Thanks.

Thank you!

you can email me at kellis3@ucmerced.edu

As editors and staff move on to whatever is next and leadership roles are filled by new people there is a passing of information.

A lot of what you’ll be doing will stay the same. A lot of what you do will get better. A lot of what you do won’t be fully appreciated by your readers, but we the inky-fingered members of collegiate newspapers are a unique militia of information.

Older and Experiecned Staffers: this is a good time to put that last little tid-bit out there for the newbies to learn.

Younger Inexperienced Staffers: this is a good time to ask some questions.

And we’re not going anywhere.

So leave your thoughts as comments to this post.

(Also, tell your staff, all of them, to sign up for College Newsroom. We’d appreciate, seeing as we’re not much without our members!)

Where that life will be, what it will involve and how to start are all questions young journalists, editors, designers, web-heads and all of the other people dedicated to the news media beyond the college level may ask.

What about people who are willing to relocate? What about people who will move hither and yon to find the work, the fellowship, the internship and the chance to do what they love?

What about all of those other what abouts?

Below is a compiled list of a few resources to help with the search. Please, feel free to share via a comment what worked for you and what you wish you would have known before. Also, any other links or resources that might help someone get the gig.

www.jobspage.com

–Most people who are seriously looking for work in the news could use a guy like Joe Grimm. His site (above) and daily stories on www.poynter.org “Ask the Recruiter” could inspire just about anybody to dream impossible dreams… and stuff like that.

www.journalismjobs.com

–The aptly named source for jobs relating to journalism.

www.gannett.com

–The top right hand corner has a “Careers” link. Not that I’m one to favor one giant media conglomerate over another; the button was just easier to find than at www.mcclatchy.com (Hint: It’s under the “Employees” tab.)

http://writersweekly.com

–A handy tool for checking out publishers and information on freelancers, though admittedly a lot of this was kind of a downer.

Of course, there is www.craigslist.com for writing, editing and some general what-have-yous, but you have to know where you want the opportunity to be before you start searching too hard.

Please share your links and tips as comments below.

1.) Editorially Independent. Most publications are, or claim to be, editorially independent from the universities they cover. The most stringent followers of this important journalistic principle must not have any members of the university’s administration on their governing board. The same goes for any members of ‘student government’, or any other organization that the publication regularly covers. It is acceptable, however to have advisory boards with characters of this nature, and perhaps, even limited roles on editorial boards or governing boards, provided these individuals recuse themselves from any decision regarding coverage of an area in which they have a hand. I see far too many governing boards or bodies that contain university officials. This is not independent, folks. Even if there are careful policies in place to prevent conflicts of interest, the appearance of a conflict is, more often than not, just as unethical as a true conflict.

2.) Financially Independent. I’ve come across different financial systems when examining fellow university newspapers. The most blatant offenders of the financial independence principle are the publications that accept student, university, or tax-payer money, with no option for students to opt-out. Likewise with the editorial independence principle above, a publication that accepts funding from the administration of the university cannot be expected to fairly and objectively report on the members of that administration. Even with effective safeguards and policies in place, there is a huge, and in my opinion, unavoidable impression of impropriety in situation where a publication’s finances are backed by a subject of coverage. Some medium level financially independent publications, like the State News for instance, will allow student to opt-out of a special “student-tax” designed to supplement the coffers of the newspaper. University donations seem acceptable, as well as donations from readers, and other outside donors. Still, a publication that refuses to accept any student, university, or tax-payer funding has the ultimate financial independence.

3.) Legally Independent. Finally, and perhaps least important, is the legal status of the publication. The most independent publications will enjoy a complete legal separation from the university. Most university newspapers are legal extensions of the university, sharing in the university’s non-profit, tax-exempt status. Some, are independent non-profits with university officials serving on the board of directors (see editorial independence, above).

We also run into this problem when writing album/movie reviews. It seems like all of the sites that have images of the album artwork/movie posters are heavily copyrighted.

Any insight?

Rachel Harper
Editor in Chief
The Lookout

This is a great opportunity for the college newspapers of Michigan to pose questions (as a comment below this post) and get answers.

Let us know what YOU want to know.

Or, if you’re going to be at the conference, stop by our table next to the registration area.

Looking forward to meeting you.

**College Newsroom will be blogging live from the Michigan Press Association Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. Check back often throughout the day and pose questions. The College Newsroom team will do our best to get the answers.**

8:55am

Check-in and general conversation abounds along with breakfast style nibblets and coffee.

9:30am

The first session has begun as more Michigan News people continue to sign in for the two day conference. MPA Foundation Board Members Dirk Milliman and Jack Batdorff stopped by, along with Adviser to the Ferris State Torch, Steve Fox. Also Wes and Mary Maurer of the St. Ignace News and the Town Crier on Mackinac Island had kind words to share.

We’re looking forward to seeing and sharing more as the day progresses.

10:00am

Colleen Dawson, the lady responsible for getting College Newsroom to the conference today, says things and they become law. Need an easel for your sign? BOOM! Her wish is granted.

Dave Clark, editor in chief of the Big Rapids Pioneer stops by to comment on the scheduled activities and the set up of College Newsroom at the conference.

1:22pm

Things are in full swing at the MPA conference and the College Newsroom table has been active and fun. Young people with college newspapers and those already established in the industry are interacting around the table. Joe Grimm of www.newsrecruiter.com and Ed Wendover, Chief of Staff for State Representative Mike Huckleberry had plenty of questions.

Whew.  Things really picked up and the rest of the updating took a second tier on the priority scale.  Here is a brief re-cap.

Spent some time in the session “Re-Thinking the News” with a panel of diverse industry professionals discussing the nature of newspapers and the changes they are encountering. Some good questions and some great answers. Check the hash tag #rethinkingthenews for tweets from the discussion.

College Newsroom gave a brief presentation to the Michigan Collegiate Press Association (MCPA) and had a sit down with Joe Grimm for a potential story on www.poynter.org

Detroit Daily Press to start publishing Nov. 23; home delivery starts Nov. 30
By The Associated Press
November 13, 2009, 11:43AM
Facebook
Two veteran publishers are launching a daily newspaper serving the Detroit area, where the two main players have reduced home delivery to survive in a struggling industry.

Brothers Mark and Gary Stern said Friday they’ll start publishing The Detroit Daily Press on Nov. 23, selling it for 50 cents daily and $1 on Sundays. Home delivery starts Nov. 30.

The paper’s 60 full-time employees are using the former offices of The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak, which moved.

The Sterns ran daily newspapers in Detroit in 1964 and 1967; New York in 1978; and Minneapolis in 1980 when workers at those cities’ major newspapers went on strike.

The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press in March reduced home delivery and increased electronic offerings.Detroit Daily Press Facebook site

College Newsroom is a source for collegiate journalists, editors, designers and everyone else involved in the process of campus newspapers to share, critique, commend and learn as a community of young people work together to make the world of college newspapers and beyond better.

Please, register to become a member and begin posting, sharing and commenting on matters that are important to you.

Any questions, tips or ideas, just contact us on the form below.