Omar S. Rashad عمر
@omarsrashad
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accountability reporter @fresnoland // deputy editor @objectivejrn // proud community college grad // once led @eccunion , muckraked at @cpmustangnews
fresno
Joined June 2018
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Pinned Tweet
Three months after our
@fresnoland
investigation into whether Fresno's budget process may have been violating California's Brown Act since 2019:
@ACLU_NorCal
and
@FACoalition
have sued Fresno City Council over its "secret budget committee."
Our latest:
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once they put em dashes on keyboards it's over for yall
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what do you mean no clear explanation,, were y'all expecting a killer whale spokesperson to set up a press conference in the Pacific Ocean 😭😭
Around 30 killer whales were spotted in Monterey Bay over weekend -- with no clear explanation why so many had gathered.
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Me to my editor: Hey! Thanks for checking in, almost done with my story!
ⓘ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱
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Me updating my editor on how the story is going
Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!
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Exactly one year ago, on my 19th birthday, I woke up to one of the worst emails ever. It was from USC's Financial Aid Department. A few weeks later, a journalism industry executive told me he didn't know what I was doing in college bc I was at a *community college*. A thread: 1/?
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In late July, I tweeted a thread about my experiences with elitism in journalism. It got a huge response and I'm glad to say an editor at
@Poynter
reached out to me to see if I could turn it into an essay.
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what is student journalism twitter other than:
1/ i hate transcribing 😩
2/ just closed 100 tabs after finishing a story 😭
3/ look i wrote a little something plz read 🥺
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Hiring journalists of color but only giving them temporary positions
What's something that FEELS like it will save journalism, but won't.
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some personnel news:
this summer, I’ll be headed to
@sfchronicle
as a metro reporting intern. I'm super excited and grateful for the opportunity to do local journalism at a major daily. A lot of people have been in my corner pushing me along so here's a quick thank you thread:
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When journalists fail to recognize the humanity in the people and community they purport to serve, it creates a detached and useless press.
This leads to harmful complicity. here's a thread:
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"(Insert university employee) forwarded me your request for a phone interview. I am the media relations director at (insert university) and all interview requests go through me. You can email me your questions and we'll get back to you." 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
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I first heard about this program three years ago and have followed every single class of
@propublica
emerging reporters since then.
Truly grateful to be one of six student journos selected this year 😭😭😭
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Hey y'all, quick life update:
Next week, I start as the metro intern at
@seattletimes
.
I'm nervous and excited, but also ready. My ≈1,000 mile drive north to Seattle begins this afternoon and I'll be stopping by at least one waterfall on the way there :))
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Really appreciate those saying that young journos shouldn't accept toxic work environments but I don't think that acknowledges the power dynamic.
How are interns or early career journos supposed to "demand" things during their first few years in this industry?
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just no getting past the fact that national news and our "prized" journalism institutions have shamelessly turned their backs on student journalists who are courageously reporting on an incredibly historic moment on their campuses
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UPDATE: The
@latimes
updated their story on Cal Poly isolating COVID-positive students in hotels to say
@CPMustangNews
broke the story first.
Student journalism matters and the ways we serve our communities are greatly substantive. Thank you for acknowledging that,
@latimes
.
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This is the toxic language that I'm hopeful will change with young folks in this industry calling it out. Equity issues in this industry should not be lauded for being part of "the grind." Just because you can afford to be unpaid and taken advantage of, doesn't mean others can.
One other layer...for future journalists...your first few years feel unpaid. I made 16.5k my first two years and worked harder than I’ve ever worked. There is a reason not everyone makes it in this business. I don’t have time for those of you who don’t understand grind ✌🏼
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hey y'all, life update:
I'm back in California! Starting this week, I'm the government accountability reporter at
@fresnoland
.
I'm thrilled to be back in nonprofit news — in a role where I can use data to report accountability stories on public spending and inequality.
We're excited to share that
@omarsrashad
joined the Fresnoland team this week as our first government accountability reporter! His reporting will examine public spending, contracts, and inequality. You can reach out to him with story ideas and tips at omar
@fresnoland
.org
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@jaboukie
since the beginning, i found it strange to root for any of the three siblings, but most horrid is rooting for roman after we see him abusing practically every woman in his life, whether it's over the course of a long relationship or a brief professional encounter.
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my entire timeline: swifties crying, screaming, throwing up
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entry level journalism jobs 😔😔
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New twitter bio because today's my first at
@sfchronicle
as a metro and breaking news reporting intern! If you have any food recs, puns and news tips (especially higher ed-related), please get in touch!
DMs open or email me: omar.rashad
@sfchronicle
.com
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Israeli government bombs your office in Gaza but no y'all wanna fire an intrepid young journalist who advocated for human rights in college.
You can have all the panels on DEI at any journalism conference but it won't change how scared young journalists are in this industry.
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my mom!! taught me!! how to make her butter chicken!!
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Some professional news! Last week was my last at
@seattletimes
. I had a great time this summer and got to work with a few really great editors and fellow interns.
While I'm figuring out next steps, I'm eager to get back into freelancing.
Here's a thread of what I can do:
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Also, this stigma against community colleges is so outdated. Not only are you saving at least $20k by spending two or more years there, you're surrounded by students who come from humble backgrounds not commonly represented at universities.
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journos say work life balance and having an identity outside of work is important but the name of your employer is literally in your Twitter handle 😂
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Last note: This industry shouldn’t make folks feel ashamed of their school. The school you attend has a lot to do with your financial status. Your financial status has a lot to do with your background. Your background is what makes you who you are.
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“The moral question of getting it before somebody else was outweighed by the fact that there are doses being wasted,” Jasmine, a 28-year-old designer from Echo Park who asked that her last name not be used, said Friday morning."
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me praying my source sees my email, text and missed phone call
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reminder: being on this app makes it feel like everybody is winning and you're not. especially among student journos. that's definitely not the case. april and may went south for me for lots of reasons. its okay to go through ups and downs.
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contention for an opportunity is elitism at its core. The journalism industry is more likely to recognize you if you come from an elite private school, instead of for the work you produce and the stories you write when you're young and looking for a job. I learned that firsthand.
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"therapy should be required for journalists"
— my non journalist roommate
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I wish I just relaxed in high school. There was so much unnecessary competitiveness (a lot of it centered around college apps and getting into the best university) that never amounted to any true growth & instead just led to insecurity of not doing enough and constant pressure.
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Last note on this: student journalists are trampled over a lot. We deserve credit for stories we report just like any other journalist. That's a bare minimum.
The work I do is professional. The only difference is I don't get paid a normal salary/living wage to do this.
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I start most of my interviews with asking a source if they've spoken to a reporter before and then I explain process. Takes two minutes and then we get into my actual questions.
This helps set expectations, which includes how sources can't review my work before publication.
The journalists sharing stories debate is also arguably a media literacy issue too.
Audiences don’t always realize not all newsrooms allow that practice and not all journalists ask if an interviewee has ever been interviewed before to make sure they understand the process.
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My final story for
@seattletimes
got published over the weekend.
It's about obstacles Hmong farmers face in the Puget Sound, and how racist land distribution laws from 100+ years ago play into who owns farmland today, and who's stuck renting it, too.
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Did I email all 23 Cal State universities last week?
Yes.
Did I find out that
@CalPoly
is housing more students than any other Cal State?
Also yes.
For
@CPMustangNews
, I dive into what 4,500 students living on campus during a pandemic means. A thread:
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This industry can't claim it seeks to tell compelling stories if it erases & ignores those eager to tell them, especially those from underrepresented and “nontraditional” backgrounds. That is a disservice to underrepresented and marginalized communities we purport to serve.
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When you get a notification from Google docs that your editor is making changes to your story
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I link to this story bc of this stat:
"65% of summer interns from a group of publications including The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, NPR and Los Angeles Times, came from among very selective universities in the nation."
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I'm looking through Report For America listings and I'm honestly seeing dream entry-level positions just stacked on top of each other
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This is really worrisome. I don't think journalism went through a "racial reckoning" last year. Yet this survey, of which 86.9% of respondents are white, is being used to say this industry has made notable progress.
More than a year after the news industry's racial reckoning, journalists are reporting notable changes, including new training programs, hiring procedures and policies around language.
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Ignoring this correlation, regardless of intention, means this industry is not ready to meet its flaws. It will be/remain out of touch if it is comprised primarily of students and graduates who come from highly selective schools. This needs fixing.
-end-
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i sometimes fantasize about what life would be like as a student journalist if I didn't have to take on a full time unit course load and could just focus on reporting lol
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some days I reflect on how deeply and profoundly community college shaped and continues to shape how I think about the world around me, how I approach journalism and so much more. it was an educational experience that lasted just two years for me, but its impacts are immense.
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My mom after hearing what I'm working on: So why don't you quote me?
Me: No I can't do that, that's conflict of int—
Mom: See you never quote me but you'll quote everybody else!
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got my ✨first✨ "you're funneling lies from Washington DC into the newspaper" reader email 🥰
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The people most heavily impacted by terrible air quality in Los Angeles aren't the same people ordering a "gluten free vegan adaptogen-infused turmeric smoothie."
The way people ignore BIPOC even when discussing conditions that disparately impact them never ceases to shock me.
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the journalistic urge to explain why chris cuomo is NOT how ethics work in journalism, not just in the last few months but LAST YEAR when he was interviewing his governor brother on live tv and the people at CNN who enabled that shouldn't be working there right now either!!!!!
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It's a weird time to feel happy about things. My summer internship ended two weeks ago but
@Calmatters
is keeping me this fall as a fellow with the College Journalism Network. I'm thrilled to keep working on compelling higher ed stories at a news org I love.
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when all the sources you've been trying to reach call you back right before a deadline
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Applying to jobs means calling back unsaved numbers after missing their call, worrying it's an editor at a news org you applied to but then you find out it's just a random sales company
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All I'm asking for from Hollywood is a fast-paced thriller about a pair of student journalists who work together to investigate their university.
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hey y'all! super excited to say that i'm part of
@aaja
Voices this year!
I remember first hearing about
@aajavoices
when I was at
@aajajcamp
in 2017. Five years later, here I am. Can't wait to get to work :))
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was attending because I simply could not afford to rake thousands of dollars in debt, somehow brought me down as an applicant, so much that it overshadowed my clips, work experience and skills I bring to the table. The fact that my school could remove me from ...
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Do I, a recent community college grad who is transferring to a CSU this fall, have a place in this industry? I have not even truly entered the journalism industry yet and already elitism casts an ominous shadow on some of my first experiences and impressions of this industry.
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You ever talk to a source and feel so energized by the compelling conversation that it's inspired you to get through the rest of your day when before you were feeling kinda sulky bc oh my god!!
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Unfortunately, this is part of a larger habit of high-profile news organizations failing to acknowledge local journalists who do the muckraking and how their local coverage helps news organizations with a larger coverage scope understand what’s going on.
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i analyzed a data set for 2.5 hours so i could write a paragraph this afternoon : )
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I really wish more people contextualized themselves and their lives within this *world*. If more people were aware of global issues and systems, there would be a lot less ignorance in the world and perhaps less use of terms like "3rd world shithole."
@Casey
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THREAD: In early May, I noticed something new at
@CalPoly
: banners on lightposts across campus featuring recent graduates.
I found out that the banners overrepresent the Black student population at Cal Poly.
My latest for
@CPMustangNews
:
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Imposter syndrome is like having the experience of riding a bike for years yet you feel you need training wheels. Even though you've repeatedly done fine without them, you can't help but think your "wins" were fluke. So you don't really feel like you know how to ride a bike.
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What were you doing, blissfully unaware of the future, minutes before the president announced on Twitter he tested positive for the coronavirus?
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Here's another stat. I'm honestly content this recently came to light:
"In nearly a decade, The Times has hosted more than 250 interns and Metpro fellows. Only 4% of those spots have gone to students from Cal State universities."
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NEW: I obtained multiple documents that confirm two students tested positive for the coronavirus on the third floor of Muir Hall. This comes after three weeks of
@CalPoly
stonewalling us each time we ask for where outbreaks have occurred on campus.
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It took a solid 30 minutes for those words to really sink in. I cried that day. I'm able to quote this because these comments are seared in my mind. I don't think I can truly articulate how discouraging and scary it is to hear that my school, my community college, which I ...
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I've never understood the anti-wikipedia sentiment. It's one of a few places I go to begin researching most topics (more specifically the footnotes that contain sourcing are very helpful).
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this is a good time to plug
@dansinker
's em dash button, which is in my bookmarks bar.
I click this link every time I need an em dash :))
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accidentally left otter recording after an interview haha and it caught me reacting to something really interesting
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CC:
@GregoryYYee
,
@bj_terhune
,
@hbecerraLATimes
,
@shelbygrad
,
@meridak
I'd really appreciate if you can credit
@CPMustangNews
for breaking the news in your (below) story,
@latimes
.
I'm sure your reporter read my reporting before they wrote this story:
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Tweets like this really tell you the state of media literacy in the US lol
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me getting ready to send out internship applications in the middle of a pandemic 🥴
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I hope y'all know there's so little diversity in media criticism in terms of coverage and who does the coverage (critics).
so right now you've got a bunch of college journos and early career journos filling that gap on this bird site. because we want this industry to do better.
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Hello friends, this week is the beginning of the school year, so some personal news as they say:
I'm the new data and investigations editor at
@CPMustangNews
. Super excited to lead a team of analysts and reporters focused on deeply-reported stories about the
@CalPoly
community.
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Some of the best accountability journalism I read comes from student newspapers and they absolutely deserve more attention. It sometimes mystifies me how 20 year old kids are keeping university administrators accountable.
I would love to see more of that aggressive accountability journalism on the education beat, which not always but too often defaults to the district, school, or staff perspective rather than focusing on whether schools are meeting the needs of kids, parents, and the community.
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James Cordon hip thrusting has appeared on my timeline at least a dozen times today please make it stop
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the journalim industry is.... not great.
but the journalism community is amazing. lots of supportive people here who want to see you succeed. there are also a lot of people I want to see succeed. :')
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In 2020, I got in touch with a lot of people through this site. Mainly folks in journalism. It's incredibly encouraging to be in touch with people who are thinking critically about journalism and doing amazing work in their communities.
Hoping to do more of this in 2021!
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not me using seven em dashes in a five page paper due in 20 minutes
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I think this Washington Post editor needs some training in trauma-informed reporting.
Imagine your first impulse here is to wag your finger at student journalists — who are empathetically reporting on the impact of a shooting that claimed the lives of three students.
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He said that because I was "at a community college and not a four-year university," he just "didn't know what I was doing there." If I was "at a four-year, like USC," I "could have probably ended up with a summer internship at" his company, considering the clips I had already.
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Told my parents I wouldn't be able to come home for Eid. I showed up out of nowhere last night. My sister, mom and dad were all in tears 😭😭 anyways, today is a very very blessed day.
#EidMubarak
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"i probably shouldn't tell you about this because you're gonna go out and report on it" is such a massive confidence boost... like...... you think I — a burned out senior in college w imposter syndrome — am a capable journalist??
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My first time not being a student (looking for an internship) at a journalism conference 🥲🥲
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This is sooooo true but despite student journalism being a thankless and mostly unpaid job, student news orgs are sometimes the only medium through which community members feel seen and acknowledged. There's nothing better than hearing your story got to the *right* people.
the college newspaper had me working 40 hours a week, skipping class and disregarding my social life all for 3 people and some mean commenter named “Mom with Greek Son” to read it…. tell me that’s not a cult
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I did the investigative leg work of talking with countless students confirming different elements of this situation.
Without that and without my story, I doubt the
@latimes
reporter would even know what's going on or know what questions to ask.
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Really appreciate the
@latimes
asking for your community college (if applicable) on its summer internship applications
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BREAKING: The CSU will require in-person faculty, staff and students to be immunized against COVID-19 by September 30.
This is a reversal of what the CSU announced in April, when it said it would wait for full FDA approval of vaccines before requiring them.
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sad to report that there are too many important stories to cover and still too little time!!!!!!!
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"I left comments in the doc, let me know when you finish those edits"
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