I'm going to the Big D, and I do mean Dallas. Four editors and I head out tomorrow for Fall National College Media Convention. While Dallas might not be the most exciting travel location for us (It's only three hours from home.), we're still looking forward to convention. You’re in for a real treat if you’re headed to the annual … [Read more...]
Why Every Student Journalist Should Watch The Hunting Ground
Look around the next class you’re in. Count off the women. One… two… three… four… sexually assaulted. Repeat this until you run out of females in the class. It’s the world’s worst, most sadistic game of duck, duck, goose. No, these aren’t necessarily the sexual assault survivors in the class, but they represent the number of women who are … [Read more...]
Lessons from a Semester of Chatting with Student Editors
Running a weekly Twitter chat is not for the undedicated or disorganized. I know these things for sure after a semester of hosting #EditorTherapy. The weekly Twitter chat, which began in January, focuses on helping student journalists become the editor they want to be. #EditorTherapy, at 9 p.m. CST Wednesdays, discusses a different student … [Read more...]
When Did You Last Look at Your Mobile Site?
Students are not sitting down at their computers and checking your website; they're using the device in their hands. Fifteen percent of Americans ages 18-29 are heavily dependent on a smartphone for online access, according to the Pew Research Center. Your target audience, 85 percent of whom have smartphones, likely is accessing your content … [Read more...]
The New Editor’s Guide to Newsroom Management
Congratulations! Since you're reading this post, chances are you're a new manager. Perhaps you're taking an editorial position on your student media staff in the fall, or you assumed an editorial post this summer and are anticipating what will happen when the bulk of your student body returns to campus. Either way, you should be excited about your … [Read more...]
The Student Media Guide to Content Curation
Joe Student flails about around his pillows, trying to determine where his iPhone is so he can silence that freakin' alarm. Once the phone is in his hand and the annoying noise silenced, he begins opening apps. He spends at least 30 minutes every morning looking at his phone, trying to will himself out of bed and to class. He spends so much time … [Read more...]
Pub Manual 101: Addressing Conflicts of Interest
This is the 14th post in a series intended to help you draft or improve your student media staff’s publications manual. Posts in this series will run on Wednesdays. The posts’ titles will start with “Pub Manual 101″ and include the Pub Manual 101 logo. The university where I advise is playfully (or perhaps not) nicknamed "Overcommitted … [Read more...]