Category: Missourian

True reviews from True/False Film Festival

Chicago, Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting

This passed February I had the pleasure to review a film and a panel during the True/False Film Festival through Vox magazine. The atmosphere at both events was fun and inviting that included things such as a folk band with an excited drummer and a cozy room with comfy chairs.

The Expedition to the End of the World from http://houseofhayduk.com/news
The Expedition to the End of the World from http://houseofhayduk.com/news

I was able to experience an exciting environment at the Blue Note when viewing “Expedition to the End of the World.” There were brightly colored stained-glass art works and a warm environment of people excited to view their first film of the weekend with a beer in hand.

When participating in the panel called, “Every Cut is a Lie: Editing the Truth” I was able to be in an intimate environment with well-known documentary film writers and editors. The chairs were just as comfortable as the room. We were able to have a conversation with these well-known artists to understand the ethics and psyche behind documentaries.

Robin Schwartz the editor of the documentary America's Parking Lot was a panelist. Photo from http://tbdpost.com/work/americas-parking-lot/
Robin Schwartz the editor of the documentary America’s Parking Lot was a panelist. Photo from http://tbdpost.com/work/americas-parking-lot/

Having True/False under my belt, I was able to explore the world of documentary film, and I would definitely like to venture in the genre further. It was the first time I conducted a film review and been to a panel about video editing. Considering I love movies and have experience with video editing, I thought it was rewarding in a journalistic sense and was just as entertaining. Every one was so kind and creative, from laughs from conversations in line to the quirky responses of the films producers and editors; it was an effervescent crowd. I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I did writing them and I hope my experience of my first True/False Film Festival is able to translate from mind to page.

Instead of just writing about a conflict, being in the conflict

Columbia Missourian, Congo, hotel rwanda, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, Multimedia J2150, News Reporting, Paul Rusesabagina, Rwanda

In class a few weeks ago we watched the documentary entitled “Reporter” by Nicholas Kristof. Kristof has won the Pultizer Prize twice for this documentary about reporting in conflict areas such as Darfur and the Congo. His bravery and courage is not in question, but towards the beginning of the film I wondered, “Instead of only helping the people in trouble, is reporting enough?” As the film progressed Kristof saw people starving and dying and reported on these events and the conflicts at large. The humanitarian in me wondered why they didn’t help these people. When they helped a woman named Yohanita who was raped by a soldier, dying of starvation and taken to the hospital where she died shortly after struck my idea down. Kristof argued that there were millions of people just like Yohanita who have died because of the Congolese Rwandan conflict, and when put on paper, people only cared about the one person. Since 5.4 million is a daunting number, when people read the statistics, they only feel sorry for a few seconds because that fatality rate is not a number people can wrap their heads around, according to Kristof. I later realized that it was effective to report on these issues because people need someone to angle the idea so people will care.

Screen Shot 2012-12-10 at 3.48.25 PM
From left to right: Paul Rusesabagina, me, his wife Tatiana Rusesabagina

On a related note, I was an intern for the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation last summer and learned more about the Rwandan genocide in a perspective I could have never imagined. I met Paul Rusesabagina, his wife Tatiana, and his children through that experience. Paul is an inspiring man. He saved about 1,300 refugees by giving them shelter in the hotel he was managing in Kigali during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The first time I watched the movie “Hotel Rwanda,” based off his story, it made me sympathize and feel sorry for those people. Watching the movie after meeting Paul was a completely different experience. Being able to see what happened while watching the movie a second time and the pain he endured through was almost hard to watch. Feeling sorry for an actor in a movie based off historical events and understanding the pain for a person you met while watching the same movie changes things. Working in that internship helped me to be able to advocate for Paul and people of Rwanda in an active way. It took a burden off my conscience and helped me to be able to understand a complex concept and be able to help in a tangible way. I will remember that experience for the rest of my life, and in Paul’s words:

“History keeps repeating itself but doesn’t teach us any lessons. ‘Never again’ has turned into ‘again and again and again.’…Take Hotel Rwanda as a wake-up call and a message to be our messenger that people are the ones who can change what they want to change.”

The Holiday Season is upon us!

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, Multimedia J2150, News Reporting

I wrote a story today about the Mizzou Forestry Club having their annual Christmas tree sale this weekend and next weekend at the Reactor lot off Providence Road. Ben Tiefenbrun, manager of the MU Turkey Farm Lake and member of the club, said they relocated from Memorial Stadium because of construction.

This article was interesting because I learned that the Forestry Club raises money to go to a lumberjacking conclave. It’s like a lumberjacking carnival, expo, competition thing for Midwestern college students. Like the timber Olympics. Although I did not put a lot in the story about the conclave, it sounded pretty cool. They have events like cross-cut sawing, underhand chopping, ax throwing and pulp toss. Tiefenbrun said the last place winner won a cross-cut saw that was worth $3,000.

I talked to the president of the Forestry Club, Abby Kircher, and she said as one of the few girls in the club and at the conclave. As one of the few, she said she did a lot more events than some of the other members and said it is quite the workout.

It’s impressive for me if a girl carries anything weighing 50 pounds. It’s a whole new level if you can chop down a tree. That’s pretty awesome.

Back to the tree sale, Kircher said she enjoys the sale because she can help kids and families find their perfect tree and kick off the holiday season.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of summer I think of fresh cut grass; but when I think of winter, I think of the smell of Evergreen from my Christmas tree in my living room.

Hot Box Cookies

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting


My partner and I wanted to do a multimedia piece that was hands-on. When I see a video or a picture, I like being able to visualize it as if I am there.

When we worked on this piece about Hot Box Cookies, a late night cookie delivery service in Columbia, we wanted to record the ambience of the kitchen. The buzzing of the timers on the oven, the kneading of the dough, the hum of the blender, etc. We also wanted to incorporate these sounds with the images of the cookie making process. I thought this would be an interesting angle because when people visit Hot Box, they are blocked by the counter and can’t see the full kitchen. Now with this video slideshow, customers can see what hard work the owner and employees of Hot Box cookies put into their cookies every day.

It was interesting to interview the owner, Cory Rimmel, because he said he started the business when he was a sophomore business major at Mizzou. When I was a sophomore I had a minimal grasp of what I wanted to do in the future, but Rimmel made it happen.

It was a cool experience because we were able to talk to him about how his idea turned into a real bakery. He said he is trying to perfect the kinks in the recipes and has major improvements in production because of his new location. It is fascinating how even though Rimmel was able to make his dream a reality, he is still making changes to enhance the bakery to become “a staple of Columbia.”

Really listening to what people say

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting

People talk all the time. You probably have at least 50 conversations on a typical day, but do you remember what was said?

There’s a difference between hearing and listening, and it’s been a gradual process for me to discern that.

Even before I started writing for the Missourian, I have been trying to be more attentive in conversations about what other people have to say versus what I am going to say. Let’s be honest, people love to talk about themselves. It was a challenge for me to start to listen to what people are actually saying in an everyday conversation. These conversations can be more difficult to remember because I don’t have a pen, paper or a recorder to recall the conversation.

Listening is an important skill than is sometimes overlooked because it’s more passive than being the speaker of a conversation. But listening is the most important part of journalism. Throughout this semester I have learned to be more attentive to what sources are saying and I work off their responses instead of just questions in my notebook. Sources usually don’t have a straight forward answers to questions. They sometimes have an interesting story or an analogy to explain something and I might overlook it if I stay too focused on what answer I expect to hear.

I have now become really attentive about what my sources have to say and how it will help with my story. I think this skill is helpful for my writing and will be a gradual process to help me become a better journalist.

Sleek New Police Vehicles

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting

Police Interceptor

I wrote an article yesterday about Columbia law enforcement updating their vehicles to the next big thing.

MUPD is exchanging the good ol’ Crown Victorias that everyone associates with as the transportation of city protectors to the new sleek 2013 Ford Police Interceptors. The Interceptors hit the market in January of this year and have made some Columbia police forces to update.

MUPD has 2 SUVs and 2 sedans of the Interceptor. The SUV is similar to the Ford Explorer and the sedan similar to the Taurus, Kelly Sells, fleet manager at Joe Machens Ford Lincoln in Columbia, said.

The SUV comes with a 3.7 liter V-6 engine and the 3.5 liter V-6 sedan.

The Police Interceptor has two types of sedans, the V-6 and the V-6 ecoboost twin turbo. Sells said the twin turbo charger lets air get into an engine, spins the air and forces it into the engine.

The Police Interceptor has 20 percent better fuel economy than the Crown Victoria and a five-year, 100,000-mile power train warranty.

The SUV obtains about the same gas mileage as the sedan, Sells said.

The twin turbo sedan’s top speed is 148 mph, Sells said.

The SUV and the V-6 sedan without twin turbo have the same top speed as the Crown Victoria at 131 mph, Sells said.

Columbia Police decided to stick with rear wheel drive Chevy Tahoes when the Interceptor boosts efficient all wheel drive that can power through rain, sleet, snow and off road terrain.

The Boone County Sheriff Department found out that Ford was going to introduce the Interceptor a few years ago and planned accordingly with testing out Dodge Chargers, Chevy Tahoes and Chevy Caprices in loo of their debute.

KOMU also had a feature about the new vehicles.

Writing about Cars

Writing this story was very interesting because everyone likes to learn about new cars. People will also know that some Columbia law enforcement are updating to these vehicles and to observe that these law enforcements are going to be safer and more efficient because they will have all new vehicles.

I’m not very car-savy but I was able to figure out what all the terminology meant and how it would affect the law enforcement because they would have a faster and more efficient car because of it’s all wheel drive and V-6 engine.

It’s also interesting to note that during this story it was one of the first times I had to talk to an officer as a reporter. I thought it would be difficult because it seemed intimidating for me to do so, but once I gained my confidence and knew what questions to ask it was like any other story.

Not only am I learning about how to talk to different types of people in different positions, but I’m learning how to write on a topic I know nothing about and become an expert on the subject.

I think that is one of the most fundamental parts of journalism: to learn about unfamiliar topics and to tell others about it.

Diversity event featuring Martin Luther King III

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, Multimedia J2150, News Reporting

The city of Columbia is hosting their 20th annual Columbia Values Diversity Celebration Jan. 17th 2013. The event is going to have keynote speaker Martin Luther King III, Martin Luther King Jr.’s son.  It will be held from 7 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Expo Center, 2200 I-70 Drive Southwest. Tickets are only available in advance and are $14. The deadline to register for the event is 5 p.m. on Jan. 11.

The theme of this event is “the Dream Revisited,” recognizing people of Columbia with the same qualities as Martin Luther King Jr.

The city of Columbia will give 2 awards, one to an individual, another to an organization that demonstrate diversity and the dream of MLK.

At the 10th event the keynote speaker was Bernice King, the daughter or Martin Luther King Jr. Cari Utterback said. She said having Martin Luther King III at the 20th event will make it special. Having King III there will honor Martin Luther King’s legacy.

“Martin’s dedication to creating and implementing strategic nonviolent action to rid the world of social, political, and economic injustice has propelled him to the forefront as one of the nation’s most ardent advocates for the poor, the oppressed, and the disillusioned,” according to Martin Luther King III’s website.

I think it is a great thing that King III is going to be in Columbia to influence people’s lives and help the advocacy of diversity for our community.

Homecoming!

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, Multimedia J2150, News Reporting

I wrote a brief about all the Homecoming events this weekend. This will be Mizzou’s 101st Homecoming and there will be a spirit rally featuring indie band Imagine Dragons, a pancake breakfast, the Homecoming parade, the game of course and more. I’m excited for it even though I have to march at 6:15 am on Saturday and it will be less than 50 degrees all weekend. I’ve had a ton of midterms and preparation for homecoming, I’m excited to be a part of it and excited for it to be over. There will also be house decorations in Greektown, my sorority’s theme is the Mayans because the theme is “Homecoming and the Eras.” It has been a lot of work but this will be a Homecoming to remember!

Writing about someone’s life

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting

I wrote my first Missourian life story last week and I thought it would be a rather daunting and difficult task, but it was easy for me. Missourian life stories are a little different that a regular obituary. The Missourian has a regular obituary for a person who has died, but the Missourian life story gives readers a better impression of the person’s life and memories of family members and friends.

I wrote it about Kenneth Ray Tompkins. Mr. Tompkins was from the small town of Fruita, Colorado and attended McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas and majored in physics. He then earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. He married Janice mock his junior year at McPherson and she told me many fond memories about him.

She said when they lived in Phoenix Arizona for Mr. Tompkin’s job she would sit on the California beach and wait for him and their three year old son to come back from snorkeling or scuba diving. She said in their Phoenix home that they had tropical plants in their backyard and had 46 squirrel monkeys in a cage. She said there was ivy, grape vines, palmtrees, a bird of paradise, a pool and more. They then moved back to Mr. Tompkins hometown where he started a construction business. When there was a financial crisis in the town they moved to Columbia because they had family nearby and liked the area.

Their son Mike and his wife now run Tompkins construction. Mike said he is now teaching the skills he learned from his dad to his son in regards to wood work, construction, values and perseverence. Mike and Mr. Tompkins wife said he was a big influence on their lives and have many fond memories.

I learned a lot of interesting things about life stories while writing Mr. Tompkin’s obituary. I already know that death is a part of life, but even without meeting Mr. Tompkins I got some insight of his personality and family memories without ever talking to him. Normally things like this are morbid and a time for remembrance, but I thought it was enjoyable to learn this person’s influence on other people’s lives and the impact he has left for his loved ones and people of the community.

Petting puppies on the job!

Columbia Missourian, Journalism, Missourian, Mizzou, News Reporting

I had a story a few weeks ago when I was on a weekend shift about the Paws in the Park Expo at Stephens Lake Park. It was my first event I covered. I was nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being just fine. I talked to some of the owners of dogs who were going to do the Mutt Strutt Fun Run and I talked to the volunteers of the event and of Columbia Second Chance. I learned a lot of things about dogs and cats and I learned some interesting stories from some of the owners. Since I haven’t seen my own dog in two months it was nice to be able to pet some of the dogs up for adoption in the tents. I also saw some cats in another tent; the kittens were so cute! I had a fun time writing this story because I picked something I knew would be interesting and I learned a lot.