Halfway through my internship, I was assigned to preview a public hearing on a $23 million revitalization project for the Cooper River Park. The park is home to a significant rowing community, whose regattas are an "economic boon" for local business. Proponents of the project allege the spending project will attract more prestigious races to the park, i.e., rich people that will spend money at local restaurants and hotels.
My editor asked for a brief preview, which I could have easily accomplished without picking up the phone or moving from my desk. But that's boring. It was a nice day, so I took a drive over to the park and interviewed a few picnickers who frequent the park. Not surprisingly, most people I talked to thought the project was not a great way to spend taxpayer money in such a tight budget climate. I ended up getting some really colorful quotes from one guy, who equated the project to spending money on a new flower bed when you can't pay the mortgage. That was a nice gift :)
On its face, the story was pretty lame, but it reinforced to me that it ALWAYS pays to go to the scene and get mixed up in the story.
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