After nearly a semester of producing practice pieces and real stories, students in JRN 270, “Introduction to Journalism,” are ready to show off their work.
During the course of the semester, class members have written a feature story, covered a speech, written press releases, and reported on a basketball game.
On the “Feature stories” page, one can find:
– reflections on life during the Great Depression from two West Plains women who knew Al Capone,
– an interview with the manager of community radio station KZGM in Cabool,
– a story about a mixed martial arts fighter from Willow Springs who recently won his first official fight,
– the tale of little girl who survived being tossed 300 feet by a tornado,
– a glimpse into the life of a Chinese immigrant who now owns two area restaurants,
– a story about a West Plains native now working for the Secret Service in Washington, D.C.,
– stories told by Howell County historian Dorotha Reavis, and
– an account of how hard work spelled success for a West Plains businessman.
The “FEMA building” page publishes news pieces written after students attended an MSU-WP “town hall” meeting, during which the chancellor explained a proposal for building an emergency shelter on campus.
The “Grizzly Basketball” page contains stories produced after students heard tips on writing a sports story and then attended a game.
Short profiles introducing each class member are found on the “Students” page. These were written early in the semester, after students interviewed one another as a get-acquainted exercise.
The 10 students are primarily business majors, most of whom had no prior journalism experience. The class is required for a business degree.
