Drilled

We had our second RWI drill today. This one was about a plane crash. I think I said the first/last drill was an exhilirating experience. This one would better be described as humbling. I got thrown off by the over-the-shoulder editing and just couldn’t regain my momentum. Ugh.

Later on, we had our RWI seminar, which focused on sourcing and all of the difficulties therein. We had a long talk about anonymous sources, which I have no doubt will continue all semester – as it should. Professor Padwe told us that we should expect to conduct five interviews to get one quote on the record. Yikes.

We also got feedback on our profiles, including lots of group edits:

• Avoid using the first person. (“Third person requires more discipline.”)


• Be specific.


• But is a conjunction – don’t use it at the beginning of sentences.


• Be mindful of transitions – they make all the difference in flow, pace, and rhythm.

Our evening activity was a talk on Covering Education with Professor LynNell Hancock . Technically, the whole J-school class was assigned to write an education story this week, but Professor Padwe had other plans for us. I’m grateful because, as you may have noticed by the date at the top of this post, it’s still summer vacation here in New York. That means teachers, students, principals – you know, the key sources for an education story – are nowhere to be found this week. (Public schools don’t start until September 8.)

I took lots of notes and expect to refer back to them later in the semester, when we’re assigned an education story. (And Professor Hancock was kind enough to enumerate about a dozen story ideas. Thank you, Professor Hancock!) Here are some of the more remarkable stats she shared about the New York City public school system:

• It has 1.1 million students in 1500 schools and programs.


• It has 90,000(!) teachers.


• It has an annual budget of $20 billion.


• There are 140 languages spoken and more than 200 countries represented.


• It is one of the most racially segregated school districts in the U.S.

And that doesn’t even begin to cover all the politics involved. . . .

Quotes of the day:

This is an incredibly hard business for those of you who are dedicated and want to do it right. --Sandy Padwe

To me, every piece has to be treated as if the First Amendment is riding on it. --Sandy Padwe

Are you getting a sense now of how complex a field you’ve entered? --Sandy Padwe