Cheston is a senior print journalism major and history minor attending the University of Missouri and is from Alexandria, Va. This is his first semester at Missouri Digital News covering the crime and public safety beats. After college Cheston intends on returning to the D.C. metro area in hopes of finding a job to continue his passion as a journalist.
Previously Cheston has worked for the Columbia Missourian, Alexandria Times, and NBC affliate WPSD in Kentucky.
You can follow Cheston on Twitter @ChestonMcGuire
Today I read about former State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, being sentenced for his involvement in a cover-up over fliers. It was reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Smith was sentenced to one year and one day for lying to investigators over fliers he had sent out anonymously attacking his Republican opponent U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan in Smith's Congressional run in 2004. I found this to be a shame because of how dumb a crime it was. While I am new to the scene in Jefferson City I have still seen and heard enough to find out that Smith was an up and coming politician that probably would end up on bigger stage later in his career. Instead, because of his lie over such a unfortunate act, he is going to be in jail. Although it took five years to conclude this case, it's now over and so it seems is Smith.
Posted 10/21/2009: In this day and age it seems like with every new kind of tool that is used on the internet a new verb comes from it. At first it started with Google. When you wanted to find something someone would undoubtedly say, "Google that." Now it has expanded to seemingly ridiculous proportions. Lately, when I meet someone, instead of exchanging any kind of information I hear "Facebook me." Definiton, go onto Facebook.com and search for me and then add me as a friend. The one that has really gotten to me lately deals with something I have already said I do not enjoy, Twitter. The actual definition of "tweeting" makes sense, but more and more I find that people are saying "I twittered that earlier." Where will this all end? Instead of reading sports news, will it be "I ESPNed this morning and found that Player X was traded to Team Y." Hopefully the line will be drawn before these new words spiral out of control.
Posted 10/14/2009: Ordinarily I do not use twitter. Yes I am on the site. Yes I check it on occasion and read what some of my favorite athletes or writers are up to. But so far I have tweeted 0 times. But with the addition of the MDN twitter account I have begun to reconsider. As much as I want to fight it, news is being found and told on Twitter. So as much as I do not want to becoming a Twitterer (this word also bothers me, but that's for another day) I must concede. Hopefully by utilizing a tool like this I can find new sources and information and become more connected as a journalist. So, if you would like, follow me @ChestonMcGuire and stay tuned for my very first tweet.eople are saying "I twittered that earlier." Where will this all end? Instead of reading sports news, will it be "I ESPNed this morning and found that Player X was traded to Team Y." Hopefully the line will be drawn before these new words spiral out of control.
Posted 10/07/2009: In what has now been my sixth week at Missouri Digital News I have covered a wide array of topics. From the State Auditors Report to Red Light Camera's, I feel that I have learned a lot. Within these topics I have also done spot journalism and enterprise. I think that there are advantages to both, but overall I enjoy enterprise more. I like coming up with a story idea, researching it and finding as many sources as possible to get it done. For example, with the Red Light Camera story, I called many different cities trying to find out which companies they used. From there I called and interviewed those companies. At that point I still wasn't done. I then called the Columbia City Council among other city agencies and finally I had enough to write. The end result was a good story, or at least I would like to think it was, that covered all the different angles involved in such a hot topic. Now I just have to find more topics like this to work on for the rest of the semester.
Posted 09/28/2009:
Reporting for Missouri Digital News in the fall semester meant that there would only day where the House and Senate would be in session. Eager for the opportunity I arrived early that day and when I went to the Senate Chamber for the Veto Override Session with my paper, pen and recorder. After 30 minutes the session came to a recess for lunch because there were no challenges to Governor Jay Nixon's vetoes. I was slightly disappointed at this because I had always wanted to see the Senate in action, instead all that happened were speeches by senators commemorating those who had died since their last session and the introduction of the man most likely to fill Senator Jeff Smith's, D-St. Louis City, seat. While nothing that happened was newsworthy, I still enjoyed the session because it was interesting to see the rules and regulations that are followed in the Senate Chamber such as how senators are not called by name when they are addressed and the process of passing a motion. Hopefully, if I am given a chance I would like to come back and see the senate in session in the spring.
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