Students prepare to distribute their school newspaper.
Running a school newspaper can be a daunting task; however, once you determine whether it’s “mine” or “theirs” and put some organization to the process, you’ll find that running a school newspaper can be a rewarding experience.
Publication calendar: At the beginning of the each semester sit down with your editorial board to determine your publication dates. As calendar dates are determined, you’ll want to ensure to keep major school events in mind. Remember that you’re there to steer them in developing the calendar, not determine the dates.
Brainstorming: On each distribution date have the editor-in-chief lead the staff through a brainstorming session (based on beat sheets) for the next issue. After brainstorming is complete, have staff members choose the top 3 stories they would be interested in writing.
Story assignments: Sit down with your editor-in-chief and go through the brainstorming list. Together determine which stories will be most impactful for your school. From there allow the editor-in-chief to make the story assignments. Before he/she goes over the story assignments with the staff, be sure to have one last glance.
Google Drive: Google Drive is a great way for students to collaborate on stories, make revisions automatically, have documents automatically save, eliminate paper, get rid of excuses for “leaving a story at home”, and share feedback.
Remember that you’re the adviser, you’re there to advise, so allow the students to run the newspaper, but make sure you put some organization to the process. Good luck!