Resources

What’s in a (college newspaper) name?

You have the press badge - but what to put on it?

The editors over at The Chronicle — the College of Saint Rose student newspaper where I served as a staff writer and Executive Editor for a few years — are currently considering a name change to coincide with changes being made to the Saint Rose Communications Department. Deciding on a name for anything is usually a difficult task. Whether it’s your first-born or even just your fantasy football team, it’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of options. Names are so intrinsically tied to identity. Choose the wrong one, and it invokes all the wrong connotations for your product/publication/child. (Just think about the recent iPad debacle). Names for publications generally encompass two things: the audience, and the purpose. For newspapers, the audience aspect is usually location-based. The purpose portion, however, require some self-analysis. What kind of publication do you want to produce? Do you plan to chronicle...

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Ethics for Evolving Journalism

Ethics for Evolving Journalism

Mashable had an interesting article last week about the 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist.  The post focused heavily on the importance of being more than just a journalist. Tomorrow’s journalists will have to be journalists/programmers/photographers/videographers/designers/social media experts and more, and this Mashable article is just another one driving that point home. There is one thing I would add to this list of must-haves – a rock solid sense of ethics. In today’s world of breaking news on twitter and citizen journalism, information may no longer go through an editorial process before reaching the public. While instant access to information as it is happening can be a great thing, it can also change the dynamics of traditional journalism ethics when it comes to reporting. Tiger Woods coverage aside, a recent example of this is the case of Tearah Moore, a solider from Michigan who tweeted during the shooting at...

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Non-Media Jobs for Journalists

Non-Media Jobs for Journalists

For recent journalism grads, the prospects of a full time journalism job are limited – unless you want to move to a remote location for the promise of a $20,000-a-year reporting job for a newspaper that may not exist in a few years. One of the best options for those who want to work in journalism but still pay the bills is to work part-time in a non-media job while working to build your brand and freelance writing career. Here’s part one of a two-part post outlining some non-media jobs you can do with a journalism degree and skill set. It might feel weird walking into one of these job interviews with a list of newspaper internships and design programs you know, but just remember to not stress your journalism background, but rather the skills it gives you – writing, phone work, organization, adaptability, creativity, and the ability to...

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NaNoWriMo: Novelists and Journalists

NaNoWriMo: Novelists and Journalists

MediaJobsDaily featured this week a Wall Street Journal  article about how famous novelists get their work done (WSJ, via MediaJobsDaily). The post also references National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I started out as a creative writer. My first writing award in high school was for a collection of short stories, and I never touched an AP stylebook until my sophomore year of college. I decided to participate in this year’s NaNoWriMo to brush up on my fiction, but I’m already thousands of words behind. But there are people out there who not only finish, but finish year after year. Although novelists work with fiction while journalists work with facts (ideally, at least), novelists and journalists have more in common than their writing abilities. If you’re a journalist thinking about trying novel writing or if you’re a novelist thinking about breaking into journalism (although really, why would you?), then here...

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