The Newsroom Visit

The trip to the Arizona Republic newsroom was exciting to me in so many ways. Because I'm bringing a newspaper back to life, I'm trying to start with a bang. I have the chance to design a journalism room, and I may be able to ask for some bond money to furnish that room. I took note of the cubicle set up, the televisions, the types of computers, the meeting room, and even the decorative personal touches.

More importantly, I was intrigued by the meeting we were allowed to be a part of. I love the idea of a meeting place where there's a chance to hear what's going on from the different platforms (Trending, Breaking, Features, etc). So often, especially in yearbook, students will choose the same page stories or not realize that a photo has already been used when it's too late. The lack of communication within my own staff was a problem this year.

At the end of the year I asked my underclassmen to brainstorm improvements they'd like to see next year. Communication was at the top of their list.  They even came up with the idea of having a no iPod/headphones zone. They felt that people missed information or important conversations because they were plugged in. I think having a set meeting time and chance to share what is going on would help tremendously.

Of all the various platforms that were discussed at the meeting,  I think I was most intrigued by editorial writing. I love reading the editorial section of newspapers, and the idea of editorial writing excites me. How do you carefully navigate opinion writing? How do you handle the barrage of opposing emails you may receive? When the editorial page editor said they were going to be "sounding off" on the Supreme Court rulings that were being announced, I thought about the fact that there's a place in journalism for voicing an opinion and how challenging it would be to write opinions about such major decisions. I think I'd like it.

As with all of the professionals we've worked with this week, it was so nice to feel welcomed and reminded that teachers are important and respected.
Kathryn Burkholder
Pinckney High School
Pinckney, Michigan