After the Earthquake: Italians Recover Their Pets

There is an article on the front page of ANSA.com that caught my attention today about pets that have been found alive and well in the rubble a full week after the tragic earthquake. The local authorities are having difficulty locating the owners of the fortunate animals because the citizens are so dispersed because of the disaster. Dog collars or even implanted tracking microchips don't really help when the address and phone number provided no longer exists.

The article ended with a first hand story told by a couple from Rome who lost their dog on the day of the earthquake and were just reunited with him. It really is a touching story. Here is the portion of the article:

"One such story emerged on Easter Sunday, when a tiny grey dog was pulled alive and well from the remains of a hotel after spending eight days trapped beneath rubble. Nicknamed "Pasqualina", meaning Little Easter, by rescue workers, the dog was staying in a L'Aquila hotel with her owners from Rome when the quake struck. The couple only realized their beloved pet was trapped inside after fleeing the hotel. "At that point it was too late - the stairs had collapsed and when I tried to get back in, the floor gave way as well," explained Marcello Luciolimoli, who had to be held back by firefighters as he struggled to get in. The couple eventually gave up and returned to Rome. But on Easter Sunday, they rushed back to L'Aquila for an emotional reunion with Pasqualina, after rescue workers tracked them down through her microchip."

In all of the journalism classes I have taken so far, I have been taught to write "people stories." This term means to lead the article with a news worthy individual and their particular situation or perspective on a broad issue. The purpose is write with the intention to immediately relate to the reader and hook them in with the first paragraph and then explain the broader perspective and end off with the technical aspect. This article did the exact opposite. I thought that was interesting to see; maybe it shows a different way that Italian news consumers read information or what journalists deem as most crucial to their article.