WEEK 9

Last week due to midterms finishing early in the 102 class, production began early. Everyone was working on something and we appear to be on schedule. Melody continues to work on our website, and Kassandra has designed a new logo. She and I have a meeting with the Washington Post tech person on Thursday so I am hoping our web issues will be resolved.

All students in the JOUR 106 class are to be working on SAC.Media and @SAConScene, producing content as requested by the EIC or section editors, or initiated by you as an editor.

It is YOUR responsibility to check the course blog every week.

It is also YOUR responsibility to let Josh and Natalie know what is coming in. It is YOUR responsibility to meet all deadlines, or if you cannot meet a deadline, to create content to replace the one you cannot complete.

ALSO:  IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU ARE AN EDITOR, YOU MUST BE IN PRODUCTION UNTIL NATALIE SIGNS OFF ON ALL OF YOUR WORK.  I will be checking the Arc Platform this weekend to see if all the section editors have their content for next week signed off to Leni, and ready to go with headlines, subheadlines, and visuals coordinated with Abraham.

PHOTOGRAPHERS:  Please check in with me this week to go over your assignments to date.

IMPORTANT:  NEWSROOM IS CLOSED ON THURSDAY, OCT. 31 AND PRODUCTION IS MOVED TO TUESDAY, OCT. 29. If you are an editor and cannot be there on Tuesday, you must let me know on Tuesday, Oct. 22 an alternate date to complete your sections.

See you on Tuesday.

See you Thursday!

WEEK 8

Hello everyone!

We have now reached midterm! If you are working as a freelance photographer and have not met with me, you MUST meet with me on Thursday.

See you next week.

WEEK 7

Hello everyone.

EDITORS:
Just an FYI for the editors: In case you didn't hear, I've hired my former student and SAC.Media EIC Melody Waintal as my web expert to solely work on our website. She is currently a student at USC Annenberg where she was hired to work on their website -  also in partnership with the Washington Post and powered by Arc Publishing. I am hoping she will be able to work out our bugs. Please take the time to go over our site and make a list of the things you notice that are not working properly, or that you think can be improved.

Also, editors must participate in pitch meetings each week. I need to know how many of you are available on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. If that time doesn't work for you, please leave a Slack message as to what time on Tuesday does work. This only applies to EICs, managing editors, and section editors of SAC.Media.

Also, editors and contributors will find a checklist on their computers when they arrive on Tuesday. We will discuss this at a mandatory editorial board meeting at noon on Thursday, This meeting is just for editors.

This week, we will have a workshop on promoting your stories since I don't see everyone posting stories on SAConScene. Every single story that is published needs to be posted with a short tweet and link to your story. If you do not have access to sign into Twitter, please ask ASAP.

I will also need to get all editors on Arc Publishing. If you do not have privileges, please let me know. This requires you to have a short bio and photo.

CONTRIBUTORS/BEAT EDITORS/PHOTOGRAPHERS

You will need to see me on Thursday to sign a contract as to what is expected of you for your grade.

We need to have a brainstorming session this week with section and beat editors. I will join your teams to help get the juices flowing, and to help guide you to finding stories.

See you on Thursday.

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.