My job as Editor-in-Chief means that final edits on all articles are up to me, so being a thorough and timely editor is extremely important.
Day-to-day procedures
Our journalism class operates on a step-by-step method which is repeated each week. The steps include:
1. Pitch Day 2. Writing 3. Edits- Section, Copy, EIC 4. Publishing To keep our steps organized, we use multiple spreadsheets. The Story Ladder contains everyone's stories and the categories they are in. It also contains information about which stories get extra edits and design elements. The Stories in Progress spreadsheet allows staff members to mark off when they have completed a job in the editing process. Once all the boxes are checked for a story, the section editor know it can be published. This keeps everyone on the same page throughout our process. |
Editing
Editing is hugely important to journalism. No story is complete without receiving multiple rounds of edits, and no single editor can make a piece perfect. I also know that an editor's job is to enhance the original journalist's work, not to change it based on their own preferences.
As online Editor-in-Chief, I am responsible for maintaining our site integrity, keeping track of deadlines and grading my staff's work. I do this using the Honors Journalism Grading document, which has a category for either myself or my Assistant Editor-in-Chief to provide commentary and grades to each article. It also has a box for us to list any extensions we grant or penalties a staff member receives.
As online Editor-in-Chief, I am responsible for maintaining our site integrity, keeping track of deadlines and grading my staff's work. I do this using the Honors Journalism Grading document, which has a category for either myself or my Assistant Editor-in-Chief to provide commentary and grades to each article. It also has a box for us to list any extensions we grant or penalties a staff member receives.
Grading
After I edit each article, I write a few notes on it in our Grading document. I give a summary of how the piece was written, whether there were any deductions for late work, and then a score out of 30 points. I also note whether I feel the article should be submitted for Best of SNO.
Beyond its practical uses, this document provides a great record of each staff member's growth over time, showcasing how much they have improved since the beginning of the semester,
Beyond its practical uses, this document provides a great record of each staff member's growth over time, showcasing how much they have improved since the beginning of the semester,