InkTank

Murder mystery wrapping up?

Washington D.C. news has been closely following the investigation of a Bethesda yoga shop murder that occurred on March 12. The attack surprised and terrified many in the area because Bethesda "has long been considered one of the safest spots in the region," according to the Washington Post. 

On Friday, March 18, authorities charged victim-turned-suspect, Brittany Norwood, with the murder of her coworker, Jayna Murray. Initially, Norwood told authorities that two masked men had raped and beat her, but her story has since proven faulty.   

The Washington Post had the most fluid, thorough report on the Montgomery County Police's recent findings in their article posted at 11:37 on Friday, March 18. Both the Washington Times and the Washington Examiner posted articles earlier that evening, though their writing was not as fluid or thorough. 

The Post's lead was very intriguing and informational, while the Times and Examiner leads were strictly informational leads. 

The woman portrayed as the brave survivor of a brutal attack at a Bethesda yoga store has now been charged with killing her coworker.

Describing Norwood as "portrayed as the brave survivor of a brutal attack" is far more compelling than simply saying she was Murray's coworker and supposed victim. 

The strong lead was followed by concise background information, providing readers with a clear understanding of a week's amount of development in the story in a few sentences. 

Loads of Research

It looks like Cheryl W. Thompson is working hard.

Thompson is the solitary byline in a recent article in the Washington Post's continuing coverage on "The Hidden Life of Guns."

In the investigative series, the Post is taking a look at how criminals are getting their hands on weapons and the dire consequences that result. Thompson's piece takes a look at how firearms were used in the killing of police officers since 2000. The lede of the story is a relevant anecdote setting the stage for the rest of the article.

Hattie Louise James was sitting on her front porch in Charlotte when two police detectives emerged from their car. There had been a shooting, they said. Two officers were dead. The gun had been traced back to her.

While the story has faults, (one particular sentence missed editing, stating a perpetrator "had recently been laid off recently from a $12-an-hour welding job.") Thompson compiles an incredible amount of information into an comprehensible story on where guns used to kill police officers come from.

I let go...

The day I made the worst mistake of my life began like any other day.

I was on the National Mall, walking toward the Washington Monument with the latest issue of the Politico in my hand. In fact, it was the first issue of the Politico I had ever picked up. Needless to say I would be excited to get to a place where I could sit down and sift through the newspaper’s contents to satisfy my thirst for ink and paper.

It was a cloudy, gray day, but that in itself was not as ominous a warning as I would have hoped. In seconds the rolling puffs above began to let loose, ever so slowly, and drizzle first one, then another drop onto my skin.