Monday, November 23, 2009

Great Journalism Programs to Consider

Student Journalism and Publications is a huge field, and The Devil's Advocate is just a small part of it. Here, we have compiled a few great journalism summer programs that you might want to consider to expand and explore your interests. Most of these were either recommended by former/current Ridge teachers or students. Although summer is far off, many of these programs require teacher recommendations and other paperwork to fill out -so Thanksgiving Break is a great time to start looking through these and consider applying if you are interested.

Why consider participating in a journalism summer program?
  • Looks great on your resume -colleges ask about summer experiences!
  • Gives hands on, comprehensive experience that is unique to the normal school newspaper
  • Experience a bit of college life, living in dorms and on a college campus
  • Work with real journalists and college professors -this involves possible networking for jobs, college recommendation letters, etc.

Here are some we recommend:

Asian American Journalists Association -A six-day intensive program in Los Angeles

Northwestern Cherubs -A month-long program at Northwestern University

NYU's Urban Journalism Workshop -A two-week long program reporting in NYC.

A list to other programs

Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Programs

Note that although not all of these are local, some are free of charge or supply a generous amount of financial aid (both AAJA and Northwestern's programs do).

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Issue 2 Topics and Sectional Meeting Schedule

Here is the link to the topic list for this week's issue. Please read it through to ensure accuracy. If you see any wrong information, please email the DA gmail account:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Af7ty3V4_vJWZGZ6eGZzcnBfNWhrcHFxdGY3&hl=en

Sectional Meetings:

Friday, Nov. 13:
School News, 7AM in Rm. 214
Opinions, 7:05AM in Rm. 214
Sports, 7:05AM in the Media Center
Non-School News, 2:30PM in the Media Center

Tuesday, Nov. 17:
Features, 7:10AM in Rm. 214
Entertainment, 2:30PM in the Atrium

All final drafts will be due to section editors on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Also, please do not forget about workshop week! All writers are required to attend two workshops. See blog post below for more details!

Workshop Week: Nov. 9-12

During the week of November 9-12, The Devil’s Advocate will be holding a variety of workshops to hone the staff’s journalism skills. All of these workshops will be moderated by editors to help strengthen your skills in a variety of fun ways.

All writers will be required to attend a minimum of TWO workshops of their choice. Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of all the workshops available.

Additionally, we will be having a session for one-on-one help with editors for article drafts before the rough draft deadline. This will NOT count as one of the two required workshops, but it is a great way to set aside time to work on articles and confront any difficulties you may have.

Below is the workshop schedule for next week. All workshops will be held in Rm. 214. Please contact the editor holding the workshop if you have any specific questions.



Monday, Nov. 9

Writing News Articles -7AM with Amy Chen & Sandra Korn
How to write using the inverted pyramid and other essential elements to News-style writing. Will also talk about objectivity and attributing sources.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

Writing and Working with Features -2:30PM with Linda Zhong
What a features article really is and the initiative it requires of readers. Will also examine structure and how to make Features more media-oriented.

Wednesday, Nov. 11

The Hook: Grabbing your readers' attention -7AM with Morgan Lochhead
How to write strong leads and maintain the audience's interest.

Interviewing & Quoting -2:30PM with Katherine Simeon
A look at what questions to ask, how to get the information you want out of people, and the proper courtesy when interviewing. Will also discuss how to integrate research into writing.

Thursday, Nov. 12

Help Session -7AM with section editors
With the assistance of the sectional editors, complete your article before this issue's deadline.

Writing Opinions Pieces -2:30PM with Allison Douglis
How to write a strong opinions piece and why the code of ethics is important. Note: This is mandatory for first-year staff members who wish to write opinions articles this year!!

Friday, Nov. 13 -Rough Drafts due!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Important Dates and Deadlines for Issue 2!

11/3- Full staff meeting, staff members are assigned article topics
11/13 -Rough drafts due to section editors via email
11/13-11/17 -Staff members attend sectional meetings with section editors for rough draft revisions (schedule will follow soon)
11/18 -Final drafts due to section editors
11/21 -Final drafts due to copy editors from section editors (via DA gmail account)
11/27 -All articles and art due to layout editors and Mrs. Kupiec for approval
12/7 -Layout sent to printer to be published!