Editing, Leadership & Teambuilding
When I conducted my first interview I had a panic attack. When I wrote my first story I included the ums and likes in the quotes. Thanks to my patient mentors and editors, I was able to learn fast. I quickly found my place in the classroom and vowed that when it was my turn to be a leader, I would work to make a difference in my mentees' lives. I believe I have thrived as a leader, editor and friend to everyone in the program.
Editing
Newspaper/Story Editing:
When I first joined the editorial board my sophomore year we created a system called "Editing Accountability." This system allows every story and writer to have at least two experienced editors providing feedback and encouragement on their reporting. It mimics the function of a real newsroom, where we try to get edited stories back in a timely manner during deadlines.
Here you can see some examples of what my editing looks like. I try to balance feedback and encouragement, always making sure to watch my tone. I look firstly for AP style errors, then basic spelling and grammar errors, then I look for what can be cut. Then I usually reread through the story to edit for a consistency in style and flow.
During newspaper deadlines we usually come in around 7am for two weeks straight to get it done. It is essential that three editors look over every page before submission so we can read over stories, check standing elements and revise design as needed.
Yearbook Editing:
Editing the yearbook is also a very extensive process. After a spread is turned in, I usually spend around three hours per spread revising design, making sure the visual/verbal and theme is portrayed, checking standing elements and even spelling. I created the color coordinated key (seen right) so that my staffers and I could see when a spread has been edited and submitted.
Revision vs. Editing:
The two presentations seen above are ones I created after the CSPA 2023 spring convention in New York. There I learned about the power of revision. While editing allows you to check things like AP style, grammar and spelling, revision allows you to make things stronger. There's a quote I heard once at a class that really stuck with me: "Just because something is turned in doesn't mean it's done." This rang especially true for my staff. In the past we rushed to get things finished rather than planning ahead to allow for revision time. To the right you will see and example of some of the revision I have done this year. When I spread is turned into me I open it up with the staffer who turned it in. Then we talk through what went well and what needs work. No changes should be made in isolation. I have taken this motto into story editing as well. Tone can come out harsher than intended through docs comments. I now sit down with my staffers and work through stories together rather than through a screen.
Leadership starts with clear communication. I cannot expect my staff to know what to do or have their schedules perfectly mapped out without some guidance. I use primarily messages and GroupMe to share important information and just let my staff know I am there to support them!
Yearbook spreads are hard. Especially with a less experienced yearbook staff. I worked to help them plan their spread and map out their timeline before starting the actual design. This helped my staffers grasp some key yearbook ideas like carrying the theme and having dominant images.
Standing elements are essential in making everything look and feel the same. It doesn't take a trained eye to notice when fonts are different families or sizes. I created standing element cards for my staff to have so they would know exactly what is required to look a certain way on their page.
I try to make my instructions as clear as possible for my staff members. No matter what level they are at they need resources to help guide them in the process. I often create "cheat sheets" for my mentees or checklists for the older staff members as seen right. When the time comes for deadlines, I make sure to open every page before we fully get into the crunch time. I either print and mark up pages or create charts as seen right. I make sure to add notes about what may need to be revised, added or double checked. Putting in the work before print helps prevent mistakes upon publication.
In addition to communication, organization is key. Above you will see the two main boards in our classroom. I update these every month so my staff can see what is happening and when everything is due.
Last year one of the EICs made these blue shoutout cards. This year I created my own. We always make sure to shoutout mentees when they produce exceptional work. It means a lot to students if they know that you see them and what they are doing.
A staff cannot function unless you prioritize retainment. It's important to prioritize encouragement and fun in your program. I always want everyone to enjoy coming to class. In addition to helping current students enjoy the class, I recruit new students. The photo above is from our annual ACP Career Night. I have planned it for the past two years and enjoy making the table "fun." Our signature balloon arch always draws students in, but they leave with information about our program!
Last year, my staff signed up to take an Editor Training course led by Sarah Nichols and Aaron Manfull. The emails lasted for around five weeks and I have now done two full years of editor training. Each week, a number of other staffers and I worked through each day of training and took notes and reflections. The emails strengthened my editorial skills and gave me time to reflect on my leadership project.
Here was one of my favorite reflections I did throughout the leadership emails.
Lead by example:
I really liked this one. Last year there was a lot of complaining I didn’t appreciate. My mentee didn’t do this, their story isn’t done the list goes on. But all of us editors also missed at least one deadline, too. I think the best thing any leader can practice is leading by example. Many deadlines were missed by mentees because either we were not leading by example or they had not been taught. I want this to change this year.
Three things I did to prepare for this year:
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A seven page doc of plans and goals. Lots of texts between upcoming editors on what I can do to support them.
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Leadership camp where I led an hour long conversation on deadlines and expectations
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Getting the room set up so kids feel comfortable
Three things I can do better:
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Cracking down on editing and getting social media/stories up quickly. News should be timely.
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Allow people the space to mess up. I can be controlling. When something is done I like to ask why and support that person however I can to make sure the task gets completed. Sometimes this means I just do it myself. I think instead I should let the other editors mess up or miss deadlines (like allow a paper to just not be well done) as a last resort to really give people a chance to be so disappointed they end up being more committed than ever.
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Delegate. The sophomores this year are super excited to train and work with mentees this year. I’m going to use that to take the stress off of some of the older kids that are in charge of entire platforms.
One thing that I have always struggled with is repeatedly having to show my staffers how to do something. I am happy to teach my staff how do do specific things on inDesign or provide assistance when needed. However, I noticed there were some questions that would get asked by my staffers over and over again. I created what we call "Clare's Youtube Channel." There I posted informative videos showing my staff how to do a specific skills.
The skills range from cutouts to uploading photos to text wrap tricks. The above video was one I created to show my staffers how to set up their workspace correctly in InDesign.
Clear expectations are key for my staff and I. At the beginning of every week I create lesson plans. I assign editors/mentors certain jobs and layout how the class period schedule should look. Everyone on the editorial board looks over them before the week begins so class can run as smoothly as possible.
In the past I noticed a somewhat unhealthy environment with the editorial board. Some staffers would project their expectations onto others and become angry if those expectations were not met. However, the reality is, every student is different and every role is different. I created the handouts seen above to fully write out exactly what was expected of everyone in each role. My staff loved these so much they each cut out their role and still have them hanging up on their computers.
I'm a BIG planner. I knew an editor in chief position could be coming my way halfway through my junior year. I immediately got to work on this seven page doc. I listed out important dates and plans I had, but maybe most importantly, I listed and noted every student that had requested the class. This work helped me prepare for the role to the best of my ability.
Teambuilding
There is no I in team. Everything I am able to produce is much in thanks to my amazing team right beside me. I created this presentation after the 2023 JEA/NSPA San Fransisco conference. I also created the write-up seen below for Q&S chapters across the nation.
Leadership Camp
For the past two years we have run leadership camp. Leadership camp is where all of the upcoming editorial board members meet for a week in the summer to plan for the school year. This year we did lots and lots of yearbook designing, ethics training, story brainstorming and team bonding. We did many activities related to journalism, but also some not! We made staff friendship bracelets, played bean boozled and tie dyed T-shirts. After the week we came out as a cohesive team rather than just 15 individuals.
Check-ins
Being a student journalist is so hard. The stress and toll the newsroom and deadline weeks can take on you can be difficult to manage. This year, I wanted to make sure my staff felt supported 24/7, not just when I needed them most. We meet every Friday morning from 7-9 a.m. I always create agendas to go over so we do not get off topic. Every Friday I also give the board a chance to fill out "online sticky notes." These notes give the space for the editors to talk about what is going well, but also give me some feedback on how I could better support them. My editors loved these check-ins so much that I also created a google form to share with mentees so they could address any concerns or questions they had, but also so we could measure if the students truly enjoy class.
Decorating the room
I spend upwards of 15 hours in the newsroom each week. I want the space to feel colorful and welcoming. It should be the class that people walk by and are like "I want to be in there." My hand-lettering abilities have allowed me to add some art into the newsroom, specifically on our staff goals board. Additionally, I created what we call the comfy corner. We have nice comfy chairs, blankets, food, at least 1000 sticky notes, colored pens upon colored pens and even a fun prize bin. The space feels welcoming and mentees are never scared to come up and ask me to use something which makes me so happy!
Conventions
Conventions are by far the best way to bond with other staffers. When I went on my first trip to the Los Angelos convention I only knew one girl on staff. When I left, I had made four new best friends.
Staff dinners/holidays
My staff is my family. I spend more time with them than anyone else. I try to plan as many staff dinners and holiday parties as I can throughout the year. Journalism is not all business, we know how to have fun, too!
Kibler shoutout<3
Nothing I do could be done without my incredible adviser, Valerie Kibler. She is my teacher and class bestie. Advisers are amazing!
