2021 Michigan Journalist of the Year Portfolio
News Gathering
Pitch, Process, Publish
With a staff of almost 100 students, identifying diverse perspectives and sources of information aren't the most difficult parts of the publication process-- it's finding news we can use. In order to achieve this, I lead classroom-wide story pitches revolving around central topics, such as news or "please something non-Valentine's Day for the rest of February," all the while encouraging students to collaborate with their peers, be it through Zoom breakout rooms or socially-distanced tables. These ideas are then compiled into our ever-growing pitch spreadsheets, which are later color-coded by relevance and divided between the print and online branches of The Tower. All of these efforts culminate into a preplan designed by me, as being Associate Editor makes me the Chair of the Editorial Board, based on theme and timeliness.
Theme Development
The Looking Glass wouldn't be The Looking Glass without the inclusion of its annual theme, ranging from topics as broad as "Perspective" to as abstract as this year's "Me, Myself, and I."
The theme development process doesn't end after the staff voting period, however. In order to ensure that our final publication is cohesive, creatively accessible, and true to the topic, I lead my staff through the arduous yet rewarding judging process.
Each piece considered for publication by The Looking Glass is given a staff assessment, in which I lead the team through a Socratic-seminar style discussion about the piece's strengths, areas of improvement, and relevance to our theme.
This nuanced review of each and every piece we receive ensures our own impartiality and the quality. of our overall publication so that, come springtime, the organization process nearly operates itself.
At the end of each submission period, I compile a spreadsheet organizing each of the pieces based on not just staff responses, but connection to the prompt itself. Hours upon hours of designing later, a thirty-two page magazine of on-theme content is created.
Though the content collection process is slightly different between The Looking Glass and The Tower, the principles are the same-- which is why The Tower was able to create a special-edition, magazine-style Mental Health Issue by following the same steps!
Sources First, Stories Second
Throughout my journalism career, I have been repeatedly surprised to discover that there are some stories ideas that just don't write themselves-- instead, the sources come first!
In October of 2019, I was tasked with the assignment of interviewing U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, who happened to be a guest at an upcoming community luncheon. Though no story idea was prepared by the Editorial Board in advance due to the event's short notice, after doing a thorough search through Stabenow's Twitter, I discovered that she had unveiled her new Michigan-centric climate change initiatives just a few days prior to our meeting.
What I had anticipated to be a five-minute conversation commending her on her efforts evolved into a nearly twenty-minute breakdown of the intimate ways in which Stabenow perceived the role of Michigan in the fight against climate change. As soon as the interview closed, I immediately knew the topic: how do the young people of the state of Michigan take Stabenow's words and convert them into action? And how do I communicate the urgency in her voice on paper?
A quick correction: the story did, in fact, write itself. I just happened to have a U.S. senator to help me.
