What I've learned in the last two weeks:
1. Sometimes the power goes out in the newsroom. It's a good thing to write things down on paper. That way, you can use your flashlight and still try to work in the dark.
2. If you read the daily police activities, "found body" doesn't always mean something exciting. Also, sometimes assault with a dangerous weapon actually means assault with a firework. Who knew?
3. It's fairly easy to get a felony.
4. You can't trust anybody -- not the convicted felons and not the cops or the DA. And just because someone was convicted of something awful, it doesn't mean they did it.
5. Sometimes you don't have to ask to get to do awesome things. Like explore a fire truck. Sometimes the deputy fire chief insists you give it a try, and then if you're really lucky...he'll tell invite you to participate in firefighter training, and/or ride along with the firefighters for a day.
6. If nobody drank alcohol or did any form of illegal drugs, crime (including violent crimes) would go down. Not to mention the people killed from related-crimes.
7. Mercy and justice go hand-in-hand.
8. Sometimes it's hard to read and report about all the bad, nasty things people do. Especially if you have to do it for 9 hours a day. And on those day, it's alright to cry after you get home.
9. Nothing feels better than getting a phone call from someone simply wanting to tell you how much they enjoyed your article. Nothing.
10. Rapport is a must. It's important to be on good standings with your sources. In fact, it's a must. Don't piss your sources off -- they'll stop talking.
Always,
3 comments:
Great advice, even for us non-journalists! Assault with a firework? Wow. Some people are quite creative. Btw, the fire truck pics are awesome!
Hope work continues to bring many surprises and few heartbreaking stories.
~SP
I'm intrigued what else would "found body" mean?
It sounds like your job is getting very exciting.
Jealous that you got to go on a fire truck.
Take your sources some pie, everyone loves pie and then they will never be upset with you. everyone always talks with pie.
Shane, I know it cracked me up when my source told me! And, I know...I was totally excited to jump up there! The deputy fire chief insisted I explore the truck AND insisted on snapping a few photos for me...he's a hoot!
Jess, sometimes "found body" is just an elderly person that passes away in their sleep. Sometimes it's a drug overdose. Sometimes, but not very often, it's foul play...hence, it not always being exciting! It is definitely getting exciting, but some days it's just exhausting. One day I had three big interviews. One about a cold murder case, one about the prescription drug epidemic, and one lawsuit...my little heart was breaking by the end of the day, and my head was overflowing with facts! But really, I love being a journalist! And yes -- great advice, haha! How about ice cream, instead? haha!
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