Many people are aware of the school broadcast, newspaper, yearbook, and social media, but not many think about how all those came to be. Becoming a staff writer for the journalism team has a few different elements to it. This includes responsibilities such as turning in one’s stories on time, completing a yearbook page, as well as accomplishing little tasks along the way. When in journalism, a few people get the opportunity to have the title of “editor.” These people have various tasks. For example, one editor specifically checks yearbook pages, makes sure everyone is getting their work done on time, and edits the broadcast.
Even though the editors have authority, it is more challenging than what many may expect. Being a yearbook editor requires a lot of patience, the skill of teaching everyone, and the ability to improve each page until it looks the best. When a staff member is done with their page, students submit a final assessment paper where the editors and adviser go over every detail. Hannah Neuville, senior, said, “I start with the top left and work my way across the page. The main thing I am checking is captions, graduating years, punctuation, and grammar mistakes.” Once Neuville is done with examining specific pieces, they move into the group photo, making sure everyone is tagged, looking at the folio, and checking the caption title.
When having authority over the yearbook, the beginning and end of the year can be very stressful. Yearbook editors have to spend weeks making templates for pages. Neuville said, “My least favorite part of journalism is when someone doesn’t get things done on the deadline. It can impact how the editors are doing with their time.” It can be difficult for the editors to complete their task when a journalism member fails to do their page on schedule. When anyone on the staff doesn’t turn in assignments for the deadline, editors can get stressed or overwhelmed, especially during certain periods of the school year. At the end of the second semester, each person works on the graduating pages as well as finishing any part of the yearbook that has not been completed. Neuville said, “It’s hard because you, yourself, are a student, but you have to be in charge of other students.” Authority in journalism is complicated because the editors have to teach the staff how to be an efficient member, but it can be tough figuring out exactly how to assist others.
In addition to being a yearbook editor, Neuville is also in charge of the broadcast. Each Friday, they film the footage with other staff members, but many do not realize the time that it takes to revise each video. Neuville said, “It takes hours for a 5-minute broadcast.” Every Saturday, they spend the majority of their day editing. When the anchors make more mistakes, the length of the video can expand which can cause them to take more hours out of their day to edit.
Learning how to produce the videos is not as easy as it seems. Neuville has learned how to use the broadcasting system while teaching other students how to edit a video. Neuville said, “Teaching the broadcast comes in baby steps.” The staff needs to be educated about the filming and production, but it can become overwhelming. This process can be very challenging and time-consuming for Neuville and others.
Having a position of authority may look very amusing, but behind the scenes, there is an enormous amount of effort. So when a person looks at the yearbook, newspaper, and any social media post, don’t forget to mention the people who put a great deal of time and labor into it.
