Deadlines Overview for the Shield – Issue #1

October 1 -         Y2 drafts due (editors)

Y2 inspiration designs and thumbnails due (beginning of class)

 

October 4 -         Y2 drafts returned (editors)

 

October 6 –         Y1 drafts due (directors)

Y1 inspiration designs due (beginning of class)

 

October 8 –         Y1 drafts returned (directors)

Y2 final revisions due (adviser)

 

October 12 -       Y1 revisions due (editors)

Y2 final revisions returned (adviser)

 

October 14 –       Y1 revisions returned (editors)

 

October 15 –       Y2 designs complete

Lit layout complete

 

October 18 -       Y1 final revisions due (adviser)

 

 

October 20 -       Y1 final revisions returned (adviser)

 

October 22 –       Y1 designs complete

 

October 25-29   Copyediting (Copyeditor and staff)

 

 

 

Breakdown by year:

 

Y2 Students – Deadlines for the Shield

 

October 1 –        Drafts due (editors)

Inspiration designs and thumbnails due @ beginning of class

 

October 4 -         Drafts returned (editors)

 

October 8 –         Final revisions due (adviser)

 

October 12 -       Final revisions returned (adviser)

 

October 15 -       Design complete

Lit layout complete

 

October 25-29   Copyediting (copyeditor and team)

 

 

 

Y1 Students Deadlines for the Shield

 

October 6 -         Draft due (directors)

Inspiration designs due @ the beginning of class

 

October 8 -         Draft returned (directors)

 

October 12 –       Revisions due (editors)

 

October 14 -       Revisions returned (editors)

 

October 18-        Final revisions due (adviser)

 

October 20 -       Final revisions returned (adviser)

 

October 22 –       Designs complete

 

October 25-29-  Copyediting (copyeditor and team)

 

 

Good headline…

Restaurants scramble after massive egg recall

What’s that supposed to mean?

Ambiguity is a tricky thing.  Sometimes it works for you and people read on, wanting to know exactly what you mean.  Sometimes it works against you in that you create controversy where there is none.

Recently the media has made much “to do” about the Swine flu, and virtually no one agrees whether it’s the worst flu in the past hundred years or whether it’s the mildest flu in decades.  If you read about the vaccine, you learn that it is either the salvation of the masses or another conspiracy to rob the populace of personal freedom.

N.C. among states ordering nasal H1N1 vaccine

Posted: Oct. 2, 2009
Updated: Oct. 2 7:04 p.m.

WASHINGTON — The long-awaited first vaccinations against swine flu – the squirt-in-the-nose kind – begin early next week in parts of the country, and states are urging people to be patient until more arrives.

North Carolina is among the first states placing orders.

To see the article, click here.

 

Once you read this article, identify the ambiguity in the headline.  How could the writer have avoided it?

eNews Schedule 2009-2010

August

19 – First Home Football Game  Jason S

26 – Boys Soccer (V)  Tanya H, McKinley W, Ashley W

September

2 – JV & V Tennis  Tommy M, Tanya H, Ashley W

9 – Volleyball (MS, JV, V)  Julie M, Blair

16 – Spiritual Emphasis Week  Sara M, Julia Z, Gabby W, Haley S, Amanda B

23 – Cross Country  Josh S, Colby C, Gabby W, Julia Z, Marissa L, Tommy M

30 – Marching Band  Meg B, Haley S, Marissa L, Molly M, McKinley W

October

7 – JV Football  Wayne B, Josh S, Cody S

14 – College Fair  McKinley W, Tanya H, Ashley W

21 – JV & MS Boys Soccer  Cody S

28 – Homecoming  Christina E

November

4 – Book Fair  Wayne B, Cody S

11 – No School

18 – *The Robe* (Fall play)  Emily S, Lizzie S

25 – No school

December

2 – Swimming  Christina E, Cody S

9 – 1st & 2nd grade plays  Christy C

16 – Band concert and recitals  Marissa L

23 – No School

30 – No School

January

6 – Cheerleading  Julie M, Laura G

13 – Varsity Basketball (Boys and Girls)  Cody S

20 – JV Basketball (Boys and Girls)  

27 – Talent Show  McKinley W, Tanya H, Ashley W

February

3 – MS Basketball (Boys and Girls) 

10 – 3rd grade play

17 – Val-o-grams  Julia Z

24 – Art Extravaganza  Christina E

March

3 – No School

10 – Track  (MS, V)  Julia Z, Cody S

17 – Girls Soccer (MS, JV, V)

24 – Grandparents Academy

31 – *Hello Dolly*

April

7 – No School

14 – Baseball (MS, JV, V)

21 – Volunteer Week *and* boys tennis (JV & V)

28 – 4th grade play *and* golf

May

5 – JR/SR Banquet

12 – Softball (MS, JV, V)

19 – Capital Awards  Christy C, Blair

26 – Class of 2010  Julie M, Jason S

File under: Not good leads

Leads are critical for establishing reader expectations for an article.  Not only do they offer a bird’s-eye view of content, but they also set the tone.  Leads are a tiny appetizer for what is to come in the body of the piece.

Following is the lead from an article published on the [Durham] Herald-Sun’s website this morning (9/12/09):

Trojans topple Pirates

DURHAM — Garner came in not in good shape and Riverside could not take advantage of it.

Click here to see how the rest of the article went.

When your reader has to engage in mental gymnastics to understand the lead, something is … er … not right.

Simplify.  Say exactly what you mean to say in as few words as you possibly can say it.  Use precise vocabulary. What could this writer have said instead of “came in”?  Or “not in good shape”? By the time we arrive at the end of the sentence, we have to do a double back-handspring back-tuck combination to figure out what “it” is.  Or was.

In all fairness to the writer, he redeems himself in the body of the article.  But that lead is a bear.

My head hurts now.

First Amendment…

In case you’ve never taken time to ponder it, here it is.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
                                            — The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Q1 Deadlines…

I have put the deadlines under the “Deadlines” page.  You can access that page via the menu tab at the top of this web page.  It’s the fastest, easiest way to check for changes.

Here it is again, though.  While the edits I make to the “Deadlines” page will delete earlier content, this post will remain accessible in this form.  You know… so you can stand in awe at all that work you’ve done…

Team Blue is the first quarter group that begins with journalism.  Team Gold is the first quarter group that begins with graphic design.

Team Blue Deadlines:

August 28 – “Write What You Know” article

Sept. 21 – Research and Interview project

Sept. 25 – Writing Skills Worksheets

Oct. 5 – SLP/eNews/Shield Final articles

Team Gold Deadlines:

Sept. 4 – “Write What You Know” article

Sept. 28 – Research and Interview project

Oct. 2 – Writing Skills Worksheets

Oct. 12 – SLP/eNews/Shield articles

Welcome Newbies!

For all our newbies, the staff and advisers welcome you to the 2009-2010 publication year!  We are excited you are joining us in the fast-paced world of student journalism and graphic design. 

For EVERYONE… newbs and veteran staff alike … here are a few things you need to have for the class this year.

~2GB flash drive

~three-ring binder with a hard cover

We can’t wait to hit the ground running.  Looking forward to another spectacular year.

Journalism and worldview…

As a result of a bizarre set of events, I got an email from a man who turned out to be a journalist who is a Christian.  Not only is this guy a journalist, he used to teach journalism and even head a Master’s program in political reporting.  I’ll let you read that part for yourself.  It’s pretty cool.  He has since left journalism as his primary career, but once a writer always a writer, so I took the opportunity to ask  him if he would mind sharing any advice he might have about reporting from a Christian worldview.

The following is his response:

From an email dated May 11, 2009:

Norma,

Thanks! We’ll keep you in the loop.

That is a big job teaching journalism students to write from a biblical
world view! I would love to help. I have not written anything specifically
in this area, but I have written a book, Rich Toward God, Doing Life and
Business God’s Way (www.richtowardgod.org) which can be purchased also at
www.amazon.com.

Also, I directed a master’s program in political reporting at the University
of Missouri-Columbia and taught a beginning newswriting class there as well.
Unfortunately, at the time I was not a believer. As a political reporter in
the late ’70s and early ’80s, I thought I was “objective” but my world view
definitely colored my writing. For example, I remember when I was covering
Missouri state government, I loathed John Ashcroft, who then was state
attorney general before going on to become U.S. senator and later U.S.
attorney general under President Bush. I didn’t realize it at the time, but
now I see  my distaste for him was because he was an outspoken Christian.
Now I have the utmost respect for him.

I think a key aspect of reporting from a Biblical world view is being a
critical thinker (as opposed to being a critical person) and weighing fact
vs. conventional wisdom or the politically correct views of the herd. For
instance, if you are writing a story on evolution, it should be presented
for what it is — a theory — rather than settled fact. The same goes for
global warming. Look at the way Miss California has been treated. Most
accounts would have you believe she’s a wacked-out empty-headed homophobic
blonde because she answered a question saying she  supports the traditional
definition of marriage when in fact she represents the majority of
Californians who voted against same sex marriage in a recent election.

We definitely need Christians in media positions in our country. This does
not mean that they need to use journalism as a platform to declare their
faith in their reporting (although there could be times where that might be
appropriate). I believe the better testimony is to live an uncompromised
life and conduct a career which honors the Lord in all respects –
particularly in truth and love.

Thank You,

Mark (Noblin, President of The Rock Outreach)

Things we say wrong…

A cool video about the way we use language…