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The Driver of Journalism, Diversity is a Catalyst for Fresh, Excting Journalism
Diverse Coverage is an Obligation, Not an Option
In South Salem's media prorgams, diversity is integrated in our journalistic practice, it's not something we have to go out of our way to do. Our jobs are to cover the media and provide coverage for a COMMUNITY, not a singular group of people. It is imperative we discuss the accomplishments of students from each and every background, and that we do write-ups about smaller programs/events so we can reach as many students as possible.
Highlighting Heritage Through Yearbook Photography and Design
Coming in this year, I knew I wanted to better the way we interact with and cover the cultural and heritage clubs at our school. So, we dedicated a spread just to our multicultural assembly, an event which flaunts the skill and customs of student cultures. It ALWAYS a hit, but we often miss the change to cover it the way we should. This year was different, though.
For this spread, we told the staffers in charge of it that in short, there job was to capture students living out through their cultures. And, they did just that. Here, there are students adorning their national flags, embellishing them while dressing traditionally for their culture.
We also advised the students to find the kids who participated in the assemble and interview them. Often times it's hard to differentiate the kids from one another when they are all out there dancing and running around, so pinning them down and getting a quote from them is an aweseome to get direct testimony.
As well as that, we always encourage staffers to get the OUTSIDE perspective on an event as well, to see how they maybe interpreted it. Per the quotes, it seems the students at the assembly love the cultural display.
Everyone Deserves a Spotlight. Sometimes You Must Dig for Those Who Deserve It
Something new I implemented into the yearbook this year was including quotes from seniors throughout the senior portraits section. Oftentimes there is wasted negative space on the sides of the spreads and in the name of coverage, I decided to fill it! We sent out surveys to the senior class asking them various questions about their high school experience. Once we got as many responses as we could, we began to filter through it, selecting students who were not already covered in the yearbook. We try to avoid covering students multiple times unless neccesary and it makes logical sense. Then, we picked a quote they gave us and then plastered it in the book. It's a simple, yet effective way to increase coverage.
Being able to read about the personal lives, goals and accomplishments of students shows the individuality of education, and it provides each kid their own area to get theit truth out.
Without Even Trying, We Will Have a Diverse Spread of Content for the Next Clypian Issue
A picture of the (rough) layout ladder for upcoming physical print issue coming out later in February.
Polar Plunge: This is a community event South Salem holds each year. It is a fundraising event for our SPED Unified program. We will be covering it with social media, photography, interviews and an article.
Night to Shine: Similar to Polar Plunge, this is a community event, but it is wider than just South Salem. The Night to Shine is a Prom-like event for SPED students, celebrated nationwide. An editor on our staff is involved with the operation so while she is volunteering, she will be gathering info and taking pictures.
In this issue, we will have a student spotlight on Leah Ioane, flag-footballer who was recently selected to represent the State of Oregon in the NFL's girls flag football pro bowl competition. This is a good change to spread awareness of the growing sport, the event and build a profile on the student.
Another student spotlight will be on Julio, our local rotary student of the month. Having known him for years, I know his background and work ethic is deserving of a profile, as it's important for our community to know all that he has overcome. While I suggested the idea, I will not be writing, as I am to close to the individual and want to avoid any possible bias.
These are just a few CONFIRMED spreads for our upcoming issue, but a majority of them are helping increase the diversity of our local media coverage. We knew that these are the most interesting stories that our audience will care about.
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