Reflecting on Being a Writing Buddy

My writing buddy was named Ashley and it turned out that even in our differences (she was a Newswriting student, I was an Editing student), we had some things in common. We were both juniors; we were both transfers into the Journalism Department. I started as a declared English Literature major when I entered UNH as a freshman. She started as a declared Environmental Studies major when she entered UNH as a freshman. In that sense, we both had some common ground on which we could relate to one another.

I feel lucky in the fact that I was partnered with a writing buddy who, although she was as busy as me, was prompt in responding to my emails or calls and was reliable. We met three times at Panache in the MUB for coffee and to discuss any problems she was having. She asked me about AP style (something I related to having a lot of difficulty with in the beginning), about getting involved with on-campus publications like The New Hampshire, about internship-searching (something I was going through at the same time this year), and reporting in general (questions about sources, leads, story ideas, etc.). We read over her profile/feature on a UNH student who was affected by the New Zealand earthquake, and her trend story about feather hair accessories.

I got more out of my experience than I thought I would. It wasn't all too different from my own experience as a Newswriting student paired with an Editing student, Sylvia, a few semesters ago. Although she helped in critiquing my work directly, some of the most helpful advice I got from her had to do with choosing classes, study abroad options, and job-searching. It was indispensable advice and I hope that I helped Ashley in the same way.

I hope that the Journalism Department considers developing on this idea of journalism buddies, even an alumni network, because I think especially in this changing industry, it's comforting to have someone to talk to about things beyond AP style, sources, etc.

Answer Three

Item one: No, I don't agree to using Jake Mahoney's name in the today's story. Even though there is no law against reporting the name of a minor involved in a crime, Jake is eleven years old and these stories tend to be controversial when the name is used. Regarding the television station as having identified Mahoney as a "person of interest,"we can report that statement, but I wouldn't push it further.

Item two: Avoid this issue altogether and cross-reference the illegal alien's information with another tenant. Someone should be able to confirm this.

Item three: He is still not convicted and he is a minor. We cannot use his name yet.

Item four: Yes, this case was elevated to a murder and the boy is arrested. So, yes, we can now identify him as a suspect.

Item five: With Jake's confession comes the search for the missing evidence that is key to solving this case. I wouldn't have waited long enough to forget something like this tucked away in a drawer. I would have brought the can to the police straight away, explaining and apologizing profusely. In a small town, the police are a source that we cannot afford to lose.

Item six: Yes, this reporter should have been well aware of the legal and ethical issue here.

Item seven: Yes, if the police have a search warrant, then we must cooperate. Again, the police are a source we cannot afford to lose.

Item eight: It depends on how the public reacts. First and foremost, I would write an editorial apology in the paper as soon as possible and talk with my higher editors. If they feel readership will be affected in the future from these actions, then I would consider resigning.

Answer Two

Alright guys, we're two hours to deadline and the game plan has changed.

There are a lot of details pointing at this kid, Jake Mahoney as being involved in this case, but again, we haven't confirmed anything 100 percent!

We have had one reporter, the one assigned to the apartment building, intentionally trespass and in consequence, violate the law to obtain news. The only way this reporter could have gotten the can of gasoline is by trespassing and the police will know this. In accordance with our ethics code here at the newspaper, this may be cause for dismissal. This reporter is staying here in the newsroom and not going anywhere until we sort all of this out.

Our photographer is obviously convinced that this Mahoney boy is involved in the fire, and he's given us a school photo of him. But remember, we can't connect the story to this kid until we have confirmation! Let's put the photo aside for now and keep digging.

Our second reporter, the one who went to the police department, confirmed with a police officer there that they are talking to a juvenile under consideration for arson who has the initials J.M. However, he is not yet considered a suspect and the officer didn't actually confirm that it was Jake Mahoney-- he only said he was "one hell of a reporter." That's not confirmation, guys. And besides the fact, Mahoney is underage. We're treading into dangerous waters.


Lastly is our third reporter who's covering the main story of the fire. She talked to Bob Jacobson, the husband of the woman who was burned in the fire. According to this reporter, we've got a very detailed narrative of the fire during which he got very emotional. She also confirmed through the State Fire Marshall’s office that the fire is being investigated as an arson.

Right now, almost all of our reporting is either walking a very thin line between ethical and unethical or is bluntly unethical. Let's go with the main story, including the investigation as arson, and wait on the details regarding the Mahoney boy.

Answer One

Ok team. we've got a big story for tomorrow's paper that we need cover before our proof goes to print! There are some strong, reliable information here, and some not-so reliable information here. We have some sketchy details, overly opinionated tenants, and unnamed sources. I don't want to mess around with any nameless sources. So until we've confirmed a lot of these details, I don't want there to be any room for error. Let's get going!

Here's the story: we know that there was a fire that started at the back porch of the apartment building, as reported by passerby. This unnamed source also believes she saw the potential suspect- a 10- or- 11-year-old boy. Tenants say this boy is probably Jake Mahoney who lives on the first floor of the apartment.

My photographer, I want you to go down to the site of the fire, get a dramatic front-page visual of the blackened apartment building front or possibly an emotional shot of tenants mulling over the devastation.

My three reporters, I want each of you to divvy up sources. I want one reporter to go down to the site of the fire, the apartment building itself and speak more to the tenants.  How has this fire affected them? Go to the Mahoneys' apartment and speak to the boy's parents. Can they confirm where he was at the time of the incident? Can their neighbors confirm this? I want the two other reporters to go to the police department and fire department. Did either departments reach any conclusions from their investigations?

A Deeper Look at a Pulitzer Prize Winner

The names are in for this year’s Pulitzer Prize recipients, including big national newspapers like The New York Times to online publications like ProPublica.

This year’s winner of the Pulitzer in the section of Local Reporting goes to Frank Main, Mark Konkol and John J. Kim of the Chicago Sun-Times for what the Pulitzer board calls “their immersive documentation of violence in Chicago neighborhoods, probing the lives of victims, criminals and detectives as a widespread code of silence impedes solutions.”

Indeed, local reporting is becoming more and more relevant in the ever-evolving journalism industry. Readers are not buying the paper to learn about an issue several states away or countries away. Readers are buying the paper to learn about the issues that impact their communities. This could not ring more true than in this shocking featured article published in the Chicago Sun-Times, covering the journalists’ investigation into the injustice of a disastrous shooting.

The lead compellingly focuses the story; it’s almost cryptic, cosmic:

“This is the story of why they won’t stop shooting in Chicago. It’s told by the wounded, the accused and the officers who were on the street during a weekend in April 2008 when 40 people were shot, seven fatally. Two years later, the grim reality is this: Nearly all of the shooters from that weekend have escaped charges.”

There is so much confusion and unresolved conflict in this story, that it’s no wonder the Pulitzer board brought it to the attention of readers nationwide. According to the story, “not one accused shooter has been convicted of pulling the trigger during those deadly 59 hours from April 18-20 of that year.”

The journalistic investigation into these unresolved crimes reveals a weakness in the criminal justice system:

“When police “clear” a case, that doesn’t always mean a suspect got convicted — or even charged. Sometimes police seek charges against a suspect, but the state’s attorney won’t prosecute without more evidence. Other times, the shooter is dead, or the victim refuses to testify after identifying the shooter. Cops call those ‘exceptional’ clearances.”

The heart of this story is not so much in the numbers as it is in the names, faces, and moments that brings its essence into the compelling form that won it a Pulitzer. This includes Dontae Gamble, who took six bullets and watched his alleged shooter walk free, Jose Bravo and his alleged gang-shooter “Chops.” All of these specific names and depicted moments paint a striking portrait of the violent street life these people suffer from every day.

The Big Story Assingment: Obama's Proposed Budget 2012

Ok, newsroom! The big scoop is out on Obama’s federal budget for 2012 and while the papers are all in a frenzy nationwide covering this story, we have the advantage of a local angle. We want to talk to our neighbors on the New Hampshire seacoast- talk to teachers, homeowners, politicians, everyone and anyone affected by these budget cuts.

Here are five stories I want covered by our paper!

1. Education and funding is always a hot button issue, and this is no exception. Obama has proposed a budget that would maintain the maximum Pell grant at $5,550 per student, but House Republicans have proposed cutting that number by about 15 percent. We know at UNH that tuition is only increasing, by almost 5 percent per student. Talk to students in the NH Seacoast area who rely on financial aid that would be affected by this; talk to their families. Talk to university professors and high school teachers. Talk to high-schoolers and prospective college enrollees.

2. John M. Broder reports that President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget, seeks to maintain momentum for research on alternative energy but would cut deeply into some environmental protection programs. Obama intends to better refine the oil and gas industry in order to promote cleaner, greener energy sources. According to The New York Times, the Energy Department budget includes more than $8 billion for research and development of alternative energy sources and provides hefty loan guarantees for the construction of nuclear power plants. Explore local ventures into greener practices (i.e. Amtrak, the Seacoast Better Living Expo). Investigate on-campus experiments and research into clean, renewable energy. How would the budget affect these ventures?

3. One side of the budget cuts that’s getting the most news buzz is military spending. House Republicans are pushing for no cutting while if Obama’s proposed budget is passed, the Defense Department will take a $9.4 billion hit, constituting 82 percent of the cuts. Even though military troops are not apt to badmouth the President, head over to UNH’s ROTC in Zais Hall, Pease Air Force Base, or the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to see their responses to the budget. How will it affect them?

4. Obama announced proposed cuts to low income home energy assistance and community service block grants. This directly affects families already struggling amidst a recovering economy. Talk to them specifically, but also make sure to talk to statewide authorities.

5. Follow the local affects of Obama's Small Business Administration budget for 2012 that limits growth in its most important program, government-guaranteed general business loans. It proposes making cuts, modest and substantial, to other S.B.A. programs as well, and would eliminate two initiatives altogether. Talk to the Seacoast Regional Office and local artisan shops in the area. How would this affect them?

The Big Story Assignment: Groundhog Day

All of us here in the newsroom know the story: Every Feb. 2, the famous Pennsylvanian groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his den at Gobblers Knob to predict either the coming of spring or the continuation of winter. Ok, so Punxsutawney Phil is a big name celebrity, but we don’t take much notice of those men in top hats in the background. They are called the Inner Circle and they’re the local dignitaries that basically keep this tradition up and running. They plan events, feed and care for Phil and reportedly even speak to him in the secret Groundhogese language. So we know what the Inner Circle is and what they do on a basic level, but what I want is a behind-the-scenes look at their vocational tradition. What are they up to and how do they keep Phil preoccupied the 364 days out of the year he's not in use? I want to know who these men are, why and how they became initiated into the Inner Circle, and how long they’ve been doing it for.

So what’s the story here? Who are the members of the Inner Circle that keep this tradition long-lasting?