Fire Department extinguishes two fires overnight Tuesday

Article's link:https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/fire-department-extinguishes-two-fires-overnight-tuesday/article_c1df0d28-d1ac-11ea-a8eb-83724b10102d.html

When conduct such stories, we need to update the story by keeping track of the latest news release. It is common that when investigation is going on, the department will not release more related details. But we need to check the progress of the investigation from time to time and keep our readers updated.

For instance, in this story, we did not know the cause of the fire at first. However, the cause of the fire is a crucial information. When investigators determined the origin of the fire eventually, we added that information in the article.

Writing the brief

1.Boone County Art Show canceled

Article's link:

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/covid19/boone-county-art-show-canceled/article_222fd480-d74f-11ea-bd9d-37e779dc754b.html

We can provide context of an event by doing research on past related stories. Besides putting the link in the story, we should digest the information by ourselves, select key points, and display them clearly in the story.

When we have to leave voice mail, we need to show our professionalism through the voice mail. Clearly state your purpose and your contact information in a calm tone. More importantly, show you have done enough research on this particular topic.

Tip: tell the source that you are working on the story instead of that you plan to work on a story.

2.Central Pantry reduces its service hours

Article's link:https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/covid19/central-pantry-reduces-its-service-hours/article_ec1aed54-d5d1-11ea-8f54-6f2d009e70f6.html

Combine some of repeated information. For instance, we combine the hours of operation in this story. (they were the same for some of the days)

We usually move the overall information about the companies or organizations in the last paragraph. But sometimes when the introduction of the company or organizations is important, we can still put them in the front of the story.

Douglass High School celebrates the class of 2020

Article's link: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/k12_education/douglass-high-school-celebrates-the-class-of-2020/article_00fb01ae-d330-11ea-86a6-6b9cce6cf0bc.html

Use past tense.

You should arrive at the event early. In this way, you can talk with as many people as you can. When an event ends, people are in a hurry to go back home and not willing to answer your questions.

Choose a right time to ask questions. A silent moment before the ceremony begins is an appropriate time to listen people sharing their impressive story. For instance, in this story , I successfully interviewed a pastor and listened to him telling the story about how a great mother inspired her kids through her hard work.

Pay attention to the number of the seat. But you should always pay attention to the actual number of participants. Find a copy of speech draft and booklet that lists the names of participants so that you can do the accuracy check more conveniently.

For an event, a notebook can work better than your recordings. You need to improve your listening skills and concentrate when people are telling stories.

Be patient when you do the accuracy check. Give a pause and double check with the quotes and every statistics in the story. For instance, I made a mistake in this story at first. I just counted the number of the seats but did not notice that no every seat was occupied. So I had the wrong number of participants in my story at first. Fortunately, we correct the number at last.