Investigative Story; Virgina Tech Shooting

Massacre on a Managing Editor's First Day
At a National Writers Workshop this weekend, Collegiate Times' Bobby Bowman gave his first out-of-town speech on covering the Va. Tech shootings his first day on the job.
By Joe Grimm (more by author) Detroit Free Press recruiting & development editor
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On April 16, Bobby Bowman became a managing editor, a source, part of a story that devastated his university and one of its ambassadors -- all at once.The day that student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University was Bowman's first day as a managing editor of the Collegiate Times. As a student affected by the tragedy, he was called by networks from FOX News to Al Jazeera. He later was approached on campus by Geraldo Rivera, who also asked him a few questions.
Bobby BowmanThis weekend was another first for Bowman. On his first business trip, he spoke at the National Writers Workshop in Wichita. He wore a maroon golf shirt bearing the now-familiar VT logo. The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle and Poynter co-sponsored the event. CT staff members confronted a story that would challenge even the most accomplished journalist. And many of them aren't even journalism majors. Bowman, 21, is studying industrial systems engineering. link is www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4334 - 38k
One thing reporters do when trying to unearth a tuff story is to not give up, and keep on digging. They say that if you are looking to get the dirt then you need to be prepared to jump in the mud.