This morning I braved the bleak winter landscape that is MU and drove my poor car to the Missourian. It was a not a fun experience, but reporting today actually was.
I wrote a comprehensive story about the latest developments in what I like to call the Snow Stories. It sounds like a soap opera because it kind of is. Snow + 3 days of class cancelations + huge drifts = drama.
For this story I talked to MoDOT officials, Columbia officials, local business owners and workers, the MU News Bureau Spokeswoman, supermarket managers, and this random guy shoveling the sidewalk. This is by far the most sources I have ever interviewed for a story, and while the huge pile of information I started out with seemed daunting at first, It all coalesced into what I think is a pretty good article.
I walked around downtown to get in contact with some of my sources, and I felt like a real reporter pounding the pavement. I suppose I should stop saying things like that because technically, I am one. I could pick one main thing I have learned so far in this class, it is that you must be confident to be taken seriously.
My walk started out somewhat spirited. Granted, everything was covered with massive amounts of snow, but it was sunny and less doomsday-seeming than last night. Oh, did I mention we were hit with 17.7 inches of snow last night? Yes. And in true blizzard fashion, it blew around creating 2- to 3- foot snow drifts. Super fun.
Despite the difficulties of contacting so many people and working on such a quick turnaround, I have had a great day in the newsroom. The more time I spend here, the more I learn the process and get better acquainted with the people. I can’t help but be proud when I get compliments on clean copy, or when I hear my story is going into the print edition (on the front page no less!). Call me a journalism nerd, but these things excite me.
Check out my stories online:
Shaina Cavazos 