My re-education

Lesson of the day: I have been spoiled.

As I have covered ASU sports for the past year or so, I have had the aid of a solid media relations Web site to turn to for background information. Whether I was doing a story on an athlete or an athletic event, there is usually a place to go for reference information to give me a start on a possible direction I wanted to head in my piece.

Down here in humble Cochise County, though, this whole Internet thing hasn't fully caught on yet. Today was my second day on the job, and I already have five stories in the works. What I have quickly realized is that doing the leg work for an article down here is a bit more taxing.

For example, I am working on a piece about a program called the Cochise County Association for the Handicapped. Recently the State of Arizona has cut funding for this organization, which provides numerous services for disabled in the county. The Web site I found for CCAH gives a rather convoluded history of the organization, and I began to realize that with a lot of these stories, talking to a LOT of people is going to be the only real way to get all the pertinent information needed. It's good practice though. I am being forced to become a fast expert on every story I write.

To compare, I also got assigned a story about a former Buena High School cross-country runner who recently signed a letter of intent with Oklahama after two seasons at Paradise Valley Community College. In no time I was able find his top performances over the past two seasons (3:49 in the 1,500. The kid flies). I was able to find a Q&A that he's done as well as his profile on the Paradise Valley media relations site.

I think as a sports journalist I may have been guilty in the past on relying a bit too much on outside information to get me started. Obviously stats, numbers and records are going to be chronicled and the best place to find them is online, but talking to people is generally the best way to get on top of a story.

I will post some links to the articles as they get published.