You may not realize it, but the next Walter Cronkite, Diane Sawyer, Bob Woodward or even Ronda Lickteig might be right here in Trenton, getting his or her training in the Scholastic Journalism class at Trenton High School.
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You may not realize it, but the next Walter Cronkite, Diane Sawyer, Bob Woodward or even Ronda Lickteig might be right here in Trenton, getting his or her training in the Scholastic Journalism class at Trenton High School. Thanks to two grants awarded to the program this year, the training they?re getting has improved tremendously.
The program, which is under the direction of Sarah Siebenborn, received an award from the American Society of Newspaper Editor?s Partnership Program and another award through the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation. The funds received through the grants have allowed for the purchase of computer software, digital cameras, video cameras, computers with editing equipment, a laser printer, paper, disks and other items.
Students in the scholastic journalism class produce newspapers and video news broadcasts covering activities and issues at THS. The class members, all juniors, are learning various aspects of the business, from brainstorming story ideas to selling advertising to editing video for broadcast on the school?s Channel One network and on Tele-News 11 (cable channel 11).
On the newspaper side, the students meet to brainstorm about ideas and then begin putting the stories together and getting the photos. Deadlines and the editing process are two areas that caused students some concern. Class members Katie Whitt, Sena Arnold, Sabrina Barron and Alana Tolle said seeing their papers after the first edit was a little depressing. The girls said Mrs. Siebenborn pushes them to find ways to make their articles sound more like stories rather than reports, such as using quotes. She also pushes them to get both sides of the story so their articles are balanced, and organization is the key to making the whole paper come together.
Newspaper deadlines, they said, make it a less attractive career choice than other ones available to them.
As in the real world of newspapers, it?s the stories that get all the attention in a newspaper, but it?s the advertising that makes the paper possible. With ASNE hoping that the student newspaper will be self-sufficient, Mrs. Sieben-born?s class will be selling advertising in effort to pay for the cost of producing the paper. In preparation, students have met with Jim Norris, an art instructor at NCMC who also has experience in advertising design and sales. Norris talked with the students about setting a budget and figuring out how many ads would have to be sold to meet their income needs. They also received instruction on designing an ad, as well as how to approach potential advertisers.
Norris stressed the importance of being professional in their dress and in their presentation, including using business cards, which the students designed and printed themselves. Norris talked with the students about approaching the potential advertisers not as though they are seeking a donation, but as though they are helping the advertiser reach their peers with a product or service. The potential advertisers will be sent a letter in which they will answer some questions about the students who contacted them. That critique will count as part of the students? grade.
The students are learning to think of their target audience, not only in how they choose and write their stories, but also in how they approach advertisers. Since the audience is high school students like themselves, they have an advantage in knowing what other students would like to see in the paper or on TV. It also gives them an advantage when they approach potential advertisers, because they know what types of products or services students will respond to in an ad.
There are some similarities to be found on the television side of the class, with students still having to think of their target audience and still having to meet deadlines. There?s also a lot of editing to be done, although it is done on a computer rather than on paper. The students said they have learned how to pull clips off the video, apply sound and special effects to parts of it and how to write scripts for the broadcast. The class has produced two short videos covering school events.
The first video, they said, was about five minutes long and prompted complaints from schoolmates who felt it wasn?t very good. Katie, Sena, Sabrina and Alana admitted that the last video produced in the 2003-2004 school year was very good, so their first attempt this year didn?t exactly measure up. But, they said, they are getting better, and the latest video, shown earlier this week, was about 12 minutes long and was of a higher quality. Among the items covered by the two videos are sports teams, groups and organizations and any trips or projects they might be involved in, special talents, weather (provided by the weather ?hunks?), the FFA Dairy Judging team that recently went to the national competition and the 2004 election.
The latest video is more devoted to the holidays, with students and staff asked what they want for Christmas and if they plan to make a New Year?s resolution.
Everyone seems to like filming for the video, although the students have found that editing cuts out a lot of what was filmed and can make for a stressful situation if someone gets mad that their story didn?t make the final cut.
?Editing is the really hard part,? Sena said. ?People can get mad if you take their story out.?
The also can get mad if you lose their story, as the students admitted has happened a few times.
Finding students to tape is never a problem, they said, although it?s usually the same people who are eager to appear on camera.
In the same way that stories are the stars of a newspaper, the anchors are the stars of the broadcast. In order to be fair, the students draw names to see who gets to serve as the anchorpersons for each broadcast. The broadcasts are done using a PowerPoint presentation, with the script written right into the presentation, which then acts as a teleprompter.
None of the students interviewed for this story said they plan to pursue careers in television or newspaper at this time, (?I hate the deadlines,? said Katie), but they did say that their experience has made them look at newspapers and television programs with a more discerning eye. They even pay more attention to what kind of research is being presented and how the information was obtained.
Well, maybe they don?t plan to pursue a career in journalism. But speaking from experience, they should know that once the bug bites you, it?s hard to get it out of your system.
by Ronda Lickteig