The Talk of the Town...or is It?

On Thursday (Nov. 17) KOMU 8 News broke a story that had everyone gasping- Police arrested MU football Coach Gary Pinkel for drinking and driving. I had anchored part of the morning show earlier that day and decided to head back to the station around 9 a.m. to go do an interview for an HFR I'm working on. I walked in the door to the newsroom and the first thing I hear is "Pinkel got a D.W.I!"which definitely through me for loop- it's not every day the head football coach for MU (who by the way only just switched from the Big 12 conference to the SEC) gets busted for driving drunk. The next thing I noticed was the assignment board- above every reporter's name was a slug (couple of words describing their story) that included Pinkel's name. The energy in the newsroom was tangible that morning. KOMU's website had more than 50,000 hits on the first Pinkel story posted.

Alright, let me give you a little bit of background about me really quick so you can understand the next few points I'm about to make.  Besides being at KOMU, I waitress part-time at a restaurant here in Columbia- a place Pinkel frequents. All of us who work at the restaurant know Pinkel fairly well because he's there a few days a week. We all call him Coach and we all know better than to breathe the word "football" in his direction (the man has a life outside of football, you know?). Okay, background over. Here's my point. Coach Pinkel is a human being, and unfortunately as a human, he made a big mistake. I am 100 percent against any drinking and driving and Coach Pinkel is a public figure, therefore he is held to an even higher standard. Pinkel could've called a cab, or a friend that night, but instead he messed up, and now he's paying for it.  But I also know, that Pinkel knows all of this and is probably beating himself up worse than any public opinion, media outlet or even MU's Athletic Director, Mike Alden could ever do.

I watched our 5p.m. newscast that Thursday and what I saw actually disappointed me. Every story, except for three national stories and the weather segments, was about Pinkel in some way or another. I expected an "A" block filled with the story and maybe even the "B" block too, but to have every block of the newscast contain information about one man who made a bad decision seems like poor journalism to me. We broadcast to about 14 counties here in Mid-MO, but on Thursday we only covered one. One man and his DWI, no matter how big of a figure he is, should not take the place of other stories that impact the rest of Mid-Missouri, or the rest of Columbia for that matter. We pulled out all the stops for the 5 but when the newscast was over, I really only knew one story backwards and forwards. I checked out our Facebook page and noticed a couple of viewers who were upset nothing else was covered during the show. KOMU did a great job breaking the story and covering it, I just think the coverage went a bit overboard in the 5 newscast. However, I watched our 9 and 10 broadcasts and they fell into more of the show I expected- "A" block filled with Pinkel stories and rest of the news for Mid-MO followed after.

Thursday proved to be a great day of learning for me. I realized how we as journalists can go out and get all of the facts following big breaking news, an excellent skill to have. We also held a public figure (arguable the most recognizable public figure associated with the University) accountable for his actions. But I also realized how a big story can engulf us and lead us to ignore the rest of the viewers and the stories they might care to see/need to know more.

Here's a link to our 4pm "U_News" show- it too was filled to the brim with Pinkel news. I'm a bit more okay with U_news being transformed into a giant Pinkel story because there was a news conference about the repercussions of Pinkel's actions at 4 that day (both the Athletic Director and Chancellor spoke in that conference).

Reporting on 100 Years of Homecoming

Well whether you disagree or agree, most MIZZOUers will say the University of Missouri came up with the concept of, "Homecoming". This year marked the centennial MU Homecoming celebration. For all the Tiger fans out there, KOMU 8 (NBC affiliate) catered to the momentous event by turning KOMU 8 News Today (our morning show) into "Homecoming Tailgate 2011"- filled with live interviews, a special set and even some tailgating munchies. As the Friday morning live reporter, I wanted to do something special too besides just stand there and talk about the origins of Homecoming.

A week prior to the Homecoming show, I started brainstorming Homecoming story ideas. I knew I wanted someone who was an avid Homecoming goer and who had been to many of them. I talked to Sarah Hill, one of our anchors who is extremely involved in the community, to see if she knew of anyone or could help in any way. She referred me to a Chamber of Commerce member who then gave me a few names of people I could try. Let me just say how very lucky I was to have both Sarah and the Chamber member at my disposal because otherwise, I don't think I would've gotten the story I wanted. I've only lived in Columbia a few years as a student and Sarah has lived here much of her life, which is why I turned to her.

I dialed many-a-number but I knew I dialed the right one as soon as Charmian Boyle answered and told me her story. She and her husband, Barton, both graduated from MU in the 1950's and have called Columbia home for decades. The couple also has attended more than 50 years worth of Homecoming celebrations. Oh yeah, and back in 1953 Charmian captured the title of Homecoming queen...no big deal. And as great as all this sounded on the phone...it was an even better interview. Charmian answered the door in a MU polo and Barton was standing back a few feet in a 1972 MU gold-colored sport coat. The two not only gave fabulous interviews but also couldn't wait to show me pictures out of the MU Savitar (yearbook). The icing on the cake was when Charmian told me about the fur coat she wore that day and how she still had it. To that I said, "Can I see it?" In about five minutes she pranced up the stairs wearing her fur coat and carrying the trophy she received. All I asked was just to see it, but she put it on and told me all about it! So I got my video, enjoyed a great conversation, and at times laughed until tears brimmed my eyes.

I had this great interview and really only some video. It's hard to talk about a past event and get great video...because it's already happened! So I started brainstorming again and light bulb went on. And my glowing light bulb led me straight to the University of Missouri Archives. Can you believe they had a reel of film of the 1953 MIZZOU v. Nebraska Homecoming game? I was pretty excited, the only way I would've been any more excited was if the film showed the crowning of the queen...but alas, I wasn't that lucky. Nonetheless I was on my merry way a few days later with a DVD copy of the game with sound!

In my story I really wanted to highlight both Charmian and Barton's personalities. Charmian was quite the humble queen and Barton bragged on her every chance he got. I also wanted to do a little compare and contrast between today and 1953 because clearly a lot has changed. But if there's one thing that remains consistent, it's this couple who've attended more than half of MIZZOU's Homecomings.

I pieced the story all together and fronted it live during the wee hour of 5:00 a.m. for our "KOMU 8 News Today Homecoming Tailgate 2011" show. I always enjoy reporting on a story with great characters but Charmian and Barton Boyle set a whole new standard. Here's the story, aired October 14, 2011: 1953 Homecoming Queen Looks Back

My Latest Pride and Joy :)

Well, it's not perfect, but my first HFR (Hold For Release) story aired last night on KOMU. I worked for about a month on it, so to see it finally air felt fabulous. I did my story on bullying, an issue that is often hard to cover as a broadcast journalist because, unless you have a willing character to tell their story on camera, how do you visualize it? Well I lucked out because this story actually found me. I was at a gas station in the station vehicle and had gone inside to grab a soda. That's when Shamon found me and told me all about the problems her son was having in school with bullying and how the school wasn't doing anything about it. After meeting up with her again another time, I decided that this was a story I wanted to cover. She allowed me to interview her son and follow him around for a bit at his new school (that was an adventure...ever tried getting video at an elementary school? NOT.EASY). Anywho, I put a lot of thought into how I wrote the story and I edited it to make it the best that I could. Some problems that I ran into while working on the story were that the principal of the school the boy was bullied at didn't want to talk to me. I also only had a day to grab school video in a very constricted setting (indoor recess to be precise) so my shots aren't super diverse. AND, my interview shots are just ok, I wish I would've thought to not put them on a couch... live and learn.

Here's the story: "Bullying a Growing Concern in Elementary Schools"

The Things You Can Learn From Other Peoples' Mistakes

It never ceases to amaze me the things that public figures do. You might think they would be a little more careful about the things they say and do, but in my Newsy.com story (below), we see another example of negligence from people in authority. Three congressional figures all said they saw a picture of Osama bin Laden's dead body- and all three were fooled by a fake. No matter what your political background is, what the three did was simply inexcusable. Check. Your. Facts. As a journalist, I learn whether through mistake (oh yes, this is unfortunately usually how it goes)or through instruction to always check your facts, sources and any information that could be questioned. Clearly, none of the three congressmen/congress woman checked their facts because if they had, they perhaps wouldn't have fallen for a fake picture and then announced to the public that they saw the real thing. Not only does reporting the wrong facts make you look ridiculous, but how can someone trust you? This goes for anyone really, but especially those who are thrust into the public spectrum such as a senator or a journalist. Mistakes certainly do happen- we're all human- but a lot of problems can be eliminated via a quick fact-check.

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

To Breach or Not to Breach?- What are your thoughts?

I recently did a story for newsy.com on the breach of a Mississippi River levee near Cairo, Illinois. This was actually quite a challenging story for me because I am a Missourian, and on top of it, I'm from a farming community (not all that different from the Missourians in Mississippi County, MO). But in the end after learning the facts, I am certain that I would not want to be the one to order the decision either way. A couple of interesting side notes though- There were about 90 homes on the Missouri side that would most definitely be destroyed from the breach, as well as their livelihoods (their farms) so when the Cairo Mayor said it was a debate about "lives over land" it really came down to lives over lives. Also, I read a St. Louis Riverfront Times article that said the population in Cairo deteriorated 12.6 percent each decade for the past 60- totaling over 70 percent population loss. But I also see that the area that was flooded because of the breach had been deemed flood plains, so honestly, what did people expect? I used to live along the Missouri River and each time the river would rise, it would flood the town across the river from mine, making it a chore for people to get into my town (since the only other bridge was either in Hermann, MO or St. Charles, MO) but they, like those in Mississippi County, know that they live in a flood plain, and therefore, they must accept the challenges floods can bring, or move some place else. Either way, I really enjoyed writing this story and Christina did a great job anchoring it.


http://www.newsy.com/videos/missouri-dealt-blow-with-levee-breach

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Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Beyond the Bunker: Families Fight a Different Battle

By: Christie Nicks

From Iraq, to Germany, to Vietnam, soldiers of today and years past put their lives on the front lines for America. However, while these soldiers are off fighting on foreign soil, their friends and family are left to fight a different battle.

Harlene Cicchese, Labadie, Mo., struggles still today to hold back tears as she recalled her son Ron’s decision to enlist in the Marine Corps. “His dad and I had two different reactions,” said Cicchese, “My thought was ‘Oh no’, his dad was like ‘alright, let’s go, hoorah’.” Cicchese said much of her worry was spawned from having gone through the Vietnam War. Cicchese’s husband, Mike, was a Marine during the Vietnam War. That combined with the loss of several of her friends during the Vietnam War resulted in greater worry for her Iraq-bound son. “You don’t have to like it if they do it, you just have to support it,” said Cicchese.

Ron Cicchese was deployed to Iraq New Year’s Eve of 1990.

“You wake up thinking about it, you go to sleep thinking about it,” said Cicchese recalling what she went through as Ron was in Iraq. Both Mike and Harlene Cicchese described the worrying as endless and something that affected their day-to-day lives. Mrs. Cicchese said, “It doesn’t get any easier because it’s your kid and you don’t want them out there.”

While never being completely worry-free, Cicchese pointed out some of the ways she and her family coped with Ron’s absence.

“We had given him a calling card,” said Cicchese about how she and her family stayed in touch with Ron. “He would call between 2:30 and 3:00 in the morning when he could.”
Another way Cicchese and her husband dealt with the stress of wondering where their son was in Iraq, was by pinpointing his platoon on a map. “Having that map and plotting that map was a good family thing to do,” said Cicchese, “ it made you feel like you were a part of him at that point.” Cicchese pointed out that Ron was not allowed to give his precise location but between her son’s vague descriptions and news reports they had a general idea of where he was.

During the Gulf War, and now the more recent War on Terrorism, media coverage is changing the way Americans view the war. “This war was on TV. The Vietnam War was never on TV until days and days later,” said Cicchese about the Gulf War. One significant memory Cicchese shared occurred when reporter Charles Jaco, reporting from Iraq, was mid sentence when the whole TV screen went blank. Cicchese said that this event scared her as well as ruined her day. Thankfully the report was interrupted due to a blast near an electric tower and everything was fine. However, the way this affected Cicchese spawns questions over war coverage in the media.

“It’s a hindrance to the troops,” said Ron Cicchese, U.S. Marine. Mr. Cicchese elaborated that having journalists embedded is not only risky for the journalist but for those around them. “It’s a tactical problem,” said Mr. Cicchese. Another issue that journalists face, as well as the military, is the issue of information- what you can give out, and what you can’t, and as Mr. Cicchese said, “The information [journalists] can give out is limited.”

But for those back at home, Mike Cicchese, Ron’s father and U.S. Marine veteran, pointed out that the war coverage by the media helped them get a clearer picture of the war so that their imagination wasn’t running wild.

“You watch the news wondering, ‘Is he gonna get home?’…and he did,” said Mrs. Cicchese. Ron Cicchese was in Iraq for six months before he returned home. She said you could hear their boots hitting the pavement at the airport before you could see them, and as they crested the hill, you could see them in unison carrying the flags. “You are so glad they are on American soil,” said Cicchese, “and so glad they are home.”

“He was gaunt, thinner, and real tired looking,” said Mike Cicchese as he remembered the return of his son. Ron Cicchese was one of many American soldiers who returned home sick from improperly sealed suits. These suits allowed in the toxic gases that resulted from chemical warfare.

Aside from being physically ill after returning home from Iraq, Harlene Cicchese said there were noticeable personality changes in Ron. “He was always a pretty joyful fellow, but he became a pretty serious fellow,” said Mrs. Cicchese. She also said that while he used to enjoy traveling, he no longer wanted to and said that he’d, “already seen too much.”

Struggling with the pride we have for our country and the love for our family and friends makes coping with the absence of those near to our hearts a difficult task. As the Cicchese’s explained, it is an ongoing battle between worrying and waiting that doesn’t end once the soldier is back on home turf.

“The best thing I can tell [family and friends of soldiers] is to just be supportive and to love them while they’re still here,” said Mrs. Cicchese. “ If they get a day off, spend it with them because you might not get another one.”

A Note From an Aspiring Journalist:

The story of Ron Cicchese unfolded after I got an assignment to write a side bar for my final project, which had to do with the topic of veterans. My friend, a neighbor of Ron's, recommended I speak to him as I was pondering who to interview. Ron's story really came a life after I spoke with Harlene Cicchese, Ron's mother. I have never cried after doing an interview, especially after doing one over the phone (not ideal, but she lived quite a ways away from me and my deadline was fast approaching), but the way she worded what she said really made you put yourself in her shoes and feel the pain she felt as she saw her son depart for Desert Storm and left me with my eyes filled to the brim with tears. What was also very interesting was the difference between her interview and her husband's. Her husband, Mike, formerly a Marine during the Vietnam War, felt pride and honor in his son's decision, and not quite as much worry as Harlene felt (which I suppose comes with knowing how being in the military works first-hand). Harlene, on the other hand, felt nervous as well as worried all the time when Ron was overseas- a feeling she had much experience with since she went through the same thing with her husband during the Vietnam War. All in all, the story was a moving one and one that I am proud to say that I told.

Shooting the Breeze Around a Stammtisch

By: Christie Nicks

“Stammtisch,” a German word meaning, “regular’s table,” delivers a dose of European culture to students and faculty at Shakespeare’s restaurant every other Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

In Germany, Stammtisch is a table at every bar where various members of the community can sit and discuss politics, news, or any other various topics said Olaf Schmidt, a visiting German professor from Berlin. Schmidt went on to say how Stammtisch in Germany is often negative but in Columbia the atmosphere is a more open conversation about culture, or anything else. Stammtisch is not just a MU German department event said Schmidt, but it’s one that is all across the country.

“Community building, that’s what this is,” said Will Wojtowictz, a German 1200 Teacher Assistant, “ It puts undergrads, grads, and faculty on the same level. It’s a source of common ground.”

The idea of Stammtisch in Columbia is not only to meet new people from the German department, but it’s also a way for students to delve further in their language skills outside of the classroom.

“It’s a way to learn the culture and an essential part of learning is putting yourself in that environment,” said Michael Smith, MU Senior. Smith goes to every Stammtisch and stressed how important it is, especially for beginning German students, to attend. “Not only can they learn culture and language, but you make friends,” said Smith, “It’s a way for you to stay involved and be involved, and a way for meeting people that will benefit you later on in life.”

While Stammtisch is typically an event for those involved in the German department at MU, it is not strictly limited to German-speaking students. “Anybody who’s interested in German or Germans is invited to come down, we don’t discriminate, “ said Wojtowictz.

“German has a bad reputation for being boring; being hard,” said Schmidt, “So we’re fighting against that century-old repution.” Part of doing this is drawing other people into Stammtisch and showing them that “German is cool and fun.”

“I love meeting people and this is an opportunity to do that,” said Brian Limback, a non- German MU student, “They [Germans] like to have a good time.” Limback said that while he didn’t necessarily understand the language, he enjoyed going and participating in the conversations.

In the end, whether you are a fluent, German-speaking student, or just someone who wants to learn a little more about the German culture and make new friends, Stammtisch is an event that rings true to its German definition. It brings people around the table, both strangers and long-time friends, to make conversation.

“We’re all friends here,” said Wojtowictz, “ so what’s better than hanging out with your friends and if a little German gets spoken well hey! That’s great.”


A Note From an Aspiring Journalist!

As I wrote this article, I continuously questioned whether or not it was necessarily news. But as I typed it up, I realized the article was a form of news, but one that is definitely less covered in the media. Often times we only here about political meetings, school board meetings, and others of that nature, but we fail to see the diverse and cultural meetings that show up in the most common of places, like Stammtisch at Shakespeare’s for example. These are stories that are right under our noses yet continuously are left out of the news.