Friday morning, the fellows of the ASNE Reynolds Institute were treated to an AZ Republic newsroom tour. For many of us, this was the first time we had stepped foot into a professional, functioning newsroom.
Writer’s cubicles were stacked with items indicating their specialty – from past newspaper issues to travel magazines to stacks of CD’s. It was fascinating to watch staffers in action. We watched an entire section of staff dedicate their time to updating the online AZ Central site while, at the same time, following online reader trends. We walked past the fashion section where cubicles were littered with Vogue magazine. My personal favorite was watching staffers design the covers of the community news inserts. While the Phoenix insert (my community) was already completed for the day, we were fortunate enough to see the Scottsdale and Glendale covers in action. I felt so privileged to be seeing the news a day before publication, almost like I was getting an inside scoop!
I wish my students could have been with me that morning; it would have been inspiring to so many of them. It is gratifying to see that the very elements we are learning in our classes (and those that we teach to our students), are skills that professionals are using every day.
Sharon Nolan
North Canyon H.S.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Posts
One thing I hope the group took away from the visit is how much everyone at the Republic -- and other journalism organizations helping with this program -- cares about and respects what you do. That's one of the most gratifying things for me in helping organize this program. There's no persuading required to get journalism professionals to assist. As soon as I say what the program is about, the response is, "What can I/we do to help."
ReplyDeleteSteve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix
The other thing that struck me was how many people they have working! I know they've downsized (they have each mentioned it), but they still have 200 people. That seems like a lot. Surely my 3 or 4 students who want to be journalists can fit in there! ;0
ReplyDeleteJuli Stricklan
Rigby High School
Rigby Idaho
I too enjoyed the tour. The one thing I noticed, though, was how many desks were unoccupied. It was scary, because I imagine that at one time there was a need for all those desks and I also imagine how many dads and moms supporting households and families used to sit at those desks. And where are they now? With all the unemployed people out there, where are they going for a job?
ReplyDeleteI also was disappointed by how "clinical" the office felt. I didn't feel at all like I was in a news room, I felt like I was visiting my mother at work (she works at the billing department for a home care agency). There were rows and rows of cubicles, a few t.v.s on very low volume and the low murmur of voices and keyboards.
I was hoping to see what we saw in "All the President's Men"- now that is exciting!
When considering the empty desks, do keep in mind the hour. Many reporters likely were in the field, and many editors likely hadn't gotten to work yet.
ReplyDeleteSteve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix