Spencer NorrisNov 26, 20191 minJournalism about JournalismEnjoy your turkey, I'll be doing my job. That came out snarkier than I thought it would. But, alas. I'm spending most of the break journa...
Spencer NorrisNov 8, 20191 minA missing woman and the media circusMingqi Ji Elledge went missing about a month ago, and as the story unfolds, the media circus around it is only growing. I'm struggling a ...
Spencer NorrisNov 6, 20191 minGetting my head around long-formHeading into the last six weeks of the semester now, feeling the burn right now. Doing what I can to take care of myself - eating, exerci...
Spencer NorrisOct 31, 20191 minRabbit holes and skyscrapersRight now I'm trying to rejigger my approach to my beat coverage. That means picking off stories that are fairly achievable and will demo...
Spencer NorrisOct 28, 20191 minBad Lede BluesThis blog post is brought to you in the style of the Mississippi Delta Blues, with accompanying I-IV-V chord changes and a swung 4/4 rhyt...
Spencer NorrisOct 18, 20192 minFixing your beatWell, damn. It's one of those times where you know you can do better. My coverage hasn't been terrible, but it's nowhere near the quality...
Spencer NorrisOct 15, 20191 minPassion for SunshineI'm really starting to appreciate the value of a well-targeted Sunshine request. Right now I have somewhere on the order of 10 - 15 separ...
Spencer NorrisOct 14, 20191 minA Centerpiece!This past week, I locked down my first centerpiece. I wasn't expecting a quick GA ribbon-cutting assignment to turn out that way, but, he...
Spencer NorrisOct 4, 20191 minPrivate Ownership of the Media, and Dean BaquetDean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, visited the J-School at Mizzou this week and offered some hot takes on the business ...
Spencer NorrisSep 27, 20191 minGun violence, missing persons and other bug-outsThis week we went out and covered gun violence in the Columbia area as a team. There's been a recent spike in homicides that we're trying...
Spencer NorrisSep 23, 20191 minSunshine and Bad DataSubmitted some Sunshine requests a couple weeks ago and am starting to see results rolling in. It's a bit freaky seeing how bad some of t...
Spencer NorrisSep 20, 20191 min"We need a human"Still working on this missing persons story. Plenty of data, interviews with police, talking with advocates... and it still reads like do...
Spencer NorrisSep 13, 20191 minA deadline is setI'm working on a missing persons story right now, trying to figure out where the hell everyone is going. To be honest, I still don't real...
Spencer NorrisSep 5, 20191 minThe Passion of the SourcePlease, for the love of God, give me a lead. I’ve spent a ridiculous number of hours trying to track down sources for two feature pieces...
Spencer NorrisSep 2, 20193 minThis stakeout tastes like cardboardThey never mention CQ’ing this s$%t in All the President’s Men. When I envisioned my future in reporting, I didn’t consider the reality o...
Spencer NorrisAug 24, 20193 minA Long Road to a Daily PaperSome people wind up in this profession because they’re part of the always-wanted-to-be-a-reporter pedigree. Others, like yours truly, wa...