For my beat I, like many other students in this course, chose to focus on crime. However, instead of focusing solely on crime around the Pullman area I decided to also add another valuable aspect. Safety is something that is often overlooked when it comes to crime. The majority of people are simply interested on what happened. By adding safety to my beat I am able to discuss prevention and increase the information people receive. Therefore, I am able to put a more personal spin on a classic topic.
I decided to make crime and safety my beat because I thought the two fit very well together. In stories on crime, the events are merely explained. I feel that this leaves out a lot of the surrounding details. When reading these stories I always wondered what more could have been done. This beat will explore two sides of the same issue. It is about prevention as well as current events.
My beat is not going to be an advice column. Instead of advising people on how to protect themselves, I will be informing them on what is being done to protect them in their community. This involves following recent news and looking into programs that are offered in the area.
The experts for my beat are people who are actively part of the community and who hold inside information on recent happenings. For the crime portion, the Pullman police department is probably the most reliable source. They would have the correct and most accurate information because they are specifically trained to deal with crime. This includes not only the actual police officers but the police interns as well. In addition to the Pullman police department, groups specifically oriented towards safety precautions would have valuable information for my beat. On campus organizations like Women’s Transit and Safe Walk are examples. A more obscure expert could be someone who teaches a self defense class.
Recently, this beat has been a particular focus in the Pullman area. With recent assaults, both local and state publications have attempted to report on the crimes. Historically crime stories have sold numerous papers. Immediately entering the communication world, students learn that a few specific things draw readers in. One of them happens to be conflict. In crime stories, conflict has a major role in the events.
Pullman is a smaller community with the focal point being the university. Locally, the most important issues concern direct happenings. Lately this involves the assaults, economic issues, and the swine flu scare. My beat being crime and safety will interest the people of Pullman because it directly affects them. Unlike crime stories from the city, Pullman’s crime is happening within a smaller range. These stories are occurring closely within this small community. It is something that people will not only find interesting but also be educational.
An article concerning the Legal Aid services WSU provides for students. What are the most common circumstances involving students who seek legal counsel? What is the cost? Why have this option at all? Basically just the merit of offering students these kind of services.
Story involving the development of Safe Walk. Why does the student body need this type of service. Is it because of the recent assaults or just to provide a safer atmosphere for students. Is there a reason it operates only on the weekends? Also is this service available for both male and female students?
Although there recently was an article published about Women’s Transit in the Daily Evergreen, I’d like to do a more in depth story about this service. When the assaults on campus first became common knowledge I knew several female students who called for rides only to realize the service was unavailable. I wanted to write an article about why it does not immediately begin operating when the school year starts. Also I’d like to examine the rules for transportation.
No comments:
Post a Comment