Week 24

This week in the Independent Study and Mentorship, I continued to reflect on what I learned through my first interview. I also made more concrete plans with my mentor for the upcoming weeks.

Here were some of my thoughts reguarding my previous interviwe:

Interviewing this woman was also an awesome experience because it taught me the basics of how to conduct interviews as in investigative reporter. I was honestly quite nervous, but my mentor, Mr. Jason Trahan, kept the situation under control and showed me how to work the camera, mikes and the interview itself. One aspect of the interview that I found particularly interesting was the talking that took place ahead of time. We discussed the whole story with her before we taped her saying it, so that we could make sure she would emphasize the phrases that would be most important for the piece. I was also surprised by how relaxed the whole event felt.  I was expecting an awkward, intimidating, serious encounter, but we joked and laughed throughout our short time together, collecting shots from multiple angles and getting footage of the woman with her pet bunnies and puppy.

The interview itself was not at all what I had expected. I prepared questions ahead of time, but hardly used them at all because it was basically a two-way conversation that fed off of itself. It felt like a genuine conversation, which is important in the world of investigative reporting, because you want the information you are gathering to be authentic and heart-felt.

After we interviewed the woman, she gave us the contact information of a woman in her neighborhood that experienced a similar situation with a bobcat. She also talked with her daughter to ask if she would be willing to be interviewed as well. This was interesting because I was able to see how stories truly feed off of themselves. It is important to build a good relationship with your leads because they are your main source of gathering further interviews and information.

After the interview, Mr. Trahan and I went to a wooded area beside her neighborhood, and I did a “stand up,” which is when a reporter gives a small blurb of background information regarding the story at hand. I was especially nervous at this point because my mentor had me come up with what I was going to say on the spot, as reporters often do. This was an awesome experience, and although my “stand up” was far from perfect, it helped me feel like a real reporter and will be a great guide for the future.

We finished up the morning by taking a few panning shots of a playground that the woman said a bobcat had been spotted on. Visuals are a vital aspect of news stories, and learning how to utilize the camera and film effectively was incredible. 

I have much more to learn about investigative reporting, but this experience gave me my first taste of what it really feels like to be a reporter.

Week 23

This week I had my first interview! It was such an incredible experience. My mentors and I have started a project, which will be my final product, in which we are creating a story about the wildlife in Frisco. We are investigating the effects urbanization has had on wildlife in the area and how the animals have reacted. My attention came to this subject because Frisco, although it is an incredibly urban area, has struggled for many years with wild animals appearing at random times and terrorizing pets and neighborhoods.

We fear that this problem could have emerged due to a lack of planning when Frisco was designed. Less and less nature remains in Frisco, and we are concerned about what is going to happen to the animals once all the wilderness is gone.

We interviewed a woman on Friday whose pet rabbit was eaten by a bobcat that came over her eight-foot privacy fence and into her yard. Her perspective on the issue was incredible, and it was beneficial to see the damage the wildlife can inflict.

We are planning on conducting at least three more interviews in order to look at the situation from as many views as possible.

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.

Week 21

It was a momentous week in the Independent Study and Mentorship Program.

I COMPLETED MY ORIGINAL WORK!!!

My job, and my original work, ended up being research about, and completion of, Open Records Requests. Going into the story, I had no idea what an Open Records Request was, but now I know that it is a tool used by journalists all over the country in most stories. An Open Records Request is a request that can be made by any citizen asking for information, correspondence and planning among city or state officials in regards to certain events. Any information on a public official’s work email can be gained by the public, if they know how to ask. The information in the officials’ emails, phone calls and texts can often be critical to uncovering the truth in an investigative story. The national version of an Open Records Request is the FOIA, the Freedom of Information Act.

              

It was my job to read the Texas laws regarding open records and open meetings, determine who would be beneficial to send an Open Records Request to, find the contact information, and ultimately send the requests. We ended up sending an Open Records Request to the City of Irving, asking for any correspondence between city officials and Seismologist Craig Pierson, who has had a leading hand in the research of the seismic activity in the area.

We also sent a FOIA to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) asking for correspondence and data they had collected regarding the frequent and alarming earthquakes in Irving.  We have received responses from both the City of Irving and the USGS, and it will be only a matter of time before we can determine if any of the information we received is beneficial to the story.

I greatly enjoyed filing the Open Records Request and FOIA. It allowed me to feel like a real journalist and understand a new part of the field that I had not even heard of before. This particular Open Records Request and FOIA do not relate to my Final Product, but knowing that I have submitted requests before and that I am capable of doing it again in the future is incredibly exciting.

               

I can hardly wait for the story to air!

Week 20

Another fantastic week has come and gone in the Independent Study and Mentorship Program. This week, I received nearly a dozen pictures of wildlife from around Frisco neighborhoods, which will be incredibly useful for our story in the spring. The pictures ranged in quality, but will all be helpful.

Here is one of the best ones of a bobcat taken on Bay Hill Drive:

With all the incredible camera shots I've already been sent, I will need to focus on video footage as well. I am still working on finding a GoPro camera in order to shoot video of the wildlife in the area. 

In other news, my mentors and I have been working on the earthquake story which will be airing in early February. When I went into the office on Thursday, I located all active, plugged and licence-revoked oil wells in Tarrant County and Denton County, and then Byron visited some of them to complete further investigation as to whether fracking is the cause of the unusual earthquakes. Hopefully, my contribution to the story will be an awesome original work for ISM this year.

Working with such incredible investigators has been an honor. I can hardly see what the rest of the semester holds!

Week 19

This week held more excitement in the Independent Study and Mentorship Program. I visited Mr. Jason Trahan at the WFAA Channel 8 Headquarters in downtown Dallas, and we discussed our plans for the year. I showed him the research I have completed on the Open Meetings and Public Information laws in Texas. We discussed who we are going to send open records request to in regards to the earthquake situation in Irving. It will be my job to file these requests, and they will be helpful in Jason and Byron's research on the issue. The final story will probably air mid-February.

We also decided on a story idea for the final product. Due to the large amounts of urbanization in Frisco, we've decided to pursue a story documenting the effects this has on wildlife in the area and investigation of whether or not there is proper planning in place to protect nature in Frisco.

I left the meeting with a detailed to-do list for the next week. It has been up to me to contact the City of Irving, the United States Geological Survey, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to determine who I need to ask for an open records request. I am also responsible for finding a GoPro camera for documenting wildlife, and blogging on the neighborhood website asking for pictures and video of wildlife in the area.

I am incredibly excited about all we accomplished this week and can not wait to see what next semester has in store!

Week 18

I HAVE MENTORS!!!!!!

This past week in the Independent Study and Mentorship was incredible. I presented my research speech to the class, researched the field, and gained two fantastic mentors.

My research speech went well. I am proud of the format it is set up with, and I believe I have a nice flow. My teacher suggested that I make it even better by opening up with an investigative story to hook everyone's attention. This will add a great flair to the presentation and keep attention engaged.

I also asked Jason Trahan and Byron Harris, investigative reporters from WFAA8, to be my mentors. They both said yes and we met up for the first time on Friday. We began discussing possibilities for the original work and product, and they showed me the current projects they are working on.  This year is going to be AMAZING, and I could not have ended up with a better pair of excited, diligent, passionate mentors.

Some of the ideas we threw out were the possibilities of my filing for open records requests from the state and investigating my own story. They will help me along the way and give me camera access, etc. I simply cannot wait for what this year holds.