Author: Shawnya Meyers

Shawnya joined the 5NEWS web department in August of 2015. After growing up in a tiny town in Southwest Missouri, she headed to Fayetteville four years earlier as a freshmen at the University of Arkansas. She graduated from the U of A in May 2015 with a degree in English and Journalism and a (largely unused) minor in Medieval English and Renaissance Studies. Shawnya fell in love with Fayetteville and lives there with her husband, Matthew, and their tiny, sassy mutt named Winston. She survives on a concerning amount of coffee and fruit. When she's not being a journalist, Shawnya enjoys exploring the area and ranking local ice cream and coffee shops. If you have a suggestion or story idea for Shawnya, email her at Shawnya.Meyers@kfsm.com.
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5NEWS Articles

The following articles showcase my work at 5NEWS:

Centerton Teen Finds 7.44-Carat Diamond At State Park

supermans-diamond

CENTERTON (KFSM) — A lucky 14-year-old Centerton boy walked out of an Arkansas state park this weekend with quite the flashy find — his very own diamond.

Read more.

 

Man Facing Murder Charges After Allegedly Slamming On Brakes In Fatal Road Rage Collision

Lawrence finn

CRAWFORD COUNTY (KFSM) — An Alma man was killed and another man arrested on Wednesday (May 24) in a road rage incident, according to authorities.

Read more.

 

Former U Of A Custodian Graduates With Civil Engineering Degree

9579_Chris_Shapley

FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) — After 13 long years, a former University of Arkansas custodian has graduated with a civil engineering degree.

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Ark. House Passes Bill To Exempt College Sporting Events From Campus Carry Law

campus-handgunLITTLE ROCK (KFSM) — The Arkansas House of Representative voted to pass a bill that would exempt athletic facilities from the campus carry law on Thursday (March 30).

Read more. 

To see all of my 5NEWS articles, click here.

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5NEWS Media

Valentine’s Day

The web team made a Valentine’s Day gallery for the anchors, sports director and meteorologists at the station. bobby swoff v-day specialj-penn v-day postb-swoff v-day postG-Lew V-Day PostK-Zo V-day Postd-bobb v-day post

Election Day

I made graphics to share on social media for different elections important in the area. PRESIDENT - Donald TrumpARK. US SENATE - John BoozmanBENTON COUNTY SHERIFF - Shawn Holloway

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Squibb Media

Wilson reminisces about life, career in Ash Grove

John WilsonThis piece of long-form journalism is about a funeral director who has spent his life helping others navigate their grief, only to face his own with the diagnosis of a terminal illness. The article won second place in its category in the 2016 Missouri Press Association’s annual awards.

Read full story here.

Armed Forces Day: An American tradition — sort of

Waving flags, cheering crowds, celebrations honoring American heroes – that’s the patriotic vision inspiring Armed Forces Day. However, the reality is something less spectacular; since it is not a national holiday, Armed Forces Day often gets overlooked, outshadowed by the more popular Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.

Read full story here.

Today’s Lesson: Ag McCannics

Lawrence County cattleman Jim McCann leads state cattlemen

It’s not the dusty boots, leather suspenders, or well-worn cowboy hat that shows this rancher means business, nor is it his title in the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (MCA)—president.

Read full story here.

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Arkansas Traveler Articles

Volunteers are Always Welcome, Especially at UA

At times, it’s hard to find the drive necessary to juggle priorities and finish all the mandatory things that college students must get done. It can be even harder to accept extra tasks purely of your own accord.

Time is precious, so why give it away for free? The warm, fuzzy feelings that volunteers are paid in aren’t exactly the preferred currency of broke college kids. It can be especially hard to be motivated when the prime time for volunteering is 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

Read full article here.

Why Can’t We All Be Friends?

So maybe you don’t look like all the fresh-faced college freshmen, struggling to figure things out or pleading with bankers to give them a loan despite their non-existent credit. Or, maybe your country’s English program didn’t include “y’all” in the pronoun section.

You’re not alone.

Look, no matter what your story is, it’s going to be just a little bit unique. At the same time, you’ll also find someone else on campus who’s walked in your shoes and developed the exact same blisters. No matter how your story began, it doesn’t make you any less of a Razorback now.

Read full article here.

The Pursuit of Happiness is Fleeting; Pursue Meaningfulness

Don the pearls, or throw on sweats? Study English prose, or get a degree in biochemical engineering? Buy Cocoa Puffs, or grab the quasi-healthy Special K? Serious or mundane, we’re surrounded by decisions. Some choices are less clear-cut than others. When that happens, we’re told to follow our hearts and pick what will make us happiest.

Doing what makes us happy is often spouted as the sole secret to leading a good life, but is that all there is to it?

Read full article here.

Read more Arkansas Traveler articles here. 

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Honors Thesis

I researched, wrote and defended a thesis as part of the requirements of the Fulbright Honors College at the University of Arkansas. With my thesis work, I was able to graduate Summa Cum Laude.

Readability of newspapers in Arkansas compared to
regional papers around the nation

Abstract: Newspaper readability plays an important role in how well people perceive and understand the paper. A text’s reading level is one of the main contributors to the document’s readability, so testing articles’ reading level is a way to gauge how a newspaper is serving an area. Newspaper reading levels are also a reflection of the community. Historically, Arkansas has had low reading and literacy levels. Using an average of five readability calculators, this study tests the readability of Arkansas newspapers in comparison to reading levels of newspapers around the nation. Arkansas newspapers averaged nearly a full reading level lower than the other papers, showing that Arkansas still has room for improvement to become competitive nationally. Newspapers face a lot of competition from other types of media, so testing readability is an excellent tool for editors to strike a balance between informing and educating their readers, ensuring appeal and comprehension.

Read the full thesis here.