WEEK 6

Hello editors and freelancers!

PHOTOGRAPHERS:  Be sure to check in with Abraham for your assignments. I will be giving a short photo ethics workshop on Thursday.

EDITORS: We are all still getting organized and finding the best ways to pitch stories for your sections. Please keep in mind that as an editor or beat writer/contributor, your job is to keep a note pad and jot down ideas for your section that think of the student audience first, and then the local community audience. You are also expected to promote your stories once published, and keep track of how those stories are doing each day. Brigette will create a handout for you to use that outlines the steps to promoting stories.

Editors are required to attend Editorial Board Meetings and Production Thursdays. Editors may not leave until they check in with the EIC or with me. These activities are your weekly points.

NOTICE:  The newsroom will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and Thursday, Oct. 31 (*A group of editors will be attending a conference in Washington DC from Oct. 30-Nov. 3) and classes are cancelled so we will have production on Tuesday, Oct. 29 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Please come prepared to have your section ready for the current week and the week that follows. *If you are unable to attend production on Thursday, you must meet with Natalie to work on an alternate day to prepare your section.  

See you on Thursday.

WEEK 5

This week's workshop will be on headlines and sub-headlines. You will be given a worksheet to complete for points.

After completed, we will break into a general editors meeting regarding restructuring the organization of the newsroom, editor's duties, collaboration, etc. Remember that the class runs until 2:40 p.m and has 3.25 hours by arrangement.

If you are working as a contributor/freelancer, please see me for a contract this week.

*Please note that this is a loosely-structured 2 point course (see syllabus) for editors, senior staff reporters, and freelancers (writers, photographers). Freelance photographers are required to complete photo assignments but are not required to attend lectures that are not related to photography.

See you on Thursday!

WEEK 1

Welcome to JOUR 106, online media lab. If you are a returning staff writer or editor, welcome back. If you are new to our staff, glad to have you on board!

If you are taking this course as an editor, you will be following a weekly editor's schedule which includes pitch meetings, editorial board meetings, and weekly Thursday productions. 

If you are taking this as a two unit lab course, you will have weekly assignments that are coordinated between myself and the editors.

Be sure to check here for weekly updates, readings, assignments, etc.

Here is the syllabus:  

*Assignments adjusted for editors and freelancers. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kbZCF8482tRc9j4-8HaMtMJUkYnk2pqW2fc7kuKOku0/edit?usp=sharing

WEEK 2

Hey everyone!

Welcome back!

If you are one of the editors, you will attend a workshop in the first part of class, and then you will begin production which takes place on Thursdays.

Section editors must complete their sections before leaving the newsroom.

If you are working as a freelancer on our staff (illustration, graphics, animation, photographers) you may attend the workshops which will be posted one week in advance.  If it is a workshop of interest to you, you should attend. If not, you may check in for your assignment in person or via e-mail no later than Thursday at 5 pm.

If you're confused, e-mail me at talbertson@mtsac.edu

See you all on Thursday.

WEEK 4

PHOTOGRAPHERS

If you are taking this course as a freelance photographer, you must come to a photo ethics workshop. Please see me on Thursday to set up a time).

Also, please check in with me, Brett, Ferry or Brigette for a weekly assignment with due date.

You are given 25 points for every photo assignment that you complete.

EDITORS

Last week, we discussed our publication as a whole -  the sections, the content, and your job as editors. We discussed the evolution of the content you produce, from the idea, to the storytelling (text, video, photos) to publishing, to promoting. I will be giving you a handout to further explain this process.

We talked about analytics and the importance of promoting your content. 

Everyone needs to have access to Google analytics. You will be expected to present the analytics of your content each week, who you have promoted your story to, and the progress of your content on a daily basis. I will go over this more on Thursday. If you do not have access, see me on Tuesday or Thursday so I can add you. 

If you are an editor, you are expected to stay in the newsroom for the entirety of the JOUR 106 class:

Thursdays 11:30-2:40  + 3.25 Hours by Arrangement

PRODUCTION THURSDAYS BEGIN AFTER THE 106 WORKSHOP:

Just because a story is published on Thursday DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOUR JOB IS DONE. You will stay in the newsroom to work on stories, content development, and story promotion. The class runs until 2:40 with 3.5 hours by arrangement. Those hours are to be used for production. To be clear, production is working on the publication to make it better, NOT JUST PUBLISHING ONE STORY IN THE QUEUE.

SEE THE SYLLABUS: Note that if you are an editor, you are given 25 points each week. If you do not fulfill your duties as an editor in the class, you do not receive those points. If you are still unclear about what the duties of an editor are, I will be giving you a handout to accompany the Student Media Policy Manual.

If you leave, or you do not meet your deadlines as outlined by the EIC and managing editor, you forfeit your points.

THURSDAY: We will have our first editorial board meeting of the semester at 2 pm. Editorial board meetings are mandatory. We will go over the Student Media Policy Manual and any issues that need addressed.

WEEK 3

Editors-

This week we will have a lecture on procedures. We need to get organized so the pitches and productions run well.

If you are an editor, or beat editor, you should be keeping a list of ideas for content.

PHOTOGRAPHERS: You should already have been given at least one assignment to complete, and have completed it. If you haven't, please see me on Thursday.

See you on Thursday.