Week 22

In the Independent Study and Mentorship Program this week, my mentor Mr. Trahan and I moved forward with our original work and final product. We have received correspondence from both the United States Geological Survey, to whom we sent a FOIA, and the City of Irving, to whom we sent an Open Records Request. The USGS explained that they have information to provide us with, but it might take a while to compile all the information. The City of Irving, on the other hand, said that our request was too specific and we may need to amend it for them to find anything. We are going to see if the story needs the Open Records Request or if the FOIA will provide what we need.

In relation the Final Product, I have been contacting people from around the Dallas area that work to preserve wildlife and/or are involved in city planning in order to find information and set up interviews with potential sources.

I posted a second time on the blog, Next Door, asking residents if any one would care to share their experiences with wildlife in the area. I received several angry responses, which took me completely by surprise, and also received helpful responses and emails as well. The angry responses I received were from residents that are afraid that my story is going to make wildlife look evil and degrading to our society. I posted another reassuring post that this is not my intention at all. Receiving the angry backlash over such a simple subject opened my eyes to the hard shells investigative journalists are required to have.

My mentor and I are hoping to interview one of our first sources this upcoming week and we can hardly wait to see where this goes.