I spent my morning covering a plaque dedication in front of Geno's Steaks in South Philly honoring its late owner, Joey Vento. Vento was a big supporter of the first responder community, so the city's FOP honored him with the ceremony they typically use for fallen officers.
This was a very fun assignment. Police officers, kids from Annunciation BVM (the neighborhood school) and other community members flanked all sides of the block as visiting Mummers played Sinatra-era hits. Police Commissioner Ramsey made a few comments memorializing Vento. Cheesesteaks, cops and Catholic school kids--how much more Philly can you get? This city can sometimes be a caricature of itself.
I ran into Ramsey later in the day at Occupy Philly protest at the Comcast Center. The occupants were protesting corporate greed and police brutality in solidarity with the violent in Oakland, Ca. that week. It was quite the scene. I stuck around for the whole protest and saw 9 Occupy members get hauled away in police vans.
I spoke with protesters and dictated the story back to my editors for an online update. I'm getting better at that kind of spot coverage. It was initially hard to get past the record-transcribe-contemplate-write model of reporting, but it's essential for newspaper writing. I'm getting the hang of it.
A very interesting day in Philadelphia.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Wee Six: Fleisher Art Memorial
That Friday I worked on a story about Fleisher Art Memorial, an after-school art program that won a Presidential Award for it's engagement of the city's youth in the arts. I got to go back to Bella Vista (where I did the mural assignment) and tour the facility, interview some program organizers and meet with the young girl who accepted the award in D.C. from Michele Obama.
This was my first time having such a formal, prearranged interview with a young person. It was kind of a challenge, but it wasn't that long ago that I was 16 so I knew what to expect. You really have to watch how you phrase your questions--anyone that's ever been at a dinner table with someone ages 13-18 knows to expect brevity in a teenager's responses.
But this girl was great. Got some great details about her background and what attracted her to the art program. It was fun to hear about her excitement in meeting the First Lady. A very fun assignment.
This was my first time having such a formal, prearranged interview with a young person. It was kind of a challenge, but it wasn't that long ago that I was 16 so I knew what to expect. You really have to watch how you phrase your questions--anyone that's ever been at a dinner table with someone ages 13-18 knows to expect brevity in a teenager's responses.
But this girl was great. Got some great details about her background and what attracted her to the art program. It was fun to hear about her excitement in meeting the First Lady. A very fun assignment.
Week Six: Student Debt
That Wednesday's's assignment allowed me to stay on campus for the better part of the morning. President Obama launched his new plan to lessen the burden of federal loans on students and I was asked to get student reaction to the plan and the stories of UD students carrying debt. It was nice to wake up a little later!
After speaking to a few students in Trabant, I traveled to Rutger's Camden to get the perspective of some New Jersey students. After a semi-dramatic episode in the parking lot ( I was accosted by a strange man who, unsolicited, "fixed" my car and asked for money in return), I got some great interviews with students carrying debt in Rutger's student center.
Then I headed to the newsrooom, where I tapped out my notes and sent them to the reporter writing the story.
After speaking to a few students in Trabant, I traveled to Rutger's Camden to get the perspective of some New Jersey students. After a semi-dramatic episode in the parking lot ( I was accosted by a strange man who, unsolicited, "fixed" my car and asked for money in return), I got some great interviews with students carrying debt in Rutger's student center.
Then I headed to the newsrooom, where I tapped out my notes and sent them to the reporter writing the story.
Week Five: Mural in Bella Vista
That Friday I was assigned to report on a Bella Vista mural that will likely be covered up by a developer's planned townhouse on the neighboring lot. Community members are upset about the proposed construction and seek to compromise with the developer to reach a compromise. I spent the morning making phone calls to the developer's lawyer, folks from Philly's Mural Arts program and the murals artist to get a grip on the issue.
A word of advice--when talking to lawyers, ask them to speak to you as if you are eight-years-old. No matter how comprehensive your understanding of legal jargon, try to get the source to put their ideas in layman's terms so it is easier to quote them accurately when you go to write. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to wrap my head around the difference between a zoning variance and a special permit.
While waiting for other sources to get back to me, I took a cab to the mural in Bella Vista (a hip section of South Philly). I was immediately taken by the neighborhood's atmosphere--it felt like a less pretentious Lower East Side. I'm having such fun getting to know the different pockets of the city.
I spoke with some business owners with shops adjacent to the mural to get their take on the townhouse project. On the cab ride back to the newsroom, some of those sources got back to me so I did some multi-tasking and jotted down notes in transit. The story came out pretty well, and I was excited to see it on the front of the local section that Saturday.
Week Four: West Catholic
Midway through my time at the Inky, I was assigned to report on a fundraiser put on by West Catholic High School featuring former Jersey Boy cast members and comedian Joe Piscopo. I spent a morning at West Catholic with the school's minister, Mike Marone, who took me on a tour of the school. (Having spent nine years in a Catholic grade school, it was a bit of a walk down memory lane for me.)
Later in the day, I went back to 400 North Broad for phone interviews with Piscopo, jovial as ever, and a member of the Jersey Boys. Because reporting took up most of the day, and the story wasn't going in the paper for a few weeks, I ended up writing it over the weekend.
It was a very fun story, but I ended up having to play PR person for the event; after the story was in print, I received a flood of e-mail and phone inquiries about purchasing tickets. I guess the readers didn't notice the tagline with West Catholic's PR representative's info at the bottom of the story. Better than hate mail!
Later in the day, I went back to 400 North Broad for phone interviews with Piscopo, jovial as ever, and a member of the Jersey Boys. Because reporting took up most of the day, and the story wasn't going in the paper for a few weeks, I ended up writing it over the weekend.
It was a very fun story, but I ended up having to play PR person for the event; after the story was in print, I received a flood of e-mail and phone inquiries about purchasing tickets. I guess the readers didn't notice the tagline with West Catholic's PR representative's info at the bottom of the story. Better than hate mail!
Week Four: West Catholic
Midway through my time at the Inky, I was assigned to report on a fundraiser put on by West Catholic High School featuring former Jersey Boy cast members and comedian Joe Piscopo. I spent a morning at West Catholic with the school's minister, Mike Marone, who took me on a tour of the school. (Having spent nine years in a Catholic grade school, it was a bit of a walk down memory lane for me.)
Later in the day, I went back to 400 North Broad for phone interviews with Piscopo, jovial as ever, and a member of the Jersey Boys. Because reporting took up most of the day, and the story wasn't going in the paper for a few weeks, I ended up writing it over the weekend.
It was a very fun story, but I ended up having to play PR person for the event; after the story was in print, I received a flood of e-mail and phone inquiries about purchasing tickets. I guess the readers didn't notice the tagline with West Catholic's PR representative's info at the bottom of the story. Better than hate mail!
Later in the day, I went back to 400 North Broad for phone interviews with Piscopo, jovial as ever, and a member of the Jersey Boys. Because reporting took up most of the day, and the story wasn't going in the paper for a few weeks, I ended up writing it over the weekend.
It was a very fun story, but I ended up having to play PR person for the event; after the story was in print, I received a flood of e-mail and phone inquiries about purchasing tickets. I guess the readers didn't notice the tagline with West Catholic's PR representative's info at the bottom of the story. Better than hate mail!
Week Three: Ridge Avenue
In my third week at the Inky, I was assigned to cover a groundbreaking ceremony on a sidewalk repair project on Ridge Ave in Roxborough. I had some difficulty getting there, but was pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood. I'm really enjoying getting to know the city's different neighborhoods. I walked around the main construction site with a photographer and spoke to some small business owners who's storefronts are now obstructed by the construction. It reminded me of a story or two I'd done for The Review about Elkton Road construction. All in all, a good assignment.
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