DISCLAIMER: If you're a source and I want to interview you or someone else you work with, there's almost no chance (0.00%) that the story I'm writing will be an adversarial one. I've done some work in this vein, but what I do today isn't it. The nature of my recent freelance contracts isn't to … Continue reading Adverserial journalism part 1: disclaimer
journalism
Information anarchy as naiveté?
Below I've copied an excerpt from an Esquire piece mostly about Deric Lostutter, the primary Anonymous member behind "hive justice" actions in Steubenville. I may not agree with the columnist's every sentiment. But he implies a good question: what steps need to be taken before whistleblower-type reporting—easier than ever these days—sees the light of day? … Continue reading Information anarchy as naiveté?
Smart commentary
One of my favorite journalists—one I hope to meet some day—Mort Rosenblum. Photo thanks to the International Journalism Festival, whose chroniclers used a Creative Commons license. I read Rosenblum's book shortly after its release a few years back. What a great piece of wisdom. Wisdom: that's what journalism (and by necessity, journalists!) needs these days. … Continue reading Smart commentary
Serious work a-brewing
You heard it here first: a new journalism outlet in Chicago, in collaboration with... CivicLab is a new-ish space in the West Loop for folks who want to innovate in the public sphere--their tagline was recently changed to "Making Democracy." As I understand it—and this is a gross over-simplification—they're piggy-backing on the makerspace/hackerspace movement to … Continue reading Serious work a-brewing
Radio kit
I'm slowly building a radio reporting kit. Now just to train on some editing software. Any Hindenburg coaches out there? Yes, I work five shifts a week at Ruxbin Kitchen and one at Pleasant House Bakery. What's one more shift of journalism, on my own terms? Or a couple more half days, for that matter? … Continue reading Radio kit
Sandy’s landfall
Thrill-seeking spectators at the waterfront, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as Sandy reached shore. Creative Commons-licensed photo from http://www.thoughtcatalog.com. Tonight I spent a couple hours catching up on Twitter journalism and trying to spread some helpful facts to people who might need them. My feed, which I've posted below, was solely dedicated to the hurricane havoc. For analysis' sake … Continue reading Sandy’s landfall
Scandinavian music, riding in the rain, and restaurants
While not much has happened here recently, the same can't be said for my non-digital life. To wit, a list. Been listening to more and more tunes from northwestern Europe. Soaring digitals and orchestration coupled with a hint of nihilism? Count me in. Visited a couple times at FreeGeek Chicago. Getting to know some of the … Continue reading Scandinavian music, riding in the rain, and restaurants
New city, new (ad)ventures
It's time I move this site into line with reality. I left Ohio journalism at the end of May, after exactly a year with the Springfield News-Sun and, sporadically, the Dayton Daily News. Since I had accepted an offer to be Springfield's permanent city hall reporter only a month earlier, my colleagues were surprised to hear … Continue reading New city, new (ad)ventures
Gots me an award
People gave this to me on Sunday. Here's the second installment in the series for which I won. (It links to the first part there.) The topic still needs more reporting, actually... It addressed the local effects of a nationwide phenomenon later documented best by Radley Balko. (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.) Maybe … Continue reading Gots me an award
False info from a source, and how we dealt with it
As it turns out, my source for a story that ran in Tuesday's paper -- the Ohio EPA -- gave me incorrect information. To compensate, we're correcting the original story on the web (although it looks like the sub-headline hasn't been changed) and we're running a second story in the same place, 1A downpage, that … Continue reading False info from a source, and how we dealt with it
Stories finalist for AP investigative award
My work on the aftermath of the anti-narcotic bill (see the immediately previous post) has been chosen as one of the top three examples of investigative reporting done at newspapers of our size in Ohio. Three investigative reporting finalists were chosen in each of the five circulation-size categories. That's among more than 3,000 entries. The … Continue reading Stories finalist for AP investigative award
Wide reach for home explosion story
Hello, folks -- just a quick update today, from the middle of a day of story research. The story on the Fairborn home explosion got a lot of play in news outlets across the country over the weekend — a Google News search returned "554 similar articles" to the Washington Post's version of my story. … Continue reading Wide reach for home explosion story
Two months and four hundred handwritten pages later…
Larry Shaffer, health inspector for the Clark County Combined health district, washes his hands before starting his inspection at Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken. Clark County health inspections reveal some dire situations in the area's commercial kitchens. Photo by Bill Lackey, used courtesy of the Springfield News-Sun. Here's my front-page story today on restaurant inspections. It … Continue reading Two months and four hundred handwritten pages later…
A setback for the truck-maker in Navistar v. EPA
International trucks on display at a show in China, April 2011. Creative Commons-licensed photo by Flickr user SimonQ. In a followup to my story last month, I just wrote about a development in Navistar v. EPA, the lawsuit that the truck company with the local manufacturing arm filed against the environment agency. How this setback … Continue reading A setback for the truck-maker in Navistar v. EPA
Mosquito story has legs!
A U.S. Army officer separates male and female mosquitoes to test for the presence of disease in the South Pacific. Creative Commons-licensed photo from the Flickr account of the U.S. Army's Korea outpost. Hey everyone. This is the story with the greatest traction I've had so far in my career: At least five newspapers and … Continue reading Mosquito story has legs!
Chicago: the greenest city *snicker*
Based on the frequency of news coverage about polluted soil or buildings in Chicago, you might think there really isn't much of that here. After all, only a single EPA National Priorities List site exists in Chicago. But it was tough to get listed because the city would rather not have those blemishes on its … Continue reading Chicago: the greenest city *snicker*
Muralist’s newest work, open today, connects us all in distress
Note: Wrote this story for a class. It's been through one edit by a friend of mine. Try to paint bright colors outdoors in Lincoln Park and you'll be accosted by either a community association or the police. Visit Pilsen and you'll see painting after painting of people working, laughing, crying. On outdoor walls. With … Continue reading Muralist’s newest work, open today, connects us all in distress
Third Coast FilmLESS Festival Part II
I know it's 10 days late, but other deadlines—having to do with my academic or professional lives!—hung over my head until now. So here's a final review of other select pieces from the 2010 FilmLESS festival for radio arts, in downtown Chicago. Tupperware, by David Nelson and Nikki Silva, aired in 1981 on All Things … Continue reading Third Coast FilmLESS Festival Part II
Third Coast FilmLESS festival part I
The Third Coast FilmLESS festival, sponsored largely by Chicago Public radio, just can't fit into Twitter posts. Been there, tried that. So here's my rundown of my favorite segments so far: 1. Lucy and the Bike Girl, by Hillary Frank, aired in 2007 on This American Life. It's the story of Lucy, who has cystic … Continue reading Third Coast FilmLESS festival part I
iPad commentary
Ello, love! My article on the iPad for the Columbia Chronicle was just released. Take a look! My audience? Students at my arts and media college in metro Chicago. I also wrote a completely different version for a much older demographic, published in the Wilmington (Ohio) News Journal. See here
Brandon Smith 