First Quote Post

Powerful Nor'easter Pounds Northeast

Homes Evacuated, Hundreds of Flights Canceled

By KAREN MATTHEWS

AP

NEW YORK (April 16) - People were evacuated from flooded homes Monday and hundreds of thousands had no electricity as a fierce nor'easter drenched the Northeast with record rainfall.

Residents in at least one New York City neighborhood paddled through streets in boats. And in suburban Mamaroneck, Nicholas Staropoli said a truck near his home "actually floated up on the riverbank."

Rain was still falling Monday morning in the New York area and New England after it began early Sunday along the East Coast from Florida to New England. The National Guard was sent to help with rescue and evacuation efforts in the suburbs north of New York City.

Firefighters plucked Kathleen Reale and her twin boys from their window in suburban Mamaroneck using a front-end-loader. Water reached up to her knees in her garage and basement and her family was evacuated to a shelter.

"I mean everything will be ruined," she said Monday. "Everything will be gone. It's unbelievable."

The story continues for a few hundred more words. It states many facts including fatalities, rain totals and airport delays.

My Review:

Although there is a short quote in the second paragraph, the longer quote in the fifth paragraph is the intended first quote as it is more substantial and striking. Further, the fourth paragraph is devoted to setting-up this, the first quote. Karen Matthews’ story is about the devastation caused by a Nor-easter in the northeast, and it is important that the first quote reflects the effects of such devastation. Kathleen Reale’s quote effectively displays the dismay of those in the Nor’easter’s path as she is one of many who experienced the storm first-hand. Reale’s quote is full of emotion, stating “It’s unbelievable.” While she is not a public figure, Reale was an appropriate source for the first quote of this story. Rather than some governor exclaiming a “state of emergency” or “disaster area,” the author chose to capture the effects of the storm through those who experienced it directly and personally. There is space enough later on in the story to provide facts and politicians’ predictable responses.

A Good Lead

Paper: The Miami Herald
Title: A Familiar Florida Ritual: Victims See Lives Suddenly Thrown into Chaos
Date: February 3, 2007
Author: Marc Caputo

Lead:
LADY LAKE -- Jeannette Boyd's family is still looking for her teeth.

This story details the experience of sorting through the rubble left after tornadoes ripped through a blue-collar/retirement area in February. The lead is unusual and attention-grabbing. Furthermore, the anecdote is maintained throughout the story as Caputo returns to the idea of missing dentures numerous times. The title of the story hints at what it is about and the lead engages the reader in an unusual and personal way. In my opinion, it would be hard not to read this story given the title and, most importantly, the lead.

The Sally Field of Journalism

The 1981 film Absence of Malice, starring Sally Field and Paul Newman, is filled with intrigue and, unfortunately, shoddy journalism. Sally Field’s character is a reporter for a fictional Miami based newspaper who regularly makes fundamental reporting blunders. Among these mistakes are drinking on the job, going with a story after communicating with only one source, and maintaining romantic relationships with sources. While the film is intended to make a statement about truth and the effects of what is considered true, we could also use the film as a “what not to do” for our future careers in the field of journalism. What’s more, Field’s editor encourages some of her flawed tendencies, which underscores the importance of a good editor for a young reporter. Regrettably, Sally Field’s character had an incompetent editor and therefore had to learn correct reporting habits the hard way – through trial and error.

the maiden blog

Here's a link to the Miami Herald's website because I'm supposed to:

www.miamiherald.com