I've done a little of everything in journalism.
Well, a lot of some things. Take a look and e-mail
me to let me know what you think:
The Daily Tar Heel
Objectivity
in Journalism- My final summer column from 2003, written from San Francisco,
explores the need for journalists to be objective. The dean and assistant
dean of the journalism school want to submit it for a nationwide competition,
but somehow the newspaper didn't want me back for the fall.
Random
Thoughts- Many things go through a person's mind when he is 3,000 miles
removed from everyone he knows. I wrote a column about them.
Female
Athletes- I hate hearing about how men shouldn't look at Anna Kournikova
when she shows us most of her chest and legs...during a match! My solution:
win.
Defeating
Stereotypes- One of my proudest moments was having this column published,
not just because it was my first ever published opinion column, but because
I think it really shows a problem in society and how we can fix it. Before
we can defeat stereotypes, we must realize we have them. Read on!
My
Last Hurrah- My final article after two years on the University Desk.
It's about UNC's giant fund-raising (yes, as an adjective it IS hyphenated)
campaign, and how it was almost at $1 billion. Not too interesting, but highly
sentimental.
The
UNC Honor System- This is the final installment in a four-part series
about the system focuses on the respect, or lack thereof, that students and
faculty have for the system. The University is looking into revising the system,
so we looked into what proposed changes could help, and how. I considered
a 10 hour Econ 10 class for every cheater, but that idea was vetoed.
Residence
Hall Robber- A man broke into a UNC residence hall, and in this article
I linked the case to another related case in an "off-campus" residence
hall. I scooped the Durham Herald Sun on this one, as its story did not mention
the possible link. I rule!
Muslim
Scholar Speaks About Quran- Incoming freshman at UNC this year were required
to read a book about the Quran, the Muslim holy book. The assignment sparked
national debate and brought many people to campus. This speaker's goal was
to clear up common misconceptions people have about the Quran and Islam. I
still don't understand suicide bombings.
Granville
Air Conditioning Breaks- Some UNC students pay a lot of money to live
in the nice, air-conditioned off-campus residence halls. They were not at
all happy when their air conditioning broke during a heat wave in August,
and the Granville officials weren't happy that I was writing about it! Be
sure to check out the lead, it is, as Aaron would say, one of the all-time
greats.
UNC
Honors Program- The Honors Program has received praise from some circles,
but criticism from others. This is an in-depth look into the program written
in Fall 2001 but published in Spring 2002, when I was actually home from school
for the semester. Pretty cool that I got a byline when I thought I was traveling
around the world in my hospital bed!
Anthrax
"Scare"- A girl in a UNC residence hall received a compact disc,
which she was expecting, that had some brown packing material leaking out.
But in November 2001 this was a big story, because something pretty big had
occurred two months earlier.
Tuition
Increase- UNC has faced tuition increases in the past couple of years,
and this article discusses how students want their voices to be heard in the
process. As one of my two front page articles published on Sept. 28,
2001, about tuition increases, it is a very informed piece with many sources.
But it didn't stop tuition from going up.
Animal
Rights Speaker- This article is a lesson in how to write objective pieces
when you clearly feel strongly about an issue. With all the problems humans
face in the world, people that spend their lives fighting for the rights of
animals make me sick. But the sentiment in the lecture hall was pro-animal
rights, and that is expressed clearly in the tone of the article.
"Survivor"
Goes to Burn Center- Far and away, this was the article I enjoyed writing
most during my entire DTH career, and I still constantly thank my editors
for assigning it. One of the competitors on the second season of Survivor
was a UNC alum, and he wanted to donate money to the burn center in honor
of a fellow competitor who fell into a campfire while on the show. I tried
my best to get him to spill the beans on who won, but he wouldn't go there.
It may not have been Rupert, but it was still cool!
Letter
to the Editor- This is my first published "article" in The Daily
Tar Heel, written before I was a staff writer. An international student wrote
a column bashing the United States, and I felt her views were misguided and
irrational (and stupid and ungrateful and ridiculous). My letter expresses
my opinions.
Blue & White
UNC Becomes Conservative-
As surprising as it is, there was a liberal/hippie place in North Carolina!
But over the last two years, the campus has become much more conservative,
which you would expect in North Carolina. Side note: This article doesn't
say the trend is good or bad, it just says it is happening. Check it out!
Sports Recruiting-
As Sports Shorts editor of the Blue & White, the largest UNC student-run
magazine, I get to write about one of the things I love most: sports! This
article was a feature story on how varsity sports other than men's basketball
and football recruit. So much is said about the two "major" sports,
so this in-depth look is very interesting.
Sports Shorts November
2001- This section includes an article I wrote about football coach John
Bunting's weekly radio show, broadcast from a Chapel Hill restaurant. The
football team was so much more fun to write about when it was winning! Also,
I know Julius Peppers's number was 49; it was changed during the design process,
and I was very upset.
I have a lot more awesome articles, including the most widely read article
in the five year history of the Blue & White about our 2002 stellar basketball
recruiting class (I brushed shoulders with Dick Vitale while I was covering
a game!) but they aren't on the Web site. Damn "upgrades."
Broadcast Journalism Class Projects
State Fair- My first real radio package.
For the assignment, we had to go to the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh
and do a radio piece on one aspect. I chose the people that had been working
the fair for years, and they all had some great stories to tell! Listen to
hear them and get a great taste of the South.
Franklin Street- My final project for
class, which was voted the second best in the class, even though I had no
prior broadcast experience. (One of my proudest moments as a journalist.)
It is about a typical Thursday night out on Franklin Street, the main place
where UNC students go to hang out on weekends. There are interviews with drunk
people, sober people, partying people, studying people, bouncers, and anybody
else you could imagine. Listen and enjoy!