The Unmentioned

Suggested by the 9/11 Commission — which found that the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had many state driver’s licenses and government ID cards — the Real ID Act requires states to issue driver’s licenses that are more secure in the hope of making them difficult to use for illegitimate purposes. ... The act was passed by Congress in 2005, but enforcement of it was postponed for several years. After the final requirements came out in January, states were given until May 11, 2008, to implement it.

After that, only Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses and cards will be accepted to board a plane, or enter a federal courthouse or pretty much anything else that’s federal.
...
Pennsylvania, along with a majority of states, applied for an extension on implementing the act.
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PennDOT spokeswoman Danielle Klinger said the extension granted to Pennsylvania will allow residents to continue using their current driver’s licenses through 2009. (Bruni, timesonline.com)

Bruni's article is a no-nonsense approach. She gives you the facts about the Real ID Act early--on a broad, national scope--and then zooms in on Pennsylvania to connect the controversy surrounding the issue to local communities and their residents.

I like the fact that she uses brief headings to divide the content of her article, hitting on all the major points of concern for local audiences: "the extension," "the cost," "the controversy," and "the future." This makes it clear why people living in Pennsylvania should be concerned. Bruni also includes a brief section where she explains exactly how the Real ID license will differ from a traditional driver's license and another that highlights the opinions of a few people who live in the area.

I think The Setonian should consider this as one way to make news articles about national or regional issues relevant to the local community. If we wrote articles on other controversial topics and showed people in Greensburg how it might affect their lives, for instance, we would be going a long way towards expanding our audience with an appeal to new interests (of course, such articles would still be appealing to SHU students, too).

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