By Nicholas Masopust, student journalist
The Purcell Register is a community newspaper run by a family who is deeply embedded into the fabric of its community.
Led by publisher John D. Montgomery Jr., The Purcell Register is a weekly newspaper that chronicles events in Purcell as well as McClain County and parts of Cleveland County.
On staff is Montgomery’s son John Denny Jr., better known as John Denny, who is the assistant editor and takes care of the layout of the paper. John Montgomery’s other son, Matt Montgomery, covers local sports. Montgomery’s wife, Gracie Montgomery, is the co-publisher and business manager. The Montgomery’s daughter-in-law Emily Montgomery also works for the Purcell Register in the accounting department. The Montgomery family has owned the Purcell Register for 25 years.
“The Purcell Register is one with the community,” said John Denny Montgomery, “a lot of times we know kind of each other’s next step, which is really good for coherence.”
Founded in 1887 by Ed P. Ingle, The Purcell Register has had nine owners in its 126-year history. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives James C. Nance purchased The Purcell Register in 1934, and the paper remained in his family for over 50 years. A dispute over the Nance estate led the Register to be put up for sale. After working for local papers like The Madill Record and The Johnson County Capital-Democrat, the Montgomery’s seized the opportunity to own a newspaper of their own and it has remained in their name ever since.
The Purcell Register continues to turn out community journalism, including covering the recent bridge closure and other stories. When John Montgomery retires, The Purcell Register will be able to keep its family dynamic.
“It looks my brother’s probably gonna take on that role and follow my dad’s footsteps with journalism when the time comes,” said Matt Montgomery.
With John Denny Jr, in line as successor to his father, it looks to stay a family-run paper for years to come.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
The Onion Visits OU
By Nicholas Masopust, student journalist
Two writers from the Onion visited the University of Oklahoma Wednesday night to provide laughs and allow audience members an inside look at their creative process.
The Onion is a satirical news website that has been writing fake news in print and online for over 25 years. Hosted by the CAC, the event took place in the Molly Shi Boren ballroom with two of The Onion’s staff writers, Jen Spyra and Seena Vali.
Vali and Spyra explained things like how The Onion’s stories emanate from humorous headlines submitted anonymously by the writing staff, and then grow into news briefs and full stories on the web site.
Those in attendance, such as student Ryan Bird, took notice.
“Their honesty was really surprising,” said Bird, “comedy always seems so organic so it was really interesting to see the formula behind it all”
Vali and Spyra answered plenty of questions from the audience after their presentation, explaining some of the inner machinations of The Onion as well as delving into their own backgrounds.
“I was always a fan” said Spyra, “it used to irritate me that people had that job. “
Vali’s path to The Onion was uncommon, first majoring in Mathematics before getting into writing.
“We’re not actual journalists” said Vali, “you can say whatever you want as a writer here, it’s great.”
Since the majority of The Onion’s readers are in the 18-44 age group, a college-aged crowd was an appropriate audience.
“We’re kind of growing more cynical as a nation, so it’s good to have someone poke fun at the news giants and show they’re not infallible. “ said student Katie Taylor.
In keeping with the satirical and humorous tone of the website, the presentation’s opener was filled with classic Onion headlines and fake information about the Onion presented as real.
“The Onion is the greatest invention in human history” said Vali, “better than polio, the wheel, television, ALL OF IT.”
Their opening included The Onion’s “coverage” of events such as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake or the Titanic disaster with the headline, “World’s Largest Metaphor Hits Ice-Berg”.
The presentation continued on with other pieces of fake news and reporting told by Vali and Spyra with deadpan straightforwardness.
The opening had the entire auditorium laughing, with the speakers often being unable to even be heard above the laughter of the audience inside.
Vali and Spyra stayed after the presentation and Q&A to talk with fans one on one, sign autographs, and take pictures.
With a Peabody award to their credit and an estimated 7.5 million unique web visitors a month, The Onion shows no signs of slowing down.
While ventures into the television and film industries didn’t pan out as well as expected, those at the Onion say there is still new ground for them to cover in the future.
“As news evolves, we evolve..” said Vali, “with the world of journalism changing there will always be something new to satirize.”
Lead-in: Chair of the Speakers Bureau for the Campus Activities Council Katie Taylor introduces the Onion and speakers Jen Spyra and Seena Vali to those in attendance at the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom Wednesday night. VIDEO: Nick Masopust, runs 14 seconds.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Brian Boyer enlightens students on data and hacker journalism
Story by Nicholas Masopust, student journalist
Brian Boyer is an editor and journalist for NPR on the cutting edge of technology and information gathering in journalism.
Brian Boyer didn’t follow the traditional path to get where he is now. After getting a degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois, he was a software developer by trade.
“I really cut my teeth as a Microsoft programmer” said Boyer.
It wasn’t until 2008 when he made a drastic change to get into the industry he currently resides in.
Boyer went back to school in 2008 at Northwestern and received his Master’s in Journalism through a 1-year program. A relative newcomer to the field, Boyer has already made an impact.
Boyer’s PANDA project has made information gathering easier for journalists, using computers to sort through important numbers and files and allowing journalists to get the information they need to do true investigative work.
Using his “hacker journalist” method, there is now an indexed listing of safety reports online for nursing homes in Illinois.
“I really love going to work every morning,” said Boyer.
In addition to the difference he makes with his statistical analysis, Boyer has been at the forefront of keeping NPR relevant in today’s environment of social media and smartphones.
"If it doesn’t work on mobile, it doesn’t work” said Boyer, “people are looking at most things on their phones now. You have to meet the audience where they are.”
For Boyer, simply getting people to look at the NPR app on their phone isn’t enough.
“I can make people click on stories,” said Boyer, “our goal is not traffic, it’s to drive people to what matters.”
For those in attendance at the Hall of Fame room at Gaylord Hall Monday morning, there was plenty to take away.
“It was really interesting,” said student Clarke Sachs, “I didn’t realize there were so many jobs in data journalism and just how expansive it is now. “
While he wouldn’t get into too much detail about it, Boyer’s next project that will delve into the world of television.
“It’s the one box we all still sort of have in our home” said Boyer, “I’m really excited about it.”
After years spent in software, Boyer says he’s landed in the right spot.
“I like my job” said Boyer, “I feel like I’ve found my people.”
Lead-in: Brian Boyer shows those in attendance an example of the hard-hitting photo journalism being done at NPR. VIDEO: Nick Masopust, runs :34 seconds
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Midterm Profile Piece
Blind Ambition
by Nicholas Masopust, student journalist
Karissa Schlickbernd is a student at the University of Oklahoma that strives to be normal amid circumstances that are not. Born legally blind to parents in South Korea that abandoned her, things were never going to come easy.
“I lived in an orphanage up until I was 10 months old and my parents adopted me and took me back to Nebraska” said Schlickbernd.
Karissa was born with an incurable form of optic nerve damage that leaves her very nearsighted and unable to see further than a few inches from her face. “
My parents told me I’m legally blind. I’m not allowed to drive because of my condition and I have to get rides around or ride my bike to school” said Schlickbernd.
While in school it leads to difficulty reading handouts chalkboards, and makes it necessary for her to increase her screen size to six times the resolution as that of a normal student.
It was a trait she inherited from her birth mother, whom she has yet to meet. Things weren’t always smooth with her adopted parents either. They divorced when she was just a 6th grader.
“When my parents got a divorce it was really difficult. My mom is not really in the picture anymore. I still talk to my dad every once in a while but we’re not really close like we used to be.”
What sets Karissa apart isn’t so much the circumstances surrounding her, but her attitude to move on and keep them from dragging her down as a person. Her adopted sister Alexa Debilbis saw that firsthand.
“She didn’t want to be different” said her Devilbiss, “It’s something she’s just always been able to push through. She’s so normal sometimes you forget she has any kind of disability at all.”
She is not the type of student to want help or receive attention for her disability, she’d much rather be open and caring to others first.
“She really loves people” said Debilbis, “she’s the type to give you the shirt off her back.”
Schlickbernd makes a strong impression on most people she meets, such as friend Tisha Pinder.
“She’s just a really genuine person” said Pinder, “I can’t ever see her doing something bad.”
Schlickbernd’s approach with people translates to her studies in Psychology, where she hopes to counsel people that have gone through hardships such as divorce like she has.
“I feel like I could help kids in some way. Ever since I took my first class I’ve just been very interested in Psychology in general.”
Schlickbernd is currently on track to graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2016.
Lead-in: The video shows Karissa Schlickbernd in a typical day for her at OU. She goes to the computer lab, rides her bicycle to school, and goes about her day in a normal fashion despite her disabilities. Cutline: “I was born in Korea…” VIDEO: Nicholas Masopust, runtime :35.25
by Nicholas Masopust, student journalist
Karissa Schlickbernd is a student at the University of Oklahoma that strives to be normal amid circumstances that are not. Born legally blind to parents in South Korea that abandoned her, things were never going to come easy.
“I lived in an orphanage up until I was 10 months old and my parents adopted me and took me back to Nebraska” said Schlickbernd.
Karissa was born with an incurable form of optic nerve damage that leaves her very nearsighted and unable to see further than a few inches from her face. “
My parents told me I’m legally blind. I’m not allowed to drive because of my condition and I have to get rides around or ride my bike to school” said Schlickbernd.
While in school it leads to difficulty reading handouts chalkboards, and makes it necessary for her to increase her screen size to six times the resolution as that of a normal student.
It was a trait she inherited from her birth mother, whom she has yet to meet. Things weren’t always smooth with her adopted parents either. They divorced when she was just a 6th grader.
“When my parents got a divorce it was really difficult. My mom is not really in the picture anymore. I still talk to my dad every once in a while but we’re not really close like we used to be.”
What sets Karissa apart isn’t so much the circumstances surrounding her, but her attitude to move on and keep them from dragging her down as a person. Her adopted sister Alexa Debilbis saw that firsthand.
“She didn’t want to be different” said her Devilbiss, “It’s something she’s just always been able to push through. She’s so normal sometimes you forget she has any kind of disability at all.”
She is not the type of student to want help or receive attention for her disability, she’d much rather be open and caring to others first.
“She really loves people” said Debilbis, “she’s the type to give you the shirt off her back.”
Schlickbernd makes a strong impression on most people she meets, such as friend Tisha Pinder.
“She’s just a really genuine person” said Pinder, “I can’t ever see her doing something bad.”
Schlickbernd’s approach with people translates to her studies in Psychology, where she hopes to counsel people that have gone through hardships such as divorce like she has.
“I feel like I could help kids in some way. Ever since I took my first class I’ve just been very interested in Psychology in general.”
Schlickbernd is currently on track to graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2016.
Lead-in: The video shows Karissa Schlickbernd in a typical day for her at OU. She goes to the computer lab, rides her bicycle to school, and goes about her day in a normal fashion despite her disabilities. Cutline: “I was born in Korea…” VIDEO: Nicholas Masopust, runtime :35.25
Thursday, March 13, 2014
National Women’s Day provides optimism, inspiration for aspiring career women
by Nicholas Masopust, student journalist
Audience members at National Women’s Day learned valuable tips on career management, getting mentors, and learned about successful women in energy on Wednesday.
Hosted by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, keynote speaker Joan Eischen delivered a presentation touted with strong examples of women in powerful positions at energy companies.
As a director for professional services company KPMG, Eischen meets and interacts with several women of power in the Houston area where she works. She furthered those connections by writing her book, Energy and the City, a book comprised of interviews and career advice from some of Houston’s most powerful and influential female energy executives.
Eishen said the interview process for her book took nearly six months, and that even she came away with many new lessons to take to heart.
“The biggest lesson I learned is that executives want to share their experiences,” said Eischen, “they want to help others to be successful.”
“The women I interviewed came into the industry in transitional times, and they learned through trial and error what leadership was, what would work in the industry, and how to find their place in the industry and the organization.”
Eischen’s speech also included advice for career management as gleamed through her many discussions with Houston energy executives.
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘What do I want my career to look like? What do we want our lives to look like?’” said Eischen.
Eischen used the metaphor of a GPS navigation system as a guide for following a career path and the many twists and turns it can take along the way.
One way Eischen spoke of for improving that path is by getting a mentor to help guide through those difficult, uncertain beginning stages of a career.
“Very often we’re afraid to approach those executives,” said Eischen, “but they do have the time when you approach them with a question or a challenge that they can help you with.”
Women making their way in the business world today are still a topic that raises much discussion. Even President Barack Obama mentioned in his most recent State of the Union address the problem of women making 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.
For the women in attendance hoping to pursue careers in more male-dominated fields, it provided a positive reinforcement for what they hope to do.
“It gives me optimism,” said Megan Salisbury, a grad student majoring in Geology. “Some of the struggles she talked about really hit home with me.”
“Sometimes people won’t want to listen to you because you’re younger than them or you’re a girl, but I think once they see your work ethic people become more understanding.”
Those from the millennial generation like Salisbury will be entering the work force before long, so if students like her and the prominent names mentioned in the presentation are any indication, male-dominated fields like energy are going to be brimming with more prominent female leaders in the years to come.
Lead in: "Leadership that..."
AUDIO by: Nick Masopust, runtime: 9 seconds
Audience members at National Women’s Day learned valuable tips on career management, getting mentors, and learned about successful women in energy on Wednesday.
Hosted by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, keynote speaker Joan Eischen delivered a presentation touted with strong examples of women in powerful positions at energy companies.
As a director for professional services company KPMG, Eischen meets and interacts with several women of power in the Houston area where she works. She furthered those connections by writing her book, Energy and the City, a book comprised of interviews and career advice from some of Houston’s most powerful and influential female energy executives.
Eishen said the interview process for her book took nearly six months, and that even she came away with many new lessons to take to heart.
“The biggest lesson I learned is that executives want to share their experiences,” said Eischen, “they want to help others to be successful.”
“The women I interviewed came into the industry in transitional times, and they learned through trial and error what leadership was, what would work in the industry, and how to find their place in the industry and the organization.”
Eischen’s speech also included advice for career management as gleamed through her many discussions with Houston energy executives.
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘What do I want my career to look like? What do we want our lives to look like?’” said Eischen.
Eischen used the metaphor of a GPS navigation system as a guide for following a career path and the many twists and turns it can take along the way.
One way Eischen spoke of for improving that path is by getting a mentor to help guide through those difficult, uncertain beginning stages of a career.
“Very often we’re afraid to approach those executives,” said Eischen, “but they do have the time when you approach them with a question or a challenge that they can help you with.”
Women making their way in the business world today are still a topic that raises much discussion. Even President Barack Obama mentioned in his most recent State of the Union address the problem of women making 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.
For the women in attendance hoping to pursue careers in more male-dominated fields, it provided a positive reinforcement for what they hope to do.
“It gives me optimism,” said Megan Salisbury, a grad student majoring in Geology. “Some of the struggles she talked about really hit home with me.”
“Sometimes people won’t want to listen to you because you’re younger than them or you’re a girl, but I think once they see your work ethic people become more understanding.”
Those from the millennial generation like Salisbury will be entering the work force before long, so if students like her and the prominent names mentioned in the presentation are any indication, male-dominated fields like energy are going to be brimming with more prominent female leaders in the years to come.
Lead in: "Leadership that..."
AUDIO by: Nick Masopust, runtime: 9 seconds
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
David Pogue visits OU to speak on science literacy and education
 |
| David Pogue speaks in front of OU students and professors at the Meachem Auditorium (Photo by Ryan King) |
Improving science and math literacy, creative academic strategies, and a lack of tech-savvy graduates were the core of David Pogue’s speech when he came to the University of Oklahoma on Thursday afternoon.
Pogue hosts the NOVA ScienceNow and Making Stuff programs on PBS and continuously writes columns on personal technology for Yahoo Tech.
Pogue’s speech centered on a lack of outgoing graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (or STEM for short) and how to better prepare those choosing to go into those fields.
“In higher education we’re weeding out students” said Pogue, “and we have to change that.”
Pogue’s speech sent an urgent message about science and technology education in America today.
According to a Baltimore Sun report, STEM jobs are growing 1.7 times faster than other non-STEM jobs. Yet according to numbers cited in Pogue’s speech, only 5% of our current college graduates are getting degrees in those STEM fields.
“America ranks 25th in the world in math testing scores” said Pogue during one of the info graphic sections of his presentation, “that’s us, right behind Latvia.”
Pogue stressed initiatives from the Obama administration as well as unique teaching methods being implemented in STEM classes at schools like Notre Dame and MIT as positive signs for the future of those fields.
Interspersed between his messages on increasing science literacy in America were clips and outtakes from his various hosting gigs on PBS, plenty of laughs, and a closing that featured Pogue stepping behind a piano to perform a handful of his comedic technology songs.
The audience featured a mix of students, professors, mothers with their children, technology and PBS fans, and some who fit into more than one of those categories.
“We love David,” said Jill Hughes, “NOVA is our favorite show.”
Hughes is the Executive Director of Development for the College of Engineering at OU as well as the mother of a 5 year-old son.
“He was funny and very spot-on, we were very impressed.”
The discussion continued after the presentation and musical performance when Pogue stayed for a brief Q&A with audience members, where topics such as Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer’s work with the company and the lack of diversity in STEM fields came up.
“You can’t blame it all on the system,” Pogue said of the lack of minorities and women in STEM fields, “sometimes it’s more of an interest thing.”
Roughly half of those graduating with engineering degrees are white men, according to a US News report. Pogue’s message hit home for many audience members such as Amy McGovern, a professor of computer science at OU.
“The lack of diversity in these fields is a definite problem, but the project oriented methods he talked about are really beneficial,” said McGovern, “there’s definitely been an increase in recent years.”
David Pogue can be seen and read every week on Yahoo Tech and he continues to give similar speeches and presentations across the country.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)