Non-Linear Story

For my non-linear story I will summerize my beat in the trunk of the story and then branch off into one story that covers the places with the best deals around Towson and I will include a map. Another story that I will cover is the Baltimore Collegetown website, I will write about how to use the website and the types of deals you can find on the website. The FAQ's page will contain tips and I will also cover banking questions.

Project Economy

 I found my article, well actually it is a slideshow, on the WBAL TV website. The article is called Tips for saving money at the grocery store and is found in the project economy section of the website. Each photo contains a tip and the article has 15 photos as well as 15 tips. One tip the article gives is to make a grocery list, this saves time and also money because you have written down everything you need and don't have to rome around the isles which usually means unnecessary purchases. Also another tip I agree with and always follow is to not go to the store hungry or tired, when I go hungry I always buy more food and food that I do not need. 

Overall I agree with the article and all of the tips that are given. I might have put more reasoning behind the tips but I understand with this slideshow they were just trying to get the point across.  I feel people would read and watch this slideshow more than if this information was put into an actual article. If I only have a few minutes to read the news I usually just read the headlines but if I see a slideshow or video I always look at those first because they catch my attention. 

Slideshow interview

For my slideshow I was thinking of profiling the SGA Treasurer. He is in charge of a huge budget that consists of student fees. I would be able to get photos of him meeting with student groups and also at SGA meetings. The fact that he oversees such a large budget and is still an undergrad makes him worthy of two minutes of air time. I will be asking him questions such as Why did he decide to run for this position, how does it feel to be in charge of such a large sum of money, and what changes have you made this year in the budgeting process? 

Video editing

The video I found was on the ABC 2 news website and it was video from the earthquake in Italy. The video had all of the techniques we talked about in class, and was edited very well. During the entire video there was movement, whether it be people frantically searching for survivors, or just people standing in awe holding on to each other, there was movement in the frame.

Also throughout the video there were spots of natural sound. The reporter was talking during most of the video but there were actualities included. Also when the reporter stopped speaking you could hear natural sound of the ambulances and people yelling.

The video was edited in a fairly fast paced manner because the tone of the video was chaos and fear.

The video I watched can be found here.

Feature Story

I also recently wrote a feature story on how students are having to work harder and more hours in order to pay for tuition and bills. Check it out here on my website. 

Audio Story

I just finished my first audio story. I covered the event Relay for Life and how this year was different, fundraising wise, because of the state of the economy. I hope you can check it out here. 

Audio ideas...

I have been trying to think of an interesting audio story that is about college students budgeting or how they are dealing with the current state of the economy. I have had a hard time coming up with ideas but I was thinking maybe to do a how to type of story and go through ideas on how to save money and the audio clips would be of students saying how they try to save money.

I am not sure if this idea will work and I might have to expand on the idea some but hopefully something like this will work out.

Lead from Eastern, Bradford banks under federal scrutiny 

"Two more Baltimore-area banks, including the region's second-largest institution, have been placed under more intense federal supervision, according to regulatory documents, showing how deeply community banks are hurting from the collapse of the real estate market."

The collapse of the real estate market has hurt two more Baltimore area banks, they are now under more intense federal supervision according to regulatory documents. 

Lead from Man accused of beheading aboard Canadian bus not responsible 

"A Canadian judge ruled today that a man accused of beheading and cannibalizing a fellow Greyhound bus passenger is not criminally responsible due to mental illness."

The man accused of beheading and cannibalizing a fellow Greyhound bus passenger is found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. 

Lead from Former Harford Co. delegate found dead in Fallston home

"Joanne S. Parrott is the first woman president of the Harford County Council and a Maryland state delegate from 1998 to 2006, was found dead in her home yesterday."

Flags are being flown at half staff today as Joanne S. Parrot, the first woman president of the Harford County Council and a Maryland state delegate from 1998 to 2006, is remembered. 

College aspirations collide with financial realities is a piece about how college is becoming more and more out of reach for many people. The article focuses on high school seniors that are about to graduate and how many are withdrawing their applications because of financial difficulties. 

The article used a study which I found very interesting "local college is now costing the average family in the bottom quintile of income, 55 percent of their earnings, up from 39% in 1999-2000," even though this is referring to low-income families, it just shows how expensive college is.

The article also went into detail on how college is attainable even in the hard financial times. Most organizations that give scholarships are looking for students who do well in school and other activities. Achieving good grades is great but also being involved in other activities will help in attaining scholarships. 

One thing that every person looking to go to college should do is search for scholarships and grant money, there is a lot out there and it just takes time to look for it, most scholarships are not advertising they want people to find them on their own. College should be available to everyone and money should not stop a person from achieving their dreams but people just need to work hard for it. 

Feature Story

For my feature story I plan on interviewing two college students and one youth financial advisor. This story is considered a trend story because as the economy is weakening students are now having to budget and save more.

I have an appointment set up this week with a finanical advisor, who will hopefully be able to discuss whether or not more students are starting up savings accounts. From there will be the basis of my interviews with the students.

I will then at the end give some tips from the finacial advisor on how to save and budget in this economy.

Wall Street Journal Formula

Hey Laaaaaady! It's the King of Comedy is a perfect example of the Wall Street Journal Formula. The Story starts out with a descriptive lead, describing Jerry Lewis' popularity and his career as a star, writer, director, producer and technical innovator. 

The nutgraf comes along in the second paragraph and explains how on Sunday night he will be honored at the Academy Awards. 

 Photo from Everett Collection

Jerry Lewis with Dean Martin 

 

The body of the story gives details from his life and his extensive career spent in the spotlight. 

The fourth step in the Wall Street Journal Formula is also used in this article, the end of the article showcases works of Jerry Lewis, this allows readers to look into some of his works. They even gave links to one of his masterpieces. 

Ideas

I have been thinking of ideas for my story, and in order to encompass all of the elements I am thinking of doing a profile story on three college students and how they budget. I will gather information from all three and also add in some of my own tips from my experience, and also from a financial advisor.

Learn to be financially Successful

There is workshop coming up next week which will explain how to become financially successful. The Student Leadership workshop: The Keys to Financial Success is going to be held at the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore on Thursday February 26th at 6pm. If you don't have a car don't worry the Collegetown shuttle picks up at Towson and will drop off at the College of Notre Dame. The participants of this event will be provided with dinner and packets of information about topics covered. 

The workshop will cover topics such as why a credit score is important and how to keep yours at a high level, how to save and invest money and how to make sure the economic crisis doesn't impact you. Dr. Alan Cox is the Managing Director of the Maryland Coalition for Financial Literacy and he is going to be presenting some of the topics. 

This same presentation was given last semester at Loyola College, because of the response they decided to put on another workshop. If you are interested in attending rsvp at info@baltimorecollegetown.org. 

A feature lead is more of a quick preview to what is coming, it is not packed full of important information like a hard news lead is. The feature lead is a chance to attract readers and give a quick preview of what is to come. There are several types of feature leads, Anecdotal, narrative, descriptive, and question. An anecdotal lead is a specific example that is used to make a general point about the story. Narrative leads present a story to the reader and generally run longer than anecdotal leads. Descriptive leads are usually used with stories that focus on a person, place or group. They include only details that support the main point of the story. Question leads are rarely used but they are sometimes used to catch the reader off guard. 

A summary lead is similar to a feature lead but is more of a description and a scene setter, it sometimes includes the 5 w's and an h but not always. The summary lead is usually the first choice for most feature writers. 

Example of Narrative Lead. 

Chance McCoy strummed the guitar and plucked a mandolin before finding his calling: the fiddle. He remembers going to fiddle conventions in Virginia and West Virginia six years ago and watching musicians jam. 

Example of Descriptive lead

They know him as "Black," a convicted felon and longtime member of the Bloods street gang. He is leaning far back in a chair, under the only working light in a nondescript row house in East Baltimore. He is talking about street life and hustling. And this group of more than 25 gang members and young men recently sprung from prison and hanging on his every word. 

Story beat

Students seek more bang for buck appeared in The Towerlight today which talks about how community colleges are reporting increased enrollment. Community colleges are usually much cheaper than traditional four-year colleges and because of the state of the economy most students are looking for the cheaper way out. Students are beginning to choose their schools based on money, not whether they like it or not. 

It is hard to afford college whether it be a community college or traditional four-year school. Many students are transferring to an instate school or transferring from a four-year school to community college, which is reverse of what used to happen. 

Many college students don't live on a budget in college which really hurts their financial future. I am guilty of it too sometimes, we all are at times, especially when that new outfit is calling our name but living on a budget is key to surviving the college years. Everyone should figure out exactly how much money they need to pay out in bills and then with what ever amount is left over some should go into a savings account and the rest can be spending money for the week. Saving accounts are necessary at any age because at anytime something unexpected could happen that a large lump sum is needed up front. 

So this week I encourage everyone to start looking at their income and compiling all bills that you pay out each month and determine your spending limit for each week. 

My beat is...

Staying on a college budget, is it easy, not always but I will give tips to guide college students through those tight budget years. I also plan to provide cheap and free weekend activities for college students, where to find the best deals and the cheapest grocery stores in the Towson area! I am a bargain shopper and always have my coupons in hand in order to spend the least amount possible for what I need.

This week I want everyone to check out the Baltimore Collegetown website. It is full of fun and cheap ways to enjoy the Baltimore area. They have a section on the homepage called cheep and free, now how are you supposed to beat that! All the activities are within the Baltimore area and the collegetown shuttle stops near each activity so you can even save on gas by taking the FREE shuttle.

This website is good for everything a college student could be looking for. There is a section where you can find internships in the area, you can see the shuttle route, you can even plan your visit by mapping out the places you want to go. A lot of my future blog posts will include activities found on the website but I won't be able to mention them all so check it out!

Hi...

Hi everyone, I'm Abby, I am a sophomore here at Towson and studying all three tracks within the Mass Communication department. MCOM 257 was one of my favorite courses last semester and I am hoping 258 will be my new favorite. I have always enjoyed journalism and wanted to be a broadcaster for as long as I can remember. I still have that as an interest but I also really enjoy public relations, so I really don't know what I will end up doing but I would be happy in the journalism or public relations field.

Now a little more about me in the present, I am a Senator on Towson's SGA, and I also work on Towson's yearbook as managing editor. Along with the organizations I am involved with I also work part time in the Provost's office here on Towson's campus. I keep myself very busy but I also am able to enjoy plenty of time with friends and enjoy college life.