The newspaper was put to bed at 12:30 this morning, which is more than an hour quicker than last week. That’s progress. Now I have to warn the hardworking student-journalists that there will also be a night of setbacks somewhere in their future.
The paper looks better this week. In our critique meeting today I picked on a lot of small things. There are a few design issues to work through and some other editing and writing topics to address, but I think this year’s staff can make quick strides. The biggest thing will just be in recognizing the problems early. No easy trick, that.
Some of those things can be fixed quickly, others will take a little time and perhaps a workshop or two.
Today we finished the preparing on our high school workshop, which takes place tomorrow. We’re going to have a record crowd on hand. This despite one or two local high schools dropping their journalism program for the year because of budget cuts. (Also, the Alabama Scholastic Press Association’s workshop is running opposite the Samford program this year, but it hasn’t hurt our attendance.)
I’m only doing one little presentation this year. I’ll be running around making sure the speakers arrived, everything is working and that no one is lost. It is a great way to spend a day, talking with high school students about their newspapers and television stations, showing them around Samford, introducing them to our students and to professional journalists. We have a great time with it and our visitors always seem to enjoy themselves too.
Now that the big day is almost here I’ll probably turn back to student recruitment. Having a gorgeous day on the beautiful Samford campus tomorrow won’t hurt that effort, either.
It is a great job, and an easy day, when you can talk about exciting things like that with young people who are also very much excited about where they are going to wind up, or what they might study when they get there. That’s the sort of enthusiasm that is contagious.
I talked this afternoon with the news director of the campus radio station. She’s one of those same, excited go-get-em types. If you can’t brainstorm up have a dozen good ideas in a hallway with people like that you just aren’t trying hard enough.
I like to drop little nuggets like this into those conversations from time to time.
Reporting has always in some ways been a collaborative process between journalists and their sources. But increasingly, there’s a merger between the source and the content producer. As a result, more journalism will happen through collaborative reporting, where the witness of the news becomes the reporter, says David Clinch, editorial director for Storyful and a consultant for Skype. Journalists, Clinch says, must be able to pivot quickly between the idea of using the community as a source of news and as the audience for news, because they are both.
Students are intrigued by ideas like that, once they realize they’re allowed to think this way. The latest example, included in that link, is the hostage situation at the Discovery Channel offices in Maryland earlier this month. The story came out of a news start up there, which leaned on a Twitter account to break the story. Novel approach, that.
(Not really, I was doing that two-and-a-half years ago at al.com. I set up that account and within a week broke two fires and a prominent business layoff story. Now that primary account, aldotcom, has 6,500 followers and breaks news constantly.)
I say this to your boredom, but it never ceases to amaze me that I get to read and dream up and put into practice and teach these things and call it a career. I’m a lucky guy.
After all, I get to work here:
Where I get views like this:
Visited Walmart tonight for a little of this and that. The irony was on rollback pricing, since I’d noticed earlier in the day that my bank is now running a cashback program based on my “unique spending preferences.” They are running the ads between the lines of my online register. The first offer was for Waffle House, which I visit exactly once a year. (And where I’ve never used anything but cash, making me wonder just how unique these preferential algorithms are.)
The second offer was for Walmart. I made fun of that. And then I found myself there. And then I found this:
Just wrong.
The meme on Twitter tonight was rock ‘n’ roll retractions. I had a lot of fun with these, and want to remember them forever, sooo:
I’ve got two tickets to paradise. Pack your bag we’ll leave during off peak hours.
What’s the frequency, Kenneth. Oh, never mind, I see it right here.
No more ‘I love yous’ but expect late night hang up calls, standing outside of your apartment and pining on Facebook.
After much consideration I am, in fact, not too sexy for this shirt.
You know what? I WILL put a fine point in it. I am the only bee in your bonnet. No one really likes you.
Yes, you may kiss me once. You may even kiss me twice. But, come on pretty baby, you needn’t kiss me deadly.
It has been brought to my attention that I don’t want you to want me, need you to need me, nor would I love you to love me.
Turns out the heart of rock ‘n’ roll is actually the guy that plays the triangle.
Let’s do the time warp, but only the once, so we do not create space continuum problems.
I’ve reconsidered it, and I would do anything for love, provided it is legal in my state of origin.
Turns out we did not rock the casbah, but we dropped a few bunker busters in the vicinity.
Nope. That was most definitely NOT paradise that I saw there by the dashboard light.
Don’t stop believing. Unless you’ve been swayed as of late by Christopher Hitchens.
Welcome to the jungle. We’ve had a change of heart and you can live quite prosperously here now.
The government now tells me I was born on a protected wetland, born on a protected wetland.
In da gatta da vitta you should know that I am merely fond of you.
Turns out the fire should be on the water and the SMOKE should be in the sky. Deep Purple regrets the error.
We decided to not live in a yellow submarine because, on reflection, that’s just stupid.
About that Lola thing … sorry.
Changed my mind. Not working for the weekend. I have to pull a double shift at the 7-11 on Saturday.
Ok, you talked us into it. We WILL take it, if you’re talking about a general wealth redistribution program.
I’ve had a change of heart. Do not pour your sugar on me. I’m on a low cal diet.
Been thinking about it. Should have never gone electric. Regretfully, Bob Dylan.
The London Tourism Board has asked me to rephrase. There are no werewolves here.
Yes, I said that Friday I was in love, but I was just lonely.
Tons more here.
More photographs from the 1939 World’s Fair will be along in a bit.
