‘A State of Emergency’: Native Americans Stranded for Days by Flooding

This what works is about Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. This reserve is suffering a lot of tragedy due to rain and weather elements. This particular story features one woman who needed to get to a hospital to receive her chemo therapy and was unable to. She fell in a creek and it took her a half an hour to get out. The native residents are riding horseback to travel due to the rough conditions.

This story works because while it is newsworthy it also has a feature aspect to it focusing on certain citizens. It really brings you into the story by adding personal stories. The opening picture used showing the devastation of the water damage and mud is powerful. It clearly shows the sadness in the natives faces. The media in this really focuses on how bad the situation really is.