The Process of Developing and Editing a Student Newspaper. Alex James

Transcription

1 The Process of Developing and Editing a Student Newspaper Alex James

2 Table of Contents Overview... Page 3 Staffing... Page 4 Assigning and Tracking Stories... Page 5 Developing an Editorial... Page 6 Editing/ Fact Checking... Page 6 Layout... Page 7 Finishing Touches... Page 8 2

3 Overview The development of a student newspaper is an intricate process. Patience is the key to creating the newspaper efficiently and neatly. There are many steps that go into the process, and many people that contribute. In the development of a paper, no person s job is more important than another s, and no step is more important. The student newspaper will be seen by faculty and students. The newspaper must publish relevant and newsworthy material. The information within the paper must be worth reading, and the newspaper must be visually appealing. 3

4 Staffing Adequate staffing is essential in the efficient production of a student newspaper. To have a fluid production process, each individual must do his or her part to contribute. Staff members include: Reporters: Reporters are the backbone of the newsroom. It is the job of the reporters to contact sources, interview them, and dig to find new aspects of each story. The reporters must take the information given to them from the sources and pull out the key elements to develop a story. Photographers: Photographers photograph. It s very simple. They in charge of taking photos of events that occur and editing them until they are ready to print. Layout Designer: The layout designer designs the format for the newspaper. They place each story and photograph, develop teasers, and work on color swatches for the stories. Copy Editor: The copy editor re-edits each story after the editor. They use their expertise to cut out information that is irrelevant and double check style issues to make sure each story is in news format. Editor-in-Chief: The editor in chief must assign stories to each reporter. Once the finished stories are given from the reporters to the editor-in-chief, it is his or her duty to edit each story. They check stories for grammar, spelling, and accuracy. Each story must be read multiple times to ensure accuracy. The editor-in-chief is also in charge of developing an editorial. Faculty Supervisors: Faculty supervisors advise the student reporters, layout designer, copy editor and editor-in-chief. They teach the students how to correctly fulfill each of their job requirements. Their sole duty is to provide guidance during each step of the production of a student newspaper. 4

5 Assigning and Tracking Stories *It is the duty of the editor-in-chief to assign and track stories. Developing Story Ideas Being aware is a crucial aspect of the news industry. When developing stories, the editor must consider what is happening in the area and who it affects. For a student newspaper, issues directly concerning the campus are the most important. Location, timeliness, direct relevance, shock-factor and notoriety are important to keep in mind when developing story ideas. Assigning Stories to Individuals Once the editor-in-chief has developed a list of stories, it is his or her duty to assign them. To know which reporters should be assigned which stories, the editor-in-chief must first know the interests and dedication levels of each reporter. If he or she were to assign a reporter who loves sports a story about a cross-country win, the reporter will feel more compelled write the story in a colorful and eloquent way. Similarly, if the editor-in-chief knows a reporter is not as dedicated to the student newspaper as others, perhaps the reporter should receive a simpler story such as a movie review. Learn about the reporters strengths and weaknesses to determine which stories fit their personal need. Tracking Stories After assigning the stories, the editor-in-chief must track them to ensure that they are ready on their due date. Keeping up with reporters and helping them with any issues they may have will ensure that the stories are delivered to the editor-in-chief in a timely manner. 5

6 Developing an Editorial ed i to ri al/ˌediˌtôrēəl/- Noun: A newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue. An editorial is written by the editor-in-chief and reflects the opinion of the editor on an important issue. The issue that the editor selects to discuss in his or her editorial must be relevant to the audience. Stories need to be developed with substance, deep thought and research. For the opinion of the editor to be valid within the editorial, it must contain rational thought. The editorial is the only piece in the newspaper that is allowed to be biased. Editing/Fact Checking Editor-in-Chief The editor must read through the stories first for grammar and style errors. Copy Editor After the editor reads through each story, he or she will send the stories to the copy-editor who fact checks and determines whether everything is in AP Style. The Copy Editor s fact-checking is final. Editing and Fact Checking is crucial. The goal is to have as few mistakes as possible. 6

7 Layout Layout is when everything is placed on the pages of the newspaper so that the paper can be printed. The layout designer is in charge of the placement of all the stories and images. A computer program is used to layout the newspaper. The Layout is a very tricky process. There are many guidelines to follow: All text must be in line, and must fill all of the space provided. There can be no extra space at the end of a paragraph. There can be no unaligned text. Photos must contrast well and must be placed in line with text. Headlines must be font size 45 or higher, and the bottom headline must be smaller than the top headline. There can be no mistakes when it comes to the dates on the newspaper. The layout editor must understand terms such as jumps, hammers, and widows. Swatches are colors placed behind a story. Each Image must have a photo credit and a caption. Captions for photos must be at least half the length of the photo. The layout designer must make sure advertisements are placed and accurate in size. The photo is of a newspaper print-out before the pages have been laid out. This is what a newspaper looks like with no stories or photos. 7

8 Finishing Touches After the newspaper is laid out, the editor and copy editor must go over the final product a few more times for revision. There must be no mistakes. Once everything is in place, the layout editor will send the paper to print. It takes about 2 days for the printer to get all of the copies ready and folded, and then the printer will deliver the papers to each campus location. Then, a member of newspaper staff must distribute the papers around campus. Then you re finished with one issue! 8