Ok, our school newspaper used to contain a fairly good amount of staff members, somewhere around 15. Last year, our staff shrunk down to 5 members at the beginning of the year, we had to find new staff members to compensate....
well this trend of fewer staff members is continuing....
as the editor in chief of my school newspaper, i feel obligated to stay on the staff. However, my fellow staff members have found themselves in class scheduling conflicts, and are unable to work for our newspaper during the year. Even my co-editor quit out on our newspaper at the last minute...
I AM THE ONLY PERSON LEFT ON MY NEWSPAPER STAFF!!!
What should I do??? Should i attempt to make it through the school year, despite the obvious obstacles in my way????, or should i just let our school newspaper slip under the cracks for a year????
Responses
Dee, 8/21/2005, 3:57:58 PM
My newspaper has a staff of only 7, for a 12 pager but we have been trying to get people to help out after school. My advice is to keep trying, post signs and get new people join. Don't let your newspaper slip away without a good fight. Tell people what is going on with the paper and see if they will join.
Alex, 8/21/2005, 4:56:30 PM
Last year, at my school, I was the only one who had to the motivation to continue with the newspaper. Everyone was always too busy, etc. I had to do the writing, reporting, photography, graphic design, layout, and the printing almost all by myself. I hope to gather a few more people... With your newspaper, I echo Dee's words, "My advice is to keep trying, post signs and get new people join. Don't let your newspaper slip away without a good fight. Tell people what is going on with the paper and see if they will join." Best of luck.
rs, 9/5/2005, 1:24:53 PM
That's a tough place to be in-- if you are interested in journalism, then do it! Consider asking your friends to write an article here and there, or ask your English teachers announce the fact that you are seeking articles. If you have an adviser, seek that person's help.
Best of luck!
mark, 9/8/2005, 6:57:59 AM
I advise a community college newspaper staff that had a similar problem for years. We now have 25 people on staff. Here's what we did to improve the numbers:
Offer credit - If your school doesn't have a newspaper class, it might be time to ask the administration to start one.
Personal invitations - Ask your adviser or some of the English teachers to talk individually to students they think would be good additions to the newspaper staff. A personal invitation is powerful and flattering.
Ask the freshmen - Our staff got bigger when we let the newest students know they would be welcome. A lot of times, newcomers are intimidated. Don't let them be. One appeal of our paper is that freshmen and sophomores get to be editors, something they'd have to wait two or three years to do at a four-year college.
Advertise advantages - Newspaper experience is a plus for a lot of careers: advertising, PR, politics, TV, anything to do with writing. It looks really good on a resume or a college application.
Hope that helps!
K Jordan, 9/14/2005, 8:18:20 AM
There is a plus side ( a small one) It is better to be alone than to have a staff made up of people who complain, miss deadlines or sit there waiting for direction. Recruit folks who are often ignored like those quirky "alternative" culture kind of kids...they have a neat slant to most things..and they are an untapped resource. Sometimes my worst staff is made up of kids who worry so much about making a 98% that they are followers instead of creative forces. Recruit people like you. Those who understand the value of student writing and the freedom to publish.
Hang tough, kid.
Mary Ann, 9/16/2005, 7:40:02 PM
I read somewhere that Robert Frost the poet once wrote and produced an entire edition of his high school paper by himself.
Andy, 11/1/2005, 11:20:14 PM
Dee and Alex up top are right. Make sure everyone knows that they're newspaper might not be around for much longer, if that's how dire it really is. People in my school might not all read the paper, but if they new it was being taken away from them, they probably would be driven to action.
Tom , 2/22/2006, 6:04:30 PM
Last year, when I started as editor, I faced the same problem. I took over a dying newspaper (that no one read) and turned it into a highly anticipated newspaper. Through my success, I can say that all of these ideas are excellent.
Pump those announcements, signs, and invitations (talk to English teachers!). Go to 8th grade orientation... anywhere you can promote your newspaper. Also, consider putting that in your newspaper. Put out a request for writers. Move the paper in a completely new direction - something drastic - it will seriously make the difference. (Don't forget to let us know what works!)
