Author: Becky N

It started as a typical morning in the newsroom. We had a budget meeting and all was going well. My editor was speaking about the budget and current stories one minute, the next minute he was playing guitar with another journalist playing cello!

They will be performing next thursday at Cooper’s Landing River Port Marina with Thai barbecue being served, yum!

He sang about the tropical storm Isaac and gave the newsroom a relaxing feel from the stress of deadlines. I was very surprised, but it definitely was a pleasant one.

I’ve realized that when working in the newsroom and interviewing people I’ve been able to learn more about the community and about other people. The environment, although stressful, can be fun and enjoyable because everyone is relatively good-natured.

I’ve been more able to discover the community and learning communications skills in the process.

I found a story today that is relatively similar to my Burr Oak tree story. It’s about the Benton-Stephens tree being cut down because it causes a hazard because of its age. A limb fell from the tree about a month ago because the inside was hollow and becoming frail. The Columbia Parks and Recreation decided to cut it down because many people frequent the park it was in.

Some residents of that area were not notified and were surprised that one day the tree was there and the next a stump. Some people said that the tree resonates and is important to the community. They thought it was a shame that it had to come down.

I think that this could tie into my potential story because people appreciate the big Burr Oak tree as well. The same audience that read the Benton-Stephens tree could have the interest in reading my story because they might want to go and visit the tree and give it more recent press.

It’s interesting how not only is it the biggest tree in Missouri, it is a national landmark and people recognize that. Seeing that other people care in the community about an old tree being cut down shows that there are still some tree-huggers out there.

I’m working on a story which which I consulted the Missourian archives and it was a timeless experience. My story is about a man very involved in the community who owns the big Burr Oak tree in McBaine. The archives went back to 1966-1994 in paper copy and the more recent online.

It was interesting because I was able to get an insight on this man’s life just going through the paper. I saw a picture of him of what looked like he was in high school back in the day. I learned that he joined the Air Force and stories about his farming.

He has had the Burr Oak tree in his family for six generations and other people in the community also water the tree. It takes a couple 1,000 gallons a week to water it.

I saw his political standings because he was on many committees in the community over the years. He was passionate about changing roads and the Katy Trail near the end of the Missouri river where he lives.

He has also ran for presiding commissioner and has been frequently asked questions about community and farming issues.

I was able to get a perspective of this man’s life because of his involvement in the community, his farming and his care of a Missouri landmark: the big Burr Oak tree.

I’m planning on making my story about why he chose to be involved in the community and take care of the magnificent tree after all this time. I have read other articles that were just about the logistics of the tree and what it takes to water it, how old it is etc. But I want to know why he took care of it? How is it beneficial for him? What other things is he still involved in and how has being an active part of the community been an advantage?

I feel that making the story more about the man who takes care of the tree personalizes it on some level. Without the back story there would be no tree at all.

There is a controversy going around about Paul Ryan and his comment that rape is a “method of conception.” He believes that abortion is not necessary in any situation but claims that Mitt Romney has “exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, which is a vast improvement of where we are right now,” Ryan said in a Huffington Post article.

It is interesting how Ryan had worked together with Todd Akin on a bill that discusses rape  when they both may have said controversial remarks about the subject.

The bill is H.R.5939 — No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. The bill claims that the limitations of prohibiting funds, health benefit plans, tax benefits and federal facilities and employees relating to abortion do not apply if there was an act of forcible rape, incest with a minor, or if the woman would suffer from physical injury or death from birth.

So if Ryan is saying that rape is a “method of conception” and Akin thinks that women have “ways to shut that whole thing down,” when it comes to “legitimate rape” pregnancy, how can they say that women can receive health benefit plans and such if they don’t believe that abortion is right or can be prevented?

This seems very peculiar of a Vice Presidential candidate and running Missouri senator when they have conflicting beliefs of abortion.

If you were to vote for Romney, would it make a difference to know what Ryan thinks even though Romney would have the final decision in matters of abortion?

I read an article on CNN discussing how there are other major companies besides Chick-fil-A that have religion as a part of their infrastructure. Some of them have chaplains and some have bible verses on containers and bags. I think it is interesting how there are many major companies that emphasize religion in the work place. Many of these companies I benefit from everyday.

Here are the ones that made CNN’s list:

1. Forever 21- Many people think it is conflicting that Forever 21 tends to have skimpy and controversial clothing for women yet has John 3:16, a popular bible verse, written on their bags. But the company claims that it is a “demonstration of the owner’s faith.”

2. Tom’s of Maine- A natural home products company which the CEO and his wife treat as a ministry. They said they want to spread the message of conservationism along with faith.

3. Tyson Foods Inc.- One of the world’s largest companies that people associate with chicken has chaplains for the employees and offices “regardless of their religious or spiritual affiliation or beliefs.” They also have just started the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace at the University of Arkansas; a unique center that educate’s people in the workplace on how to balance their faith.

4. Hobby Lobby- Arts and craft’s stores around the country that have “honoring the Lord” and the use of the principles of God in their mission statement. They also associate with Oral Roberts University and the Alliance Defense Fund.

5. ServiceMaster- A parent brand for Terminix, Trugreen, American Home Shield and many others strives in order to have “foundational commitment to Honor God in all we do, our eight values and three core objectives to Help People Develop, Excel With Customers and Grow Profitably,” according to their website. Now owned by a private company, it still tries to treat customers fairly and do the right thing.

6. Herman Miller- A furniture manufacturer from Michigan, that’s famous for the Aeron chair, has a focus on environmental philanthropy and is proud of being on Fortune’s list of best companies to work for.

7. Interstate Batteries- A car battery company that had it’s president, Norm Miller changed to the role of chairman to have more time addressing Christian audiences about how he discovered Christianity. Miller also “learned to effectively apply biblical principles to create a more successful business,” by having a chaplain in the workplace.

8. In-N-Out Burger- A West Coast fast food chain that has printed verse citations of Bible passages on its cups, wrappers and other packaging since the 1980’s.

9. Walmart- One the the biggest enterprises in consumer purchases has used “Christian servant leadership models in building the world’s largest retailer,” according to CNN. They also say that the Arkansas based company used tactics for a churchgoer audience. They also carry Christian books that can only otherwise be found at Christian bookstores.

Knowing all this information, I am personally going to still shop at Walmart and Forever 21, especially Chick-fil-A, yum! I belief that if the stores’ philosophies benefit their efficiency and don’t affect the products in a negative way I have no problem with it.

If you had some stores/companies that you used and rely on regularly and just learned that they have Christian ideals would you stop using their products?

Today I wrote a story about the road construction on U.S. 63 and Route H near Columbia Regional Airport. I was eager to take the story, but I was not familiar with all the road/highway terminology. I spoke to the district and construction materials engineer from MoDOT about the project and she said that it will be finished in early November.

She spoke about J-turns an interchange and other routes that will be affected by the construction. I, first of all, was not accustomed to the terminology and other routes in the area. I decided to do some research and found out that an interchange is similar to an overpass and I learned that U.S. 63 meets with U.S. 163 and Route AB. I also looked at a map to familiarize with the area of the construction, considering I’ve only passed it in my car a few times. The J-turns I learned were an easier way to navigate across two highways of traffic in a safer way by seeing a graphic in the Missourian archives.

I learned from this story that writing it was easier than I thought. The internet and the Missourian archives were informational and the MoDOT engineer was very helpful as well.

I figured out that even if I felt overwhelmed the first step was to get more information and not be afraid to ask questions.

I woke up early this morning to do a follow up story of the visitors center. I went to the training meeting at city hall and interviewed one of the volunteers and a woman in charge. I memorized the name of the organization on my way there to make sure my facts were right. I was afraid when I walked into city hall because I didn’t know what to expect. But everyone was very nice and welcoming and it was a win-win for both of us. They get exposure of their volunteer training and I get a story. I learned that giving your sources enough time to AC is crucial, and people are usually friendly enough because they want to help you help them.

I feel the more people I interview and the more places I go I get to meet new people, have new experiences and become more familiar with strangers. People in Columbia are very friendly!

I went into the newsroom this morning a little timid but I was ready to work. I picked up a story right a way and worked on it that morning and afternoon. I had to call a woman who worked for the new Columbia visitors center at city hall. I wrote the story in a relatively good time frame but I had to go to marching practice. I went back to the news room and edited my story. I learned that I have to cq everything and check silly AP mistakes. I’m still learning the ropes so I will get the hang of it in no time. I feel that if I write more stories and spend more time in the newsroom it will be beneficial and I will get a better experience of the process.

The first day of classes was not too bad, but orientation was quite overwhelming. With the fact that I spent the last week going back and forth from band camp and sorority rush, this week just got even more crazy. My teachers are nice and the class load doesn’t seem awful. Being in the newsroom all the time makes me forget a sense of time. I hardly eat and I’m always running around, but I can’t complain. I was feeling a little under the weather Monday night so I wanted to start fresh on Tuesday morning. Yay to the first week in the newsroom!