Journalism Fall 2012 Semester Review

What we learned and other things...

As I look back at my notes for the first day of class on September 17, 2012, I'd like to share what our original goals were for the semester:

• Form a newspaper team -- become writers, editors, artists, photographers, reporters.
• Publish at least two issues of our paper.
• Have fun!

We did indeed form a newspaper team. We all wrote and edited. Several students contributed wonderful art to our publications and everyone practiced photography. We stretched ourselves by trying to write in-depth articles which required the elements of research and reporting.

We learned the difference between a feature article and an editorial, and practiced writing both. Many times we succeeded. Sometimes we missed the mark and tried again.

We learned about the inverted pyramid style of news writing and identified its use in a major newspaper. We designed a flag and named our paper, "The Mosaic Monthly." We defined news and discussed what purposes publications serve. We welcomed two special guests to our classroom and interviewed them asking only open-ended questions.

We started learning J-Jargon (the vocabulary of the business) and how to write a news story using the 5 W's & H. We learned the differences between copy-editing and proof-reading and why both are necessary. We sold ads for our paper. We defined attribution and how to use it correctly in a news story. 

We talked about missing voices in a news story and how to find our voice when writing a feature article. We discussed bias and perspective and the differences between them. We planned, we poured over layouts, we set and met deadlines.

And we published three issues of our paper, not two. But most importantly, WE HAD FUN. At least I did, anyway. I hope they did, too.

I'll always remember this time spent exploring something new and unfamiliar. I'm sure I learned more from them than they did from me, or maybe we just learned a lot together along the way. No matter, we are all better and wiser and braver for the experience.

As I told the students in the final issue, "Don't be afraid to take chances with your writing, be bold." I hope they continue to write for the pleasure of writing, to take chances, and to be unafraid of criticism. There will be many more opportunities for growth on the road ahead. I look forward to our next steps together.

See you next week!