On my way to class this morning, I grabbed this year’s last issue of The Standard from the newspaper stands in Strong Hall. Like always, the top few copies are a little ragged, which must be a good sign that students and faculty skim our hard work printed on cheap recycled paper every Tuesday morning. Heck, maybe they even get the same ecstasy I do when my fingertips are dusted in sooty black ink.
You can’t roll up a computer to smack your misbehaved dog. Shoving a computer in your sopping wet Nikes might short circuit. Computers can’t ignite your barbecue grill. And newspaper is cheaper than bubble wrap or packing peanuts to wrap your fine china. Not to mention, lining your birdcage with a Mac or PC may gunk up a computer keyboard.
Yup, nothing compares to the print version.
The last paper of the 2011-2012 school year, featuring my two photos on the front.
I am three years down and one to go in the Missouri State University journalism department. One more year until I face the harsh world of allegedly dying print journalism and companies forcing employees to go on furlough.
The job market is just too competitive to have any college regrets. This is why I am joining The Standard’s editorial board as photo editor my senior year to give me a deeper insight of all the dimensions of photojournalism.
It’s going to feel a little funny at first. I have never been a “boss” before, but I have great faith in my future staff photographers. If we can win awards from the Missouri College Media Association, Society of Professional Journalists and Associated Collegiate Press this year, then it is obvious that we can repeat.
But there is always room to improve, hence why I jotted some ideas down on a scrap of paper during a dull chemistry class last week. Here are a few of my goals as photo editor:
- Makeover our website by adding more multimedia. Reporters can also contribute by posting their recorded audio or video clips.
- Possibly hire students majoring in broadcast journalism and graphic design.
- Post many galleries of staff photo shoots or have a “Best of Semester” gallery.
- Give staff photographers freedom in shooting photo stories.
- Hold group critique sessions bi-semesterly, if possible, with photo staff.
- Make it imperative that photographers must provide captions with NAMES.
- Help staff to produce quality images like helping light portraits. I want them to have a thick stack of clips for their portfolios.
- Continue winning awards! Who doesn’t love flimsy certificates?
It is going to be a fruitful learning experience, and it is my aspiration to work alongside a skilled group of photographers to produce the best possible product every Tuesday morning.
In two weeks, I begin my internship with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, in which I hope to bring my experiences back to Springfield come August. Without The Standard, I would not have had a chance to intern at this award-winning publication.
