You can structure this, as we did in the lab, with an anchor lead-in of a sentence or two and then the main story done by a reporter. Or you can just write it as though the reporter is the only voice, except for the sound/video bites you select.
Do not worry about following broadcast style, which is different from print styles. You can assume there will be other images or video (what is typically called "B-roll" video) such as shots of the local lab, technicians testing samples, etc. If you want to note where you'd include such footage, that's fine, but you don't have to do that. Focus primarily on the text of the story and the sound/video bites you would use. You will need to choose which video/audio bites you will use and write the story with transitions--to set up the video/audio bites.
Remember the tips about broadcast writing--write conversationally, start strong, one thought to a sentence, etc.
The virus has not been circulated in the wild since 1968, and as a result, anyone born after 1968 would have no natural immunity to it.
This flu virus caused a worldwide pandemic in the late 1950s. It killed 1 million to 4 million people, including about 70,000 in the United States, in 1957-'58.
Health officials have ordered the labs to destroy the samples of the virus quickly. They are concerned that the virus could spread if a laboratory worker became infected.
Two local laboratories, Oregon Medical Laboratories in Eugene and McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield, received vials of the virus, according to officials at both labs. Both destroyed the samples. Stephen Erfurth, Ph.D., of Oregon Medical Laboratories, said the public should not be alarmed and that chances of a lab employee being infected are "extremely low."
Some information from Klaus Stohr, the World Health Organization's top flu expert:
(this is paraphrased material, not direct quotes):
The virus was released to thousands of laboratories, by a private company, Meridian Biosciences Inc. of Cincinnati. Most samples were sent to labs in the United States but some were sent to labs in Canada and 16 other countries. Meridian Biosciences sent samples of the virus to about 3,700 labs, some in doctor's offices, as part of routine quality control certification conducted by the College of American Pathologists. Officials believe the virus was mislabeled, but they are not sure by whom. The mistake was discovered when a lab in Manitoba, Canada, identified it as part of routine testing. That lab notified the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.
William Motto, chairman and chief executive officer of Meridian Bioscience, said he had no comment.
Available video/audio from interviews: From Dan Rutz, spokesman for the federal Centers for Disease Control: "The people who are handling this are extremely experienced in dealing with potentially dangerous pathogens, and we have no reason to believe there were any breaches. But there's always a concern about a virus to which a sizable part of the population has no immunity, and we're interested in seeing to it that it's neutralized as quickly as possible."
From Klaus Stohr of the WHO: "This virus could cause a pandemic. We are talking about a fully transmissible human influenza virus to which the majority of the population has no immunity. We are concerned."
From Robert Webster, a flu expert at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.: "This is a terrible, terrible mistake. I have been telling WHO for a number of years that this is a dangerous virus that is still out there in more labs than they know." (WHO is the World Health Organization)
The following video/sound bites are from Stephen Erfurth of Oregon Medical Laboratories in Eugene):
"Everyone was surprised, including the College of American Pathologists, that these were in these proficiency-testing specimens. They shouldn't have been sent."
"If a strain like this did get out, it could potentially be very virulent."
"Lab employees worldwide, including those at OML, treat every specimen as if it were deadly."
"Using universal precautions, employees are not going to be infected with these specimens."
Please follow the format for assignments on the web page or the syllabus.