Local Lookout – Medill National Security Zone

Alabama nonprofit unites PTSD-afflicted vets, military dogs for shared healing

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 17:10:08 +0000

A June 22 post on the Alabama news blog Yellowhammer by Elizabeth Beshears profiles an initiative by an area organization to help veterans with PTSD adopt former service dogs suffering from the canine version of the condition to help each other recover. Read the story, which tackles a nationwide military health issue and localizes it through the lens of a local business’ endeavor – as well as sheds light on the more obscure issue of military-dog health – here.

Kentucky photographer uses family photos to give back to active-duty military

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 17:08:42 +0000

A June 23 multimedia package from Lexington, Kentucky-based Lex18.com profiles the work of Tara Baldwin, a photographer from Jessamine County who has made it a mission to provide free photo-shoots to active-duty military families while the servicemen and women are home on leave. Find out more about this innovative exercise in giving back to U.S. military members via the video and text stories, which do a great job of telling a soft news story without sacrificing any audience impact, here.

Texas military moms create online haven for parents of children in uniform

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 17:07:27 +0000

A June 22 multimedia package by Karla Castillo of KBTX.com in College Station, Texas tells the story behind a Facebook support group built by local military moms to help families dealing with separation from their children in uniform. It excels at uniting quality local storytelling with a widespread human issue, resulting in a story that hits home for military parents the world over. Check out the video and print stories here.

Female veterans, Maryland natives transition to life after active duty

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Wed, 20 May 2015 13:00:42 +0000

In a May 8 piece for Southern Maryland Newspapers Online published on SoMdNews.Com, staff writer Sara K. Taylor tells the stories of two female veterans’ journeys from active-duty military careers (in the Navy and Air Force) to college students. The story does a stellar job of tackling the issue of veteran education as well as the unique challenges faced by female veterans transitioning into civilian life, through a local lens.

Read it here.

Remember the Alamo? Poll shows GOP voters torn as to whether Texas is under military attack

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Tue, 19 May 2015 13:00:50 +0000

According to a May 14 story on Texas’ KVUE.com, a poll by a “left-leaning polling firm” found that 32 percent of would-be voters in the Republican primary feared that the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise was actually a government conspiracy to invade Texas. The conspiracy theory, notably backed by actor Chuck Norris, has garnered national attention, despite the fact that civ-mil training exercises take place on a regular basis throughout the U.S.. This piece did a great job of tracking the national political implications of a local military story that happened to pick up national traction.

Read it here.

Columnist lends local context to the logic behind California’s drought

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Mon, 18 May 2015 14:01:52 +0000

In a May 13 piece for latimes.com, columnist George Skelton breaks down some of the geographical context behind California’s intense drought conditions for non-locals attempting to understand the root cause of the issue. The column touches on everything from rainfall averages and climate to changing topography and how different bodies of water within the state are connected.

The piece is a prime example of how localized geographical expertise can lend much-needed context to a national security issue – in this case, water security. It also proves that you can incorporate hard data and still create a compelling read.

Check it out here.

The soldiers behind the storms: Meet Fort Bragg’s 18th Weather Squadron

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Mon, 11 May 2015 07:13:01 +0000

An April 27 story by Chick Jacobs for The Fayetteville Observer’s website, fayobserver.com, gives the local audience a crash course on Fort Bragg’s 18^th Weather Squadron – whose job it is to generate weather forecasts ahead of military missions to determine whether they’re safe to carry out.

Check out the story, which does a great job of increasing the public’s understanding of what could otherwise be a mysterious military unit and contextualizing its core job description in layman’s terms, here.

Hemp-ering military readiness: Utah columnist examines obscure Air Force base regulation’s implications

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 20:45:29 +0000

An April 20 story by Mark Saal for Utah’s Standard Examiner takes a playful, yet informative, look at the implications of Hill Air Force Base’s ban on certain hemp-containing products in the name of force readiness. But though the breaking of this rule could potentially land airmen with a dishonorable discharge and a criminal record, Saal explains that committing the infraction could be as simple as consuming the wrong kind of yogurt. Read the column, which presents an innovative and fun angle for covering military readiness on a local level, here.

Two cousins from Illinois arraigned for planned attack on suburban Armory

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 14:12:26 +0000

A March 27 Chicago Tribune story by Jason Meisner, Erika Wurst and Geoff Ziezulewicz profiles a pair of cousins-turned-terror-suspects from suburban Illinois who were foiled in their plan to attack the Joliet Armory. Weaving together court records and other documents, interviews with the suspects’ family members and acquaintances, excerpts from the suspects’ private conversations and more, the piece paints a portrait of the suspects that tackles the issue of homegrown terrorism in a multidimensional way. Check out the story package here.

Nationwide federal agency tag-team leads to crackdown on gang activity in Utah

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 22:25:26 +0000

“Project Wildfire,” a collaborative, nationwide effort between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, resulted in the arrest of 18 Utah-based gang members, according to an April 8 article by Bob Mims of the Salt Lake Tribune and published on SLTrib.com. Read the full story of how a national security initiative resulted in a quantifiable impact on state crime here.