Tools of the Trade, Revisited.

Entering this course I had a lot of practice in writing formal educational papers, but very little knowledge in writing for a mass audience. Adjusting was difficult, AP style being the worst of it, but in the end I appreciate the grasp I have on making my writing more accessible.

I began with an interest in web based journalism, and that interest hasn’t diminished. I’ve learned throughout the course that nothing’s quite as easy as it seems and that there’s a fine art to whittling down 500 words into 50, divided into 3 bullet-points. Writing on the web is still appealing, however, and I was happy to learn that many of the same concepts I learned in newspaper writing could be carried over to the web field.

Writing for broadcast and public relations were less interesting to me, but still vital. It’s nice to have a solid base to work with in case I need to expand my horizons and adapt to my job. Skills like these will lend to easy adaptation; a must in the current landscape of professional mass communication. With the internet challenging the thought and structure of mass media, it’s nice to be well versed in all forms of communications writing.

Ultimately I feel as though not only my writing has been made stronger as a whole, but also my ability to decipher and present information in its most accessible and efficient form. With so much information bombarding even the most casual browser, the ability to boil down complex stories into informative and engaging segments will be crucial to my career as a professional journalist. I have COM 210 to thank for this newfound ability.

The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale Horse team trots into the Ceder Point Amusement Park June 12th

Sandusky, OH – The World-Famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale team will be at the Cedar Point Amusement Park and Resort in Sandusky Ohio for one day only, Friday June 12. Cleveland Browns Quarterback, Brady Quinn, will join the horse team that has delighted millions around the world as they parade through the park at 2 p.m. that day. Before and after the parade they will be on display at the famous Wicked Twister coaster ride from 1:30 to 2 p.m. and again from 2:30 till 3 p.m.

The first team of Clydesdale horses was given to August Busch Sr. by his son, August Busch Jr. to celebrate the end of prohibition and the legal sale of beer in St. Louis. Since then they have become symbols of American heritage itself and a full team of 8 horses will be pulling a painstakingly maintained vintage beer wagon, similar to the wagon first presented to the Senior Busch, throughout the day. These magnificent animals are six feet tall at the shoulder and weigh a staggering 1800 to 2300 pounds. Their tack and harness alone weighs 130 pounds, and to keep up with their size and levels of activity, one Clydesdale eats as much as 20 to 25 quarts of feed per day along with 50 to 60 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water.

Five teams of Clydesdale horses travel to just 300 cities a year in addition to being present at major sporting events like the Superbowl, so don’t miss a chance to see them for yourself in person at the Ceder Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio!

Anheuser-Busch produces two of the best selling international beers, Budweiser and Bud Light, and operates 12 company breweries throughout the United States.

Media Contact:

Steven Strait

Anheuser-Busch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Newscast Script

good morning, i’m steve strait along with michael isam bringing you the 11 am edition of com210 “eye on the news” for wednesday, june 3^rd 2009.

in World news:

North Korea has announced more missile tests, ratcheting the tension levels of its neighbors even higher. In response to these launches, the united states has released a report that shows the country to be prepared to defend itself against intercontinental missiles launched from north korea. Army general Patrick O’reilly is confident that, based on the data the army recently gathered through tests of the system, the coast of the u.s. is safe from the worst of missile attack.

Here at home:

Former vice president Dick Cheney surprised many of his fellows in the GOP by announcing he was tolerant of Gay Marriage saying: “If that’s what people in the state want, that’s fine by me.” Cheney is making a media circuit with his daughter, discussing their collaboration on his new memoir. On the tour he’s discussed his stance on issues ranging from Barack Obama’s competence to Saddam’s involvement in 9/11, but his commentary on the gay marriage controversy is sure to draw the most attention from fellow republicans. His stance also puts him to the left of current president Barack Obama who recently signed a declaration for Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and Transgender month that endorses civil unions over traditional marriages.

In the Entertainment world:

it’s summer and that means it’s time for the electronic entertainment exposition, or e3 for short. recently microsoft wowed audiences by unveiling project natal. natal is a motion capture system that allows you to control your games through natural motion without a controller. the system is billed as a revolution, and has received funding and support from visionary director steven speilburg. the date that natal will launch is still under wraps however, but i’m sure many of us can’t wait to not get our hands on it.

Broadcast Writing Assignment

Police have arrested two men charged with robbing a Jewelry store yesterday morning. Police say that Miles Standish, 34, of Middletown and John Alden, 28, of Smalltown entered the Village Pawnshop and After a few minutes inside one of them pulled a gun. they then demanded that two clerks empty jewelry and the cash from the register into a duffel bag. An employee noticed the men drive away in a stolen Blue Dodge Aries. The police later found the vehicle parked behind a house and arrested the two men. Both now face a variety of charges.

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Broadcast Copy 2

heron bank is acquiring middleville bank in an eight point four MILLION DOLLAR deal. heron bank president Mary Gonzales is pleased with the acquisition and looks forward to serving Middleville. Heron is assuming Middleville Bank’s 65-million dollar assets along with its three locations pending regulatory approval.

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Broadcast Copy

The decrepit Salt Creek bridge will receive a 200-thousand DOLLAR grant to stabilize IT. According to County Engineer Squire Whipple, THE FUNDING will come from the state’s Transportation Enhancement Fund. the 175 YEAR OLD BRIDGE HAS BEEN CLOSED since 2005. it WILL REQUIRE OVER 1 million DOLLARS TO FIX.

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Sexting in 100 Words

 Sexting is a phenomenon with teenagers that is now receiving some legal scrutiny thanks to a few landmark cases in which teens under 18 are being charged as child pornographers. 

• Phillip Albert was sentenced to 5 years probation and registered a sex offender in the first sexting case.
• The trend is widespread. In a recent survey by CosmoGirl.com, out of 1300 teens, 1 in 5 have sexted.
• The Bill passed in Vermont creates a hole, in which consenting teens ages 13-18 would be made exempt from the child pornography charges but still accountable to charges like lewd and lascivious conduct.
  

Feature Story: Megar, World Traveler

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., - “Nothing really terrible happens to me,” claims Megan Frost with a Cheshire grin as the light from the bar plays across her pixie features. Anyone who knows her would know this to be fundamentally untrue; plenty of terrible things can happen to Frost, who is known to most as “Megar” (a spelling error that has since become an identity of its own). But it’s Frost’s attitude that keeps her from being affected. Determined to find out where this devil-may-care streak came from, I began pressing her about it (as well as convincing her with more than a few Corona’s). She finally admits that, more than her stints as a waitress in St. Augustine, her passion for her art, or knowing any of the multitudes of people who live and work downtown; it quite simply comes from who she is, and who she is comes from where she’s been.

Frost is 5 feet 2 inches of energy with a shock of short, blonde hair framing an almost constant grin. She was brought up as what some refer to as an “army brat.” She was born in Stuttgart, Germany while her father was stationed there, and has since managed to live in Panama and every state in America except for Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, the Dakotas and Maine. After her parent’s divorce, her mom bought a camper and the Frost family toured the country, twice. She even managed to live in the Estes state park, which to this day is a claim most don’t believe. Her life as a sort of nomad is really what makes Megan Frost “Megar.”

Megar may have lived in a lot of places all over the world, but St. Augustine is her home. She grew up here emotionally, if not physically, and despite the wanderlust that flows through her, has put down the most permanent roots she can muster here. Even so, travel still defines her. She’s since visited Australia, Canada, the Bahamas, Peurto Rico, France, Austria, and went back to Germany. “Traveling has made me unafraid of adventures or starting new things and meeting new people,” Frost explained while playing with her puppy, a souvenir from her spring trip to Peurto Rico. “Instead of going to school [growing up], I mostly learned things based around local customs and history. I also learned that if you’re open and honest, and smile a lot, people will help you.”

When asked where the best place she’s gone has been, her eyes light up and it takes less than a second for her to blurt out, “Australia!” “Australia is the most fantastic place. It’s like America 20 years ago everywhere; people are all so honest and up front, everything has that big-sky-spirit-of-adventure feeling to it.” She should know, she’s been twice, although the first time was not as exciting as the second. “I drank spoiled milk in Samoa and then threw up from one end of Australia to the next.” Despite that trauma, she came back for more. “I went to the Great Barrier Reef and was chased by a Clown Fish, which are really mean despite what Pixar tries to tell you. Then we got stranded on the reef when the boat engine failed and had to finish the beer while we waited for rescue. Fantastic time.” If forced to give a recommendation on where to travel; the number one place to see before you die, “Australia would be it. It doesn’t matter if you’re staying for one week or one year, the longer you stay the more you’ll see is all.”

Despite all the resilience that travel’s afforded her, though, she does concede the drawbacks on moving yearly, if not monthly as a child. “I have a tough time putting down roots; permanence becomes a frightening prospect,” she said. “I also never really had that one best friend growing up. The only people I’ve ever been really close with are my immediate family. I guess that’s made me more independent, but sometimes I wish I had that [close friend].” The friends she keeps now all know the Megan Frost that marches to her own tune. “Megar’s always been a free spirit,” her friend Melissa Strait said, “she’s not afraid of starting over from scratch, living out of her car, and having fun while doing it.”

Megar may not be world famous, but she can at least say she’s seen more of the world than most famous people. Her strength of character comes from being forced to adapt while being on the move. While most of us have never had a life like her, we can at least learn from Megar that life’s too short to stay in one place. That people are basically good, nothing really terrible ever happens to you, and that, “panic never helps you. There will always be a later flight.”

Locals Sound Off for Pot

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA - It’s been said that as California goes, so follows the rest of the states. Earlier this month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced California’s initiative to investigate the possibility of the legalization of Marijuana. The bill proposed by San Francisco Representative Tom Ammiano would make recreational cannabis legal for ages 21 and up, with a tax of $50 an ounce. Ammiano predicts will net $1.3 billion to help float the state’s $46 billion deficit. So, with all of the state programs from California that have already been exported, what could this mean for Florida?

“If it helps the economy; then yes” was Katie Couch, a 27 year old school teacher from Jacksonville’s response. Her sentiment was echoed by many people when asked whether they would vote yes or no on a bill to legalize the drug on the same terms as California’s proposal. “Quite a few teachers already smoke, so it wouldn’t impact us one way or the other except to make our habits legal,” Couch added. Her friend and co-worker, 24 year old Jaime Adams agreed, “If you don’t smoke it already, then there’s really no change in your life. People that do it are going to do it anyways.” The only concern over the bill came from the 21 year old age limit, which sparked both Adams and 23 year old St. Augustine waitress, Megan Frost, to agree “[that] if you’re old enough to die for your country and vote, you should be old enough to have a beer or [now] a joint!”

“Alcoholism from employees or customers disrupts more business [than marijuana],” said 27 year old Samantha Palmer, manager of the Flagler Legacy store in St. Augustine. “Drugs are drugs,” she reasoned, “marijuana’s appeal [to new users] comes from its mystique as an illegal drug.” As such, Sam doubts there would be a flood of new long time users if it became illegal. Whitney Warren, a 23 year old employee of the Legacy agreed, “[some] people would just switch to other drugs that are still illegal to get the same thrill.”

Lauren Salvo, a 21 year old clerk at the Legacy also wants to know what the money would be used for. She would like to be reassured that the money from the legal sale of marijuana would be used for things she can agree with and not”…be used for things that are trivial”.

Another concern for many faced with this hypothetical decision is whether or not legalization will bring more bad than good? With the grower’s license and the tax at retail, the bill seeks to keep the cultivation of the drug in the private sector, but it’s yet to be seen what kind of effect this will have on the already robust illegal infrastructure. “The real questions would be in who packages and sells it and would it create a larger problem by disrupting a pre-existing underground industry,” Couch pondered.

It’s not just undergrounds that would be affected, either. Frost pointed out that even pharmaceutical companies might feel the sting when legal marijuana goes public. “It would totally have a positive effect on the economy,” she reasoned, “but there’d be a lot less money going to things like Vicadin.” In the past, marijuana lobbyists have claimed that their legalization efforts were stymied by such corporations, now California might put that claim to the test.

This controversial bill is sure to spark many more questions in the future as the details are run through with a fine comb, but early on it seems to have strong support especially from young working professionals and a few would even consider trying the drug if it weren’t illegal. For the most part this proposed bill seems to impact the millions who already smoke or grow cannabis illegally, and will allow the State to float on funds that before only bolstered the black market. Those who already smoke all agreed: what better to show your patriotism than to kick back and light up that legal joint?

Chicken Truck Pileup Ruffles More Than Just Feathers

ALABAMA – Wednesday tragedy struck, when a chicken truck made an illegal left turn onto McFarland Blvd. and rolled on its side, causing what Police Sergeant John Jones calls “the biggest pileup I’ve ever seen.” 11 cars in total were caught up in the calamity, injuring 25 people and 300 chickens.

Among the more severely injured were Jeff Johnson, the driver of the chicken truck, and retired kindergarten teacher Sarah Bernell. Johnson suffered a possible broken ankle and Bernell had a mild concussion, both were rescued from the scene and taken to DCH where they’re reportedly doing well. Of the other 25 injured, most were treated for only minor bruises and have since been released, leaving only 40 missing chickens to be accounted for.

The oppressive Alabama heat made it difficult on the rescue workers, but thanks to the determination of the police and personnel from DCH, true tragedy was avoided. Carlton Fitzsimmons, a spokesperson for Alabama Poultry Incorporated, the company who owns the chicken truck, assured that the driver and his family would be compensated for his injuries and urged anyone who sees any chickens to notify the company as soon as possible.

Story Idea

BUYING THE FUTURE - (St. Augustine) - Thanks to the internet and the changes it's brought about, many young people can barely remember a time when they had to go to a store to rent movies, or buy music or even their video games. Electronic entertainment has been digital for sometime now, and thanks to the internet its distribution is going digital as well. iTunes allows people to purchase whole albums and movies, Netflix delivers movie rentals through the mail or instantly streamed to your computer, and every major video game console provides an automated store to purchase games or additional game content morning, noon and night. In the face of all this convenience, is there anything that brick and mortar stores can do to draw in those sales besides emulate their digital competition? Or will retail outlets go the way of the encyclopedia salesman, disappearing in favor of faster shipping and streaming content?

Local Alligator is "Not that Innocent"

St. Augustine, Fla.: Entertainment star Brittney Spears was found this morning, prone and bleeding in front of the boy's dormitory on the Flagler College campus. St. Augustine Police Chief Bubba O'Conner told reporters in a press conference that the singer had been found by Flagler College Security Guard Hector Gonzalez on the ground at 5 A.M. near the bushes of Lewis Hall with bite wounds on her right foot. As he approached, Spears shouted "Oh my God! Oh my God! An alligator bit me!" It was then that Gonzalez noticed the tail of what is estimated to be a 9 foot long reptile disappear into the bushes. Gonzalez called 911 at 5:10 A.M. and waited near Spears for help to arrive.
When asked why Spears was visiting the campus, Chief O'Conner said "she had been visiting a male student." When pressed for the identity of the student, O'Conner simply replied that "you would have to contact Flagler [College] Administration for that information." Spears was aided by EMT's who arrived on the scene at 5:30 A.M., and was quickly released after being treated for puncture wounds and bruising. Meanwhile the hunt is on for the alligator, which could not be found by Animal Control officials who arrived on the scene around 6 A.M. The Alligator Farm Zoological Park reported one of their animals missing that matched the description of the assailant, and at this time it is unknown whether Spears will seek legal action against the park.

Tools of the Trade

As an avid reader, I developed a love of words and writing fairly early in life. I decided in high school that out of all the possible careers open to me, writing would have to feature heavily. So, with that in mind, I took the next step and decided to commit to journalism because it offers me the opportunity to see people and places I'd otherwise never be in contact with and, in turn, inform others who may not be as lucky as myself.

My current shortcomings don't come from a lack of topics to write on (I may have too many interests to be honest), but instead I find that I need to develop a better grasp on how to write for newspapers and web sites. My current writing background mostly stems from formal papers, not the short staccato of facts and quotes I see in the New York Times or posted on CNN.com. With that under my belt, I plan on developing a style that's both entertaining and informative, not to mention lucrative.