News Peg Article

Like my fellow classmates I too am working on a news peg article at this very moment and like Zach already told you, a news peg article is a story about a current issue in the news that takes the approach of a local or human-interest angle.

Everyone in class was given the freedom to choose the topic they wanted to write about and the topic I chose was the Budget Repair Bill in Wisconsin. If you know me personally the fact that I chose this topic should be no surprise. I'm very proud of the fact that I'm a Wisconsinite and just like any other true Wisconsinite I am loyal to my state. That being said this issue is something I'm extremely passionate about.

Just to give you an idea of what's going on in America's dairy land (Wisconsin) here is a little summary from my article...

The state of Wisconsin, like many other states is facing a rather large budget deficit that has reached $136.7 million. You would think a governor who was trying to fix this would be greatly appreciated by the public, but it is the way in which Governor Scott Walker is choosing to go about this issue that has the public so upset.

The Budget Repair Bill Walker has put into act includes the dismissal of collective bargaining rights for public employees. The bill was called "an assault on unions" by President Obama. The reason this is such a big deal to the public is because collective bargaining is initially what gives public employees a voice in negotiations; negotiations that deal with everything from sick leave and safety conditions to appropriate wages.

Thanks for reading :) I can't wait to share more about my news peg article with you!!!

News Peg Update: Tech at Coe

So my interview is set for Thursday at 3 PM and I will be interviewing Tony from Computer Services. The majority of the interview will be about what tech (gadgets/software) they decide to upgrade and when they decide to upgrade them. A smaller-ish part of it will also be about the process Computer Services goes through when it's time to upgrade. I also need to interview a few students around campus to get their take on the issue as well.

If the interview and the article go well enough, I will probably submit it to the Cosmos (our college paper), since I'm sure other students will want to know more about this as well. Wish me luck!

-Z

About Kiana

Most importantly my name is Kiana Balbirona and I'm a freshman at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA. I'm 18 years old at the moment and I'm originally from Janesville, WI where I just recently graduated from Parker HS.

Right now my plans are to major in communications with a minor in journalism while attending Coe College so later in life I'll be prepared to snag a career in the media field.

This blog was created for my journalism class and throughout the weeks my classmates and I will be sharing in depth details about our class with you. Thanks so much for reading!!!

Next Story: News Peg

Our next story in class is a news peg, a story "pegged" to a current story in the news by some sort of local or human-interest connection (ex: how the tsunami in Japan affects students at Coe). My news peg is about how Computer Services and the A/V Department at Coe choose which technology to update and when they choose to update it.

A summary (more or less) of my story: Recently, the SXSW Conference has been in the news, as has Apple with the introduction of its iPad 2. As technology keeps rapidly expanding, people will inevitably fall behind the latest gadgets and trends. (Best Buy even offers a new service that allows customers to trade-in their "out of date" gadgets when the upgrade comes out). So how do people choose what and when to upgrade? Being a student at Coe, I will be interviewing: Tony Bata, head of the Computer Services Department; several "students on the street"; and possibly Laura Riskedahl in the A/V Department.

I am a huge tech fan, so this story is going to be especially fun for me to write. I may or may not post it on here once it is finished, but if I do, any comments are appreciated!

-Z

Hi, I'm Zach

So as you probably guessed from the title, my name is Zach. While this may have told you many things about me already, here are some things you might not know:

• I am a student at Coe College (junior status, 2nd year)
• My majors are Business Administration and Public Relations (possibly a minor in Economics too)
  
• I am taking Journalism Workshop with Jane Nesmith (hence the blog)
• I swim on the swim team at Coe
• I'm a Resident Assistant this year and will be an Assistant Residence Director for next year (2011-12)

I'm not entirely sure what we will be writing about on this blog just yet (journalism-y things most likely), so this is going to be an adventure for you and me! By the way, this blog is shared with two other students in my class, Lwin and Kiana, so not every post is mine.

Last but not least, here's a picture of me so you have a face to associate these posts to:

Enjoy!

-Z

About Lwin

My name is Lwin. I am a student from Burma. I am taking the journalism course because I want to learn what it is like to be a journalist and learn how to write. I will post my writing about gay-marriage issue in Iowa.