Editing, Leadership, and Team Building
As I've come to learn, journalism is more than just words on a page. As an editor, I've learned how to not just edit others' work, but how to teach, coach, and build relationship with those on staff.
Editing
I had edited a few stories in Journalism I, but that did not prepare me for being an editor. I had to learn to manage the situation when it came to editing a story, keeping in mind deadlines and grades with every comment or suggestion I made.
Communication
Communication is a huge part of being an editor, which I soon realized at the start of the year. Apart from communicating with staffers about edits and deadlines, communication with coaches was another thing I had to refine. The former taught me about persistence, while the latter showed me how to be professional but friendly with other coaches.
Team Bonding
One of my goals as I entered the year was to make sure I was close with my staffers. I organized staff bonding before game coverages and on the weekends, as well as making the most of in class celebrations to accomplish that goal.
SIPA Presentation
I presented at the Southern Interscholastic Press Association Spring Conference with Visuals Coordinator Lucas Donnelly about how to do a game coverage. Our session wasn’t packed, but the experience taught me about public speaking and allowed me to pass on some of my experience to other publications.
Editorial Board
Editorial Board meetings offer everyone a chance to speak on the way they feel about the week and direction of their staff, as well as a chance for the Cabinet to raise concerns they have with editors. These are very helpful to me so I can help guide my staff and talk with those who have more experience than me.
Leadership Seminars
I participated in leadership seminars hosted by our adviser, Mr. Ragsdale, to help teach editors like myself how to lead. One of these seminars especially stuck with me – one on editing showed me how to edit a piece without overly taxing myself while still ensuring a quality product.
Weekend Workdays
Weekend workdays were a big way that I accomplished work in the ODYSSEY as the Sports Editor. My sports staffers weren’t often present for these, so this was a time for me to work with other members of staff and Journalism I students, as well as getting layouts and other personal work done.
Creative Writing Project
The Creative Writing Project is a break from traditional journalism where we split from our respective staffs and work to make content for the iliad Literary Art Magazine, our sister publication. This is a great opportunity to work with those outside our usual sphere and get our brains out of a strictly journalistic mindset.
