January 24, 2002 - Page One
Fearless Meeting Looks At Causes, Prevention of Depression
• Incredibly powerful subject matter, incredibly powerful event. I've been to some heady stuff via the Free Press, but it's never been so hard for me to sit through an event and try to 'stay out of the story' as it was tonight.
Meg and I were the only two people in the room who knew Tony Brucato, whose suicide the meeting had been called to address. I'd like to think that writing this was my way of doing something positive after his death, but that thought never occurred to me until while we were in the meeting. The stories in that room... I don't think they could ever be put on paper.
January 22, 2002 - Page Three
Local Teamsters Leader Asked To Resign From Massport
• An excellent story, though, um, I didn't actually get any of my own quotes.
Hey, if George Cashman isn't giving any information out to the Globe or the Herald, you think he's going to break something in the pages of the Daily Free Press? Yeah, that's what I thought. I like the story anyway.
December 2, 2001 - Page Three
Powwow Celebrates Culture
• Before the paper even called, I had set that I was going to cover an event over the weekend. Then I got offered a pow wow. I bit, as does this story.
The pow wow was actually fun and educational... especially since it wasn't out on a reservation like most pow wows. But as far as newsworthiness... imagine sending a reporter to a craft fair. Yeah.
September 21, 2001 - 'In Business' Feature
The Secret World of Term Paper Selling
• I love writing features, and this is the best one I've ever written. I originally took the story because it struck me as interesting, then realized I really didn't have the time to be writing it. Somehow I got it done, albeit four days after my original deadline.
It was one of those stories where just everything fell together so well. Colin Riley in BU PR helped me get some interviews, while I was lucky enough to talk directly to a woman who began one of these "online research" companies. Everyone gave me the kind of quotes that stories just get built around. I suppose I would have liked to talk to a student who bought a paper, but what can you do.
The story that ran tweaked my lead, cut my ending and pulled a few quotes, but considering the story was over 2,400 words to begin with, the damage to it was minimal.
FLASH! - Story syndicated to U-WIRE, and ran on The Satyr and the Online Learning Update at the University of Illinois-Springfield.
September 19, 2001 - Page One
Saudi Arabian BU Student Stabbed
• My return to the front page comes in the form of a nothing brief about an incident that happened after we went to press Monday. Bill had told me he'd heard a rumor of an Arab student being stabbed the night before, and here I am the following night calling Boston Police with a vague Herald story as the only thing I have to go on.
Once I managed to get a name out of them, which wasn't all that hard considering how nice a guy the PR man was, it was calls to the hospital and his apartment. A half-assed story if there ever was one. Definitely not my finest work.
April 27, 2001 - Page Three Lead
Bosstones Tickets Available
• Complete fluff as I recall. "Hey Jon, it's the day of the show and you wrote the first story, write about it again." I was a bit surprised that the concert had come nowhere near selling out, but as a poll I ran on the website showed, a majority of the student body didn't care there was a show. I didn't go either - $10 for the Bosstones seemed a little steep for a band I only kinda like.
It ended up they got the Armory 3/4ths full, meaning they undoubtably lost money. Student apathy reigns again.
April 17, 2001 - Page Three
Marathon Turns Hopkinton Into the Center of the Sports Universe
• One of my favorite stories to cover. Jenny and I caught a cab around 8 AM to get out to Hopkinton, but still failed to beat the road closings into the town. A 2 mile walk later, we got to all the bustle at the town common. Seeing the fairground atmosphere that just takes hold of everything is something you never can really capture on TV. The marathon just dominates life there.
While the two of us did get stranded there for a few hours (no cabs wanted to come out to get us), it was a great day. Every runner I talked to finished the marathon, and I got to touch the Stanley Cup. YEAH, THAT STANLEY CUP.
April 10, 2001 - LEAD STORY
CAS Ready to Alter Writing Requirements
• I took the initial call from Dean Prince on this story back in February. When we finally got to covering it, I tended to only trust myself with it. The most complex story I've written to date, I did a good half dozen interviews with professors, students, deans, and the like. After about two weeks, a supposed 800 word blurb dominated two pages.
April 3, 2001 - LEAD STORY
Horowitz Takes Stage Amid Controversy
• After running this ad in college newspapers across the country, some campuses saw boycotts, and others refused to print it. With this as a backdrop, Horowitz came to BU.
Protests raged outside, but the mood inside the hall was extremely civil. I found him to be a very well thought speaker, and while I can't say I agree with his means of attracting attention, I think he makes many solid points. Talks too damn fast though...
FLASH! - As it turns out, the student paper at the University of Notre Dame ran my story, without a by-line of course, in their paper the following day. Papers at Illinois Urbana-Champaign and UCLA also ran an excerpt, merged with other stories. The CoochWeb is ever growing!
March 29, 2001 - LEAD STORY
Bosstones to Flex Their 'Might' at Armory
• The initial excitement about the story made for a good read, but as the show got closer, everyone on campus realized they didn't want to pay money to go see an iffy band.
March 12, 2001 - Off Lead
In Like a Lion: March Storm Closes BU
• Thrown together last minute to fill space, this is what happens the day after Spring Break when we have nothing to report. The story is essentially me compiling weather reports with personal recollections and a Colin Riley phone call. And that lead? That one is all my editor... I'm not even that bad at faking interest.
March 2, 2001 - LEAD STORY
BU Student Jives to Help Jimmy
• Another story I snagged voluntarily. It's always nice to find a BU student that cares enough to do something meaningful. I only hope I did Mike justice. One of my favorite leads and something I was very happy with.
February 7, 2001 - Page One
Berkey Thanks Student Leaders For Being "Fabric" of Campus Life
• I was going to this anyway as College Bowl president, so I covered it too. About ten minutes into being there, I almost left because it was so boring. But the free meal kept me occupied while I took notes. Crappy reasoning? Well, it's a pretty crappy story.
January 30, 2001 - Off Lead
HBO Documents 1980 Miracle Men
• My favorite FreeP story, bar none. I got a real press pass, a real press packet, free entry into a special screening, all the perks. The fact that it was about the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' just made it that much better. I talked to Jim Craig, and interviewed his entire junior hockey team. Just felt so starstruck all night. Plus, after meeting some members of the BU Women's Ice Hockey team, I bitched to the editors until they got some coverage. That felt good.
However, my editors screwed up the story! The US tied Sweden with a late goal, which is what I wrote. I love it when editors know the facts better than their reporters...
January 25, 2001 - Off Lead
Ambassador Analyzes Atlantic Relations
• Rubbing elbows with the Swiss ambassador. Struck me as a very nice, intelligent man. I suppose that would be why he got the job in the first place. He had a Swiss posse too, which just made me snicker.
January 23, 2001 - Page One
BU Students Mugged In South Campus Area
• It's hard to write a story when you have no facts to go on. I was told about this late, and after Residence Life, the BUPD, and the Boston Police gave me absolutely no help, this is the crap you get. Turned out to be a lot more trouble than it was ever worth.
December 8, 2000 - LEAD STORY
Students Await Decision on Federal Pell Grant Increase
• The story that made me 'DFP Staff.' Notable for that only, though it was something the administration was pushing for students to care about.
December 6, 2000 - Off Lead
Plato Would Question Net Dependability, Speaker Says
• Not quite as boring as it sounds. Poorly attended, it was the only time I got to meet Dean Thornburg before he left campus.
November 29, 2000 - Page Three Lead
Little-Known Journal to Showcase Student Work
• No one knows about the Brownstone Journal, which is why I liked writing about it. As a student leader of a forgotten club, I love spreading the publicity. Plus they were all so eager and happy to talk to me - except for their advisor. She hung up on me, which never makes a shy reporter feel that good.
November 15, 2000 - Page One
Wiesel Gives Third Lecture, Addresses Mideast Conflict
• I covered the evening lecture, and enjoyed it. Wiesel is very engaging, despite the fact he looks like he fights off death every morning.
November 9, 2000 - Page Three
Civil War Veterans Provide Model of Bravery, Speaker Says
• A lecture about bravery. It was attended by 23 people. I counted.
October 30, 2000 - Page One
Thousands Try For Dylan Tickets
• This is the most read story in the history of the Daily Free Press website. You'd think that'd make me happy, but it doesn't. This story shouldn't even have my name on it I hate it so much.
Nearly everyone I talked to said they were only going because it was a free show. Maybe I didn't interview thoroughly enough, but I think I did. These quotes were cut out because "we didn't want to make the student body seem spoiled." What's there I like, but I think it's a horrible representation of the day. After the initial clamor by Dylan fans, no one else showed up.
October 26, 2000 - Page One
Lecture Explores History of African American Baseball
• Another favorite. How smart was the FreeP to make my first assignment sports related. A very interesting story, my article was picked up and run on 'Yahoo! Sports' and 'FansOnly.' Two syndications on my first work. That feeds the ego just right.