View this email in your browser
 Issue 17 • Feb. 5, 2019 • by Taylor Blatchford 

How do you find stories?

Before we start, I have a question. A few students and advisers have reached out asking for tips on finding story ideas — something that can be especially tricky when you’re newer to the community you’re reporting on, as students often are when entering a university or internship.

I want to hear your suggestions: How do you find stories in your school or community? What tips would you share with other students?

Email me with your name and publication (open to both student and professional journalists). I’ll put together the best suggestions and use them with credit in an upcoming newsletter issue.

It’s the Year of the Student Journalist

Two organizations we love, the Student Press Law Center and the Newseum, declared 2019 the Year of the Student Journalist last week. SPLC’s explanation for it sounds a whole lot like the reason this newsletter exists:


“Brave, dedicated student journalists report important stories and produce content that shines a light on their community. Sometimes they are the only reporters in the room at important public meetings. They often break stories through diligent investigation and good reporting.

“Yet student journalists are continually threatened by censorship, retaliation, budget cuts, lack of access and many other challenges. Their advisers are also sometimes threatened for standing up for students’ First Amendment rights. Few people understand the important contributions that journalism education makes to civic life.”
 

That’s a mission we’re excited about, which is why we’re spending a newsletter issue talking about it. And there are T-shirts and everything — it’s the real deal.

SPLC, the Newseum and partner organizations want to show why student journalists and journalism education are important to democracy by hosting national and local events. The Newseum has also committed to incorporating student journalist-related content into its displays throughout the year.

Here’s how you can get involved:

  • Submit your publication’s front page to be featured at the Newseum’s display on Pennsylvania Avenue alongside hundreds of professional newspapers.
  • Write a piece for your publication about why student press freedom is important and share it with SPLC. If you need inspiration, dozens of publications published op-eds last Wednesday for Student Press Freedom Day.
  • Join your state’s New Voices campaign to push lawmakers for better student press freedom protections.
  • Plan an event for your staff, school or community around one of these key dates, like Scholastic Journalism Week or World Press Freedom Day.
(Student Press Law Center)

One tool we love

This week’s tool comes from Nancy Coleman, a senior at the University of Missouri (and The Lead’s faithful copy editor). What’s your favorite tool you want to share with other journalists? Let me know!

I’m consistently abysmal at writing in a planner with any semblance of regularity. Wunderlist, an online list-maker that syncs up between your devices, is the only thing that has stuck. I primarily use it to organize my day-to-day tasks — I have a “Monday” list, a “Tuesday,” etc. — but I keep separate checklists for tracking long-term work projects and remembering what groceries I’m out of.

I love that you can sort individual lists into broader folders; all of my daily lists have a home in my “Daily Grind” folder. It’s also super easy to move items from one list to another when I inevitably have to postpone doing my laundry to later in the week. And for the planner-savvy folks who rely on the euphoria of crossing items off to-do lists to feel alive, don’t fret: Wunderlist comes with a pretty satisfying ding when you mark things as complete.

Reading list

It’s been a brutal few weeks for the journalism industry with layoffs at Gannett, HuffPost, BuzzFeed and Vice. How did we get here? This Twitter thread from professor Jeremy Littau is an enlightening summary of changes in the industry’s business side — something I wish journalism schools spent more time discussing.

Journalists have increasingly gotten public pushback for using “racially charged,” “racially tinged” and other euphemisms to describe high-profile incidents involving politicians and public figures. Gene Demby explains for NPR’s Code Switch why some publications bristle at their journalists using the word “racist,” and why it’s important that they take a look at their practices.

“It’s @uclagymnastics’ world and we’re just living in it,” the Daily Bruin tweeted recently. The University of California, Los Angeles gymnastics team gained national popularity after senior Katelyn Ohashi’s floor routine went viral last month, and the Daily Bruin’s photo coverage of the meets are stellar. Check out the photos here (and remember that football and basketball aren’t the only sports worth covering).

Opportunities and trainings

  • New summer internships:

  • High school students, apply to have your work featured on the national JEA Facebook, Instagram and Twitter during Scholastic Journalism Week. Submissions are due Feb. 11.

  • Graduating college seniors, apply for the Hearst Fellowship, a two-year program that includes 12-month rotations at metro newspapers. Apply by Feb. 13.

  • ProPublica is giving 20 students scholarships to attend journalism conferences this year. Apply by Feb. 15.

  • The Native American Journalism Fellowship for college students includes a reporting immersion at the National Native Media Conference, mentorship and skills trainings. Apply by Feb. 28.

  • High school seniors, National Press Club scholarship applications are due March 1.
I want to hear from you — what would you like to see in the newsletter? Have a cool project to share?
Email blatchfordtaylor@gmail.com.
Share
Tweet
Forward
Edited by the wonderful Nancy Coleman.
This week's issue is brought to you thanks to these homemade chai spice scones.

Here's the archive of past issues. If someone forwarded you this email, subscribe here.

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe.

© 2019 The Lead • Taylor's home office • Seattle, WA 98117 USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp