My PWR Portfolio
Context:
This podcast episode (originally 12 minutes though I am only enabled to display 10 for the purposes of this website and its current version) contains a discussion between myself and the marketing coordinator for the Carolina Tiger Sanctuary. This is another landmark along Highway 64 in Pittsboro that cares for animals ranging from tigers, lions, smaller cats, birds, etc. It is a completely non-profit sanctuary that our team was able to visit in early November. We initially stumbled upon it through podcast research ideas in early September when we learned their team was rescuing a group of tigers from Honduras. Naturally curious, we wanted to learn the reason for this rescue and have a conversation regarding its environmental and cultural implications. At the time of this podcast, the rescue had yet to occur, but we were still able to discuss it, amongst many other interesting facets of the sanctuary as a whole.
Rhetorical Strategies:
When thinking about a script, I do my best to obviously consider the audience, context and purpose (three pivotal components that serve as a vital rhetorical triangle). In this instance, the audience (being the Elon community or those interested in Highway 64) are important to address, which I make sure to do at the end of every episode with a call to action for improvement of the podcast via email feedback/a like and comment on our video. Additionally, considering that the Highway64 project is a collaboration between PWR and Environmental Studies students, I made sure to incorporate questions that discussed both an environmental perspective (which had to unfortunately be cut for the purposes of this site, but asked the guest about the reason for North Carolina as the primary habitat for these new tigers) as well as a cultural feel. Making sure to balance these types of questions out (so as not to focus on one topic more than another) is a task I've been learning to manage as the script writer, as well as someone who has never initially worked in environmental studies.
Reflection:
Working on this podcast has given me an entirely new perspective when thinking about PWR. For starters, I have never had to write a script with an environmental perspective in mind. Being able to work with Strickland and Caden has given me great insight into the questions I would have not innately thought to write myself. Over time, I became more equipped at creating these questions and honing instincts for new ideas beyond my original capacity. Additionally, I had yet to work on, or even create, a podcast prior to this project. I believe that my experience in interviewing people in the past for articles with Today at Elon magazine gave me a leg up in having conversations with strangers and sticking to a sort of "script." In this episode specifically, I was looking at the clock and realizing that the questions I had prepared were not enough to reach our preferred time limit. At an attempt to remedy this, there were multiple questions that I actually came up with on the spot throughout this interview. While it was slightly nervewracking to go off-script, it proved fruitful in the end, as it added time to the episode, and actually provided for more fluid and candid conversation with the guest. Though I was initially hesitant to help out with this podcast (as I perceived myself to lack experience in the field), it actually further ignited my professional interest in journalism, which I'm hoping to pursue further upon graduation.