To further our mission to talk about process and quality in journalism, each guest curator has highlighted what they see as the “don’t want to miss” pieces posted to Grady Newsource during a semester, along with some constructive reflection about the journalism.
About This Month’s Guest Curator
Caitlyn Stroh-Page is a regional trending and service journalism editor in the USA TODAY Network. She previously was the news director of the Tallahassee Democrat, the executive editor of the Athens Banner-Herald and has made stops at the Lexington Herald-Leader and The (Macon) Telegraph. She is a 2015 graduate of the Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication, where she also obtained certificates in sports media and new media.
This is a genuine news story, with conflict, impact and continued need for coverage. It touches so many facets of our world: development, environment, community, to name a few. There is so much growth and development in Jackson County and these community-level stories dig in on the mixed feelings about growth. I also applaud the author for getting the quarry company on the record — that can be tricky!
The lack of diversity in many professional fields is such a prevalent issue, and this story gets to the heart of that. The story looks at cultural stigma and how that impacts higher education, which leads to greater issues. The story features strong first-hand accounts of the problem at hand. One thing to note with this story is that it opens up so many sidebars and further reporting opportunities.
As the mom of a toddler who will likely one day be part of the public school system, this story is of particular interest to me. The intersection of population growth and education is a major (and complex) topic in so many communities. This story includes relevant, contextual data, information on funding and personal anecdotes from those involved. The story likely could have benefitted from another parent perspective and more information on how/when this school was first proposed, but it works even without this information.
The first thing that jumped out to me in this story was the the quotes — so powerful. I love a solutions approach to this story, even if the issue seems so much bigger than what resources are available. The author took a tactful approach to a difficult subject and put names and stories to a problem that many people likely don't even know about. Agriculture is a huge part of Georgia, making this story just part of a much larger picture.
If the Zero Waste efforts continue at UGA Athletics events, this story is the precursor to what could be a major shift in sporting events impact on the community. The story immediately presents the problem and then goes into what is being done and the hopes of the effort. This story also included strong, active, diverse visual elements that are additive.
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