Embarrassing Interview Moment

I had an interview with a Ph.D. this morning. His name is Tom Ballestero. He knows all sorts of things about fluid mechanics, water flow, storm water, etc. So in other words, he's smart. We scheduled a phone interview for sometime before 8 AM this morning.

I set my alarm for 7:15. I hit my alarm clock, zombied over to the bathroom, brushed my bed-head out of my face, and pretended I was happy about this interview.

By 7:30 (I don't know where the 15 minutes went, I really don't) I was downstairs in the main lounge of my building. Pajamas on, bed head fairly tamed. Morning breath. Mhmmmmm.

I was on the couch. I had my laptop pulled up, my voice recorder ready. Tom's number was dialing on the my cellphone, which was on speaker. Tears were welling up in my eyes with another yawn. I pretended I wasn't tired.

A nice, calm voice answered the phone. It was pleasant sounding. Rested. I was envious.

I couldn't remember if I should call him Tom, Dr. Ballestero, or Mr. Ballestero. Or even just sir, would have worked, I suppose. I rattled my brain for the best one. I couldn't find it.

Thus, in my morning-clumsy, I dawned stupidity.

"Hi, um, oh, I'm sorry. Is this Catie Hall?" I said.

My heart skipped. Did I really just...? I realized my mistake as soon as I said it. You know, I just want to make a good impression with these brilliant minds I have to talk to. And instead, I has the dumb.

He laughed heartily. "No, you're Catie Hall!"

Thank God the man has a sense of humor.

Struggles with deadlines and TNH

So I picked up a story yesterday that was due last night. Yes, I had less than 8 hours to collect information and interviews. I had a few hours to write down the important stuff. Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.

For the first time since beginning News Writing I, I really felt the pressure of deadlines. I mean, okay, I've struggled to finish before. But this was different. I had to treat this as if it was breaking news, which it wasn't.

(You can read my story here.)

I felt pretty good about my story last night. I figured I had done a pretty good job under all the time constraints and talking to band managers, researching online, outlining an article, interviewing a band member, emailing NV Concepts founder, and reading a press release, and emailing back and forth with the Whittemore Center.

And I guess the reason for this post is because editors + deadlines + stress + tiredness = not a great story no matter how great I think it might be. 

Scrolling through the online version of my article today, it didn't look the same as the one I typed up. The lead is different, some paragraphs are moved around, the ending quote is moved further up leaving a different one at the bottom. I liked some of the TNH editors'...edits. But there were some that I just didn't think were that appropriate.

Now mind you, I love the editors. I think they do a great job. I'm happy to have the feedback. But to submit one thing and see something very different the next day -- it's almost like a slap in the face.

I guess all I would appreciate is maybe an email saying, hey, good job, we know you were under time constraints. We changed a bit more than usual out of the best interest for the paper. That woulda worked for me.

There were some things I think the TNH editors did way better for that article than what I could have done. Obviously. And I didn't have time to edit that much. But I still think that some things weren't necessary changes, and some words that they changed were stylistic changes that matched their writing more than my own.

For example, someone changed my sentence from a press release. The statement said that DJ Kap Slap had close connections with Lexington, Mass. I didn't have time to research where he was from, so I kept that general idea and then quoted him underneath. TNH changed it to: He hails from Lexington, Mass. I wouldn't say that, nor do I know if that's true. 

Do I have a right to be mad at TNH? Of course not. They asked for a story, and I gave them one. But I do think a heads up that the article would look different the next day would be courteous.

Jaws 2

Alex Kintner, 10, died one hour ago while playing with friends in the water off Village Beach. Floating on a yellow raft in the ocean, he was killed during a vicious and unprovoked shark attack. 
   No other deaths occurred in that hour. 
   Around 2 P.M., the attack occurred while other children and adults were playing in the water as well. Kintner was the only one a raft. After the attack, beach-viewers stood up and started to point where Kintner's raft was. Children close to the floating blood in the water started to scream. 
   Police Deputy Jay Hendricks ran to the shoreline as parents and adults pulled children out of the water. While everyone stood ashore, Kintner's mother, Marion Kintner, called out for him. His yellow raft washed up with his blood. 
   According to witnesses and the chief of police, Kintner's damaged raft appeared to have a large bite taken out of it. It was no longer a floating device when it washed up on shore, but a ruined piece of flexible plastic. 
   Currently, Marion Kintner is being being treated for shock at Amity General Hospital, where she is in fair condition.
    Police Chief Martin Brody said in a press release that the two deaths this morning could be linked. 
    "We now believe that it may be possible that the Watson death could also maybe have possibly been linked to possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity," Brody said. "That investigation is ongoing." 

Dundundun - Jaws.

Chrissie Watson, 17-year-old Amity Island native, was found mangled on South Beach after last seen alive the night before. An autopsy is underway, though police are unsure what caused Watson's death.
    Watson was last seen around 11 P.M. on Sunday, July 1 leaving a beach party on South Beach with Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III. Hoggenbottam is a former resident of the island and is a sophomore at Trinity College.
   "Police investigators also learned from witnesses that both teenagers had been drinking heavily and possibly smoking marijuana during the evening," said Amity Police Chief Martin Brody in a press release.
    Hoggenbottam called police at 6 A.M. this morning to report that Watson went swimming at a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy on Sunday night. Hoggenbottam did not see her again.
    Hoggenbottam did not say whether or not he joined Watson in the water.
   After Hoggenbottam's call, Police Deputy Jay Hendricks did a brief search and found Watson's body on the shore. Her body was severely mauled, but according to Brody, no one knows why.
    Watson's body was transported to the the coroner's office for autopsy. No charges have been filed in the case. Police continue their investigation.
    Despite not being sure of the cause of death, the press release does not rule out a possible shark attack.
    Watson was a member of the varsity swim team during her senior at Amity High School. She was also a lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA pool in Oak Bluffs. Weather conditions for Sunday night were reported at 72 degrees F, and the seas were calm. According to the press release, winds were out of the south at about 3 knots.
   In the press release, Brody wanted to reassure residents that the waters are still safe for swimming.
   "Though a shark attack has not been completely ruled out, we want to assure all residents and visitors on our fine island that they are in no danger," Brody said. "Our lovely beaches will remain open for swimming pending the outcome of the investigation."

People Are Good

Internet research is great for background. But nothing takes the front seat like asking humans--in person--for help.

During the recent scavenger hunt that we did in News Writing, I was reminded that people like to help when they can. Even for a basic scavenger hunt for a journalism class -- no one asked why we were trying so hard, or why it mattered to us to get the answers.

People just helped. Because people are good and because they have answers.

Teammate Brittany Schaefer and I took on 3 questions. We asked our other group members to pick the other questions to work on. Brittany and I speed-walked throughout the questions. We guessed, we took chances. We had to solve riddles and ask our own questions to find the answers we were looking for.

The most useful thing I've learned in this class so far is that human help is unparalleled. We went to the T-Hall office and the receptionist gave us the number to the man in charge of the bell. I called him immediately, slightly nervous, had a mini-interview, and hung up.

He was kind, helpful, and resourceful. That segment of the hunt took less than 5 minutes. Looking for the wind tunnel, we asked a receptionist in the geology building to help us figure out the riddle. She and a colleague pointed us in the right direction. I also popped the Internet open on my smart phone.

For the last question, someone in the geology building also pointed us to the only climatologist on campus. I looked her up, found the building she was in, and Brittany and I walked over there. The receptionist there asked us if we were doing the scavenger hunt.

Because we went out and asked people for help and worked together, our group got all the answers and in good time. It was fun, exhilarating, and eye-opening to see how good people can be.

3 articles, 1 week

Hi.

I'm a little stressed out.

So I did a story on a three-legged dog on Monday. Then I picked up the crime story on Seth Mazzaglia's indictment due Thursday. Then, Adam posted to the TNH group on Facebook that he needed extra stories because TNH content was low this week. I remembered a story I never gave to TNH from the beginning of the semester because it wasn't that good.

So I handed that in several hours after I passed in my Seth Mazzaglia story.

Know what I've learned? That the only reason I could do that was 'cause it was supposed to happen like that. I didn't force my way into those stories. I did my dog story, the only planned one for the week. The rest fell into place, like it was meant to be. Divine intervention, I call it.

I picked one other story cause TNH was in need. The other one was just a random thing I re-edited and passed in months after I did the story.

So this week, I've had three stories in the TNH paper. The random gluten-free article that I passed in at 10 PM last night got re-tweeted by a gluten-free movement on Twitter that I didn't even know about. People loved hearing about my dog story. Someone favorited it on Twitter.

I definitely don't acclaim it to my writing skills. I know I could use a lot of work as a writer. For my crime story, I was miserable. I had no idea how to write that thing and make it sound, I dunno, not like a police report. I emailed it to the TNH editors and I apologized. "Sorry this story is a mess guys. I had no idea what else to do with it."

Corinne Holroyd said she really liked it, and that she only changed two minor things.

I just feel humbled by the experiences I've gotten to encounter through TNH and News writing I. Where else would I have the chance to step out of my comfort zone and talk to amazing strangers all the time? Why else would I have a phone number to the Strafford County Superior Court in my iPhone?

I am also wondering where all the time went. At the beginning of the semester, Sandy said I could be good at news writing. But my first stories, the ungraded ones, were pretty bad. The gluten-free article I told you about -- yeah, I reread that last night to pass in, and I cringed.

Then Justin Doubleday was telling me about the applications for TNH and how they were due March 31. Then he reminded me in an email to pass in my application. And all of a sudden, I'm a staff-writer with at least 5 articles that I've written that made it to the front page? Yeah right. Even with physical proof, it feels more like an out-of-body experience than something actually happening to me.

So because I'm Catholic, I attribute my success to God. And thus, I can say with confidence: Graces from God, hard work, and a desire to produce quality. That's what got me where I am, and I still have a long way to go.

Pre-Chris Outcalt

I think I came up with a pretty cool way of organizing information before taking Chris Outcalt's method of blocking.

1) To start, obviously look over all your notes. Write next to them what kind of category they fit in, such as: personality, disease, aftermath, etc. Highlight, scribble, and circle. Helps.

2) After you've done that, notice the kinds of categories you've got. Take out a blank piece of paper and list all the major themes you've gone through. Little details are okay, too. For my most recent story about a 3-legged dog, I put a bunch of random things under Themes: how he interacts with people, Demeritt mascot, disease limitations, owner, etc.

3) After you've got a list (it should be pretty long) and you've scribbled down notes and ideas and maybe quote ideas next to some of the themes, notice which themes seem most important. Which sections have the bulk of the information? -- That's where your story is.

4) Look through the theme list and pick out the most important information that the reader should really know. The rest is fluff.

5) When you've come up with that condensed list of what your story is about, then you're ready to block it and organize it, Chris-Outcalt style.

Maybe this will work, maybe it won't. I'm trying it for the first time right now; so far I really like it and it's giving me a very clear head about what I need to do and what I don't need at all. As you prolly know -- I'm a little wordy sometimes.

How to handle anonymity by the pros

I've had a story where someone didn't want to be quoted because they weren't sure if they had permission from their company to talk to me. They didn't know what to do. They were nervous and I ended up not using their information because I didn't know how to handle it.

I think I saw the perfect way to handle the anonymity.

On the breaking news MIT shooting, an FBI agent wanted to remain anonymous:
 “We are aware of the situation, we are being involved, and we are monitoring,” said an FBI representative who requested anonymity because of not being authorized to speak publicly. The FBI source said early Friday it is “too early to speculate” on a relation to the Marathon bombing.

I think that's a really professional way to handle it. Does it sound perfect to me? No, not really. I think it's slightly awkward. But that's a cool thing about news writing. It can be written weirdly and still be kickass. In fact, let it be a little weird, a little broken from the status quo once in a while. 

Makes life interesting right?

And on another note - all this Boston breaking news. 711 robbed next to MIT CAMPUS. MIT officer down. Marathon runners with scattered body parts. Blue flashing lights everywhere.

It's Pandemonium. 

I'm watching the news at 513 AM. I've got my twitter open. One suspect is dead. No one is releasing names. It doesn't feel safe in the world today, with tragedy so close to home. 

I was in Boston on Easter weekend. I walked up and down Boylston St. I walked over the Smoot bridge to MIT. I took pictures in front of MIT and even got to walk inside.

I had no idea that only weeks later, hell would explode onto the streets and disrupt daily life.  

Personal Crises In the Midst of Interview Mayhem

I've worked a couple of interesting jobs, right? I've been a waitress, a camera-woman, a sales associate, (most recently) a staff writer for TNH, and various other volunteery things.

If there's anything I've learned from these experiences, it's that keeping emotions in check is a pretty important aspect of a job. You know, people want professionalism. I do, too. It's a lot harder to do than I thought it would be.

My first job as waitress, I was recently hired when my grandfather died, my boyfriend and I were in the pre-break up stage, and my mother was going through radiation treatments for breast cancer. You could say I tried to hold back a few tears when I was waiting for the bartender to give me my order so I could serve my tables.

You could also say I've had a few nights of no-way-do-I-want-to-be-here-syndrome.

It's a little different as a journalist, I'm learning.

This morning I was dealing with a bit of a personal crisis. I didn't know about my health status. I had to set up a doctor's appointment -- with the idea in my head that I have a week's worth of interviews and research to do -- and not a lot to go on for those.

I was in one of those let's-just-panic-and-not-schedule-interview moods. It hasn't happened before. It was a little frightening. I mean, come on, of course I still did what I had to. I called people, I even walked around looking for sources.

For some reason, it's just different with interviews. In retail or as a waitress or my volunteer places, it's more structured. I know when the job starts and when it ends. Journalism doesn't really have either, does it? That's what makes it hard. And at other jobs, you can mope around with your friends and fake it for customers, but that one-on-one interview with no friends around...it's a different kind of challenge.

So I can go into panic mode if I really want to, but then I can't function. In journalism, I have to revolve my life around interviews. There is no start and end to the day, really. I've emailed people at 10 P.M. on a weekend and they've responded within the hour to set something up.

I guess this rant is simply to highlight that crises don't take a break just because I have tons of other stuff to do. And I'm okay, journalism is pretty sweet even when I'm not feelin' it, and the world keeps turnin'.  Learnin' new things everyday!

Escape of the Fluffy!

A rare Romanian Leopard was reported dangerous and missing from the Durham Zoo this morning when visitors arrived at 9:30.
      She's the only female of her kind in existence. And no one knows how she got out.
      Kitty Smith, the zoo's chief zoologist, said in a press conference that Fluffy is well-loved in the confines of the zoo, but is "extremely dangerous."
     "Fluffy is a wonderful, warm, gentle cat who has never hurt anyone," Smith said. "But if these cats are cornered -- or encountered on a dark night or in a dark alley - their defense is to kill, and to kill quickly."
    Gerry Durrell, zoo director, said his feeding team noticed Fluffy's absence immediately.
    "When we opened the zoo at 9:30 this morning and began feeding the animals, we immediatedly noticed Fluffy was missing," Durrell said. "Everything about her cage seemed normal."
    Durrell said Fluffy was last seen in her cage at 9 P.M. Sunday night when the zoo closed.
    James Petronkis had a different take on how the events unfolded. He said he was the first to notice Fluffy wasn't in her cage.
    "Everything seemed normal, until I got to the cage," Petronkis said. "Then I knew something was wrong right away. Fluffy usually draws the straw up into a nest when she sleeps, but there was no nest."
    When Petronkis went to tell guards his observations, he said they ignored him. Half an hour later, Petronkis pulled a fire alarm to get their attention.
    "This time they checked the cage and all hell broke loose," Petronkis said. "Police cars came from every direction and within minutes they were roughly pushing visitors to the exists."
    The priceless animal could be wandering anywhere. Smith told reporters that Fluffy is a 10-year-old Romanian spotted leopard that has been at the zoo for five years. Fluffy weighs 146 pounds, can run 60 miles an hour, and has a carnivorous diet. She eats three chickens everyday.
    Smith teared up. She said the zoo misses Fluffy and they want her back.
    Though Fluffy's cage is alarmed, no alarm sounded during the night.
    Search efforts are now underway. After rushing to get visitors out of the zoo, zoo workers are searching the grounds for the black leopard with white spots. The immediacy is to find Fluffy before 2 P.M. -- before children get out of school.
   Police Chief William Blair outlined the search for Fluffy. If possible, he said, they would shoot Fluffy with a tranquilizer. If necessary, Fluffy will be shot to death.
    Blair said that if they do not find Fluffy during the day, it is going to be a very messy night.
    "These cats are nearly impossible to find in the dark - they can see everything, and we are blind," Blair said. "We have asked the New Hampshire State Police and the state Wildlife Department to help in the search. In addition, the National Guard will be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors."
    Blair said that they are going to find the cat if it kills them.
   

Opinions?

I was reading the Opinion section of B-Globe the other day. Something about finances or military. Who-knows-what. The news can be such a blur.
   Well, I was reading the column on my iPhone. I am a new user of the iPhone.
   So I didn't really know how to tell which section I was in.

   And do I dare to say that I haven't ventured into the opinion section of newspapers before?

   Well, I'm an ignoramus when it comes to peoples' opinions, especially in the media. I immediately assume what they say to be true.

   But not so often anymore, as a journalist!
   Upon reading this article, I wondered where the author was getting some of his facts. I didn't understand. His statements were pretty bold, yet agreeable.

   When I logged onto my computer later to view it again, I noticed the Opinion heading. All of a sudden, the world made too much sense.

   And so I realized that I don't care for the Opinion section much. Maybe you're wondering why, since I've rambled thus far and you're still reading. So I guess I'll tell you.

  I don't like it because I don't want to believe what isn't factual. Isn't there enough loud opinion out in the world today? Bias leaks into every corner. It seeps into our media without us being aware. It's carbon monoxide for the intellect.

  And I believe it too quickly. Thank goodness for age--because without it, I would never have shed my childhood naivety.

  Either way, I did find two opinion articles I really enjoyed. Perhaps it's my own bias seeping into my blog. I like these people -- my TNH friends that I've written for several times this semester. Their writing is mesmerizing. I wish I had known them longer so I could have read more of their work!

   Justin Doubleday's farewell article. http://www.tnhonline.com/opinion/farewell-column-remembering-a-great-four-years-1.3026920#.UWuOmaUntUQ

  And Emily Hoyt's: http://www.tnhonline.com/opinion/farewell-column-welcoming-the-winds-of-change-1.3026912#.UWuOvaUntUQ

  I realize that as they are leaving and they are seniors and they have already played the news writing game and were editors, they have more free reign with their writing. Also, it's an opinion article. But dang, wouldn't it be cool if every news story was written like that?

"Don't Write that Down"

I was sitting in a meeting today. It was for the dining hall. Student senate members, regular students, and dining hall area managers sat around a catered lunch in the lamprey room.

   There was joking about bringing alcohol into the dining halls. 

    "That's what stillings does on Friday nights," one of the area managers laughed. 

    The room was full of people buzzing with laughter and light-hearted comments. The moment was perfect. I love those moments in a story when I can really capture my characters' personalities. 

   I love getting to know the people I'm around more-so than the issue/meeting/topic I have to write about. 

   So, I'm scribbling down these alcohol comments. I figure, in my story I'll write about how they were funny. The room was full of joking. I don't even know the name of the kid who started it all. 

   But as I'm writing, looking down, I hear, "Don't write that down."

  I look up and see the white-shirt-kid (and I've labeled him in my notes as such)--the one who started it all. He faces me. Compared to all the people in the room, his serious demeanor is out of place. 

   When a person tells me not to write something down, am I supposed to listen?

   

    Taken off guard, I scribbled out my notes that were incomplete anyway. My face burns a light red. I keep shifting my eyes. No one else noticed. So why did it happen? Why didn't he want me to talk about this? Is it because it seems unprofessional? 

    This is college. C'mon.

    

    I might not know the answer to this question yet, but I do have something that whitey doesn't know about. A fully recorded audio that I can revert back to until I dispose of it. 

   To expose or not to expose -- that is the question.

Common problem? Anybody else a little wordy?

Making the word count used to be hard. Ah, the good days. When I didn't get enough from my interviews and I didn't (apparently) understand the concept of researching, I had little problem making the word count that was set for me.
   600 words? Sure. Why not? I'll try it.
   800, okay. Not bad. I can probably do it. I'm a wordy person in general.
   You see some articles in the paper that are miles long, you know? And you just wonder, how the hell do they talk about stuff for that long?
   Well, I don't know, I guess I musta figured it out because here I am, writing another 1000+ word story for TNH.
 
    I know.

    Conciseness has never been my strong point. I listen to audio recordings of my interviews, and I wonder if I really say um that much. But clearly I do.
    So I try to be concise in my articles. Cool, I think I'm doing an okay job. Everything could use a little improvement, right?

    But the conciseness of the information still evades me like hand grasping at wind!

    There are so many questions I realized I need to know about journalism. So many. I want to know why we didn't go over more in class. I think the writing exercises help, I really do. But then you've got time going by and instead of learning how-to, I'm only learning to do. Just write.
   So here are some things I want to know. Mkay?

+ To what extent do I explain quotes? Do I always need to open and close them? How stupid do I assume my readers are?

+ When I've got a story that's well over 1000 words already, do I go back and throw in some detailed descriptions? Is it okay to say that Tim showed up to our most prestigious interview in sweatpants? Is it okay to talk about the gold cross that hangs around Chris White's neck when the story bears no relation to religion?

+ How can I tell what an issue story is? Around this riveting city, the issues aren't many, and when they do pop up, another writer is already writing it by the time I've thought of the idea.

Those are my questions. I want to get some straight answers so that next time I write, I can feel like I did it right.
 

5% Salary Giveback

What the news does always surprises me: it gives more than one side, it can be very fair, and it shows me things I sometimes ignore or wouldn't see otherwise.
    The Boston Globe is notorious for this.
    I can't believe that whenever I turn on the news or plug-in to an article, I hear about something I never would have dreamed of.
   I hear about sides to a story I couldn't have guessed on my own.

   For the past two years, I've thought a lot about University budget cuts and economic budget cuts within the nation. I kept wondering, why don't the leaders just cut some of their salary? They don't need all that. It could at least get us started.

   So what did B-Globe do?
   It put out this headline.

 

Obama will give back 5% of salary

   Yep. Thank you journalism! You constantly show me the different sides. I don't understand why people think journalism will fade out with the newspapers anymore. I used to be one of those skeptics. Will journalism meet its maker? 

  And the answer is no. Because there is just too much ignorance in the American people without a journalistic media to convey what's happening from the higher-ups and the lower-downs of whatever we are. 

   Again, thank you journalism.