NEWS
I once detested news-writing. As an avid creative writer, I found the structure boring and the content uninspiring. But as I continued my work as a journalist, I realized just how important these articles are. With their concise and timely nature, news articles inform and impact the community in a way that no other type of piece can.
NEWS
*ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL LEWIS
Thomas Jefferson PTSA President Apparently Ousted
In early July, after the Virginia PTA declared an intent to revoke the TJ PTSA's charter, a rush of vitriol and personal attacks flooded TJ Facebook groups. Parents on every notch of the political spectrum blamed each other, while calling for various resignations and actions to "save the PTSA." Amid a firestorm of misinformation and ad-hominen, I began work on an article about the controversy. I conducted a combined 11 on-record and background interviews, and scoured through countless documentation in order to understand the situation. After publication, my article was used as the basis for a Fox 5 news report about the conflict. Additionally, I received praise from both sides of the PTSA conflict for writing a "fair and balanced" piece. I can proudly say that this article is among my best work as a student journalist.
*PHOTO BY SEAN NGUYEN
Arlington Students' Access to Jefferson Once Again in Jeopardy
In April, for the second time in three years, funding for Arlington students to attend Jefferson was placed on the chopping block. Given that around 20 Arlington students are admitted to Jefferson every year, I decided to write a news article on the potential cut. In order to fairly and accurately cover the story, I interviewed the Director of Secondary School Education, the School Board Chairman, and a student who had been outspoken against the proposal. Though I hailed from Arlington myself, at no point in the process did my own opinion bleed through. I was impartial in who I interviewed and how I interviewed them, as well as in how I wrote the final article.
*PHOTO VIA GOOGLE MAPS
Arlington Car Dealerships Plagued by Effects of National Chip Shortage
With chip shortages causing nationwide drops in supply and sales, I decided to explore the impact within Arlington. I conducted interviews with two car dealership managers, while also getting supply statistics from a number of other dealerships in town. At first, I struggled to find sources for the article, as most dealerships were unwilling to take the time to speak with a young journalist like me. However, I persisted and called dealership after dealership until I'd eventually accumulated enough information to write a fact-based, accurate article.
*PHOTO VIA CNBC
Jefferson Alumni at Center of Stock Market Controversy
After Robinhood founder and Jefferson alumni Vlad Tenev became the center of national attention, I co-wrote a news piece on the matter. While writing the piece, we made sure that the story remained localized to Jefferson. Throughout the article, we kept the focus on Tenev's role in the issue without straying into other tangents. Additionally, we interviewed Jefferson students who had been involved in the stock market fiasco for their thoughts on Robinhood's actions.