Pills Don't Always Cure The Pain

Advil, Tylenol, Exedrine, Aleve. I know from that last I use to take one of those pain relievers every instance I had any kind of ache. Prescriptions on the other hand, well I took them as directed and never got addicted. For one woman, pills took a priority in her life.

One Newsvine story featured a Pennsylvannia law student and her addiction to prescription pain pills. I can't take my eyes off the photo; it's very enticing. Laurie Besden's expression has a look that can't be described in perfect words. The ones that come to mind: numb, regret, pain and embarrassment. Besden relied on prescription pills to pass her bar exam and then she couldn't live without them. 

The writer, Karen Asp, set-up the story in a great and organized matter. She separated it into categories and expanded on each with quotes and information. This makes it much easier for readers to be able to actually go deep into the article and read each part. 

This kind of piece needs lots of facts to back up the truth of the matter. Asp did that wonderfully. I can't believe 7.5 million adult women abuse prescription medicines. That's a huge number. That awe factor I'm feeling is exactly what Asp wanted.

Photo Courtesy of Newsvine.com 

Besden would get heart palpitations if she didn't take her pills after a while. That's a scary thought. This is the kind of quote you need to include in a health story. 

There's a bright side to this story and I think that's what gets people reading. If anyone reading has a pill problem or knows someone that does, he/she can look to Besden for hope. I enjoy stories that feature people in depth like this one. It's much easier to read about a topic if there's someone to relate to. Of course every story needs to be humanized, but I feel like more featured stories like these have a greater appeal.

I'd love to improve my writing to reflect that kind of work. 

Running Never Looked So Fun

"Running is totally pointless." That's what my friend told me after I told her I ran a few miles that day. I've never been much of a runner myself but since I got to college, running and I get along more than I ever imagined possible. It's a great feeling, especially when you're actually done running. That's the thing about it. People often run for fundraisers because it feels so good when you've crossed that finish line. You raised money and ran for a good cause. I finally went to one of those running fundraisers for a news story. You could feel the motivation and strength just standing there watching all those people run just to help a cause. 

I met Suzann Smith who use to hate running. I immediately laughed with her when she told me that. I told her I dreaded the mile run for gym class all semester long, but I never had a problem stretching for sit-and-reach or anything like those tests. 

I met Smith at the Key Largo Fitness Center, Running For Robert. Robert Canine served as a Staff Sergeant in the Army until last May when he came home severely injured. He lost both his lower legs. He got a special home from Homes For Our Troops. Canine wanted to give back to the organization. He has a goal to raise $100,000. The Eagle's radio host Tom Bradley helped Canine put together a fitness-filled fundraiser. I'm so amazed when people like Bradley do such kind acts like these. It makes me believe that deep down, the world is good. Canine was so easy to talk to: gracious, kind and happy as a clam to be a part of a great cause. I asked him two questions that didn't really make sense to him and that really weren't relevant to the story. I feel like those questions came out of thin air. I'm going to stick to this: if I'm not sure where I'm going with my question, no one else will either. I'm getting better at asking questions and narrowing my focus, now. 

Smith joined a group that all runs just because it's good for you. Team Slogger, they call it. Slowly but steadily they run together. I thought it was perfect! Just my kind of running! I love when I go out to cover a story and find people I want to be friends with and/or join their group. They had t-shirts with this slogan on the back, "Unintentional ineffective attempt at running. Not actually running, not quite jogging, but sometimes faster than walking. Please stop asking, we are really trying, honest!" 

Now that's some good old honest, amusing truth for you. She and her teammate Steve were a fun pair to talk to. I tried to look around and see what kind of glances runners would give me. Smith and Steve's seemed to be the most welcoming. 

I think I shot some good video but maybe I could've used a little more creativity and tried to get off the tripod and experiment. I'll admit that using the maximum height on the tripod turned out well for me. I interviewed Canine's brother Jamie standing on a treadmill. I think it looked pretty neat. 

This was a heartwarming story and fun to shoot. I hope more stories like these cross my path again. 

Here's a link to learn more about Robert:

Robert's Story

Reporting Sings To Me

I’ve always had a love for music. That basically guided me to covering a story about a local community band. Two band directors in the Jefferson City area wanted to bring former musicians in the area back to playing their instruments. 

Ever since I left high school, there’s been a small hole in my life now that I have no time for choir and piano. So any opportunity I can be surrounded by music, I’ll go for it. Paul Hinman, the band director of Jeff City High School, was a great interviewee. I tried to ask open-ended questions that would lead to more than one answer. This was one of the first things I learned about interviewing people. I asked many short and simple questions that I could use for facts before I put Paul on camera. My fellow reporter friends Mark taught me this trick, per say. It saves time going through tape that you won’t use as sound bites and makes the interviewing process more enjoyable and like a conversation than a chore. 

It wasn’t easy getting all of my video at once. Paul had to reschedule our interview because he had to handle both the band meeting and the high school booster’s meeting at the same time. Luckily, it worked out in the end because it was a great interview and we were able to talk about all kinds of things outside of the story’s topic. I enjoyed watching the band members laugh and interact with one another just at the meeting, discussing how long it’s been since they played an instrument. 

I told Paul that I’d much rather be out reporting and talking to people about their stories than be in the newsroom. I’m a people person and doing this story made me realize how much I love reporting. No matter what problems pop-up, I still enjoy the core ideals of reporting. 

The 60s and Alzheimer's

I’m a fan of The Onion, an adventurous and different kind of news outlet. The other day I ventured into the Science and Technology section of the news site and found a story touching on Alzheimer’s disease and the baby boomer generation. The article is entitled, “Alzheimer’s Disease Causing Baby Boomers To Misremember 1960s Even More.” It talks about a study researchers at Stanford University conducted that shows this brain disease is beginning to make the 1960s a little fuzzy for the baby boomer generation. 

What really attracted me to this story is honestly the photo. It’s a picture of a gray-bearded man who seems to be looking off into space. (Photo Courtesy of The Onion) I felt kind of sorry for Harold Finster. I was curious what he can and can’t remember. The caption under the photo says, “Harold Finster could not possibly have been on state at Woodstock during Country Joe’s “Freedom,” because the song was actually performed by Richie Havens and Finster was living in California at the time.” It made me want to read more about Finster and his possible memory loss. I like when journalists give you a taste of the story at the beginning that isn’t exactly the main point. It’s a great way to pull readers and viewers in. This is exactly what this writer did, especially with the caption. 

There was an interesting bit saying some people thought they personally ended the war in Vietnam even before Alzheimer’s struck. The neuroanantomist said, “It’s just sad...” I agree with him. You almost have to laugh then realize how serious this disease is and how people just a bit older than my parents are feeling the affects. Maybe I should I say forgetting the affects. Finster’s son, Dylan, has a few quotes talking about his dad’s ‘old, innocent lies’. I thought that was a positive way to look at the degenerative disease’s effects.

The article says Harold thought he had hung out with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin back in the 60s. Alzheimer’s blurs the lines of your past and perhaps, dreams of celebrity friendships. As the article goes on to say, “mixing fact with fiction...” was the main effect in a majority of the boomers studied.  I’d probably start meshing real life and dreams myself. 

The last line highlights the best importance of the story: “Alzheimer's may be loosening their grip on reality, but we're not sure how firm it was to begin with.”  This makes you leave the story with a smile on your face.  I can imagine that reality isn’t always 100 percent clear in our minds despite how much we really can recall. 

Here's a link a video about the study: Alzheimer's Study