In this assignment, you are a reporter for the Centre Daily Times in State College sent to a breaking news story by your editor. You have about 10,000 Twitter followers from throughout Penn State, State College, and beyond. Using your observations below:

1. Write-a push alert from the Centre Daily Times.

2. Write-a Twitter thread that would appear on your personal account.

Both the push alert and the first tweet should start with BREAKING.

Hint: How do you apply informational value in a breaking news situation on social media? What information does your audience need to know in the moment? Think about what you would want to know as a reader if you were learning about the situation on social media.

Your Observations

You arrive at The Phyrst around 10:40 p.m. and the scene is chaos. There's a huge crowd outside the bar and no one seems to know what's happening. People are a combination of drunk and scared. Everyone is decked out in Penn State gear after the football team beat Ohio State earlier in the day.

You do an interview with Mike Dawson and Hillary Jones outside the bar.

You go inside and the normally bustling bar is empty except for two police offers, the bar's staff, and the band Ted and the Hi-Fis, which is packing up its equipment. The band had been in the middle of a set when the shooting occurred.

At 10:45 p.m., Penn State sends a text alert to all students saying that there is an active shooter downtown and to please remain calm but stay inside if possible. This causes everyone to flee the area. State College Police also begin doing crowd control and encouraging people to leave scene.

State College Police Sgt. Jenna Spinelle does a press briefing at 11:00 p.m., which the local TV stations carry live during their 11:00 p.m. newscasts.

Interview with Mike Dawson and Hillary Jones, both Penn State students

Jones: We were just starting another round at Phyrst with when we saw an argument and heard the gun shots. A guy and a girl were talking near the steps to the bar's exit. It sounded like the guy was trying to get the girl to go home with him, but she didn't want to. Another guy who was nearby stepped in to get him to leave her alone and then shots started going off.

Dawson: The shots were the loudest thing I've ever heard. We weren't sure at first if it was part of the band, which was playing pretty loudly. Once we realized it wasn't though, everyone panicked. I happened to look toward the door and see the shooter running up the stairs to get out. It looked like he was wearing a white Penn State hoodie and a dark hat. He looked like he could be a student, but I'm not sure.

Jones: The whole event was very traumatizing; we could not believe what I was seeing. You do not expect to see that kind of thing happen in State College. They say it's so safe here, but maybe it's really not. We were just out having a good time with our friends and celebrating Penn State beating Ohio State. We did not expect to be caught up in a shooting!

Sgt. Jenna Spinelle, State College Police Department

There was a shooting at The Phyrst (111 E. Beaver Ave.) at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

One person was killed in the shooting and another is in critical condition at Mount Nittany Medical Center. The names of the victims will not be released until their families are notified.

According to eyewitness accounts, the shooter appeared to flee down Humes Alley toward Calder Way after the shooting took place. Alcohol may have been a factor in the shooting.

The suspect is unknown and still at large as of 11:00 p.m. Police are searching the Calder Way area and conducting interviews with residents who live in apartments in that area.

We are asking people to call 238-5555 or email &..e@statecollege.com if they have additional information on the shooting or the suspect.