Tuesday, February 24, 2009

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.

Monday, February 16, 2009

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.

Monday, February 9, 2009

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.