I decided to do a business story for our final project in Digital News Gathering. I chose P30, a new restaurant soon to open in my home town, Sebastopol, Ca. I was interested in the story not only because I am a total foodie, always dining out and always inventing new delicacies in the kitchen, but also out of pure curiosity. I was interested to know what was coming next to my neighborhood as the project has been kept extremely quiet and I knew virtually nothing about the business before hand.
One of the challenges I faced when trying to find sources was an inability to get individuals to commit to sitting down with me. In the fast paced world we live in today it is no wonder that people find it hard to set time aside for someone they don’t even know. The chef/ owner of P30 was actually the easiest to track down, while finding other people to interview was the hard part. The photos for the slide show proved to be another challenge. Both days that I went to the restaurant it was raining. This was a real shame as the grounds are simply beautiful, adorning a large garden and outdoor patio for diners. Fortunately, I was able to use some the photos that the owner, Patrick, had already taken of the space.
One of the lessons that I have learned along this process is to be persistent when it comes to finding sources. By maintaining a passive attitude and waiting to the last minute I know feel the stress of finding just one more expert to interview. For those of you who plan to take Digital News Gathering in the spring I recommend that you plan ahead, be confident and above all, familiarize yourself with the many programs you will use in this class! Good luck!
