NEWS GATHERING
Every story begins in the newsroom--before a writer is assigned, before interviews are conducted, and before the writing comes to life. Each week, the editorial board gathers to plan out the next edition’s news budget before meeting with the entire staff to make assignments and hear pitches. To find the best stories for our readers, it is important to stay up to date with events happening within our school and community, whether we do it by actively checking the school calendars or engaging in conversations with people. Over the years, The Vision has reached thousands more people and created many more connections in doing so, and our goal is to continue growing.
News Budget
Each Thursday evening, a new edition is published on our website. Just hours before that, the planning process for the next edition begins. When the editorial board meets, each editor is expected to bring ideas for their respective category. As we plan the news budget, the editor will give a brief idea of how they plan to approach a story. This is a vital part of the process as the initial brainstorming allows writers to build on it. Once we lay out what we have in mind, we meet with the full staff to hear their ideas, make assignments, and set expectations.
Interviewing
Once a story is planned out, the skeleton of the piece is created. However, stories are incomplete without hearing from the people involved in them. Hearing things from their perspective is what makes a story compelling.
Before each interview, I do the background research to understand the facts whether it is by reading up on relevant sources' websites or fact-checking information I may have heard by ear. Then, thinking about what I know and what I would like to know, I begin to form a series of questions. Sometimes, when I’m handling a topic that I have covered time and time again, my mind automatically runs through this thought process, and not a lot of planning is required. Other times, I’m approaching a new, unique story that I’ve never covered before. The style of the article also dictates how I go about interviewing. Quick coverage of news and sports only require a handful of questions while more in-depth features can take several different meetings with the same person.
When I first started writing and interviewing people, I stuck to the traditional pen and notepad, but I’ve slowly shifted to almost always using a voice recording. This change allows our conversations to flow better and the people I interview to be more comfortable; I’m also able to relisten to the audio as many times as I need to transcribe and fully understand their stories. This process can take hours, but I find it’s what connects me with the people the most.
