Risk evaluation. Supply and demand.

I agree that we need to pare down on the web shells. I've really enjoyed the project planning side, but I'm feeling the follow-through crunch. And I'm wondering how it fits into my ultimate goal of the semester: to leave the Missourian with a portfolio that will get me a job. If shells as we see them now work out, it could get me a job. But not necessarily one I want.

Yet, I think trying something new is refreshing, necessary and a way to test my skill set. I think compromise is best. By working as a larger group with each of us taking on a smaller piece of a pie, we lower the risk of not having the portfolio we want when the semester's over. But we also increase the chances of success. In my energy reporting, I've been diving into a stronger understanding of supply and demand and how the biofuel boom is changing the equation. So please, pardon the economic comparison.

We have 15 advanced reporters or so. We have a set supply. The supply could be supplemented by 4450 students who aren't up to speed on the project and are still trying to get used to reporting. It's almost like replacing 24 karat gold with a metal alloy. It can pass some people's muster, but a jeweler or news connoisseur will know the difference. Fixed supply.

Now for demand. Non-journalism classes. Other journalism classes. Copy editing (boo...). Jobs, ones we have to do to attend school in the first place and ones we need after graduation. Extracurricular commitments. Friends, family, significant others. Advanced reporting for a beat. Delegating and working on an in-depth web report we've endearingly called shells and they're no where near a beach. Long reporting projects. There are countless demands for our time and energy.

There's also another demand - the demands of our reader for quality reporting. From what everyone is saying, and what I feel, is that we want this project to be a quality project. We want something we can point to and say "Yessir, we did that. Isn't it thourough? It gives you all the context you need. It's interactive. Newest technology. Fresh format and all, but, damn, isn't that good reporting?" At this point in our journalism careers, we grasp what quality work is and we know what goes into producing it.

Looking at supply, demand, risk, I think it's best that we condense. And get moving.

Progress: I wrote two stories in one day this week. Both were about the same thing: a release from FAPRI projecting an agricultural outlook for the nation given the changing supply and demand balance. The first story was national in scope and was on the internet by noon. By 3:30, I got Missouri Soybean Association and the Missouri Corn Growers to weigh in on the results, and had a Missouri-wide story for the paper and the internet. Then I did a copy editing shift, ugh. The stories more or less set out a roadmap from my energy project and a potential focus.