles. This was a great help to see how far the dog has come since being involved in Vick's operation. In Schapp's interview, with the beagle on the owner's lap, it was clear that the dog had found a good home. The owner told Schapp that she think Vick should have to "mop out" the cages that his dogs now stay in. The owner said when she found out her dog used to belong to Vick, her reaction was only "empathy."

Again, I thought this story was a great follow up to what many would have otherwise forgot. I think it's a great service to the people who had strong reactions to the Vick case to see what is happening with the victims now. That is a big part of journalism.

I'm all done with my reporting now so I'm taking it pretty easy. I'm still just trying to stay in contact with people around Columbia and Mid-Missouri so I have good relationships when I get back in the summer to start B3. I am excited to do a full semester of reporting and will be able to use many new skills I have learned this semester.

Beware of the Seas

Pirates have been in the news a lot lately. So, this week ABC's 20/20 did a story on some civilians who also have had encounters with pirates near the coast of Somalia. The story was done by Jim Avila, a reporter I respect greatly who I think tells a story as well as anyone.

I like the editing the story started off with. There were quick shots of ships as Avila explains how busy the area is with ship traffic. Then the picture fades into the threat the area presents, the pirates and their guns. It then cuts to a SOT with a man testifying just how dangerous the pirates can be. It's a great opening that grabbed my attention with good editing and effective use of a testimonial SOT.

Avila then tells of two Americans who found themselves in battle with pirates as they attempted to sail around the world. This does a great deal in connecting an international story with the main viewing audience of 20/20, Americans. By seeing some of our countrymen in that situation, it helped me connect with what the pirates attacks can really be like and I felt sympathy for the Americans who were victims. There was also good editing in this sequence with re-creation shots from the bow of a ship. There were other shots from the ship that re-created the story of that the American couple told of the time they were attacked.

I was a little confused why the story ended with the story of a French ship that was also attacked by pirates. It didn't do as much for me as an American to extend the story. It didn't seem like a great ending. I would have rather of seen more of the American couple or another story of Americans and pirates.

For my reporting this week, I went to ABC Labs to do a story on Governor Nixon promoting a new summer job program for Missouri youth. It was difficult because Nixon moved very quickly through the lab on his tour. I brought my tripod, but it was difficult to get it set up with how quickly Nixon was moving. I still was able to get some good shots and put it together with three sources for a pretty good package. I was glad I got the student perspective as well by going to campus to see what a person eligible for the plan thought about it.

Spot News

I am going local for this week's journalism reflection. Local as in my hometown in Columbus, OH. I saw a great story from a local TV station in my hometown as it covered the collapse of an observation platform at the Columbus Motor Speedway on Saturday night (click on the "video" icon on the page to view the video story from the 11 p.m. newscast).

It was opening night for the speedway and a long night of events were planned. Just before the activities were to begin, at about 5:30 p.m., a concrete platform near the announcer's booth collapsed. One person had serious injuries. I watched the video from the 6 p.m. (actually came on about 7 p.m. because of the Masters) newscast that was posted that evening, but it since has been taken down. I think the coverage at 7 p.m. was more impressive than when they had more time to prepare the story before the 11 p.m. newscast.

At 6 p.m., they had a reporter live on the scene and shots from the news helicopter of the collapsed platform. They also had a SOT with a relative of a person who was seriously injured after being trapped from some of the rubble of the collapsed platform. This person was also on the platform when it collapsed and gave the essential first-person account of what happened. The live reporter gave all the latest information and had good shots of the scene for a VO to go with her report. Then, the anchor pitched to another reporter live at the hospital on the phone where the victim with serious injuries was taken. The reporter there gave a live update on what they knew about the victim at that time. There was also a VO with shots of the victim being taken out of the ambulance. Then, the anchor pitched to the sports anchor who gave some details about the speedway and its specifications. I thought it was great team coverage, especially for a Saturday night when the newsrooms are less staffed. I also liked how they followed the story from the racetrack to the hospital with two reporters. It made me feel like they cared about how this story finished too as well as how it began.

The 11 p.m. package posted on the web site was also good, with three sources on camera. It started out with a great opening shot from the helicopter. Then, the reporter included the same person as was in the SOT for 6 p.m. describing the collapse. They also talked to the owner of the racetrack and a fire department member who was on the scene to complete the story. Again, I thought this was phenomenal coverage for a Saturday night.

For my reporting this week, I went to Marshall yesterday on short notice to investigate a report of a minister arrested for statutory sodomy. It was a pretty serious story and I think I did a pretty good job on it. I first talked with the chief of police in Marshall and he gave me the information he had at the time. I got a good bite from him on how he is "glad" the bond was set so high, at $250,000, for this man. Then, I went hunting for some people who knew the man, David Ballinger. The police chief was finally able to locate the former location of his church on the town square. I went to the location, which had for sale signs in the window, and got some shots. I then went next door to a loan business and talked with two very friendly employees there. They said they were shocked at the news. They said they saw him nearly everyday and never expected this. I talked with one of them on camera for my story and she helped greatly to humanize it. The ladies then gave me a tip of the new church location, a few minutes away. I drove out there and found the new location complete with a sign of the "New Grace Baptist Church," which I was looking for to prove visually that this church did actually exist. I got my interviews and then shot a quick standup on the square. I was trying to make it back to get a SOT on the 6 so I shot my standup fast. I ended up calling some information in for a reader and graphic of a mug shot of the suspect for the 5 and 6. I didn't quite make it back for the 6 p.m. show to get a SOT on, so I started to work on a package for 10 p.m. I wasn't able to work my standup in with the way I wrote my story. I thought it didn't matter so much in this case because I had enough other good video. This story was a very good learning experience and I feel better prepared for other tough stories because of it.

Creating Change

We heard all about change during President Obama's campaign. It was the slogan used on almost everything Obama-related. T-shirts, rally signs, lecterns, buttons, posters and stickers all promised "change" if Obama was elected president. In this week's New Yorker political scene podcast, some of the writers investigate how Obama is now going about changing some relations with other countries.

It's a usual lively and fast-paced discussion by three New Yorker writers that keeps your attention throughout the 12 minute podcast. The "moderator," New Yorker executive editor, Dorothy Wickenden, doesn't waste any time getting into the topic. She gets right into a SOT of Obama addressing Iran on March 20. It's a striking statement about how the United States wants Iran to take it's "rightful place in the community of nations." It's something simple that gets dissected further by the New Yorker writers. It's something President Bush could have said and not much attention may have been paid to it, but it prompts the New Yorker writers to see if there is something more here with Obama.

Wickenden brings in great insight from New Yorker writer John Lee Anderson, who had just been in Iran and wrote an article on Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He says this statement from Obama was significant because it was made on the eve of Iran's new year, which shows great respect towards the Iranian people. It's that respect, Anderson explains, that is what Iranians want from America. He says respect is a touchstone of new diplomacy between the nations.

The podcast discussion continues as the writers discuss international relations between Russia, Afghanistan and Iran. There is also a discussion of Obama's budget resolutions that are passing through Congress. New Yorker Washington reporter Ryan Lizza explains that Congress is being more cautious with what Obama is proposing on matters such as health care. It may be that change is coming slower, but it appears it still coming from Obama.

I had a very active week with my reporting. I had two VO Patrols and a reporting shift since my last lab a week ago.

On Wednesday, I had a VO Patrol for the 10 p.m. news. I came in with three story ideas, but producer Lisa Russell handed me a story to do that Stacey gave her. It was a fundraising event by Mizzou's Air Force ROTC at Wal-Mart on Conley Road. It was a fairly easy assignment and was the "kicker" for the 10 p.m. newscast. I was at Wal-Mart at about 6:15 p.m. I was a little worried that management at Wal-Mart may not let me shoot on the property, but I just started shooting and ran into no problems during the night. I got all kinds of shots of the cadets doing push-ups to raise money for the Relay For Life. It was a story that provided for many great shooting opportunities and natural sound. I got low angles, high angles and close-ups of the cadets' tired faces as they did hundreds of push-ups. I started off my VO with natural sound of the cadets counting off some of the push-ups after Angie read an intro on cam. Then, after the VO, I had a SOT with one of the cadets. He explained how this was "their thing" to do to raise money instead of doing a bake sale or something. I think that was a good way to understand the meaning for the cadets being out there.

The next night, I ran into some breaking news. As I was heading out the station for another VO Patrol for the 10 p.m. news, I saw that the road was blocked off at the roundabout at Old 63 and Bearfield Road. As I got closer, I saw there was a pretty bad accident. A Columbia Transit bus had run over top of a car waiting at the roundabout, crushing the driver's side of the car. I immediately called the station to find out if they knew about the accident. They said they did not and I parked my car to talk with people on the scene watching. I got a call back from the station a few minutes later that they were going to send a camera out to me and the crash would be my VO Patrol assignment for the night. I really had to think on my feet now and use all the knowledge from my journalism classes to be able to report all that I could find out about this crash. I talked with passenger on the bus that were standing around after the accident. I asked them what happened and how the bus hit the car. One person said the bus was probably going too fast. Another person said they thought the bus hydroplaned. I wrote down this information in my notebook and got their names. Alex showed up with the camera a few minutes later and I rolled almost as soon as he got it out of the car. It was a pretty dramatic shot of a car pinned beneath a bus. Almost as soon as I started shooting, a man from the Columbia Fire Department came over and identified himself as the public information officer (PIO) and told me I had to stay a certain distance away from the scene. That wasn't a problem, as I still had a clear view of the activity of trying to rescue the man from inside the car. The PIO was very helpful and kept giving me updates on the man trapped inside the car, saying he was conscious and that they were planning on towing the bus off the car so that rescue workers could get to the man. After about 45 minutes, the man was finally pulled out of the car. I shot rescue workers putting him on a stretcher and the stretcher being wheeled into the ambulance. Not long after that, the PIO came over to myself and the other reporters for an interview about the information he had gathered so far. He basically explained the timeline of events and the condition of the victim first. Then, I asked him if this was an especially difficult rescue for the fire department. He said it was "complex" because it required bringing in tow trucks to lift the bus off of the car. I ended up using this SOT because it explained the unusual nature of the accident better than just him stating facts about the accident. It humanized the story, if only a little bit.

For my first reporting shift, I did a story on a bond issue in the North Callaway School District. Randy assigned the story to me in the morning and I made calls to the superintendent and to the high school. I was able to set up interviews with the superintendent and a teacher at the high school. I headed out to Kingdom City about 10 a.m. and was able to get my shooting done by noon. I shot some video of the teacher and his classroom in a trailer after I interviewed him. He was going to be my CCC so I shot lots of B-roll of him teaching in his trailer. My main focus of the story is that teachers will be able to move out of the trailers and back into the main school building if the bond passes. I talked with the teacher about how teaching is different in a trailer. He had some good bites and I think the package for the 6 turned out well. I also did a VOSOT for the 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows.

Bus Failure

You figure when you step on a charter bus you're pretty safe. You think the company performs numerous inspections and is in the good graces of the Department of Transportation. But for some NCAA teams that use these charter services many times throughout the course of a season, that is not the case. Bob Holtzman explains in an Outside the Lines story that some athletic departments don't even know about the safety reports of some of the charter companies they are using.

The story starts out following the Tennessee women's basketball team as they make a trip to Arkansas using University Bus Lines, a company the government considers "high risk." Holtzman interviews the Director of Basketball Operations for Tennessee about the decision to use this company. She says she "didn't know" the University Bus Lines was considered high risk. I think this is a great way to highlight a main point of Holtzman's story, which is that many university officials simply don't check very deep into the safety records of the bus companies they hire.

Holtzman also interviews the CEO of University Bus Lines and asks him why he thinks the government considers his company "high risk." This is where I find the editing of the story somewhat questionable. They stay with his answer as he says "The government does a very.... I'm trying to think of the best way to answer this." Then they cut away as if he never came up with an answer, when on video it looked like he had more to say. I would like to hear how he does come around to answering it, but it appeared ESPN was manipulating opinion to be against the bus company. This same kind of edit happens again when Holtzman asks, "Doesn't it take just one bad day to have a disaster?" The CEO answers saying, "It does. Maybe I should rephrase that." Then the story cuts away from the interview again, never letting the viewer hear how he would rephrase it. It just seems to be like ESPN is trying to build a case against the bus companies by not letting some of those sources even complete their thoughts.

I do like the use of hard facts and graphics to expand the impact of this story. Holtzman says that at least 85 out of more than 300 universities have hired bus companies that the DOT considers "high risk." This was being said as a map was being shown of the locations of the different universities that used "high risk" companies. This lets viewers see if a university they go to or live near has been involved. I immediately looked to see if a point would be added at the University of Missouri, although one did not show up.

I also like how ESPN follows the University of Hartford basketball team on a trip with Dattco, a bus company that has also received poor scores from the DOT. They interview players and one said they've "hit cars before." This makes the problem a little more humanized to see a player who actually rides the buses tell of what the experience can be like. During this particular ride, they also catch the bus driver eating while he is driving and Holtzman says both of the driver's hands "weren't always on the wheel."

Overall I think it's a good story, but I think ESPN did try to stretch it a bit because there still have been relatively few accidents. I would have like to have heard the percentage of crashes compared to total bus rides by NCAA teams. Holtzman mentions there have been at least five serious charter bus crashes involving sports teams since 2002. But I would like to see some context added to this number by relating it to the total number of rides. Again, it just seems like ESPN is taking a adversary stance towards the bus companies.

This week, I will finally start my VO Patrol shifts and next week I will start my reporting shifts. I'm very excited to get going. I feel like I'm back in touch with the news here in Mid-Missouri after spring break and I am ready to cover some important stories. I look forward to getting out into the community and getting some work on KOMU. It has been a little tough being away for a week, but I think I am refreshed and reenergized to cover stories around the area.

Would You Pay?

At first it sounds like a crazy idea. Taking away government ownership of roadways. That's until you take a ride along some of America's worst roads with John Stossel in a 20/20 report. Stossel investigates the government's stimulus plan for the country's highways. There is supposed to be money going to fix roads that are in poor condition and build new ones. However, it may not be enough to give some American commuters the relief they are looking for, Stossel explains. The story starts off with an excellent look inside the car of one of the those commuters, Joseph Wu of Atlanta. We hear the frustration of Wu as he heads to work on a typical morning along his hour and fifteen minute drive. Then Stossel rides along with a driver in Los Angeles that is able to floss while he drives to work in the morning because his drive is so slow.

Stossel then shows us the solution. In France and in some parts of America, there are private roads that drivers pay extra for that have far less congestion and are in better condition. Some communities in America have embraced the concept, like in Indiana and parts of California. It seems like a good solution. But Stossel then shows us the conflict. Many Americans are just not prepared to let companies make a profit out of roads. Stossel shows us protesters and newspaper articles in communities where the concept has failed. This is why the idea hasn't advanced far beyond the few communities it already exists in.

Stossel includes a great stand-up from the driver's seat of a car to transition from his introduction of the private roads concept to the reaction of the idea from politicians and some protesters. There is also plenty of nats sound of traffic, which is essential for this piece. There are interviews with both politicians who are opposed and support the idea to get a juxtaposition of viewpoints. Near the end of the story, Stossel provides some helpful hard facts about government road construction problems. He points out that the "Big Dig" in Boston took 10 years to complete and was two times over budget. Part of the construction material in that project collapsed and killed a woman. It's an effective way to close in addition to another stand-up that Stossel includes while driving to wrap it up.

My reporting continues to be slow this week as I await my editing test out at KOMU. That will be Friday. After that, I will get to work on my VO patrols and reporting shifts. I am already thinking about ideas for stories to do for KOMU and feel like I am prepared to get started. I think I will come in with lots of great ideas and should have some pretty good stories.

Off Beat

Out with the boring titles for my blog entries. Time to spice it up a bit. The first reason I call this entry "Off Beat" is because of the story I listened to this week. It was a WGBH Morning Story by Tony Kahn. It's not hard news by any means, but it's a story of a relationship between two people, Tommy and Chuck. These two men first met when their mothers walked them together as kids and then reacquainted themselves during a high school basketball game on opposing teams. They ended up going to college together and stayed in close connection ever since.

The story is told almost entirely through the first-person perspective of Tommy. This immediately draws you in as you're listening to an actual person, not a journalist, tell the story. It doesn't feel like you're listening to media, it feels like you're talking with a person. I really like this extended use of first-person audio. It's not often you hear five or six straight minutes of one source telling a story. I think reporters should try to leave a source telling a story for as long as possible if it fits in your package. It leads to a far greater emotional reaction when Tommy tells that Chuck dies of a rare disease when the men are middle-aged. An acoustic music track is then brought up after Tommy reveals this, which adds even more emotion to the story.

Tommy says because Chuck knew a secret that he didn't tell anyone else, he felt like part of him died when Chuck died. Tony Kahn goes on to discuss this at the end of the story. He discusses the importance of holding someone else's secret and how much that can mean to a relationship. It's a simple element of life, but Kahn shows how meaningful it can be with the story of these two men.

The second reason I call this entry "Off Beat" is because this is the first time in four weeks that I haven't been on the beat for a story. I was cleared last week to KOMU and had a week off from searching out a story topic. It has been a little difficult trying to stay on top of the news while not reporting this week. I am now preparing to go out to KOMU and deliver even higher quality work than I did in lab. I feel like I got a great start in lab with ideas and editing tips that will help greatly at KOMU. I know what it takes to contact people for a story and make sure I get everything I need for a story. I also know how important it is to keep contacts at different places around town to help with interviews or finding story ideas. I am excited to head out to KOMU and do some on-air stories.

I'll be back on-beat soon.

Week 4

Could it happen here? That is a question that is commonly answered or attempted to be answered in many broadcast news stories. Anderson Cooper tackles the question with authority in this week's edition of 60 minutes. Cooper's story is on the drug cartels and violence they cause in Mexico. Simple enough. There is a problem in a neighboring country. But Cooper digs deeper to find out what this means for the United States and how threatening these cartels are to American cities. After an on-set intro, Cooper starts off with an effective bite to open his story from the new U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Nepolitano saying, "stakes are high for the United States." This sets the tone from the beginning that this story affects Americans. Cooper goes on to explain the background of what is happening in Mexico with some rather graphic images of the violence. Pictures of beheaded Mexicans with only blankets covering their bodies are shown. Cooper also develops a couple CCCs with the mother and sister of a Mexican man who was kidnapped and killed by members of the cartels. He uses a picture of the man sent to the family by the kidnappers after they killed him to help viewers connect to the family's pain. The story continues with an interview with the Mexican Attorney General. The AG says the problem is a shared responsiblity with the United States and Mexico because much of the money for drugs and guns comes from the U.S.

Cooper then really got his hands dirty by going to a Mexican prison to talk with a woman accused of of heading up a large drug ring. Although authoritites denied his request for interview, Cooper walks up to the prison anyway with a tripod on his shoulder and gets in during visiting hours. He is able to speak Spanish to the woman, showing the importance of knowing foreign languages for stories like this one. He was able to get a great sit-down interview with the woman who explained some of the history of the drug problem. Cooper closed the story with some effective hard facts that help remind Americans of the threat of the Mexican drug wars. He says there are 230 American cities where Mexican drug traffickers operate. This makes the viewer feel that the problem is closer to home than ever. Cooper proves in his story it's a problem that the U.S. does not want any part of.




For my reporting this week, I went to the Missouri Deer Classic on Sunday to find a story. I read about the show online and thought there may be many opportunites for great stories there. I ended up shooting an exhibition by a man who is a world record holder in archery. Randy Oitker holds the world record for hitting the most targets in one shot with five. His shots provided for some great video and nats sound. I was really curious about why a world record holder who shoots professionally and travels across the country would stop at a relatively small show in Columbia. I thought this was a pretty great opportunity for the people of Mid-Missouri to see a very talented archer. His answer helped humanize the piece because he said it's all about seeing friends close to home. Oitker is from just across the Missouri border near Quincy, Illinois, and this is one of the closest shows to his hometown. He said it was a weekend where he was able to relax a little more than a weekend at a show far away from home. I also thought a story like this would help connect with a lot of the KOMU viewers that spend much of their time hunting. There is a pretty large rural area in our viewing area that has an interest in this type of sport so I think it's good to have this kind of coverage. I also talked to a Columbia man who used to be a professional archer and first met Randy when he was 12 years old. I talked with him about what he thought about Randy's progress and what it was like to watch him in Columbia. The only thing that went wrong with that interview was the focus was a little soft. I tried manual focus for the first time this week because of what was mentioned in class, but you really have to check carefully to make sure every shot is focused perfectly. I think the story turned out well and viewers got a good sense of what it meant to have this talented man come to Mid-Missouri.

Week 3

I listened to All Things Considered today on NPR. I especially liked a report on the housing market in Manassas, Virginia. There was a great presentation of hard facts that really told much of the story. Robert Siegel first started off his story with the city's chief assessor telling how many foreclosures there have been in recent years. In 2005, there were just two foreclosures. In 2007, there were 313. Last year, there were 922. Just astonishing increases and to have the assessor stating this matter-of-factly was a little surprising. Another impressive change is that some town homes that would have sold for $200,000 or more a few years ago are now selling for around $43,000.

Siegel also followed a real estate broker around Manassas. This was a great element to the story as he got out into the neighborhood where the story is taking place. He had plenty of nats sound running throughout this piece that made you feel as if you were entering the homes with the broker. She was the one who was telling Siegel about how town homes are selling for so much less today. As she was talking about those differences in price, she was pointing out the town homes that were foreclosed, which really heightens the reality of the story. She pointed out some that were side by side, showing just how big the problem is in Manassas.

During my reporting this week, I went to a meeting for a proposed bike boulevard in Columbia. I thought this would be a good story because it would mean changes in the Stephens-Benton neighborhood in Columbia. The neighborhood would see a lot more bike traffic as Windsor and Ash streets would be primary routes for bikes through the city. Some residents also want to see less through traffic on those streets and push through traffic to Walnut Street. There would also be a pretty substantial change on College Avenue as the left turn lane would be marked off for bikers only to make the cross from Windsor to Ash streets on the bike boulevard. Left turns would no longer be allowed onto those two streets. There were some people who were skeptical about the plans and some who were ready to go ahead and get started. It made for a good story of residents in the same neighborhood with different views on a change to their roadways. It looks like there is still is going to be a lot of discussion on this bike boulevard before anything final is proposed to city council. I think I did a good job with nats sound to bring the viewer into the scene and the neighborhood. I think there were still some spots where I could have added more and I will keep trying to improve with that.

Week 2

I listened to a podcast from the New Yorker this week on the government stimulus package. It was a discussion between New Yorker writers on the way the Obama administration is handling the economic situation during the first few weeks in office. I thought it was good how right off the bat they used a SOT from a senator to establish the story and the discussion that was going to ensue. There were also two more SOTs used later in the piece. I liked how the writers were tough on Obama's stance on the economy, saying it really hasn't been all that different from the Bush administration so far. There haven't been too many comparisons between the two administrations so far in the media, so it was interesting to hear the writers equate the two and take an almost alternative viewpoint. They also discussed Obama's platform as a candidate to what he is doing now in office. I thought this is a key discussion point that has not been covered enough yet in the media. It seems many are still giving Obama a grace period and not questioning his moves very much. I like how they do spend at least a little time comparing his campaign promises with what he has done so far in office. The writers also drew from different sources and media outlets to bring more depth to their conversation. They mentioned reading reports in other publications like the New York Times and discussed stories from there. I thought it was good for the writers to bring in reports from other sources and discuss them.

In my reporting this week, I was happy with the story I did on the hip-hop dance squad for Columbia youth. I actually was going to the Armory Sports Center for a discussion about Barack Obama, but when I walked up there was a sign on the door that said it was moved to this Thursday. But I went inside anyway and talked with the lady at the desk. I asked her if anything else interesting was going on. She told me about the dance squad that was practicing downstairs. It turned out to be a perfect story. I talked with the squad instructors and they said they just started in October and are trying hard to get more kids out. I also talked with Josh Ualambert, a member who said the squad has been a good outlet for him and has kept him out of trouble. I thought that would be a good angle to take for my package. Both of the instructors mentioned that the squad is a way to help kids that may have nowhere else to turn in the afternoons and evenings. I also thought it was interesting that the club has grown from one member when they started to eleven now. It seems like something that kids are really interested in in the community. It does seem like a really good thing they are doing. I had good interviews with the instructors and Josh which gave me plenty of sound bites to add for web extras. They really help extend the story about what these young people hope to do with this dance squad.

Week 1

On Sunday, I watched an Outside The Lines report on the Houston Texas conducting prohibited contact drills during mini-camp that injured three players. I thought this was a great investigation that brought allegations of pushing athletes too hard without pads on to light. The story was told through Houston Texas offensive lineman Dan Stevenson as a central compelling character. Stevenson injured his shoulder during the prohibited contact drills without pads. Stevenson taped the team's video of the contact drill from a computer screen in the team's facility. The ESPN reporter, T.J. Quinn, was able to get Stevenson to show him that video for part of his story. I thought this was an excellent visual to show during this report. Without this video that Stevenson shot himself, the allegations could just be from a third-string lineman looking for money from the NFL's deep pocketbooks. This video gives the allegations and the story substance. It makes the viewer think there are real claims that can be made against the Texans for violating league policy and causing players to get injured. There are other elements of a great story in this report too. Quinn interviews another player who makes the same allegations against the Texans coaching staff. It's another source to back up what Stevenson has already brought forward. There is also good use of natural sound breaks in the story to keep the viewer in the environment of an NFL lineman. There is natural sound of a lineman hitting the blocking sled and of him lifting weights. Quinn also introduced the conflict playing out by presenting the Texans' statements on Stevenson's injury. Quinn shows how the original trainer's report from the Texans said Stevenson was injured during blocking drills, which would be the evidence Stevenson needed to prove a case against the team. But an injury report in July from the Texans showed that Stevenson was injured participating in drills "during organized team activity." Clearly, it appears the Texans are trying to deny that they were breaking a rule during the mini-camp.

As far as my reporting this week, I think I did a pretty good job on my story on the new parking lot that the Columbia Public Library may be purchasing. I was able to talk with the associate director and she gave me plenty of useful information. I was also able to talk with a frequent user of the library who gave me a good account of the parking situation at the library. I was able to develop her into a CCC and she also presented an opposing view on the parking lot. She said it might not help at all because people would still want to park in the main lot closer to the library. I was also able to add some helpful web extra sound bites from the associate director. I added a bite about where the money is going to come from to pay for this possible purchase of new land. I also added a bite of her talking about how the bank offered the land to the library. She also talked about other possible uses for the site, outside of a parking lot. I think through all these elements, the viewer would be able to understand more about what the library is doing to accommodate more users and how they are building for the future. It also helps them understand why they would want to acquire more land and possibly add another parking lot.