Monday 6/25

I had off today because I was scheduled a Saturday shift this week.

I still tuned in for an hour-long webinar hosted by the Online News Association called How Reporters Can Integrate New Media Tools with Stephanie Arnold. The seminar featured apps and tips for journalists trying to stay organized, accurate and relevant in a digital age.

I will be sharing what I learned with my colleagues at next week’s web meeting.

Tuesday 6/26

This week, I was scheduled to report my small town profile for the intern project. I arrived in Blairsville this morning to meet with Linda Gwinn at the Blairsville Community Development Authority.

Throughout the day, I had back to back interviews with residents, did a walking tour of the town, visited the historical society and stopped in a few local businesses.

I’ll certainly have a lot of content to sort through!

Wednesday 6/27

Today, I branched off on my own a little bit. I visited some quirky resale shops and took some photos along their new nature trail (a big part of the local pride!)

I also had an interview with the president of the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce, Jim Struzzi II. To wrap up the trip, I was able to sit in (and ask a few questions) at a meeting with the developer who is working with the authority to rebuild the town. This will likely be a central idea in my final story.

I also had to grab an ice cream cone from a local shop who sells Penn State Creamery flavors before I headed home.

More to come!

Thursday 6/28

I did my first Facebook Live today for a visit to Randyland, a public art house in the North Side. Technology really seemed to hate me today.

The company phone was dead so I was an hour late to the interview. No one had an external charger or could grant me access to post from my personal phone.

When I arrived, cell service was spotty and kept crashing. When I could finally cast, the video showed up on the wrong account and about two people saw it.

Despite the difficulty (and a six-hour long laptop update), I was able to write a nice piece about Randy and his colorful land. I embedded the FB Live and was able to post photos I shot while there.

Friday 6/29

The Randyland story (and edits) spilled into today as well.

We also had a session with restaurant reporter and critic, Melissa McCart, on how to pitch a story.

Saturday 6/30

For my first (and only) Saturday shift, I was sent out to write a story about warm weather. I decided to visit three ice cream shops – Page’s Dairy Mart in the Southside, Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in the Strip District and Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream.

I was able to speak with a few of the employees/owners and even got a complimentary treat from Millie’s – A mix of Chad’s Vanilla, Chocolate, Dulce De Leche and Vietnamese Coffee. Yum!

I was also sent to the Strip District for an apparent pro-police rally coined “Back the Blue.” I was expecting things to get interesting if protesters from the opposite side caught wind of the event. The rally was a bust though, with the press being the only people to show up.