MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

  Exit  

MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News

MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

  Exit  

MDN.ORG Mo. Digital News Missouri Digital News MDN.ORG: Mo. Digital News MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News

Lobbyist Money Help  Close

Posted 03/25/2010:   March 25, 2010: Spring break...at the Missourian!

~Sami Jo Freeman

April 15, 2010: Beating a dead horse

April 8, 2010: "You've never climbed a mountain, have you?"

March 25, 2010: Jefferson City personalities
Jefferson City may seem like a intimidating place, but it's truthfully not that bad...once you get adjusted! Here's a running list of things you don't get to see unless you're here with us on a regular basis. It's definitely a great way to break the ice.

• Speed walkers-Legislative assistants (LAs) like to speed walk around the inside of the Capitol building during break times to relieve stress and stay in shape. These women will actually take your head straight off your shoulders if you come out of the bathroom too quickly, beware!
• Bear fountain-there's a really cool bronze fountain on the 3rd floor right next to the Senate coffee room that spits water out of a bear's mouth. Awesome first-time experience, guaranteed!
• Senate coffee-This coffee has been known to keep me awake until 3 a.m. the next morning, no joke. It makes you focused, energetic and even gives you the shakes if you're not careful. Sometimes I wonder if there's something else in it! 
• Crappy vending machines-If you think a bag of Doritos will cost you $1, you are oh-so wrong. It will actually cost you $2 because each person has to try twice to get a snack because food always gets stuck at the top!
• Demonstrations-Everyone's passionate about something, that's for sure! Almost every day, there is a group of people at the Capitol trying to prove a point or raise awareness about their cause in the halls of the Capitol building. They are armed with performances on the front steps, free lunches and handouts of all sorts to support their opinions. It's motivating, actually.
• Heated political debate-I love political debate. It cracks me up to be completely honest. My most favorite so far was between an agriculturally based audience and a representative from the Humane Society of the United States. Special interest groups just add to the passion.
• Friendly staff-I've been writing stories and blogging downstairs for approximately two hours and have only been passed by two or three people that didn't say, "hello" or try to convince me to quit working so hard. Awesome, friendly people here!
• Legislators-They use a lot of hair gel, especially Lembke and Dempsey. Tilley and LeVota sometime fight on the floor.Some act like like pirates on the House floor. Others like to bring their dogs to the Capitol building. Guess what? They're interesting people...not intimidating whatsoever!
• Jokes on the floor-The only thing that keeps me from leaving debate in both the House and Senate on slow days is the inside jokes made on the floor. Sen. Jason Crowell enjoys making the same joke in front of guests EVERY SINGLE introduction. There are jokes about agriculture, babies, representatives, senators racism and even budget concerns...most of which never make the news.
• Interns-You can spot an intern anywhere. They are usually followed by a group of tourists in khakis armed with large cameras. They sometimes attend committee hearings in the absence of their legislator and can rescue a cup of coffee in just a matter of minutes. Interns and their speed-walking LAs are some of the hardest working people in the building.
• Reporters-The recorder just died. Who was covering the Senate today? Geez louise, did anyone call the Missourian today? Reporters are probably the second most identifiable group of people because they're always stressed out about deadlines and whether or not the recorder actually got audio that day.
• Parking conundrum-There's never anywhere to park here, ever.
• Fashion statements-Mohawks? Colorful suits? Sure, we've got it all!
  

~Sami Jo Freeman

"Journalism."

This is a quote from one of our classes by the Sports Editor for the Columbia Missourian. Greg Bowers summed up exactly what he thinks, and how I feel, about dry reporting on that day. It stinks to read it and it stinks even worse to write it. But sometimes creativity is hard to find and incorporate into hard news stories.

I've written plenty of dry stories and a couple that I'm almost proud of. "Almost" being the key word.

I am going to go outside of my typical "blog" and say something that needs to be said.

I am incredibly grateful to come from the Agricultural Journalism department at Mizzou. Comprised of two advisers and a small student base, it offers so much to students looking for a little edge on their diploma. In the past to months, I have learned so much and have grown to appreciate all of the opportunities that the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources offers.

But my favorite part of the department is networking and its ability to help me stay connected with agriculture.

When the pork industry had its hooves knocked out from under it, I knew exactly who to call. When I'm looking at a complicated animal rights issue, I have the phone numbers of more than 20 people willing to give me the inside information. I know farmers, ranchers and industry professionals with the knowledge that I need.

I can't even imagine how many times that I have had to preface interviews this semester with the words, "I am an agriculture reporter." Or how many times I have been consulted as the in-house ag expert...and all of those questions are absolutely welcomed. Some sources refuse to talk to the media because they are afraid of negative media pressure on the industry. Since agriculture is such a complicated topic to write about, it is often left out of the news or misrepresented (not intentionally, of course). Studying both agriculture and media helps me to bridge the gap between the two fields. In my opinion (yes, journalists have opinions), it's extremely important for media outlets to cover the industry. What other group of people has the ability to influence the American economy the way that agriculturists do?

Newsflash: agricultural journalism is a hard major. This is because we combine the most challenging core classes in the journalism school with equally challenging core agriculture classes in CAFNR. This means plant science, animal science, food science, agriculture leadership and agriculture economics...just to mention a few. But I wouldn't trade that knowledge for the world because it gives me the flexibility to change hats from beef producer to row crop farmer in just seconds. I am at the point where I can almost understand every sector of the agriculture industry at their basic levels. That's priceless.

So, here's my tribute to the ever-so-small Agricultural Journalism department that has such a huge impact on CAFNR. Thank you to all of you that make it possible for the opportunities to expand daily and for your work in keeping us connected to agriculture!

That seems like a really cheesy title, but I mean it literally. At what point are journalists able to draw the line in the sand that separates reporter from human?

1. Breaking news at home overrides any breaking news from the community
2. Reporters should be involved in the community
3. Journalists study specific areas to specialize in, and should report on them

Soo....what's my point? There will be many times in a reporters career that he or she will have to decide between living a normal life and living the life of a reporter. Ten years from now, it won't matter if a bill is to be heard in a committee meeting one random afternoon. What will matter is that you could drop your reporter hat to be there for a loved on when they needed it most.

Don't believe me? Read Tom Warhover's perspective in his article on the Missourian's conflict of interest policy.

That line should be drawn very carefully, though. Be careful to not blow off responsibilities just because you feel like it.

ATTENTION REPORTERS: Have a little perspective, but don't make it an excuse.

 February 25, 2010: Dealing with the opposition
Whether we're dealing with opposition in our own life or just writing a story...it's always there. And gosh darn it, the other side can be extremely difficult to deal with. I can't help anyone with the life aspect of this story, but I've learned a lot about dealing with the opposition from a journalism standpoint.

In every story, you are compelled, if not required, to interview sources from both sides of an issue.

"But every source I've talked to said that the other side is wrong and know nothing"

Let them prove it.

If you think that you've got the true story of an issue and you forgot to at least explore the arguments, you are oh-so wrong. I've found that politics are controversial, not that I need to tell you that. But here's the deal, finding controversy can be very interesting. That's when you find that amazing quote from a source that says, "I guess this representative just doesn't have anything better to do with his time."

That's how you have fun in journalism. Don't be afraid to ask that question, "Well, Rep. 1234 said that this bill will cut the legs out from under farmers...what do you think about that?" OR "What's the big deal because Rep. 1234 said it just doesn't seem significant to constituents?" You'll love your answer. Guaranteed.

1. Be educated on the topic...thoroughly
2. However, play dumb on controversial information
3. Alternate, alternate, alternate
   
4. Get the opposing voice high in the story
5. Don't let their voice be completely overpowered 
6. It's not your job to prove anyone right or wrong, but it is to raise the question
7. Think of some really awesome, controversial questions beforehand, and think of even better ones when you get there
8. Don't try to 'trick' anyone into statements they didn't intend to say, but don't let them go back on something just because of a reputation they want to maintain
   
9. Record controversial interviews (just in case)
10. Keep your editor in the loop when you've caught someone in a fishy statement because they'll have to deal with it
    

February 18, 2010: Confined Journalist Writing Operations

• CAFO: Agricultural term that stands for Confined Animal Feeding Operation
• CJWO: My new term for being confined in newsroom writing

I feel like I'm being confined. Whether it's being confined to my agriculture/environment beat or simply sitting in the newsroom trying to find the most interesting headline and lead, I'm being confined. This restriction is, of course, entirely my own fault.

I am at the point in my short-lived writing career that I am starting to find much more value in thinking outside of my beat. Don't get me wrong, I love writing about rural life...that's why I'm an agricultural journalist. But it can't be too entirely wrong to go ahead and tackle a story about something that doesn't have anything to do with production agriculture, like my Sunshine Law story. It keeps you fresh. It keeps you on your toes. Don't let yourself be confined.

I'm also starting to realize one other thing-stop writing things that will be eventually edited out anyways. At first, I was angry with editors for taking out creativity and fluff. Even though I knew neither had much of a place in newsroom writing. I thought to myself, I am being confined. But I wasn't being restricted. I just had to stop writing things that I know will be cut and make the important things more interesting.

Confinement is okay in moderation. You need to be confined when you're young and new in the industry. When writing, you can't let yourself stay confined to a specific beat or to a specific type of writing. You must conform to each newsroom and break out of your confinement cage. Don't let yourself stay in that cage much longer...it's suffocating.

~Sami Jo Freeman

February 11, 2010: Fighting yourself over a conflict of interest

I am an agricultural journalist. There, I said it.

I like creative writing more than I like news writing. There, I said it.

I love writing about agriculture, politics and the future of both worlds. There, I said it.

I think people have the right to know the truth behind each and every one of my stories. There, I said it.

I am currently pursuing an internship with Monsanto, a leading agricultural seed company. There, I said it.

I like to go to church. There, I said it.

I have an opinion. There, I said it. 

I have feelings. There, I said it.

I have a voice. There, I said it.

I have a life. There, I said it.

Every journalist has an opinion on almost every issue, that's for sure. We care about the issues, and that's why we're here. We inform the public. At the same time though, I have learned that it's not a matter of hiding your biases, but completely avoiding them from the beginning. Or finding a way to 100 percent get over them before reporting on a topic.

In one week I was pulled off of one of the biggest stories of the semester for my beat concerning patented seed, and I had a very controversial issue come across my desk. Wow. What a week!

What interview? My first conflict of interest kicked me square in the face after applying for an internship with Monsanto while researching a patented seed bill making its way through the Senate. Then it came back around for a second swift kick when I accepted an invitation to interview with the company. 

With all of this happening, I decided that it was impossible to write a story that may influence the public's perception of Monsanto objectively. This is because the bill will either fail or pass with flying colors through the General Assembly making it legal for farmers to keep and replant Monsanto's (and any other company's) patented seed. Another Senate bill would make it illegal for private investigators to search farmland without written permission from the landowner. These are both non-desirable outcomes for Monsanto (I'm assuming). Therefore, I was pulled from potentially the biggest story of my semester. Ouch.

The controversy. The big story hitting the front page of the Missourian this past Wednesday was my story on the agriculture community's take on the recent Puppy Mill initiative. It's only been one day since the story hit the Web, and I'm already exhausted by the comments posted. The story came to me after speaking to students on the University of Missouri campus last week.

The initiative was being accused of targeting agriculture, so I decided to look deeper. After speaking with sources on both sides of the issue, I decided that there was definite room for the agriculture community to speak on the suspicions they had. But the opposing voice didn't think so, and they said that approximately 134,546,788,567,231,347 times on the Missourian's site. Even though they were given a voice during the story. They were interviewed and asked to give statements. They did and I used them.

It comes down to your approach and even your attitude towards each story. Whether you love it or hate it, you don't anymore.

I'm a reporter, and sometimes I don't have an opinion. There, I said it.

To read this week's story, click here.

~Sami Jo Freeman