write a brief interview story. Use quotes from at least three of the five sources. Do not quote anyone who hasn't said something relevant. Do some research to get some background on the topic (use the Internet). Include at least a sentence of background in the story. Do not report anything that is not true, even if the source told it to you. Do not report anything you do not understand. Do some research. Then write a short story using a single-sentence news lead and inverted pyramid style. (Don't worry how long the story is; this is a practice exercise.) Scenario: You have interviewed five University College students at the Center of Adult Education, which for the purposes of this Try It we will assume is located in your home town. Your assignment was to find out how University College students feel about penalties for texting while driving. (Your lead should not announce that such a law exists in your home state. That's yesterday's news. Your story is about reaction to the idea of penalties for texting while driving -- and if your state does not yet have such a law, reaction to the possibility it will/has been proposed or it will beimposed. Your lead should summarize what your sources said--specifically, what the prevailing opinion among your sources is. You should include a sentence or two of background about the status of such a law in your home state.)
Here is what the students told you:
Margery Peterson. Margery works in the human resources department at Macy's in downtown Millville, [your home state]. She is working toward a degree in personnel management. She has only taken two classes so far. She said: "I guess it's a good law because I know a lot of people get into accidents when they're on the phone. But it's a hassle to use a hands-free device. I drive to work in Washington every day, and sometimes, I need to call my boss while I'm in my car if I'm stuck in traffic or something. I seems like it's more dangerous for me to fiddle around trying to hook my phone up to a headset than it would be for me just to make a quick call while I'm holding the phone."
Madalyn Cafritz. Madalyn is 34, the mother of two sons and a part-time student. She lives in Maplewood, [your home state]. She is majoring in communications. She is about halfway finished with school. She said: "My sister got into an accident while she was dialing a phone number while she was driving. She didn't get hurt, but she rammed into the car in front of her and people could have been hurt. I think a ban on using a cell phone without a hands-free device could save people like her from getting into accidents. Her accident could have been a lot worse."
Bill Crossland. Bill is graduating this semester. He was on campus to take his last final exam ever. His degree is in business, and he lives in Briarville, [your home state]. He said: "The U.S. Constitution guarantees us the right to free speech, and that includes talking on the phone whenever and wherever we want. This law is unconstitutional. Some court will overturn it. I'm going to ignore this so-called law. I know my rights."
Susan Lynch. Susan is from New York but moved to Oxon, [your home state] 12 years ago to get a job as a graphic designer at a company in the city. She never finished her degree, so she takes communications courses at University College. She has enough credits to make her a sophomore. She said: "I've had a hands-free device since people started talking about this stuff a few years ago. It's a good idea for a law because it can save lives. I hope they also ban texting while driving. That's the real killer."
Paul Deveraux. Paul is a retired school teacher who lives in Pleasantville, [your home state]. He said: "It's just plain common sense to use a hands-free device while you're driving. What's the big deal? All you have to do is put in your earpiece before you start driving, and then if you get a call, you're already set to talk without picking up the phone. I think every state should adopt this law. I hope we're next."