On the clips that made the cut

Generally speaking, it’s a bad idea to just do a hard drive dump when you’re organizing your e-portfolio.  But how do you narrow it down?  I spent hours this weekend poring over pretty much everything I’ve ever written before narrowing it down to 20 clips.  Once I’d made my selections, it couldn’t hurt to explain why I picked the stories I did, as well as why others didn’t make the cut.

News

Hundreds line up for new Lincoln penny – I really fell in love with Springfield, Ill., during my short time there. I lived about a mile from downtown, and even closer to Abe Lincoln’s house.  The enthusiasm in Springfield when the penny was released was contagious, and I just had a really great time taking this local event and running with it.

15th Street Boys & Girls Club remains in limbo – I spent a lot of time reporting this story.  When I couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone at the Boys & Girls Club, I went straight to the organization’s tax records.  It was a tedious process, but I felt like the numbers in this case revealed more than the sources ever would.

Desert dome project takes shape in Springfield – Most newsrooms do their fair share of reporting on eccentric locals.  It’s not hard news, and it’s not every journalist’s favorite assignment, but it’s an important part of the daily news cycle.

Rain disrupts bus routes, floods IEPA headquarters – A features editor once told me that he’d take a reporter who could write a good weather story over a reporter who wrote splendid arts stories any day.  It’s gotta get done, and I can do it.

Muncipal Band ends its season early – So I went to this concert thinking I’d write a nice feature on the band – until my editor called to let me know the program had been slashed from the budget.  Suddenly, I was reporting a very different story on a much tighter deadline.

Waterford Wedgwood shifts to Asia to save company – I spent a lot of my time at the AP writing briefs, making calls to experts and wandering around the City of London asking laid-off businessmen how they felt about the financial crisis.  Eventually, my hard work paid off, and the bureau chief sent me to Stoke-on-Trent to report on the closing of a major English cultural icon.

Features

Benld school collapse ‘heartbreaking experience’ – Almost all small towns in Southern Illinois have felt the effects of mine subsidence, but none so much as Benld.  I was so impressed with the perseverance the people I interviewed while reporting this story.  They’re the reasons why I got into journalism.

Losing his voice sent barbershopper Terry Ludwig in a new direction – I love, love, love becoming an expert for a day – whether it’s on barbershop singing or spasmodic dysphonia.  Thinking of my own radio aspirations as Terry struggled to pronounce every word was an incredible experience.

Tip jars: The new counter culture – This story consists largely of man-on-the-street interviews, which once terrified me.  Having to ask a few hundred people what they thought of tip jars largely cured my fears.

Muni’s ‘Oliver!’ finds the dark side of Dickens – I don’t do a lot of arts reporting, preferring instead to report on science or politics, but I love capturing the sights and sounds of theatre.

A league of her own – I spent about six months working on this story – the longest I’ve ever put in on a single story.  Following Colleen nearly every day for a semester gave me an intimate look at the life of the lobbyist and a unique window into her cause.

Sports

Belcher back to defend City Golf Tournament title
It’s a 1-2 deja vu at Women’s City Tournament
Ohio man wins world horseshoe championship
World Horseshoe Tourney: Defending champs always on target
Horseshoe tourney kicks off 12-day run
Girls lacrosse team seeking out competition

I included six sports stories in my portfolio – a fair few for someone that doesn’t consider herself a sports writer or even a sports fan.  But here’s why I included them: I’m far from an expert on golf, horseshoes or lacrosse.  When I went to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics, I didn’t know much about road cycling.  But if I can learn how horseshoes is scored and communicate that in a conversational way, then I can learn anything for the purpose of reporting on it.

Magazine

Equip your toobox for DIY projects
Springfield garden in the spotlight
The art of choosing the perfect bedding

None of these stories are the most interesting, exciting or important thing I’ve ever written, but they demonstrate my ability to adapt my writing style for any occasion.  Being able to step up and do anything – in this case, file stories for a niche lifestyles magazine published by the State Journal-Register – was part of the job.  Even after my features rotation officially ended, I kept returning to write for Springfield’s Own, as it was an opportunity to write in a way I’ve never written before.

What didn’t make the cut?  Well, a lot of things.  But I felt it was time to dump some of my oldest clips, even the ones that got me internships in the past.  (Note that I’ve also stopped listing high school awards and accolades on my resume.)  So I said good-bye to a story on Britain’s famous pint, a long look at Celiac disease and a feature I wrote on Columbia’s gay community.  Will I bring them back?  Maybe someday.  But for the reasons you’ll find above, I feel the clips I’ve chosen best represent who I am as both a person and a writer.