Just in time for Halloween.....

  Our last field trip this semester was definitely one to remember.  I just got home from the trip not too long ago, and my first thought was to blog about it, so here it is.
   You can say I'm naive, but I did not expect to see what I saw today.  I called my mom and my sister after leaving the medical examiner's office, and they both said, "What did you expect?  You knew you were visiting a morgue."  I guess I'm just used to the other trips we've taken this semester; nothing more visual than a slide show.
  I got to the medical examiner's office at 2 p.m.  I thought to myself as I was driving into the parking lot, "I never knew there was a morgue this close to campus."  I walked into the lobby and signed in.  Then we gathered into a meeting room with an overhead projector, where Vernard Adams, MD. spoke to us about gathering public records in a medical examiner's office.  It was pretty standard information.  No photos are allowed to be taken in the facility to respect the privacy of the grieving families.  We were split up into two groups for the tour of the facility.
  We saw the different rooms in the administration building, then our tour guide, Manger of Operations Dick Bailey, took us outside and over to the morgue next door.
  I knew we were going to see the exam rooms where autopsies take place, but I believed we would not see any dead bodies.  I mean, the staff wouldn't make a bunch of journalism students witness something so gruesome, right?
   We initially went into the room where bodies are stored.  It was a cold 56 degrees in the room, which is warmer than the usual 37 degrees.  They had it set at 56 degrees to conserve energy.  We were all starting to shiver so we stepped out and walked into the autopsy room.  I didn't see any bodies, but I noticed some blood on a table next to me.  This is when I started to get nervous.  Then, I saw one of my classmates point in horror at something over to the right.  Sure enough, I looked over and saw a dead body, sliced open with all of the insides exposed.  I had a mixture of feelings.  I didn't know if I wanted to cry or vomit.
  It did not even look real.  I've seen dead bodies and gore in movies, but never in person.  Almost like a train wreck, you don't want to see it, but you can't look away.  So I couldn't help but inspect the body, and sure enough, it was a real dead body lying there. 
   We quickly went into the X-ray room.  I felt safe.  Then, an examiner opened the door with a skull in his hands.  The coincidence made the situation slightly humorous, but I was honestly in shock.  I can still visualize the body lying there in my mind.
  The rest of the trip was honestly a blur to me.  I had a moment of PTSD after seeing my first dead body.  I wish we were warned we may see a dead body, but at the same time, I think not knowing is what added to the shock factor.  It made the experience one to remember. 


 

Steve Andrews

  The trip downtown to WFLA was eye-opening and it was one of my favorites so far.  It was a close second to the Orient Rd. jail visit.  I am always intrigued whenever I am in the presence of a well-known public figure.  In this case, seeing WFLA investigative reporter Steve Andrews live in the flesh was a special experience for me.  It is almost like seeing a celebrity on a smaller scale.
   My initial thought when I meet a well-known, experienced reporter is, "Wow, I wonder if I will ever be at that level in my career."
  There is a feeling of discouragement as I prepare to graduate this December.  I have heard from multiple professors that the industry is rough.  They gently prepare us for the many rejections we are likely to receive on the job hunt after college.
  At the same time, I believe there is truth to the idea that it really is about who you know.  Networking is so important.  Collecting business cards or remembering encounters with media professionals is a great way to get your foot in the door. 
   At first, I recognized the name, but not the face when we walked into the conference/ theater room at WFLA.  When Andrews showed us some clips of his investigative TV stories, I recognized him right away.  His broadcast stories have earned him six Emmys.
  He introduced with the story about State Attorney Harry Lee Coe.  Andrews did a broadcast a story that Coe had borrowed $12,000 from a few employees.  There were questions as to how he was spending this money.  The day after the story unfolded, Andrews found him dead.  Apparently, he had shot himself.  In the midst of an emotional time, Andrews received over a thousand emails in response to Coe's suicide so soon after the story broke.  Some emails were threatening, but Andrews took the time to respond to every email personally, explaining his take on the story.  Andrews said 95% of the people who wrote the nasty emails ended up apologizing later.  I respect Andrews for staying strong and holding his ground.
  My favorite story was about the Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance (TBWA) and their extreme spending on food.  The company spent over $100,000 on food for employees in one year, including $9 cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.  I loved how Andrews made the story lighthearted and interesting.  This story was definitely worthy of its award.

  I loved hearing Andrews' interviewing tips.  He said to come prepared with at least three questions you want answers to.  That way, if one question leads into something else and you go off on a tangent, you can always come back and remember what questions you wanted answered. 
  I always try to absorb as much information from media professionals as I can.  There is no better way to learn than to experience it in the field.