Monday: I traveled to Anderson with a crew to cover a story about a man who killed his wife. When I first heard the tip, I thought it was just another typical homicide. However, the story was much more complicated than I thought. The man claimed that he was assisting in his wife's suicide. She was dying from cancer and had been given 3-6 weeks to live. We went around the couple's apartment complex and we're able to talk to some close friends of theirs. The neighbors told us how in love this couple was. They said that the man was completely devoted to this woman and he would never lay a hand on her unless she asked him too. Apparently, the couple was evicted from their apartment recently and before leaving they gave most of their possessions away saying that they were never coming back. Obviously, the story is still pretty sketchy, but I learned that I can't jump to conclusions. I am glad that the reporter went into the story with an open mind. He didn't assume that the man was a heartless killer which is why he got some really good sound from family friends who knew the couple well. As a reporter, it is important to put your opinion aside.
I also had the opportunity to do a standup. They encouraged me to try to say something that could be used as a bridge if I did a package. This meant really thinking about a unique part of the story instead of just a brief overview.
Tuesday: Adrienne, the reporter that I went out with last week on the culvert story, pulled me aside in the morning to ask to see my package. We printed out my script and I showed her my editing. She seemed impressed which was encouraging (I have never edited before this summer, but I do feel like I am improving). She went through the whole thing with me and made a few minor suggestions. I was very grateful for her help! I spent the rest of the afternoon following a crew that was covering the new vaccine policy. We went to 3 interviews and gathered a lot of information. The reporter was putting together a short package and so it was interesting to see how she narrowed down all of the complicated information to really make a simple, understandable story. I had the chance to do a standup again. The reporter gave me some ideas of what I might want to say. The information wasn't too interesting to me, but I still had to present it with meaning. This was good practice because to be honest, will be many stories that I don't understand or really care about, but if I'm asked to cover them then I need to act like I am knowledgeable and/or passionate.
Wednesday: I was with a reporter who was covering a carjacking. Apparently, an anonymous witness called 911 and then followed the suspects while giving turn by turn directions over the phone. We went to the scene and then followed the course that the suspects and witness went. Later, I saw that they put sound from the 911 call to the video and it turned out really interesting! I was able to do 2 standups that day! I first did an introduction at the intersection where the high speed chase began and then tagged the story out at the police department which was ironically right at the intersection that the chase ended. I am in the process of putting together my own package.
Thursday: Today I went to Bloomington to dig up some more on the Lauren Spierer case. They called it investigative reporting. This whole story has been interesting to follow. Tomorrow the parents are holding another press conference. Everyone at the station knows that the police will not give them any more information. They are just trying to keep the media involved. It seems like they just string us along so that we will keep showing up and covering the search. It's interesting to me how important the police and parents think media involvement is. To be honest, it is the media to thank for making this case recognized nationally. They are desperately trying to keep us interested so we will keep coming back. I am not sure how long WISH will continue traveling to Bloomington to cover the uninformative press conferences and searches, but it has been interesting to follow.
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