Browse: Home / About / Pem’s Clips

Pem’s Clips

Below you will find links to my work from a variety of publications.

This first section is my work from Shore Publishing/zip06.com, where I am the Living editor. As the Living editor, I write, edit, shoot photos, and sometimes shoot videos for  the Living Section for seven weeklies and the website zip06.com that cover the shoreline of Connecticut and the Connecticut River valley. I also serve as deputy editor for town and government news, obits, local features, calendar, and announcements. My recent clips include:

This second section is my work from Patch, where I covered traditional news, including town hall and government, police, public affairs, and businesses in Madison, Guilford, and Clinton. I was equally committed to covering stories about parents, volunteers, churches and civic organizations. Much of our coverage was either overtly or subtly tailored to our core audience, women 40 to 55.

Many of the basic elements of storytelling have remained consistent over time. The way the story is developed and delivered continues to change every day. We can help you make sense of those changes, and figure out the best way to manage your content and tell your story. Photo credit: Pem McNerney

Many of the basic elements of storytelling have remained consistent over time. The way the story is developed and delivered continues to change every day. We can help you make sense of those changes, and figure out the best way to manage your content and tell your story. Photo credit: Pem McNerney

My Patch job included teaching and working with people in the community, to encourage them to post useful, high-quality user generated content to the site. Some of those people became regular, reliable contributors who were recognized in the community for their work on Madison Patch. During emergencies, such as hurricanes, blizzards, or the big fire downtown, they became an essential element of keeping the community connected and informed.

Continual coverage, Facebooking the story, leveraging key access points, and the mom behind the story

On the site, 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 I employed 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.

I specialize in “backpack journalism,” working with a laptop, air card, mobile apps, an  iPhone and DSL camera, often posting directly from the field. Most of the videos were shot, produced and uploaded from the field with an iPhone and the iMovie mobile app.

Here is some of the work from the site:

 

 

 

(Note: Some of the videos with the above stories were lost when Patch migrated over to a new platform in 2013.)

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: