Story Pitch

The assignment was a mock reporter tip from a "neighbor" and we had to read some articles and create a "pitch" to bring to the producers:

Children with Broken Hearts. We live in a world of hardship, no one ever said life is fair. My friend is a psychiatrist for foster care kids. He has been in the profession for 30+ years, and this morning he overwhelmed me with pathos. He said, “I cannot count the number of times I have seen children on multiple medications who are really just suffering from a broken heart. And the treatment for a broken heart is not another medication.”
So I started researching source. I gathered hard data, found willing characters on all ends of the spectrum (professionals, kids in foster care, law makers, parents of foster care children) and have found a problem ripe for being brought into the light. All the elements are there, all it needs right now is for a group of solutions journalists to fit the pieces together to cause the discourse to make this happen. It seems the state is lacking in its reactions to this epidemic, and bringing the eye of the public onto these policies will be good motivators for the politicians to clean up this issue. The legislation is already there to support the kids, but the enforcement seems to be lackadaisical. This is a prime subject to report upon. Especially since it isn’t a problem limited to only California, or so research shows.

Cheeseburgers...

What solution based journalism, and why is it important?

Cheeseburgers....

Okay, now that I have your attention... What is solution-based journalism? Nowadays, we have many news media outlets. There are so many people informing you of the current events of the world, and everyone wants their rally cry heard. It's not Harry Potter's world, but it sure does seem that the newspapers are alive.  Every article's words seem to scream at you from the page. Of course, being a concerned citizen, I want to learn about the world I live in. But more than that, I don't just want to read about the problems of the world... I also want some hope. Hope is the tiniest morsel of human emotion, but like the Everstar; sometimes it is the only light in the darkness, especially when all other lights go out. Solution-based journalism is one answer to this problem. Not only does it inform the public of current events, but through meticulous research and interviews with experts, the article should provide some form of solution to the issue at hand. Creating a discourse is invaluable to journalism, but providing a light at the end of the tunnel might be just as crucial.
Now let me explain why this is important...
You're stuck in an elevator. It's so hot you can feel your skin separate from your bones. It's muggy. You didn't plan on going to a sauna today. Definitely should have worn shorts. You can feel your pants stick to your leg like a superhero costume. Bad time to think about going to the gym. It just sounds hot. The other people are sweating too, and it smells akin to what the trash compactor must have smelled like in Star Wars. If you see a snake monster, that's it.. Game over. An astute observer keeps pointing out that the elevator seems to be stuck in between floors, and that the temperature is rising. If only there was still such a thing as elevator music. But then it might feel even more like a merry go round. Finally, one person stands up after having observed the elevator and notices an escape hatch on the roof disguised as a ceiling panel. The hatch isn't even open yet, but it is almost as if the elevator itself took a fresh breath. Even your soaked t-shirt instantly feels lighter.
Next the hatch opens, and the victims of the situation help raise each other up, now that there is hope. Next you're on someone's shoulders and stepping out of the elevator is like breaking the surface water of a hot tub on a cold winter night. The air rushes the sweat from your body like evac choppers during 'Nam. Not only do the problems need to be brought out into the light, but so do solutions. Solutions, like shadows at midnight, can be difficult to find, sometimes all it takes is someone to shine a little light on them.

First words...Vomit

What is your rally cry? If there is one thing I love about technology it is how high tech my notebooks have become. Finally, a notebook that bends and lasts. And a pen that writes just right. A computer might have just tried to autocorrect my words. All this technology and all I want is a good pen and a little warmth. A fire is just fine. It's crazy, my clothes now are worth more than some families farms were for generations, even just a hundred years ago. Or so it seems. My Under Armor killed the Baratheons. Remember, behind every "game of thrones" there was probably a protest group somewhere. Hayabusa (my wolf-dog) is trying to pretend he isn't curious as shit as to what I'm doing. He keeps staring at me, and then as soon as I look up, he looks away. If only he could whistle nonchalantly. If there is one thing I know, is that even though nations have risen and fallen, there has been a constant. An Oz behind the scenes that has been stand strong for generations. But it's okay... At least at the end of the day... Well shit... At the end of the day, we don't even have the end of the day anymore.