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Evolution of a breaking news storyFriday, August 29, 2008
Many times the Southeast Missourian and other media outlets report breaking news stories, but you may wonder "how'd they do that?" I felt explaining behind-the-scenes details about the closure of Cape Girardeau's Steve & Barry's store would be a perfect example to clue you in on the evolution of a breaking news item. A reader e-mailed me Thursday at 8:15 a.m. with a tip that the Cape Girardeau store was in fact closing. He suggested I call the store director, who then directed me to the company's corporate office. Once reaching their office, the secretary said that all inquiries should be channeled through e-mail. This is where the story gets interesting. At 9:03 a.m., my source provided me with a link to a business blogger Web site that included a post with a e-mailed list of the stores Steve & Barry's plan to keep open and the Cape Girardeau store did not make the cut. The post seemed credible enough but without an exact source I could not publish the information in an article. I immediately e-mailed the corporate office claminig I had the store closures list. By 12:59 p.m., I received an e-mailed statement from the corporate headquarters informing me the company had made no made official announcement and that I'd be posted on future announcements. Good to their word, a company spokesperson called me at 2:30 p.m. with news that the store was in fact closing in Cape Girardeau. As of this morning, no other reports had surfaced about other store closures. I wonder if news about Cape Girardeau's closure may still be under wraps if I hadn't presented the information to corporate executives. Knowing that I was among the first people in Cape Girardeau to know that the store is what makes journalism such an interesting profession.
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Brian Blackwell is the newest reporter at the Southeast Missourian, focusing on business. A May 2008 graduate of the University of Nebraska, Brian is an avid Cornhusker fan. When he is not covering the business community for the newspaper, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and church family, cheering on the Cubs and Cornhuskers, wishing for snow and hiking on the numerous area trails.
Will it snow, will it snow, will it snow? (November 30, 2008) Cape Girardeau Branding Iron closes (November 29, 2008) Happy Black Friday (November 28, 2008) Wieser acquires Suzuki franchise from Minor's Harley Davidson (November 27, 2008) The Economic Earthquake (November 26, 2008) Are you planning to shop on-line this holiday season? Or are you planning on getting bargains or getting up early on Black Friday? (November 24, 2008) The business buzz: High hopes for Thanksgiving weekend (November 24, 2008) New nail salon set to open next month (November 22, 2008) What do you think of the auto bailout? (November 21, 2008) Is the economy keeping you closer to home this Thanksgiving? Are you planning on doing anything to cut back on the holiday? If so, I want to hear from you today (November 21, 2008) New hospice option offered in Southeast Missouri and my first trip to Marble Hill (November 20, 2008) Austin's of Alto Pass, Ill., closing after 23 years in business (November 19, 2008) Latest mall news (November 18, 2008) Chambers adding members thanks to October drive (November 17, 2008) The start to my Friday morning - running over a deer (November 14, 2008) Guess who's moving into the old Fred's building in Jackson (November 13, 2008) Bott Radio Network expands into four Southeast Missouri cities (November 13, 2008) Renovations, expansion underway at Fireplace Center/River City Masonry (November 12, 2008) Jaspers at corner of Independence and West End Blvd reopens, changes name (November 11, 2008) All the buzz about business (November 10, 2008) Upcoming ribbon cuttings (November 9, 2008) Anyone seen "Beer for My Horses"? (November 8, 2008) VA Clinic to relocate in 2009 (November 7, 2008) It's official - gas is now $1.99/gallon in Cape! (November 6, 2008) West Park Mall lands new tenant; a note to all existing, new and soon-to-be business owners (November 6, 2008) Pet products business opens in Cape (November 5, 2008) Thoughts from an early morning at Arena Building (November 4, 2008) Economics of presidential politics (November 3, 2008) Bahama Tan changes ownership, adds gift store (November 2, 2008) Thoughts and behind-the-scene happenings from the Palin rally (November 1, 2008) Has anyone planning to retire now or very soon been affected by the stock market? If so, I want to hear from you (October 31, 2008) Favorite Halloween memory (October 31, 2008) Infant and children's consignment store opens in Jackson (October 30, 2008) Anyone heard of Palin ticket scalpers? (October 29, 2008) Becoming quakesmart (October 27, 2008) Some cute Halloween dog pictures (October 25, 2008) Greetings from Lincoln, Neb. (October 24, 2008) What stories would you like to see in Monday's business page? (October 23, 2008) Cape Regional Credit Union hoping to open third location in January (October 22, 2008) Marvels & Legends changes ownership; Pacific Rim Market opens (October 21, 2008) Posting information through weekly Business Buzz column (October 20, 2008) Contract Postal Unit to open Oct. 22 (October 17, 2008) Party and planning business in Cape Girardeau scheduled to open Nov. 1 (October 16, 2008) Updates on Qdoba's opening in Cape, new Drury Inn and Suites in Sikeston (October 15, 2008) Marble Hill hardware store closing; space to be occupied by another retail business (October 14, 2008) Solutions to latest mall casualty discussed in my latest Business Buzz column (October 13, 2008) Want a Dallas Cowboys' end zone? Try Neiman Marcus' Christmas catalog (October 11, 2008) Solving the mystery at 2320 E. Jackson Blvd. (October 10, 2008) McAlister's Select closes (October 9, 2008) Jackson Diner closes (October 7, 2008) advertisement
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Thanks for all of your comments and insight. Sometimes other outlets come out with the story a bit before us and at other times we're the ones to break a story. My intent was to show how a story breaks.
And cubbytodd, Thursday was a breaking news day. We had several big stories happen all at once. It can get pretty intense in the Southeast Missourian office at times. Maybe that would be a good story sometimes -giving all you readers a chance to learn what a newsroom is like.
Channel 12 also had the story, get the facts, then report. Surely you know what assuming makes?
Does the Southeast Missourian have the new computer programming technology yet? You know, I think it's called 'spell check'. I found at least 3 grammatical and spelling errors without even trying. Sounds like there were some tense moments in the news room today. Maybe that's why they were overlooked. Don't want KFVS-12 to break into regular programming and beat ya to the punch, huh?
Not really too impressed.
I don't know if I would use the words "cool" and "rewarding" in a story about quite a few people losing their jobs. Someone might take that the wrong way.
Did you mother write that?