Poynter’s great boss suggestions

After reading Chapter 9 I noticed some similarities between good coaching tips and an article from Poynter online’s “Ten Things Great Bosses Know.” A few of the suggestions are right on key with coaching, the others are just good advice. Read it and see for yourself.

Who needs the internet?

While I can’t take credit for finding this article (Lola sent it to me) I was glad I took the time to read it, because for once it’s a bit of hopeful news.

An article from the News & Observer, talks about how students at North Carolina University still enjoy reading the print edition of the campus newspaper “The Technician.”

The article pointed out that although our generation is the most tecnically inclined (who doesn’t have a laptop/PDA/Bluetooth/iPod), students at NCU prefer the paper copy to the online version.

Don’t get me wrong, their online publication is fantastic, but any support of college publications by their audience, a generation known for scoffing at anything but the newest model, is definitely welcome.

Posting mug shots online: ethical or not?

This article brings up an issue that I have never really considered: the issue of whether it is ethical or not to post mug shots online. On tampabay.com, there are mug shots of over 100 people who were arrested within a 24-hour period. The pictures scroll across the top of the page and, below, the people are categorized by several things, like eye color, height, weight and gender.
This is an interesting issue that definitely requires some thought. Steve Myers asks several questions about the issue like “Is this journalism?” and “Is it fair to highlight people who have been arrested but not been convicted of a crime?”
I neither believe that this should be considered journalism nor that it is fair to highlight these people who have been arrested, but not yet convicted. I’d like to hear what some others think about this.

Watch the number of internships

Joe Grimm, over at Poynter, helped answer a question someone had last week about internships. They were concerned with the number of internships they had, along with an article Grimm had wrote in late March about not having too many internships. Grimm helped clarify the problem, by saying it doesn’t matter the number of internships in college, but it’s the number some people have out of college. This brings up an interesting point as the semester ends.

With students looking for jobs, I’ve heard of some people just considering internships right now if they cannot find an actual job. While this may be good for now, I agree with Grimm’s point of newspapers looking down on multiple internships after college. If that’s all a student can get, are they going to be a liability for the paper? Why have these people not gotten jobs, but just continue to get internships? After college, one or two internships might be good to help finishing polishing up what you learned, but after that trouble may arise later on when looking for jobs.

Interest in Journalism still high

Although the future of journalism is uncertain, interest has not gone down. This article talks about how students around the country are still getting high numbers of students for journalism, while they understand they may not find jobs right away. In this times, students are considering getting master’s degrees or relying on there minor until the dust clears.

Close to home

Today I read an article from the Chicago Tribune about a high school newspaper adviser resigning after the school placed stricter measures on the newspaper.  The adviser Barbara Thill will continue to teach at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire but won’t work with the newspaper anymore.  After a January issue of the newspaper “The Statesmen”  which focused on teenage sex life, administrators at the school now monitor the paper before it is published. 

  I understand that high school papers fall under the jurisdiction of the school district, who in many cases do impose censorship to a certain degree, but I will never be comfortable with the idea.  Public schools are an arm of the government, but if the government isn’t allowed to censor nespapers (at least for the most part) then why should the high schools?  

In one case, after waiting four years the Ithacan high school newspaper (New York) will finally go to trial this May regarding administration guidelines restricting publication.  Maybe now the students will get the chance to say what they want and people like Thill won’t have to resign.

Journalism internships decrease for college students

With the decrease in newspapers and cutting back of jobs, it was bound to happen eventually. The American Journalism Review posted a story today telling that newspapers are hiring less paid interns, and asking for universities to pay more for paid internships.

The Chicago Tribune, which has offered a internship for years, is only offering unpaid internships this year. Students are still applying knowing this, but it’s disappointing that paid internships at many larger papers are going by the wayside. With the economic situation, this was bound to happen, but like full paying jobs, students need money over the summer to help make it through college and other living expenses.

I know this is one of the big problems I have with an unpaid internship. I’m having a hard enough time with college funding as is, and an unpaid internship may very well keep me from getting back to college next fall. Hopefully, some papers can start finding more money in reserve, or alternative funds to help journalism students wanting to write during the summer get a stipend.

Cleaning your copy

Newsu.org offered some tips regarding grammar, especially the who/whom battle and other problem areas. If you haven’t registered, check it out and hopefully this helps clear up a few things.

Finding a Job Outside Journalism

This topic seems unconventional to many of us as we probably all wants jobs within the world of journalism. Ellen Polley, a former editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, wrote a blog for Poynter about how journalists can be highly valuable outside the world of journalism. In these hard economic times, laid-off journalists are finding jobs in other fields. Different careers value journalist’s ability to analyze and organize data. Although this blog contains ideas that might not be exactly what we want to hear, it does remind us that the skills we obtain through becoming journalists can transfer to many fields.

Local newspaper folds wouldn’t bother many

With the state of newspapers today, it isn’t very encouraging to see stories such as this, showing that lots of Americans would not care much if their local newspapers folded. According to this publication by Pew Research Center, only 43 percent of the people who voiced their opinions believe that the loss of their local newspaper would hurt civil life “a lot.” An even smaller percentage (33 percent) claimed that they would miss the newspaper a lot if it were no longer available.
Among the people of different age groups who were active, the information shows that younger people (age 18 to 39) said they would not personally miss the paper if it became unavailable. However, 41 percent of the same group believes that a complete shutdown of their local newspaper would hurt civic life significantly. This publication also shows why some people believe that the loss of a local newspaper would hurt civic life. Take a look at it.