Chinatown is definitely booming. After decades as a neglected scar on the face of downtown Washington, D.C., the Chinatown and Gallery Place district has boomed since the 1990′s. The area is now a hub in the city for tourists, businesses, and a sea of bright lights. But what happens when the influx of new lights leaves some residents out in the dark?
“Lights Out” was produced and directed by Alex Thompson as part of a master’s thesis project in broadcast journalism at American University in Washington, D.C.
Thousands of people turned out yesterday for the Earth Day celebration on the National Mall. Special musical guests like Sting and John Legend were in attendance to put on a show. But others on The Mall yesterday were there to show how they are working to tackle environmental issues head-on. Alex Thompson has more.
It’s my great pleasure to share a bit of news originally brought to my attention by Sean Connolly. During my time working at the American Observer this past fall, Sean envisioned and nurtured a class-wide project. Within our class, we broke into different groups and explored a “night out” in D.C., covering the goings-on in the Capital’s more popular bar districts.
The fruits of our labor were transformed into a beautiful feature that became an entire issue of the Observer. Now, that project has earned its progenitor, Sean, and the rest of our class a Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Our project was awarded Second Place in the Online Feature Reporting category for our region (Region 2)!
Congratulations to Sean and the rest of my classmates and colleagues on a job honorably done. I’m honored and flattered to be in such company, and here’s to many more awards!
A sea of lights make the Gallery Place district one of D.Cs centers for business and culture. And plans are in the works for an Ohio-based company to install several video billboards to the area. Alex Thompson tells us why feelings are mixed about the new displays.
The Fairfax County, Virginia, government has more than one-hundred-eighty buildings countywide. But one building in particular is in much worse shape than any of the others. Alex Thompson tells us why.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament kicks off this week. Alex Thompson joins us in studio to tell us what happens when the fun and games of watching the tournament interfere with that nine-to-five job.
In this segment of District Wire News, Gabrielle Jones reports on why some historically black colleges may not be as excited as others after President Obama recently promised them millions of dollars. Evan Banks explains how your credit rating could affect your next job interview. And Brianna Pellicane reports how D.C. business owners may soon have to pay extra green for not going green.
Zuleqa Husain and Philippa Levenberg host.
In this segment of District Wire News, why a Northern Virginia man is facing charges of war crimes. Also, can area nurses be fired for not being able to get to work during D.C.’s recent historic snowfalls? And Brianna Pellicane tells us about an apartment complex in Southwest D.C. where tenants are afraid of being left out in the cold.
These videos are my first attempt at anchoring our class newscast. Aside from an IFB that didn’t fit (sorry for getting in your shots, Nihar), I think it went pretty well.
