Reporting and writing is where it all began. Before I could manage or even edit content, I first had to learn how to produce it myself. I had to brainstorm my very first interview question, draft my first engaging lede – which was then picked apart by my editor – and learn what terms like the inverted pyramid and Wall Street Journal style meant. Over the last four years or so, I have continuously refined my reporting and writing skills, and below you will find three pieces that are a product of that effort.
Confronting toxic masculinity
(Click on the image to read the story)
To date, “Confronting toxic masculinity” is the most rigorous, in-depth project I have completed. The genesis for this project came when myself and then Standard Editor-in-Chief Emily Forgash noticed this term toxic masculinity being used in modern discourse – particularly on social media – and wanted to examine it on the broader societal level and localize it to our school. Over the course of three months, we interviewed numerous sources, fussed over every word and produced a piece that was well-received in our community, provoking deep reflection about what it means to be a man in the 21st century and facilitating a much-needed conversation.
“Confronting toxic masculinity” won first place in the NSPA 2021 Multimedia Feature Story of the Year and earned an honorable mention in NSPA 2021 Feature Story of the Year. As well, the article earned second place in the NSPA Spring 2021 Social Justice Reporting Best of Show category.
Jordan Plotner’s brain damage cured his fear of darkness
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Of all people, it was my mum who told me that I should interview Jordan Plotner. Initially, she thought we could simply bond over our shared passion for music production. Coincidentally, The Standard had just decided to put together a package of profiles called “Humans of ASL,” which was produced as a mini-mag (the virtual flipbook for this can be found on the same page as the previous hyperlink) as well as an online package. Hence, I saw an opportunity to profile him. My mum had set my expectations high for Plotner’s story, but after a nearly two-hour-long interview, even those expectations were shattered. I had never been so gobsmacked after leaving an interview, and the rush of excitement to begin drafting my profile was stronger than ever before. Because of this raw inspiration and the magnificence of Plotner’s story, the resulting story is decidedly one of my proudest pieces.
Ofsted downgrades school’s rating to “Requires Improvement,” citing focus on social justice, suppression of student opinions, community polarization
Vaccine rollout indicates pandemic end may be in sight
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The U.K. was one of the first nations to begin rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine. As Lead News Editor at the time, naturally I quickly picked up this highly newsworthy assignment. I interviewed an authority source in our school’s biology teacher to give a solid factual foundation to the piece. But, the greatest challenge with this piece was navigating how to report using a vaccine skeptic, who was an important source. I had to take care to ensure this source’s perspective was fairly represented and that their quotes were properly contextualized. This added a layer of complexity to the reporting of this highly topical story that taught me plenty.
Politics Update
(Click on the image to read the story) Note: The Politics Update column has been continued by two new columnists. One column in particular is hyperlinked here, but all editions of Politics Update are available here: Politics Update
Politics Update is one example of skill and passion I have developed in subjective/opinion-based writing. Hyperlinked to the graphic you will find one Op-Ed I wrote titled “A troubling Trump response.” Although I have passed the byline for this column on to two incredibly talented editors whom I now lead, this column has always been one of my points of pride as a writer. I explored my writing voice far more here than anywhere else, and I was able to channel a passion for politics through journalism to produce this column.
Politics Update placed second in the 2020 NSPA Fall Best of Show Blog category.
