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.