Nicole Shaddy
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Nicole Shaddy

Nicole Shaddy is a senior at the Missouri School of Journalism, studying Radio/TV Producing with minors in political science and economics. This is her third semester as a statehouse reporter for Missouri Digital News.

After she graduates this May, she wants to work in political communications. During the summer of 2015, she worked as the speechwriting intern for the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. In this role, she worked with the director of speechwriting and other staff in the Office of Public Affairs to support the Secretary of Commerce. She hopes to be able to converge her passions for multimedia and politics in her future career.

Nicole is originally from Portland, Oregon. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching documentaries.


Stories by Nicole Shaddy in 2016 include:
Stories by Nicole Shaddy in 2015 include:
Stories by Nicole Shaddy in 2014 include:
Nicole Shaddy's Tweets @MDNnews in 2016

  • 01/20/2016: House passes bill to deny agricultural property tax increase http://bit.ly/1RmXKj8
  • 01/27/2016: Bill would change state law regarding liability in property damage cases due to livestock http://bit.ly/1RmXKj8
  • 01/27/2016: Bill would change state law regarding liability in property damage cases due to livestock http://bit.ly/1PTzwH6
  • 02/03/2016: Legislative budget writers grill UM System officials on expensive hotel stays http://bit.ly/1RmXKj8
  • 02/03/2016: UM System president Mike Middleton speaks at House committee on system's budget http://bit.ly/23Jv9IM
  • 03/02/2016: The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments today about puppy mill defamation case http://bit.ly/1OQqvOa
  • 03/09/2016: House lawmakers attack Missouri Senate during discussion on CPR training bill http://bit.ly/1RmXKj8
  • 04/20/2016: Planned Parenthood attorney discusses subpoena request for former Senate leader http://bit.ly/1XJbHrg
  • 05/11/2016: Term-limited representatives and senators reflect on their eight years serving in the legislature http://bit.ly/24P3bOU

Nicole Shaddy's Tweets @MDNnews in 2015

  • 09/01/2015: Man serving life sentence for marijuana possession released Tuesday http://bit.ly/1DxpI1b
  • 09/15/2015: Republican senators made their choices for Missouri Senate leadership Tuesday http://bit.ly/1MqG2Jg
  • 11/03/2015: The five GOP candidates for governor debated state of Missouri issues at debate http://bit.ly/1LPggvq
  • 11/05/2015: The Highways and Transportation Commission announces Patrick McKenna as new MoDOT director http://bit.ly/1Qhndbz
  • 11/05/2015: MoDOT chooses new director from New Hampshire http://bit.ly/1DxpI1b
  • 11/10/2015: ACLU of Missouri criticizes MU Police Department http://bit.ly/1DxpI1b
  • 11/10/2015: The ACLU of Missouri released a statement today condemning the MU Police Department http://bit.ly/1QgWs84
  • 11/12/2015: Interim UM System president announced Thursday http://bit.ly/1DxpI1b
  • 11/12/2015: The UM System announced Mike Middleton as interim UM System president http://bit.ly/1Mahstw
  • 11/17/2015: Members of Governor Nixon's administration did not respond for comment on Syrian refugees http://bit.ly/1HWPNbm
  • 12/01/2015: Missouri lottery receives "good" rating in state audit http://bit.ly/1DxpI1b
  • 12/03/2015: Senate task force members plan on drafting legislation to crack down on unfair towing practices http://bit.ly/1OJSWQP
  • 12/03/2015: State lawmakers look to address unfair towing practices http://bit.ly/1DxpI1b
  • 12/08/2015: Several state lawmakers have sponsored bills to raise the gasoline tax next session http://bit.ly/1DxpI1b
  • 12/08/2015: Several state legislators have prefiled bills that would raise the state gas tax http://bit.ly/1TZBjyv

Nicole Shaddy's Tweets @MDNnews in 2014

  • 08/25/2014: Transportation Officials Warn of Highway "Blow-ups" http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 08/25/2014: Transportation Officials Warn of Highway "Blow-ups" http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 09/05/2014: Regulation changes for e-cigarettes among the vetoed measures coming before the state legislature. http://bit.ly/1pTk5He
  • 09/08/2014: E-cigarettes are the subject of one bill up for debate in the veto session http://bit.ly/ZeI8FJ
  • 09/08/2014: E-cigarette bill is up for debate during the Missouri veto session http://bit.ly/ZeIc8c
  • 09/11/2014: Abortion bill passes in state legislature http://bit.ly/1lXpJYg
  • 09/17/2014: A review committee will investigate the merger of the Water Patrol Division and State Highway Patrol http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 09/17/2014: A House review committee will look into the 2011 merger of the state Water Patrol and Highway Patrol. http://bit.ly/Zqwmbh
  • 09/17/2014: A new House review committee looks at the Water Patrol months after a drowning at the Lake of the Ozarks. http://bit.ly/ZqwZlg
  • 09/22/2014: Candidate for Congress, family member advocate for release of man in prison without parole for marijuana possession http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 09/22/2014: A congressional candidate held a news conference urging the release of a man in prison for drug possession. http://bit.ly/1mE2qmP
  • 10/01/2014: Highway Patrol officers forced to answer questions at a hearing after a recent drowning http://bit.ly/YPtuEb
  • 10/15/2014: Missouri Nurses Association provides training and education for its nurses to prepare for Ebola http://bit.ly/1xTDokq
  • 10/22/2014: An amendment on the ballot for November would change standards for teacher evaluations http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 10/22/2014: The teacher tenure amendment on the November ballot would impose performance evaluations for Missouri teachers. http://bit.ly/1rqHr2c
  • 10/22/2014: Teacher tenure amendment on November ballot would change performance evaluations http://bit.ly/1rqHs6d
  • 10/27/2014: Missouri Education Board asks for public comment about new education standards in the state http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 10/27/2014: Parents and educators from across the state share opinions about Common Core at Education Board hearing http://bit.ly/ZTX7Vq
  • 11/03/2014: Missouri Republican Party officials said the party should keep its majority in the state legislature http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 11/03/2014: Missouri Republican Party executive director says election should help the party maintain its majority http://bit.ly/1tAOE5D
  • 11/05/2014: One Water Patrol captain spoke about the 2011 Highway and Water Patrol merger during a committee hearing http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 11/05/2014: A current Water Patrol captain spoke at a House committee hearing about the 2011 Highway and Water Patrol merge. http://bit.ly/1wykocp
  • 11/17/2014: Multiple phone calls to the Department of Public Safety go unanswered after Gov. Nixon declares state of emergency http://bit.ly/1wPF5wN
  • 11/17/2014: House Public Safety chair agrees with Gov. Nixon's state of emergency declaration. http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 11/17/2014: House Public Safety chair says Gov. Nixon's decision to declare a state of emergency is a good one http://bit.ly/1xRfbg2
  • 12/10/2014: Homeless shelters in Missouri are already reaching capacity due to colder weather http://bit.ly/1hUyD5k
  • 12/10/2014: Homeless shelters across the state face overcrowding problems during the winter months http://bit.ly/1um3Lvu

Nicole Shaddy's Blog in 2014
Freedom of the press

Posted 11/14/2014:  This week I learned a tough lesson in governmental bureaucracy. For both MDN and for my broadcast class, I have been working on stories that need the perspective of a governmental agency. And let me tell you, it is one of the most frustrating things when you can't get in contact with someone from this agency because I have to go through a media relations person. Or even worse, when you can't even get the media contact to get back to you. I understand that my stories may seem "trivial" to some people, but why even have a media relations contact when this person won't get back to the media? When you look at the history of news in the United States, beginning with the First Amendment and including statutes like the Freedom of Information Act of 1966, the US government has upheld freedom of the press time and time again. There is a certain understanding that the press has played an integral role in American society from the very beginning. After all, it was the press that fueled the flames of the Revolutionary War. It was the press that served as a central organizational institution when the government itself was in a state of chaos after the war. And this is just the beginning. These key roles of the American press have proved themselves over and over. So you can imagine my frustration when certain government agencies in the state of Missouri just will not get back to me, whether it be because they deem my inquiry unimportant or because they don't want to draw the attention of the public eye. This hinders the ability of reporters to present the news in the interest of public good and, although this may be a stretch, isn't this exactly what the First Amendment was designed to protect against? After all, "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." While these government agencies certainly aren't Congress, I can't help but feel as if they are abridging my ability to report on stories in the public interest.                      


Becoming knowledgeable
Posted 11/07/2014:  This week was an interesting one in the state Capitol. Of course, it was election week so there was a lot to do related to that. I wrote a story on Monday about how the Republican party felt about their chances to maintain a super-majority. But on Wednesday, I actually covered another House committee hearing about the 2011 Highway and Water Patrol merger. This was my third story about this merge. I first covered the story when it was announced the committee would be created, and then I also reported on the first meeting of the committee. It's been kind of interesting to cover all of the developments in this committee from the beginning. I'm beginning to pick up more and more knowledge about the way the merger took place and how the Highway and Water Patrols are run. From this I've learned the importance of having people in a newsroom who are knowledgeable on a subject before they actually report on it.

Education
Posted 10/31/2014:  Over the last two weeks, I've produced two stories about education. One was about the teacher tenure amendment that is on the Missouri ballot for November. The other was about a Board of Education meeting with public comment on the new education standards the state is trying to create, relating to national Common Core. Overall, I think the stories went pretty well. However, there is one key thing I learned from covering these stories.

Education is very confusing. When it comes to education, I think most everyone just wants what is best for the kids when it comes down to it. But what is the best way to educate them? That's where it gets confusing. There are so many different aspects and little details that go into education. A lot of people disagree on the best way to conduct public education. And a lot of the time everything is so intertwined with everything else that it becomes difficult to untangle. Especially for a reporter like me that hasn't had much experience investigating education.

All in all, it was a good experience. I learned more about public education than I had known previously. But I also learned that education can be difficult to make sense of sometimes, and it can be even more difficult to explain it in a way that is understandable for listeners.


Both sides of the story
Posted 10/23/2014:  This week, I worked on a story about the teacher tenure amendment on the ballot for November. I was able to produce a print story and a few radio wraps, and overall I think it went pretty well. However, I did learn something about reporting both sides of the story. This amendment, if passed, would get rid of teacher tenure in favor of performance evaluations. A lot of education organizations oppose it and a lot of school districts have passed resolutions opposing it. So, there's a lot of vocal opposition to the amendment. And the coalition that was the major supporter of the amendment disbanded in September.

So when I was writing this story it was kind of hard to find the voice of someone who supports the amendment. However, I learned that sometimes as a journalist we have to use our critical thinking skills to think outside the box and find someone to speak to the other side of the story. Eventually, Phill pointed me in the direction of the bill database where I found a state senator that had sponsored a bill regarding performance evaluations this past legislative session. It turns out, this senator agrees with the amendment and I was able to get both sides of the story.

Of course, as a journalist it's critical that I report on both sides of a story. Sometimes, however, it takes a little more digging to get both sides.


Confidence is key
Posted 10/10/2014:  As any journalist knows, trying to contact sources is always frustrating. When working on a story this week, I had to try to contact someone at MoDot. Even though I called multiple times, I was never able to get in contact with anyone. I felt like I really needed their perspective on this story because I needed to know what they were going to do about the dangerous guardrails on Missouri highways.

I was eventually able to interview someone from the non-profit that had conducted this guardrail story, and I appreciated their input, but I felt like I didn't produce the best story possible because I didn't get the sources that I needed to.

But, I learned something about journalism because of it. I learned that a journalist has to be assertive and stand their ground when contacting and interviewing sources. In order for them to respect you and respect your profession, you can't be shy about contacting people. This confidence when contacting sources is something that I used to struggle with, but I have definitely become so much better at this since working at MDN.


Enterprise story
Posted 10/03/2014:  Right now I'm working on an enterprise/feature story for the semester, and I think it's going okay so far. My story is about homelessness in Missouri, particularly because of the bad weather coming up in the next couple months. At least, that's what my original focus was.

However, I've been doing some research and I think I am going to look more into the recession and how that affected homeless populations. I found a statistic from the US government that said homelessness in Missouri increased by 37.4% between 2007 and 2013.

Also, I'm really looking forward to an interview I have set up on Monday. I'm going to the Center of Hope shelter in Jefferson City to talk to them about their facilities and the shelter and issues facing the homeless and homeless shelters in Missouri. I'm hoping this interview will give me a real-world perspective and great insight into the homeless population in Missouri. I'm also hoping this interview will serve as an anchor to base the rest of my research and interviews around.

Maybe next week I'll blog about how it went and what I learned.


A History Lesson
Posted 09/26/2014:  This week I learned a little lesson in the importance of research. I was working on a story about a congressional candidate's news conference asking the governor for clemency in the case of a man imprisoned for marijuana possession. Jeff Mazinskey was given a life sentence without parole after he was convicted of marijuana possession in 1993. When I went to the news conference, the candidate talked a lot about how Mazinskey had served more than enough time for the crime he committed, and that he should be released so he can reenter society as a tax-paying citizen.

When I wrote my first drafts of my radio wraps, I wrote mostly about the news conference and the marijuana charge in 1993. When I gave them to my editor, he told me there was actually more to the story and I needed to look more into the history of the case in order to portray the full picture. When I went back and did some research and looked at some old MDN stories, I found out that the 1993 charge was actually Mazinskey's third felony marijuana conviction. This was a really important element of the story, and I had missed it at first.

Because of this, I learned that one of the first things I need to do when working on a story is go back into our databases and find out if we have previously done a story on it. This is a great source for the information we need to write the best, clearest, fullest stories we can.


Water and highway merge
Posted 09/18/2014:  This week I reported on a story about a new House review committee that is investigating the state's 2011 merger Water Patrol Division and State Highway Patrol. It was a fascinating story, because this committee came days after the Kansas City Star reported that an officer involved in a drowning earlier this year possibly hadn't been trained adequately.

The House representatives I talked to for comment said this event is one of a couple that essentially sparked the formation of the committee. They're now looking at the 2011 merger to see if safety and training standards declined since then. Rep. Diane Franklin, who will chair the committee, said this recent drowning is the leverage they needed. She also said that when legislation was passed in 2010 to enact the merge, people from the Lake of the Ozarks area didn't support it, and neither did her predecessor as representative.

Another thing to note: although I knew that state representatives and senators had other careers and backgrounds, it was interesting to see how these careers affect their policy positions. These different backgrounds can also help journalists out when trying to talk to relevant sources. One of the representatives I talked to about this story was an ex-state trooper, so he definitely added a valuable and interesting perspective.


The 17-hour day
Posted 09/12/2014:  Wednesday was the veto session, and I knew from the beginning I was in for the long haul. Others told me that there were a huge number of vetoes the legislature was trying to override, and this meant we had to be prepared for a busy and hectic day. I was assigned a couple of things to focus on, so I tried to do as much research as possible before the big day arrived.

However, in journalism you can prepare as much as you want but you still can't predict what will happen once you're really out in the field. That's something I definitely learned during the veto session. On Wednesday I quickly realized that the things I was assigned to do wouldn't be happening until much, much later. I'm not the type of person to just sit around and do nothing. So I tried to busy myself as much as I could throughout the day to help the newsroom and others.

We had someone covering an abortions-rights opponents rally going on inside the Capitol, but I was checking Twitter when I found out that there was also an abortions-rights advocates rally going on outside. I knew the abortion waiting period bill was going to be a huge issue today, and I knew we didn't have anyone covering this rally, so I grabbed an audio recorder and headed out the door.

There was a period of time when I felt so lost because I didn't know what to do. It was kind of upsetting because I just wanted to feel useful on this hectic day. My assignments were still not brought up in the legislature, and I wasn't sure what I could or should do. After a while I pulled myself together and did what any good journalist would do in this situation: I wrote a story.

Although not the original story I was assigned, I knew I had enough audio and information from the rally earlier in the day that I could pull something together. I was finally able to produce a couple of radio stories supplementing the reporting that was already going on about the abortion bill. In the end, I actually felt useful.

This was an important lesson for me. Sometimes (okay a lot of the time) things don't go as planned. But it's important for a journalist to use their critical thinking skills to get things done, even when what needs to be done isn't completely clear. After spending 17 hours in a marble building, I was able to go home feeling ever-so-slightly accomplished.


An Unexpected Day
Posted 09/07/2014:  The fast-paced style of news is something I'm still getting used to. It can make you feel slightly overwhelmed at times. But most of the time it makes you feel energized and alive, as if you can do anything and be anything.

Last Wednesday I had prepared myself for a pretty calm day. I was working on a story about the vetoed e-cigarette bill, and I had everything pretty much under control. I had completed all of my interviews the week before, and I did some work from home so that I didn't come into the newsroom feeling unprepared.

However, my calm day changed as soon as I stepped into the newsroom. I walked in and was immediately sent off to the Missouri Supreme Court to cover a case. The case was about a police officer who had arrested a man in 2009. The officer was subsequently charged with burglary, property damage and assault. He appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, saying he was within his authority as an officer to enter the man's home and arrest him.

It was an interesting case, particularly in the wake of Ferguson. It brought into question the extent of the authority and privileges given to police officers. When is a line crossed?

Although my day did not begin as anticipated, it was an exciting and fascinating day and I'm grateful for the opportunity. It was a great lesson that all journalists must learn: expect the unexpected.


Learning the Lingo
Posted 08/28/2014:  This past week was my first as a statehouse reporter for Missouri Digital News. It was definitely more than intimidating at first. There is so much to learn, from the equipment to the reporting to the Capitol Building. I've seriously been lost in the building multiple times already. One time, after I finally found the office of a senator I was interviewing, he asked me why I was out of breath and I had to explain to him that I'd quite literally been walking all around the building. Not only that, but there is also just so much political jargon that I have to get used to. Of course, I've taken government classes before. But that just does not compare to the real-world experience I'm gaining while I'm here.

I know that I will get used to it. I think I'm already kind of getting used to the daily operation. I've got my first few interviews under my belt (and I learned how to record phone interviews!) and I'm working on a story that I'm truly interested in. I know it will take a little bit of time to get used to the unique language of the newsroom and the politicians, but it will be so beyond worth it. I'm grateful to attend a school that provides opportunities such as this one, where I can learn so much and prepare myself for working in this field after I graduate.