What a hassle!

This is actually not my first reporting experience. I have been working for the Chimes and this is my second article for them, which doubled as my Story #1 for class. I have decided that I do not like reporting. Reporting is annoying because setting up interviews and fitting them in your schedule is difficult.

I feel like reporting is just uncomfortable and a hassle. Going out and finding people to interview is also a pain, and then you also have to make up questions, meet up, record the conversation both on a recorder and handwritten, and then somehow find a way to incorporate the way that they say their quotes into your writing. I wish I could rephrase what they say in my own clear and concise wording! I love writing articles, but I just did not enjoy getting all the information for it. Maybe it is because I am lazy and reporting is a lot of work? I don't know. I guess we will see how I adjust to reporting as I get more into journalism. As much as I dislike it, I like writing, and reporting is just the necessary evil I have to put up with to do that writing.

On the Record Interviewing: A Necessary Evil

Lately I have become involved with The Chimes and so the topic of problems with interviewing people on the record at Biola has become an issue of which I have recently been made well aware. The main issue that I have come to find is that quoting people or keeping the integrity of their quote intact when interviewing them is very difficult. It is hard to get exactly what they said and figure out how to get in to fit into you article.

Another obvious problem to me has been that people are sometimes unwilling to talk on the record. A lot of people close down when they know that everyone will be able to see what they say. People don't want to be judged, or criticized. Getting sources to open up has been a problem, but I know by developing my interviewing techniques, I will succeed at getting people to open their thoughts to me a lot easier.

Today's Blog

Today's blog did not happen. Oh darn. How will I ever go on without it?

Congressman Christopher Lee Resignation

Today I read up about the situation regarding the resignation of Congressman Christopher Lee. Apparently, he sent a shirtless picture he took on his phone to a woman who had put up a personal ad on Craigslist. Following the Craigslist woman's  release of the information, he publicly apologized to his wife and all the people who were hurt by his actions and he resigned from Congress.

In my opinion, Congressman Lee was very indiscreet  with his actions and is very unintelligent for doing something risque while in that position with power. Through recent years, many different sex scandals have come out regarding politicians and because of that, politicians should know by now that what they do will be found out and hurt their careers. Being in that position of power, he should have known how easy it is for people to expose him and how the act is not worth the risk. How many sex scandals have to come out about government officials before they finally get it?

Biola Construction

Recently, Lindsey Douglas, Becca Nakashma, and I went on an adventure to write an article about the construction on the Biola campus. It was a really good experience and I realized a little bit of what Journalism is all about. This is the end result:

Construction on the Biola Campus has students overflowing with negative opinions about its inconvenience to their daily lives.  Set to be completed by mid-august of 2011, the 5-story parking garage near the baseball field is both noisy for on-campus students and an annoying drawback for students with cars.

“It doesn’t really affect me that much, “says one student reading by Flour Fountain. “I don’t have a car though. The only thing is that, it’s really loud and annoying. I live in Hope, so when I open my window every morning, all I hear is the obnoxious sound of construction.” Others are not so cavalier about it. Entering in the Collegium, Biola’s home for Commuter students during the day, heated opinions and emotions were stirred concerning the lack of parking.

“Oh, I have so much to say about this topic,” said Elaine, an upperclassmen commuter started. “It is such a hassle to be a commuter at Biola these days. As if parking weren’t scarce enough already with the Talbot construction!”  Elaine held the opinion that Biola should have followed the example of most college campuses and just taken away parking privileges for freshman. She believed that this work on the parking structure was going to be worth the hassle in the end, but at the same time, would be a terrible inconvenience in the meantime. As another commuter at the collegium, A.J. told reporters that she had to arrive at 8:00AM every morning, no matter if she had a 10:30AM class or a 3:00PM class just to get a parking spot.

In the end, most people believed the construction to be beneficial to Biola and its “Up and Coming School” reputation, but at the moment, it is a hassle that no one enjoys, but will have to endure for another 6 months.

-Heather Pape, Lindsey Douglas, and Becca Nakashma