Some nice exposure for a story I wrote for YES! Weekly about growing income inequality in the Piedmont Triad from Linda Austin, a former managing editor of the News & Record who is now executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.
Her post is a rundown (with helpful links) of an excellent presentation by Mother Jones' Josh Harkinson on "10 stories on your local economy that you can jump on now." For any reporter who aspires to write incisive and engaging stories about what's going on in our economy, these are great suggestions. Harkinson's presentation was part of a four-hour workshop hosted by the Reynolds Center at the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' annual convention last week in Detroit.
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
The true and tragic tale of Susan Walsh
Here's a interesting story for you, just in time for Halloween. It concerns vampires, the Russian mafia and a vanished freelance reporter.
Her name was Susan Walsh, and she hasn't been seen since 1996. Susan disappeared after filing a story with the Village Voice - a story they would never print. It concerned "vampire" clubs in NYC, a phenomena that mixed the goth and S&M communities, and it seems Walsh's story was a little too sympathetic for her editors' taste. Friends say she wrote as if she believed some club-goers' stories of immortality, that she was even romantically linked to one man who claimed to be the real deal.
Despite the obvious appeal of the "Kidnapped by vampires" theory, role-playing club kids were not the biggest threat in Walsh's life. There was also the Russian mafia, who Walsh no doubt angered with her reporting on the sex industry. Walsh put herself through college by stripping, and she used her club connections to write an expose on alleged sex trafficking by the Russian mob. The piece ran in the Voice in the early 90's, and Walsh told friends she feared backlash for it.
Still, the biggest threat to Walsh may not have been external. She was attending AA at the time of her disappearance, and admitted to abusing drugs in college. She was on anti-depressants, including the heavy-hitter Xanax. Her marriage seemed to be deteriorating, and her journalism career seemed stalled.
Yet she was a good mother by all accounts, an avid writer and reporter, and a beloved daughter. And she left a son, who should know where his mother went.
I've known Susan's story for a while, but here are the links that refreshed my memory.
Conflict of interest?
From News Editor Jordan Green:
In the four hours that my most recent staff column, "Ask and you shall receive," has been posted to the web, it appears that I've stirred minimal controversy. I'm always anticipating a firestorm of condemnation, but often as not that expectation turns out to be a product of wild fantasy. With the exception of the Troublemaker — a limitless well of ire — and some mild opprobrium by Guarino, I've been mostly disappointed.
Here's something. In my column about Food Not Bombs I mentioned the group's designation by one FBI agent as a domestic terrorism group. I mentioned Greensboro Food Not Bombs' lack of cooperation with a UNCG cop. And I mentioned the icky controversy surrounding Dumpster-diving. What I didn't discuss — at least not at length — is my role in fundraising for the group. What readers would probably be interested to know is that I received a message from a state official expressing interest in making a donation. I'm not inclined to disclose this person's identity, and I'll take the heat for that.
It was my idea to organize the banquet. Part of what I brought to the table was my extensive list of contacts. I gather e-mail addresses as a reporter, and I gather e-mail addresses as a human being with social instincts. I do it compulsively. I sensed that there were progressive people in Greensboro with money who would want to support Food Not Bombs' work. I didn't solicit anyone personally, but I sent out a mass Evite advertising our banquet at the Hive last Saturday. I think that Food Not Bombs' work is worthy of community support.
In most cases I am pretty shamelessly transparent about every aspect of my life. So I'll acknowledge that I was both excited and a little unnerved when I received the message from the unnamed official asking how to get a check to Food Not Bombs. I never made any promise to keep the name a secret, but I ask myself would any of the donations have been made if the donors had been told their names would be published in YES! Weekly?
So here's another invitation: If the official wants to go public with their donation, this blog is a good place to do it. Otherwise the mystery will have to remain. In any case, I can promise that this person, to the extent that s/he shows up in my stories, will not receive more favorable coverage because of the donation.
In the four hours that my most recent staff column, "Ask and you shall receive," has been posted to the web, it appears that I've stirred minimal controversy. I'm always anticipating a firestorm of condemnation, but often as not that expectation turns out to be a product of wild fantasy. With the exception of the Troublemaker — a limitless well of ire — and some mild opprobrium by Guarino, I've been mostly disappointed.
Here's something. In my column about Food Not Bombs I mentioned the group's designation by one FBI agent as a domestic terrorism group. I mentioned Greensboro Food Not Bombs' lack of cooperation with a UNCG cop. And I mentioned the icky controversy surrounding Dumpster-diving. What I didn't discuss — at least not at length — is my role in fundraising for the group. What readers would probably be interested to know is that I received a message from a state official expressing interest in making a donation. I'm not inclined to disclose this person's identity, and I'll take the heat for that.
It was my idea to organize the banquet. Part of what I brought to the table was my extensive list of contacts. I gather e-mail addresses as a reporter, and I gather e-mail addresses as a human being with social instincts. I do it compulsively. I sensed that there were progressive people in Greensboro with money who would want to support Food Not Bombs' work. I didn't solicit anyone personally, but I sent out a mass Evite advertising our banquet at the Hive last Saturday. I think that Food Not Bombs' work is worthy of community support.
In most cases I am pretty shamelessly transparent about every aspect of my life. So I'll acknowledge that I was both excited and a little unnerved when I received the message from the unnamed official asking how to get a check to Food Not Bombs. I never made any promise to keep the name a secret, but I ask myself would any of the donations have been made if the donors had been told their names would be published in YES! Weekly?
So here's another invitation: If the official wants to go public with their donation, this blog is a good place to do it. Otherwise the mystery will have to remain. In any case, I can promise that this person, to the extent that s/he shows up in my stories, will not receive more favorable coverage because of the donation.
Naming rights for the ball field
Some stories are clearly going nowhere.
First, let me preface this by saying that I love getting tips from readers. Some, however, are petty and frivolous. Like this man today who identified himself as William Jones of Lexington. He had a beef about the city of High Point naming a playing field after Thurman Marley.
Strings must have been pulled with someone on city council or someone at parks and rec for Marley to get his name on a playing field, Jones suggested. The reader-informant made some unflattering comments about Marley’s work history and suggested that a family member was some kind of scoundrel. He suggested that I get in touch with Archie, the city street sweeper, and another man, who was also allegedly considered as a namesake for the field.
Maybe I’m biased, but I almost laughed. When I was a kid, my parents successfully lobbied the town of Monterey, Ky. (Pop. 167) to honor the town drunk, Hatton Curry. It was partly a joke, but partly serious. Curry was a beloved figure who always had a friendly word. And in our family, we like to lift up the most common of people. So now, if you visit the Monterey Park you’ll find the “Hatton Curry Memorial Swing Set.”
There are some basic steps to reporting a story that features a whiff of scandal. Here are two of them:
1. Call the High Point Parks and Recreation Department to confirm that there is in fact a playing field named after Thurman Marley.
Allen Oliver, parks and recreation director, told me that in fact there is such a playing field. He added that all honorary naming decisions are made by the city council.
2. Run a Google search.
Topping the list is this blog post by former News & Record reporter Eric Swensen, dated July 12, 2005. Here’s the relevant passage: “Thurman Marley is seeking the Ward 2 seat now held by Ron Wilkins. Marley unsuccessfully challenged Wilkins for the seat in the 2003 elections.”
Another significant find is a 2001 News & Record story by former reporter Molly McGinn (who now sings and plays guitar with the rockin’ Thacker Dairy Road. The article is entitled, “Doing it for the children: Coaching earns Thurman Marley an award nomination.”
Another illuminating Google find is a PDF version of a report called “Improving local communities,” which features a two-page profile of Marley. Here’s an excerpt which might cast some light on why Marley is worthy of having a ball field named after him:
“‘You need to have a hope and a heart for kids,’ says Marley, who received an award for outstanding volunteer service from North Carolina Governor Mike Easley in 2001. ‘Not only do you have to love them, but [you have to] reach out and help them with their problems. If we don’t do that, we’re in trouble. Kids have so much to go through nowadays. We just have to… show them there is another way. Over the long haul, that’s what’s going to pay off.’
“Marley has done his best to fulfill this objective even in the face of financial difficulties. In 1998, when those difficulties forced the Macedonia Youth Baseball League to close down, Marley did not walk away from the baseball diamond. Instead, he stepped up to bat for his players.
“Unwilling to let even one summer pass without organized baseball in Macedonia, Marley set out to convince High Point’s mayor, local business owners, and friends to help finance another league. They complied, as did the [community outreach partnership center, or] COPC at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), which provided planning support and funds to purchase baseball equipment. Marley was no stranger to COPC staff: he had been involved with the COPC from its beginning, having helped to write the original COPC application.
“The first pitch of the new Macedonia youth baseball league was thrown out in spring 1999. Since that first season, the baseball league has continued to expand. (In 2003, more than 300 young people participated in the league compared to 50 in 1999.) The increase was due to the addition of teams for older players and to the construction of a new baseball field. Citing the poor playing quality of the old field, Marley convinced the city to build a new field in 2002, despite some local opposition. “People didn’t want to hear it,” says Marley. “Some people just don’t want progress. I petitioned city hall myself for this field.” Marley again achieved his objective by gaining the support of then mayor Becky Somers and other members of the community.”
Sounds like the city of High Point could do a lot worse.
First, let me preface this by saying that I love getting tips from readers. Some, however, are petty and frivolous. Like this man today who identified himself as William Jones of Lexington. He had a beef about the city of High Point naming a playing field after Thurman Marley.
Strings must have been pulled with someone on city council or someone at parks and rec for Marley to get his name on a playing field, Jones suggested. The reader-informant made some unflattering comments about Marley’s work history and suggested that a family member was some kind of scoundrel. He suggested that I get in touch with Archie, the city street sweeper, and another man, who was also allegedly considered as a namesake for the field.
Maybe I’m biased, but I almost laughed. When I was a kid, my parents successfully lobbied the town of Monterey, Ky. (Pop. 167) to honor the town drunk, Hatton Curry. It was partly a joke, but partly serious. Curry was a beloved figure who always had a friendly word. And in our family, we like to lift up the most common of people. So now, if you visit the Monterey Park you’ll find the “Hatton Curry Memorial Swing Set.”
There are some basic steps to reporting a story that features a whiff of scandal. Here are two of them:
1. Call the High Point Parks and Recreation Department to confirm that there is in fact a playing field named after Thurman Marley.
Allen Oliver, parks and recreation director, told me that in fact there is such a playing field. He added that all honorary naming decisions are made by the city council.
2. Run a Google search.
Topping the list is this blog post by former News & Record reporter Eric Swensen, dated July 12, 2005. Here’s the relevant passage: “Thurman Marley is seeking the Ward 2 seat now held by Ron Wilkins. Marley unsuccessfully challenged Wilkins for the seat in the 2003 elections.”
Another significant find is a 2001 News & Record story by former reporter Molly McGinn (who now sings and plays guitar with the rockin’ Thacker Dairy Road. The article is entitled, “Doing it for the children: Coaching earns Thurman Marley an award nomination.”
Another illuminating Google find is a PDF version of a report called “Improving local communities,” which features a two-page profile of Marley. Here’s an excerpt which might cast some light on why Marley is worthy of having a ball field named after him:
“‘You need to have a hope and a heart for kids,’ says Marley, who received an award for outstanding volunteer service from North Carolina Governor Mike Easley in 2001. ‘Not only do you have to love them, but [you have to] reach out and help them with their problems. If we don’t do that, we’re in trouble. Kids have so much to go through nowadays. We just have to… show them there is another way. Over the long haul, that’s what’s going to pay off.’
“Marley has done his best to fulfill this objective even in the face of financial difficulties. In 1998, when those difficulties forced the Macedonia Youth Baseball League to close down, Marley did not walk away from the baseball diamond. Instead, he stepped up to bat for his players.
“Unwilling to let even one summer pass without organized baseball in Macedonia, Marley set out to convince High Point’s mayor, local business owners, and friends to help finance another league. They complied, as did the [community outreach partnership center, or] COPC at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), which provided planning support and funds to purchase baseball equipment. Marley was no stranger to COPC staff: he had been involved with the COPC from its beginning, having helped to write the original COPC application.
“The first pitch of the new Macedonia youth baseball league was thrown out in spring 1999. Since that first season, the baseball league has continued to expand. (In 2003, more than 300 young people participated in the league compared to 50 in 1999.) The increase was due to the addition of teams for older players and to the construction of a new baseball field. Citing the poor playing quality of the old field, Marley convinced the city to build a new field in 2002, despite some local opposition. “People didn’t want to hear it,” says Marley. “Some people just don’t want progress. I petitioned city hall myself for this field.” Marley again achieved his objective by gaining the support of then mayor Becky Somers and other members of the community.”
Sounds like the city of High Point could do a lot worse.
Van Halen and the F word
I wrote my column this week about a scene I witnessed before hitting the Greensboro Coliseum to catch Van Halen — a group of fans, all about my age, getting together to see their dream come true.
But I took tons of notes throughout the show...
The writer Susan Orleans says she uses about 20 percent of what she gathers for her pieces, and I probably used about 10 percent of what I got that night.
Anyway, I kind of glossed over the show itself and I ended it with a kicker that came straight from my notebook: "This is the best fucking show I've ever seen."
Although in the cold light of day I might add the corollary "probably," I still stand by the sentiment, including my somewhat gratuitous use of the F word — I mean, we're talking about Van Halen, right?
But I did get a comment from a reader saying that my choice of words sort of ruined the rest of the piece for her. "Why did you have to do that?" she asked.
All I can say is, that's how I felt in the moment.
Did (or does) anyone else object to my foul, foul mouth? Anyone understand why I did it?
But I took tons of notes throughout the show...
The writer Susan Orleans says she uses about 20 percent of what she gathers for her pieces, and I probably used about 10 percent of what I got that night.
Anyway, I kind of glossed over the show itself and I ended it with a kicker that came straight from my notebook: "This is the best fucking show I've ever seen."
Although in the cold light of day I might add the corollary "probably," I still stand by the sentiment, including my somewhat gratuitous use of the F word — I mean, we're talking about Van Halen, right?
But I did get a comment from a reader saying that my choice of words sort of ruined the rest of the piece for her. "Why did you have to do that?" she asked.
All I can say is, that's how I felt in the moment.
Did (or does) anyone else object to my foul, foul mouth? Anyone understand why I did it?
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