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.