The Early Bird Gets the Worm

I covered a story on the reopening of the Vernon Downs racetrack and casino following its closure due to financial troubles. The state legislature had passed a new law the night before allowing the facility to keep a higher percentage of its revenue from the casino. I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony held at the casino in the morning. In attendance were State Assemblywoman Roann Destito and State Senator Joe Griffo.


The event began at 9:00 AM, and I arrived around 8:40. To my surprise, I was the first member of the media to get there. WTVH and WSYR got there a bit later. Because I was the first to walk in with a microphone, Assemblywoman Destito immediately came up to me and started talking about the story without even being asked. When I had finished interviewing her, Senator Griffo approached me and said, "You know it's my district, too." The two of them had no idea that I was not an actual reporter until after the interviews had taken place; they never asked beforehand. If I had gotten there later, I'm sure I would not have so easily gotten the interviews.


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