Right on Time: Keeping the College Weekly Fresh and Newsworthy

Chad Stebbins of Missouri Southern State University opened his lecture by discussing the death of print media. He claims it is because “most newspapers are run by 50 and 60 year old men that “don’t realize what’s going on.” He showed a slide show of student newspapers from around the country. The newspapers exhibited new “outside the box” manipulations of headlines, fonts, colors, and images.

Chris

Religious Freedom- the First 16 Words of the First Amendment

Charles Haynes of the First Amendment Center in Washington, D.C. discussed the two clauses for religious freedom in the firs amendment. The audience asked questions about the meaning of “no establishment.” Haynes then discussed the reasons behind why we need freedom of religion, and concluded that freedom of conscience was the basis for the Constitution.

Chris

Are you Red? White? Blue? Yellow?

The seminar opened with Kaylene Armstrong of BYU administering a personality test to the audience. The test consisted of a series of questions that determined personality types and divided them into the colors red, white, blue, and yellow. She then discussed ways to deal with different personality types in the newsroom.

Chris

New Media and the 2008 Presidential Campaign

David Anderson of Lewis University discussed the use of the Internet in the 2008 presidential campaign trail. He discussed the presidential debates on YouTube and the positive and negative effects of the Internet and politics. He concluded that new media might lead to a more active electorate and a new town square for public debate.

Chris

Niche Marketing

Niche Marketing
Linda Puntney, Kansas State University

First, let me say how thankful I am that our students pay for the yearbook in their tuition and we do not have to rely on selling it ourselves. I thought this session would give us pointers for distributing the yearbook in the spring, but instead we discussed selling the yearbook. Puntney talked about promoting the yearbook before it comes out. A lot of schools have trouble getting students to buy a yearbook, which affects their budget. I am glad we do not have to stress about yearbook sells. I am, however, going to spend more time planning our distribution in the spring. It is important that as many students as possible pick up the yearbook.

Lela Coker

Feature Does Not Mean Fluff

Feature Does Not Mean Fluff
Tan Ly, Financial Design Director Deputy News Editor, The Washington Post

I was very disappointed in this session. It said it was for yearbook/design/newspaper, but all the examples were of newspaper. Don’t get me wrong: there were some really neat ideas for newspaper, but I was expecting to see a few yearbook layouts. Most of the main points could be applied to yearbook and newspaper.

• The content should drive the design
• Designing takes planning, brainstorming, gathering information and collaborating with reporters, photographers, section editors and design editors.
• Dominant photos are the main visual draw for the page.
• Quotes can be used a graphic.

Lela Coker

Managing the Chaos

Managing the Chaos
Mark Witherspoon, Iowa State University

This wasn’t my favorite session but I was reminded of a few things:
• Make sure your staff knows how much fun journalism is when it is done right.
• Decide you want to be excellent and then study other excellent publications. Compare your publication to these publications and take notes and set goals!
• Let your staff know why y’all do what y’all do. This will help them understand there is a reason for certain things and they will be more likely to remember it. Try to avoid saying “because I said so.”
• Nurture relationships with people outside the newsroom like President Webb, the university vice presidents and Sheila Gentry.

Lela Coker

How to Cover Your Campus Effectively

How to Cover Your Campus Effectively
Sally Turner, Eastern Illinois University

I learned from this session that sources are everywhere on campus. As journalist we should always have our ears open for story ideas. The best leads can come from overhearing someone else’s conversation.

Here are a few other tidbits:
• Cover the entire campus, not just the department that houses student publications
• The yearbook is a record of the year so include all the major events and how they affected students
• Cover events while they are happening. (I wish we would have covered Spring Fling, Greek Week, and last year’s spring sports stories while they were happening.)
• Localize national news. Find out how state and national news affects your campus.

Lela Coker

In-depth and special projects reporting

This is another area of journalism that is very attractive to me, but I didn't know you could balance working on a long-term project while still doing your job with other stories. The key is time management.

Chris Adams, the speaker who is a special projects reporter, suggested blocking out so much time each day to spend on your project and also keeping a list so that when you have a break in your regular day you can automatically go do the top thing on your list. He said to "start small, but start doing something." He also stressed talking to your graphics and photo team ahead of time so that they can prepare something that will really go well with your big project.

The speaker said some really interesting things. A student asked about how persistent a reporter should be, especially when some people just don't want to talk. One thing he said that I loved was: "Be persistent; don't really worry about pissing them off." He really topped it of when he said: "We're reporters; we're supposed to be annoying."

Leigh

The daily grind: how to feed the machine without being ground up

This was the first session I went to on Thursday morning. Although we aren't a daily paper, I thought it would be helpful to hear any tips to improve the paper without getting too stressed out.

The speaker gave some good tips, and some of which we had already done. She suggested changing the look of the paper, and we've learned this semester that it definitely works. Even if the writing or the types of stories are no different than previous years, it looks different, so students tend to pick it up more than the same boring paper they saw all last year.

Something she suggested that I'd like to change is to make our editors' meeting longer, so we can do more brainstorming. I'd also like to meet with each reporter when I give him or her a story to discuss different angles and contacts. Then, I'd like to take the time to meet with the reporter after I receive the story to discuss corrections, changes, questions and affirmations. This will take a lot more time, but I think it will pay off in the end.

Leigh

So you want to be a foreign correspondent?

Yes, I want to be a foreign correspondent, so I thought this one sounded like a winner for me. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, which was maybe another foreign correspondent speaking about the path he took. Instead, representatives from two different institutions talked about opportunities for studying abroad. One of the programs is focused on the media aspect, but the other is mainly about studying another culture.

I'm going to take a serious look into the Institute for Education in International Media, because it seemed like I could gain some invaluable experience about shooting and editing video and doing podcasts, which I know nothing about. The program is only four weeks long, but one student that went to Italy last summer discussed how much she learned and how helpful that experience has turned out to be.

Leigh

Covering the unimaginable: the Collegiate Times speaks about the Virginia Tech shooting

Two editors from the Virginia Tech newspaper spoke about how they handled the tragedy of the shooting and still got a paper out each day that week. They gave good pointers about staying in close communication with your printer about running late and why you're running late. Obviously, they had an excuse to be six hours late, and they were still able to get their paper out the day after the shooting. They said it was very chaotic and that the key was open communication with everyone: reporters, printers, authorities and staff.

They went through other problems, too, when their server crashed and they had to switch over to others around campus. Just getting to hear their story made me think about little things we could do even without a tragedy. They brought up the idea of having a current press pass for everyone on staff and also having policies about how to deal with outside media before any chaos begins. I thought those were good ideas, and I definitely think we should get the press passes.

Leigh

The world of covering the world

The second session I went to Thursday morning was probably my favorite. The speaker was Peter Baker, a White House correspondent for The Washington Post. He was a really great speaker and very interesting. He and his wife have both been foreign correspondents in Russia and Afghanistan.

This session sealed the deal for me. I've really considered the idea of becoming a foreign correspondent, but now it is definitely my goal. He talked about obstacles like the language barrier and the possible danger involved, but it's still what I want to do.

An interesting point Baker made was the problem of taking quotes in another language and writing an English story. You have to be careful to get the quote right and not change the meaning, but you also have to translate it to sound as intelligent as the person you quoted. Some very direct and literal translations end up sounding idiotic.

Leigh

Is Your News Too Pale and Gender Friendly

This was focused on faith-based schools and their approach to diversity
within their media. However, there were many different types of colleges
present at the session. One of the speakers, Karen Sorensen of Azusa
Pacific University, was very bright and seemed very well-rounded. She
discussed issues of diversity that she had seen and encouraged "being
intentional" in discovering the stories on diversity.

The speakers encouraged taking diversity from a burden to the thrill
of discovery. They told us to go out into the community, without cameras
or notepads, and just surround ourselves with different cultures. This will
not only make us more passionate about diversity writing, but more respected
among the people whom we would interview.

--Andi

Unity and You I and II

This was one of the most, or rather, two of the most interesting sessions I attended. The basis was a journalist group called UNITY. UNITY is composed of the various sects of diverse national associations of journalists, the association of black journalists, Asian journalists, Hispanic journalists, Native American journalists, and gay and lesbian journalists.

The first session was dedicated to these group members identifying themselves, describing what they do and why they do it, and mentioning future plans.

The second session was the break-out session. In this session we could confront each member individually and ask them questions. I did not get a chance to speak with all the representatives, but the few I got the chance to speak to were very enlightening.

Ivan Roman of the Association of Hispanic Journalists said something very profound. He was speaking on the immigration issue and said how a journalist will get the two extreme opinions and say that they have covered both sides, but they ignore all of the opinions of the moderate people in between extremes. I thought that it was very true (extremism makes better headlines) and very in need of being changed.

Suzan Harjo of the Native American Association of Journalists was also an interesting person to talk to. I first was interested in speaking to her, honestly, because she shared the last name of one of my favorite Native American poets, Joy Harjo. However, growing up in the West (and having a bit of native blood in me myself) I wanted to hear what she had to say.

Harjo explained that the problem was not that Native Americans were being mis-represented in the media, but they were not represented at all. Thinking back, I agree. I always see some kind of news, even if negative, on African-Americans, Hispanic people, and even the gay and lesbian groups. But never do I hear of the Native Americans. (Except on old Western movies, the last knowledge any of us seem to have on what the Native Americans do).

Harjo also made the comment that when and if the media represents Native Americans, it lumps them all together making no room for the many, vast cultural differences that are in place from tribe to tribe.

The last person I was able to speak to was Charles Robinson. He was the representative for the National Association of Black Journalists (who gave me LOTS of free stuff). He was an intelligent and admitted arrogant man. He had a great presence, booming voice, though he almost lost me at the beginning when he said he may be speaking on the Jena (he said Jenna) six in Mississippi. For sake of Louisiana, I suppose its better for us to have blame placed elsewhere. Poor Mississippi.

Charles Robinson said a great thing to everyone. He said "Working hard is not working fast, it's working smart."

--Andi

Changing Freelance Markets

This session was led by Michael Ray Taylor who, like me, also attended Whither Magazines and Breaking into Magazines. He had a very knowledgeable and amiable way of speaking and was, next to Keith Bellows, the speaker I enjoyed best.

Mostly I was overwhelmed by Taylor's accomplishments. He could teach by example, perhaps, with his many adventures and mistrials in the pursuit of magazines. He was a freelance writer for five years of his life and traveled to many, many places in the meantime. He said "It's not a good living, but it is a living." (by which he followed up with, saying that it is more exciting than managing a restaurant, though)

He gave us five points in which to base our pursuits on. Our pursuits, of course, being the "dream magazine." His advice was as follows:

1. Start by sending articles to local magazines, then lead to enthusiast magazines with a small niche and/or trade magazines.

2. Specialize. Use what you know and recycle. Pick something not already crowded with writers.

3. Cultivate a web presence.

4. Cultivate sources and markets. Or, as he put it, become "a professional schmoozer."

5. Grow the break out pieces. Begin writing your break out piece to a small market, revise, send it to a larger, revise, recycycle, and then send it to the "dream magazine."

--Andi

Breaking into Magazines

Breaking into magazines, presented by David Levy of Wright College, had one focus and one focus alone: The query letter.

We were given a hand-out with step-by-step instructions on the query letter as well as when to send it, who to send it to, how to promote our story, etc. This was useful for me because if creative writing does not work out I wanted to try a career in magazines and had, sadly, no knowledge of the query letter.

David Levy offered lots of useful information and repeated two phrases I have heard again and again at this conference "KNOW the magazine inside and out before you send an article" and "Buy The Writer's Market."

He gently reassured us that we would be making zero to negative amounts of money, but that the goal was to be published. Another remark I have heard quite a bit of this week.

--Andi

Boast and Whine-Literary Journal Editors Roundtable

This event was one of the few sessions that focused solely on literary magazines.
It was very casual and was led by Molly Sides, of Rock Valley College,
who was playful, smart, and had the most excellent Chicago influenced accent.
In the session the few literary journal editors at the conference passed out our
magazines, discussed printing, submissions, etc. As we discussed submissions
Molly Sides listed the types of poetry submissions in four categories: God poems,
goat poems (very pastoral), kitten-in-a-basket poems, and my life is a swirling
abyss poems. She, of course, was correct and all the editors got to share a good
laugh together. Mostly, this session allowed me to see the different programs
going on at schools and what they can do with their varying budgets to produce
a worthwhile magazine.

--Andi

Whither Magazines

The first session I attended on Thursday was "Whither Magazines? A Look at the Future." The speaker for the session was Keith Bellows, the editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler. This was one of my favorite sessions I have attended so far. Keith Bellows had a authoritative yet relaxed style so that his discussion did not drag on, even at the end.

Of course, he was misguided and arrived a few minutes late. Mr. Bellows discussed, generally, the query letter and what an intern or writer must do to be considered (be smart, willing to do anything, get involved and be nosy, tell your editors what you want to do).

However, he really lit up when he discussed the new movement he was taking with his own magazine. At the beginning of the session he provided a slide show of old magazine covers. He commented on the National Lampoon's cover of a dog with a gun at its head reading, "Read this issue or we will kill this dog," saying it was the best magazine cover and conveyed the desperate nature of trying to get your magazine read.

His idea, however, is to return National Geographic Traveler to the passion of the older magazines. He wanted to keep the stories, of which he wanted more narrative stories, and the photographs in the magazine and save an on-line Web site for the less passionate aspects of a magazine. He was pumped.

Mr. Bellows has had a long history in the magazine business, working for over, I believe he said, seventy magazines. He edited for Readers' Digest, as well. To me, he looked and sounded like an older version of the actor in Almost Famous, so I imagined that movie to be a true story, and he to have written for the Rolling Stone. This is not the only reason I enjoyed his session, but I think it had something to do with it.

--Andi

Coaching like a Peer

This is a close tie with "how to write visually" for my favorite of the day. This adviser is awesome. Her name is Kenna Griffin from Oklahoma City University. She gave some very helpful tips.

Ok, we have a microwave in the office; why not a refrigerator? Her first suggestion was to use food. We're in college and love to eat. It is a great social tool. She also suggested using the staff
meetings to teach(which we do sometimes, but not every meeting b/c people get very antsy).

She also thought it was very important that people know the hierarchy of the newsroom. She suggested making a chart, which I will next semester. It is also important to reward publicly. This enforced my idea for a "star reporter," which I'd like to start next semester.

It's also important not to gossip about your staff. This is important, but hard to do.

It is also important that people on the staff understands the "greater purpose" of the paper. I don't want to preach, but I should remind people that this newspaper affects those who read it and who are written about. It is distributed to the community and can be used for potential employers.

She even gave us some hand-outs that are given to beginning reporters. It is an awesome tool that we can use to base our teaching materials on. I loved it!

Kera Simon