Sunday, January 9, 2011

Strat2


·         Who are the people affected?
o   Quite frankly, we don’t know who is affected by this story because more details about those involved are not stated. We don’t know where these people reside in Gainesville, if they do, which is most important point missing because residents around that area might have their lives at risk.
·         How are people affected or how might they be affected?
o   Not knowing where the driver and backseat passenger are doesn’t give readers piece of mind knowing that they are living in safe areas. Although we know the backseat driver was detained, we don’t know anything about the driver – not even his name. This person is still out there, most likely continuing what he’s been doing.
·         Why are you writing this?
o   Because we don’t know if Frazier was a student at any institution in the Gainesville area, this story is important to the Alligator’s audience because he is around the same age as the majority of readers. This could have been someone’s classmate, neighbor, friend, or random sketch they met at a house party. You just never know.
·         Who are the bureaucrats?
o   The police officers.
·         What are the key questions?
o   The key questions here are those above. Where has Frazier been living since he got into this country? What about the driver? What is the driver’s name? Were they both students, and if not, why are they here? Some other questions: How long have they been doing this?
·         What research must you do?
o   Maybe the reporter in this case could not get all the info she needed from the police report alone, and had to run the story without such details. But more time and a follow-up with the answers would give the opportunity to talk to the police more about the situation. Also see if these two have anyone who are willing to answer questions about them. The real issue here is that we just don’t know who these guys are and our safety is at risk because of it.
·         Where can you go?
o   To the police station. The car should have been impounded and maybe the authorities there could answer some questions that could lead to more valuable information. And definitely where they lived to find out if security is up to par for other residents.
·         What are you missing?
o   What is this story not missing is the real question here. Time and resources were probably an issue with this story.
·         How can you be creative?
o   Because this story is about marijuana possession, being creative and not taking a hard-news lead can make this story inappropriate very easily. I’d play it safe.
·         What is your vision?
o   Because of the fact that so many questions are unanswered, holding onto it would not have hurt until they were all answered. I understand the urgency in wanting to publish this, but it does the public no good with so many things unsaid.

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