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Pem’s Clips

My current work can be seen at http://madison-ct.patch.com/, where I am the local editor. In addition to covering traditional news including town hall, police, and businesses in town, I am equally committed to covering stories about parents, volunteers, churches and civic organizations. Much of our coverage is either overtly or subtly tailed to our core audience, women 40 to 55.

Examples of coverage this kind of coverage include our Moms’ Talk series. Here is a story from that series written by Sarah Kyrcz, “Is Teenagers’ Texting Too Much? Moms’ Talk Today At 3 p.m.” Another example of this coverage is the “Days Like This” column by Lisa Nee.

One of our most popular stories was “Standing-Room-Only Crowd Rocks First Congregational Church Along With Shoreline Soul Choir.” This story was popular not only on its own merits, but also because I employed a variety of techniques including continual coverage, Facebooking the story, leveraging key access points in town, hooking in with the “cool kids,” and understanding the mom behind the story. In addition, I used the old fashioned technique of passing out hundreds of fliers about the story, to connect with people who might be online, but might not otherwise run across the site.

Other techniques that I employ on the site include harnessing the crowd and cloud by employing the shout stream, story comments, and other site tools; directory linked retail coverage; and putting an emphasis on stories that encourage people to do something or talk about something, preferably at the dinner table with their kids.

Here are some of the stories and videos I have produced:

This national anthem story, which ran shortly after the problem with the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 2011, also was extremely successful. In addition to posting it on Facebook and Twitter, I posted it to other media sites that were discussing the Super Bowl national anthem.

Stories from earlier jobs

In my past jobs, while working as a journalist and writer, I’ve met many interesting people who were willing to talk with me about what they do and why they care about it. Here are some of their stories.

Martha LeBaron Antos: Fearless, Persistent, and ‘Mighty Lively’

Most people these days know how to take some money and turn it into nothing. Martha LeBaron Antos, on the other hand, perfected the art of taking no money and turning it into something. Doing so was something of a necessity for Martha, who died in July at the age of 91.

Solid Gold: State’s Hives Yield Honey of Many Colors and Tastes

When Becky and Ted Jones got married 30 years ago, their wedding gifts included towels, sheets, china and a beehive.

A beehive?

“I thought it was a little strange at the time,” Becky says.

The Blessed Drink: Zen and the Art of Drinking Tea

When it comes to tea, Pearl Dexter is particular about what she drinks, how she prepares it and the way she drinks it. She is so particular, in fact, that when she travels she takes her own kettle to boil the water, a pot to steep the tea and her favorite brand of tea.

Naltrexone: A Quitter’s Answer to Watching the Waistline? (Please see Page 5)

If there is one thing worse than trying to quit smoking, it’s trying to quit smoking and not gain weight. In fact, some people, particularly women, smoke in an effort to prevent weight gain. Their worries about gaining weight can be a barrier to treatment. Stephanie O’Malley, Ph.D., at Yale University, is trying to address this treatment barrier.

Mom’s Book Helps Kids Cope With Parent’s MS

When a parent is sick, even for a little while, it can be tough on the kids. When a parent is stricken with something like multiple sclerosis, repeat attacks of the disease can leave children scared, frustrated and angry. One mother who recognized that problem decided to write a book to help children understand the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and cope with their parent’s illness.

Don’t Rely on Doctors When it Comes to New Drugs

Do you sometimes feel like your doctor is out of the loop when it comes to details about new drugs? You might be right in some cases, and their ignorance can kill, experts say.

Food Fight! Group wages war against unhealthy eats; restaurant owners cry foul

Do you have a brief pang of guilt when you ask for that big bucket of popcorn at the movies, knowing it’s made with fattening coconut oil? If so, you have the Center for Science in the Public Interest to thank.

After Flexner, a new start

The release of the Flexner Report in 1910 was bad news for most of the nation’s medical schools. Commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to evaluate the ability of U.S. medical schools to train new doctors, consultant Abraham Flexner’s verdict was that most weren’t up to the task.

From our neighborhood community site:

Lee Manor Association Fourth of July Parade 2010 from Pem McNerney on Vimeo.

Photographs from the parade can be viewed on the photography page.

Clips from Yale

I developed the Yale Tomorrow and the New Residential Colleges sites, working as part of a team. I was the editor for these site, and wrote stories, including these:

I also developed the Quit With Yale site, working as part of team, and wrote many of the articles, including these: