The Pope vs. The Earth: April just isn't Big Enough For the Two of Them

By Michael Ronan

Package Stories

The Pope’s visit to NYC:
Profile story: Profile on Mark G. Ackerman who is executive director of the archdiocesan office of the Papal visit. The reason I would profile him is because he is the man behind the scenes in the Pope’s visit. He is in charge with planning where the Pope visits.
Event to go to: I would send a news team to cover the Pope’s visit to 5th Ave. to 72nd St. at 1:15 p.m. on April 19. Here the Pope will be traveling in the pope mobile and people will be in the streets trying to get his blessing, making for great photo opportunities not unlike when the Giants won the Superbowl.
Enterprise story: The Pope has called on a return to fundamental Christian values, arguing against the rise of secularism in modern society. Why was their this secularism, in the first place, and how will the Pope’s argument for this return affect Christian voters in the upcoming election, especially with issues like that of Obama and his ties to pastor? A reporter could also infiltrate a politically minded Christian organization such as Moral Majority, or the Christian Coalition.

Earth Day
Profile story: Members of the SCA, the Student Conservation Association, who will be celebrating Earth Day by helping to build a greenhouse at Alemany Farm. This takes place April 19th in San Francisco.
Event to go to: The event I would send a news crew to would be the Earth Day fair. It takes place on April 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 19 from noon to 7 p.m. on Vanderbilt Ave. This would make for good pictures because the festival incorporates musical events, non-profit organizations, as well as kids activities.
Enterprise story: An investigative piece on how, despite celebrating Earth Day, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been prohibited from acting for environmental conservation. This would lead into an investigation on the responsiveness of the government on a state and federal level to Earth Day and environmental activists.