What Works Assignment 11

Headline: Saving Our World

I came across this story on Twitter as I was scrolling through my timeline. Someone had tagged the story and said “This is a beautiful piece of journalism” so I clicked on it.

This isn’t a traditional news story that has an inverted pyramid set up. It focuses more on pictures to draw you into the story. It forces you to click on pictures to read more on the story.

The “lead” here is a more of a delayed lead. It’s just two simple statements that pull the reader in. Then the writer makes the reader think about what greenhouse gases have been doing to the environment and informs the reader that it’s too late to reverse the damage one and wonder what will happen next, forcing the reader to wonder how their life will have to change to adapt to these environmental challenges.

I think each picture highlighted makes the reader wonder the story behind each picture and thus click on it to get the full story. I think this was necessary to make the article successful, otherwise people would’ve stopped reading if the picture wasn’t enticing.

Each picture also has a caption that tells the reader more about the story. Honestly, some of these were more interesting to me than others so I wouldn’t probably have read all of them if I didn’t have to for the what works assignment. The cover pictures, as well as the pictures within each article, were hands down the most effective multimedia elements in helping to tell the story. Without the pictures, I think the story would’ve fallen flat and wouldn’t have done as good of a job as portraying the effects that are happening on the environment. It’s easy to talk about

This story had a wide variety of sources. Each individual story has two-three sources, most of whom are officials who are pros on the topic being discussed. I think this is what makes the story so credible and “beautiful” as the person on Twitter put it. Since this is more of a feature story, they were able to use a bunch of time to get it right, which adds credibility and respect to the whole piece.

The only negative thing I can see in this, is that some of the stories are long, and I lost interest quickly. I think that’s partly because I have a poor attention span and sadly, this isn’t something that I know too much about so some of the terms went right over my head. For someone who was really passionate about this though, it would be great!

 

What Works Assignment 10

Headline: College Towns Can Be Attractive Later in Life

I literally googled “alumni retire in college town” and after reading a few, this lead caught my attention the most. As I scrolled through the article and to the bottom, I noticed a familiar town mentioned.

The kind of lead used here is a narrative lead, focusing in on William Riffer, a man who ended up retiring off the campus of William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. This sets up the story to talk about other people who have retired in college towns, whether they go their for the education aspect, the alumni connections or the stable economy.

The writer pulled me into the story by making me like the first person he talks about, William Riffer. And he makes me want to keep reading by introducing more likable characters, such as Sherry Burford and Bill O’Connell.

The nutgraph comes in the fourth paragraph when the writer explains the appeal for older people to live in college towns during retirement.

This story quoted five people throughout the story, but also highlighted the lives of several other and their return to a college town without quoting them. Most of them were the retired people, but the story also quoted an executive director of a university. This allowed to tell some of the downsides of older generations living in a college town.

Besides hyperlinks throughout the story and one picture of William Riffer, there wasn’t much multimedia included. I would’ve loved to see closer up pictures of the people mentioned and maybe even an interactive map highlighting where all these people ended up retiring.

As for my story, I think this does a great job of making readers connect with the people interviewed. I will zero in more on just Ole Miss and the alumni who have retired here and why they chose to come back. This article mentioned the Oxford Newcomers Club and Friends, which is great because I probably would’ve never known about that otherwise and can now easily reach out to them as a source for my own story.

What Works Assignment 9

Patrick Reed holds off Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler to win Masters by one shot

I clicked on this headline because I figured I should get informed on what was happening in the Masters before I called my dad so I could at least pretend to know what I was talking about.

This story uses a delayed lead, which I think is effective because it gives some background about who Patrick Reed is before saying that he won the Masters. Plus, it works well with the headline since that gives away who won the golf tournament anyways.

The description used at the beginning of the story about Patrick Reed made me want to keep reading about why he was such a strong contender and fighter throughout the tournament.

The nutgraph of the story comes in the second paragraph when it spells out that Reed now gets to wear the green jacket after battling for the win.

This story uses three human sources, Reed and his two toughest competitors, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. The story also uses stats from the tournament throughout to explain the battle that Reed had to fight to come out on top.

This story had some great pictures of Reed, which were effective in helping to tell the story. There was also a video at the beginning, which recapped the tournament and the history of Reed in previous tournaments while including pictures. I wish there had been a video of him receiving the green jacket and/or shooting his last shot because I feel like that would’ve been cool to see. At the end of the story, there was a photo gallery with over 100 pictures in it. That was a little overkill for me, and I don’t know who has the time to look through all those unless you’re a die hard golf fan.

I think it would’ve been cool to see a timeline of past winners in an infographic or something like that. It would’ve been an interesting way to add value because it would reinforce this idea that Reed was going up against players who have been victorious in the past, such as Spieth who won back in 2015.

Final Story Pitch

For my final story I will explore the trend of Ole Miss alumni returning to Oxford upon retiring and the downsides and upsides of that. There’s some draw that Ole Miss and Oxford have to bring them back to the town they went to college in, and I want to uncover that.

What will I explore??

-What do they do to keep busy? What does the school have to offer them?

-What does the community have to offer them in terms of social activities?

I think a lot of what I uncover will come in the interviewing process, and then I can go from there and focus in on something more specific. For example, there are very few assisted living facilities and nursing homes in Oxford. And being in a college town, logistical issues may arise when it comes to accessing medical services targeted to the elderly.

As for media, I could take portrait photographs of the people I end up interviewing (my grandparents live in a cul de sac two minutes off campus so I was going to walk around there and see who would be willing to talk to me).

What Works Assignment 8

Headline: Students Lead Huge Rallies for Gun Control Across the U.S. 

I saw this story shared on my Facebook page. I clicked on it because I know I saw people from my own grade school participating in the March for Our Lives so I wanted to see what was  going on at a more national level.

This story uses a combination of a hard news lead and a narrative lead. It tell the who, what, when and where but doesn’t get to the why until later and doesn’t get too deep into exact details like names and things like that. I think that’s because the story was over the whole country, and it would’ve been difficult to zero in one one specific thing since it was a much grander scope.

After reading the lead, I wanted to know more about these students protesting and that pulled me in to the story to keep reading. I think the first quote used in the story did a great job of pulling me into the story on an emotional level.

 

This story had quotes from eight different sources, all of which showed a different aspect in the fight to get better gun laws in America. Many of these quotes were from the kids leading these protests, which I think it very important since they’re the voice of the whole thing. I think it’s so cool to see what these kids have been able to do, and hope they will continue to fight so passionately.

I think this story also did a great job showing the government side of things and dumbing it all down for the reader. Sometimes when talking about government policies and spending, it’s easy to confuse the reader with all of that jargon. This author was able to show that perspective of things without confusing the reader.

This story has a photo as well as a video to help tell the story. When talking about something so large in scope, I think it’s important to show footage from the actual march in Washington so that was effectively done here. You can really see the emotion on all of the people’s faces and hear the passion in the words that are spoken.

I think this story did a great job of showing all perspectives of the story. One way that value could’ve been added was add a timeline of all that has happened since the shooting  and what the school kids have done leading up to Washington. It would’ve been cool to see that visually.

What Works Assignment 7

Headline: Cirque du Soleil aerialist who plunged to his death was trying new act for the first time

My dad actually sent me this story because we go to Cirque du Soleil shows almost every summer together. Even though my dad sends me a lot of news articles throughout the week, I clicked on this one first because I always wonder how more of the performers don’t get hurt (or in this case die) when they do such crazy acts.

This story uses a hard news lead because it directly spells out the who, what, where, when and why. The nutgraph comes quickly following the lead in the third paragraph where it talks about the fact this this was a new act that acrobat Yann Arnaud was doing in the show.

There were five sources used throughout the story, although only two direct quotes from these sources. This story cited the original story published by the Tampa Bay Times, the Instagram account from the man involved in the accident, the Cirque du Soleil Twitter page (although no direct quote was used from it), Tampa police (again no direct quote from them) and lastly Daniel Lamarre, president of Cirque du Soleil.

This article also did some research into past deaths that occurred within the Cirque du Soleil group. It talked about the other two deaths, occurring in 2016 and 2013, and outside researched was definitely involved in that.

This article embeds a variety of links throughout the story, which were helpful to my in the story-telling process because they allowed me to see the original article that had been written as well as stories about the other two members of Cirque du Soleil who had died in the past. Some of the links though were back to other stories that Fox News had written on the subject, which was a little iffy for me. It felt as though they were trying to get readers to read the same exact story twice. At the top of the article, there’s a short video to watch. Although it doesn’t add much new information, the videos played showing Arnaud practicing and performing on the aerial straps, which allowed me to visualize what he was doing much better.

I think a way the author could’ve added value to the story was perhaps going deeper into the training and preparation of the members of Cirque du Soleil. If I knew nothing about Cirque du Soleil, this story makes it seem like he practiced this act a few times before trying it out. In reality, though, he was probably practicing for months.

What Works Assignment 6

Headline: A Small Town Kept Walmart Out. Now It Faces Amazon.

This story uses a narrative lead. It talks about one specific store-owner before going more in depth on the issue that the town is dealing with. By zeroing in on one person, this lead effectively sets the scene for the rest of the story and the discussion about how online shopping is affecting small business owners and their stores.

I think in the third paragraph, when the write puts himself in the story, it made me want to keep reading because it made it more relatable as a reader. Usually you need to be careful about using first person pronouns, but I think the writer did it in such a way that it pulled readers into the rest of the story.  I could very easily relate to it because I imagined the stores on Main Street in my small town and the fact that there really aren’t many people shopping in those stores down and seeing so many close down.

The nutgraph of this story comes in the fifth paragraph. This talks about the struggle local businesses are facing and WHY they are having these problems.

This story uses 11 sources, some of which are actual people while other sources came from census reports and surveys done by the research firm Forrester. These human sources range from small business owners in the town to officials from Amazon and everything in between. There was such a great diversity of sources, that I think it hurt the story a little bit. There was so much to follow that I got confused many times and had to reread paragraphs to figure out who was who.

There were data points used from the census and surveys taken by the Forrester firm. I think these numbers put the dilemma into more quantifiable and relatable terms.

There were two pictures used throughout the story, which I thought could have been better. The first showed an anti-Walmart rally that happened back in 2005. This story was written in 2018 so I think they could’ve tried to find a better and more relevant image. The second picture is just the street of the downtown, but perhaps highlighting one of the stores talked about in the article would’ve been more effective in furthering the story.

I think pushing a little further with the multimedias would’ve added more value to the article. I just felt like there was a disconnect between the article and the multimedia. I also think a way to add value would be cutting down the article. By the end of it, I was struggling to keep reading and felt bogged down by the amount of information that was being thrown at me. It’s an important article to raise awareness of the issue, but just a lot to take in for one article.

What Works Assignment 5

Headline: How the Survivors of Parkland Began the Never Again Movement

This story is about the #NeverAgain movement that was started after the recent shooting by students who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

The story uses a delayed news lead in which it outlines the rest of the story and gives background information before getting into the bulk of the story. I think it’s effective, but it could’ve been more effective if the writer had played more on the emotions of the readers by perhaps incorporating a quote earlier on. This is such an emotional story, and the quotes throughout the article show how well-spoken the students were and could’ve brought readers in more quickly.

The writer does a good job of introducing the story while providing crucial background information. I think providing this level of understanding helps pull the reader into the story. The quotes used make the reader relate to the students and feel almost as much sadness and heartbreak that the students interviewed feel.

The nutgraph comes in the fourth paragraph when the inspiration for the #NeverAgain movement comes to light. This paragraph talks about not only the creation of the group, but also answers the why and how questions about how this movement became a national effort.

The story quotes four different students who all played parts in the creation of the #NeverAgain movement. The writer uses quotes from interviews with the students, as well as pulling quotes from their Facebook and Instagram pages. Without these quotes from the students, the story really wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. These quotes help readers understand where the students are coming from and also made me feel like these high schoolers really know what they’re talking about and are doing this to really bring about change to their school and the nation.

The story has one picture throughout its entirety that depicts one of the students not even quoted in the story. I think it would’ve been more effective to have a different student pictured because this would’ve made the picture more relevant.

One thing that would’ve added value to the story is adding hyperlinks to relevant social media posts that were talked about. As a reader, there were many times I wanted to click on the students names to see their faces and posts because I think this humanizes the whole effort and makes me want to believe in the cause that much more if I can see these kids who are working so hard to honor their lost friends through bringing about change.

What Works Assignment 4

Headline: Letting American Kids Die

I came across this story scrolling through the New York Times website. The headline was so crass and honest, and that’s why I think I clicked on it over other stories on the page.

This story uses a narrative lead by zeroing in on one particular shooting in America, which introduces into the rest of the story on the problems associated with these shootings in our country. The lead also plays on the reader’s emotions by incorporating the quote from Connecticut’s governor into the lead.

In addition to the lead and headline pulling me into the story, the first photograph in the story made me keep reading. The sadness on the mothers’ faces from the recent shooting in Florida brought up questions that I hoped would get resolved throughout the rest of story.

The nutgraph comes in the third paragraph when the writer introduces the idea that the United States isn’t doing anything to prevent more suffering that comes with shootings like the one that occurred in Florida. This leads into him talking about three ways that America could improve instead of just empty mourning.

I also like how the writer highlights gun laws as an issue, but also addresses other potential sources for the United States’ problems when it comes to this issue.

The author uses three different sources including Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, a study by Health Affairs, and a study in the American Journal of Public Health. He also has a great graphic depicting the annual deaths per one million children in America verse other countries. Seeing these numbers in picture form really made it more impactful for me, as I’m sure it did for other readers as well. He also includes multiple links to let readers delve deeper into the subjects he talks about throughout the article, which is effective.

The author does a great job of explaining things in multiple different ways. Instead of just posting the graphic and allowing people to learn visually through that, he also uses words to describe what exactly the graphic is saying and relating it to the Sandy Hook shooting.

I think one thing that could add value to this story is perhaps getting the perspective of the lawmakers. He touches on Medicaid when he talks about infant mortality rates and also brings up the Republican Party, but actually interviewing what those politicians who are making the laws have to say. On the other hand, this is an opinion piece, but I still think at least showing another side of the battle would be beneficial.

What Works Assignment 3

Headline: Meet the first Gerber baby with Down syndrome; his name is Lucas!

I came across this story while scrolling through my Facebook timeline. One of my friends had posted the article, and the idea of the first Gerber baby with Down syndrome enticed me to click on the article and read it.

This story uses a traditional hard news lead in the written part of the story spelling out the who, what, where and when of the story. On the other hand, in the video included with it, they use a quote from the baby’s mom to start the story.

What immediately drew me to keep reading were the pictures included in the story. Obviously with this piece being about a baby who won a photo contest, pictures needed to be included, and they were sprinkled throughout, which I liked. The video included was also a crucial aspect because you not only got to see baby Lucas on camera, but also an interview with the baby’s parents as well as background information on the Gerber baby through the years. Seeing the father cry in the interview makes it so much more emotional for the viewer than just throwing a quote into the story.

In addition to interviewing the parents for the video aspect of the story, quotes from the CEO and president of Gerber as well as the founder and president of Changing the Face of Beauty, a non-profit organization committed to advocating for equal representation of people with disabilities in adverting and media. Both of these sources shed a professional light on the topic instead of solely relying on the parents to tell the story.

I think the quotes chosen in the story were very effective in telling the story. They play on the reader’s emotions making the family relatable to any reader. I love the last quote by the mom because it really puts you in her shoes. It’s a huge deal that her child is the first Gerber baby with a genetic disorder, but this quote points the future, making the reader look past Down syndrome and to the fact that Lucas is just like any other kid, with a future and dreams.

I wish the story had gone more in depth about Down syndrome and how many people/kids that affects in America and around the world. I feel like this would add value to the story by adding context to the story. It would’ve added another aspect to the story, which I think would’ve been beneficial to readers who may not know much about Down syndrome.