Reporter Reel
Live Reports
Governor Parson's Address to Lawmakers
After taking over as Governor of Missouri, Mike Parson addressed the General Assembly. I had about 25 minutes, between the 5 pm and 6 pm shows, to put together a script summarizing his address and to prepare my live shot from the House floor.
Election Night Live Coverage
I was in charge of following the results of Proposition 1, which asked Columbia voters to approve bonds for improvements in the water system. Before polls closed, I talked to a local group that advocates for clean water. After we learned the results, I talked with the group again to get their reaction for the morning show.
Jefferson City Council takes first step to create new river port
We saw on the meeting agenda that the city council would discuss approving a proposal for a port authority. I talked with the mayor and the president of the chamber of commerce, leading the effort, before the meeting. I then reported live about the result of the voting.
Audrain police release new information on mysterious death
After I had finished producing my story for the 9 pm and 10 pm shows, we got an email from the Audrain County Sheriff's Office with new information on the investigation of Antonio Jefferson's death. I had to travel about an hour to meet with the Sheriff, around 7 pm. I went live for the 10 pm show.
I was initially assigned to cover a meeting of the airport advisory board. However, it got cancelled because of the lack of quorum. When I was getting ready to head back to the station, my assignment manager sent me to cover breaking news. When I arrived to the scene, there was a large police presence responding to a shots-fired call. One of the challenges of my live shots was how to light them properly.
Breaking News
After an early arrival to my morning shift, at 2 am, we heard on the scanner there was an accident on I-70, so I was sent on breaking news as an MMJ. I went live, all throughout the morning show, until the accident was cleaned up and the road was reopened.
After I finished producing the nine 9 pm newscast on a Saturday, I got sent on breaking news after police responded to a call related to domestic violence. I was not reporting that day but I accepted the challenge!
Packages
Moberly man worried government shutdown could make it harder to pay his rent
Since the begining of the government shutdown, I wanted to do a humanized story to show its effects in mid-Missouri. Through social media, I was able to find the character of the story. He was not a federal employee, which I think helped to show the shutdown was not only affecting those working for the government. The story got 9,847 views on our website, 464 comments on Facebook and it was shared 92 times. For a portion of the day, this was the top story on our website.
Empire Roller Rink, only roller rink in Columbia, closing next weekend
I learned about this story through a press release the owners of the roller rink sent to the newsroom. I produced this package during my weekend shift, after I was sent out on breaking news the day I was originally supposed to cover it. I knew this would be an emotional story for our viewers, so I approached it from a "human angle" by talking with people who had a connection with the rink. Also, I wanted to transport people back to the rink, so I shot a lot of my video inside the actual skating area.
Winter Storm Coverage
As part of KOMU 8's coverage of the first winter storm of the year in mid-Missouri, I was stationed in Jefferson City to report on the response of local and state authorities. I worked with an assistant producer, back in the station, to put together a package that I fronted live. I wrote my package script in the field and sent back b-roll and SOTs, so that the PA could edit the package for me.
Jeffrey Mizanskey can vote again after completing parole on marijuana charges
The station received a press release announcing that Jeffrey Mizanskey would register to vote, for the first time in 24 years. I decided to focus on how much voting rights mean for Mizanskey. In addition, by interviewing a law professor I sought to make the story more relatable to viewers by explaining how Mizanskey's voting rights are important for the community as a whole.
Valuable gold coin found in Jefferson City Salvation Army red kettle
Our interactive director saw this story and encouraged us to cover it. I wanted to take the story back to where it took place, so I asked Lt. Christopher White with the Salvation Army to meet me at Sam's Club in Jefferson City. With my producer, we had the idea of having me go live so that I could show the red kettle where the coin was dropped.
Veteran with PTSD reacts to Kander dropping out of KC mayoral race
Candidate Jason Kander dropped out of the race for Kansas City mayor after he admitted to suffer from PTSD. The managing editor suggested me to find a veteran with PTSD to raise awareness about the disease. I reached out to different veterans' organizations to find my subject, including the American Legion, which is how I got in contact with veteran Ron McMillan.
Jefferson City man leads effort to bring voters to the polls
I found this story on one of the local newspapers. I reached out to Mr. Robert Pinhero and scheduled an interview. I wanted to dedicate as much time as possible to the character of my story, so I decided to include the information of the city using graphics rather than an interview.
High schools students solve mock crime scene in Jefferson City
I was scheduled to work dayside the day after Election Night. My managing editor sent me to cover the "Constitution Project" where high school students would be competing to solve a mock crime scene. This was a great opportunity to put together a creative package. Also, it was a chance to practice my shooting skills when reporting on an active scene.
Fulton's Board of Education considering higher property tax
I learned from a local newspaper that the school district superintendent would request to the school board an increase to the property tax, higher than what voters had approved just a few weeks earlier. I wanted to find a local resident with a connection to the public schools, so I went door-to-door on downtown Fulton. After about two hours, I met Mr. Ernest Overstreet whose children went to public schools in Fulton and now some of his grandchildren do too.
Columbia Fire Department works to prevent emergencies in college dorms
I learned about this fire simulation from the University of Missouri's calendar of events. I knew this event happened every year, so I wanted to use it to talk about a bigger problem, fire deaths in college campuses across the United States. I was able to make that point through statistics from the NFPA and made them more relatable to viewers by having a student talk about the importance of fire preparation. I also gave the story a "today" angle by mentioning that the following weekend fall would begin, connecting this change in weather to the possible danger of space heaters.
Investigative Stories
Target 8: Missouri phone users wage unceasing battle with telemarketers
The production of this story took me almost three months, two of them just waiting for a records request I submitted to the Missouri Attorney General. I found a person willing to talk about his struggle with robocalls through those records. Also, instead of just including official sources, I interviewed experts who could give practical advice to our viewers on how to fight robocalls.
TARGET 8 Fact Check: Ad contends Hawley climbed the political ladder
My managing editor assigned me to fact check an ad released by Majority Forward against Josh Hawley. I had to reach out to the ad sponsor, as well to Hawley's campaign; and do research on the sources of the ad's claims, comparing their information with campaign finance data from the FEC.