SPRING PORFOLIO
Alexis Walford Style Editor
This was my first year being an editor, and with it comes a plethora of learning experiences. I learned that in order to be an editor you need to be a leader and a friend. That's not always easy. But it's beneficial not just for those you are leading, but for the leader themselves. Of course, this can be a fine line, but I believe (especially in a high school setting) it is important not to patronize your peers and to make connections with them. Otherwise, people will close off and not want to listen to you. As an editor, I see many second-person pronouns going on. Especially when looking at the style page, as it feels appropriate to be talking directly to the viewer. It feels natural when giving advice (like what makeup to use) to use “you”. It also seems to be common--and I am guilty of this--to write the citations for quotes wrong. I think the only way to fix this is to drill it in. But, before students get there, maybe we should keep a little piece of paper on a wall that gives proper examples, as I know it can get confusing considering how many ways there are to cite a quote.
EDITING DESIGN
My favorite spread from this year was from the February edition. Overall, I think the layout is beautiful. It is easy to read all of the stories, and they were kept separated well (laying out a page sometimes takes me a while). I also love the color pallet. This is purely opinion but I think the sage-y turquoise color looks phenomenal. But, I also like the way that the brown I used to create boxes matches to browns that are seen through the photographs on the page. This was also a pivotal publication as I was starting to remember how to cut people out of photos without constant Adamson help (I'm giving myself a pat on the back for that).
I am going to be ruthless here, but I do not love my March spread. I think the font used for “Embrace the character” sends a shiver of pure abhor down my spine every time I see it. I also think the gray box that overlaps the cloudy blue one clashes too much and loses contrast. If I were to do it over, I would find a way to make the two pages look more cohesive, as I feel the different fonts and color choices make the spread look choppy.
Working on the style page, I have learned a lot about Photoshop. For my page, I often need to lighten up photos and cut out people so that I can place them strategically on my page. I have always struggled with spatial reasoning… not just in the paper, but also in life. I feel over the course of the year I have gotten better at how to space words and photos on a page (by using strategically placed color blocks, and text wrap). However, I will need more practice before I master this skill. In Indesign, I have learned a lot about text wrap. It doesn't seem like a big deal but it can be the difference between an aesthetic page and something that feels overcrowded. The one thing I find the most annoying in Indesign is the eyedrop tool. I feel it should be an intuitive tool but I can never get it to pick up colors, and if I don't know where to put the color.
This was the first opinion article I wrote for the paper, so I found it difficult to write. I had spent a year desperately trying to avoid opinions in my stories, so finding the perfect balance of facts and opinions was a challenge. The biggest change that occurred was the addition of a counter-argument. Though it has been drilled into me since elementary school that a good argument will address the counterargument, I had forgotten to add one. Rey was very kind about it, and let me fix it without any rudeness (even if it was production day).
The process of writing this story involved more research than anticipated. Partially because I didn't want to leave Rey hanging, and because I was curious if there were any true regulations on the subject. I took my time to find official documents like the actual Arizona state code. It was confusing to read (and I may have gotten my mom's help) but I think it helped to create a well-researched and true story.
Although it scared me, it was the first story I had people talk about that I wrote. I noticed multiple people throughout the day mention it, and my math teacher even asked me about it. Not everyone agreed with what I had to say (and I think that's the beauty of the opinion page) but it got people debating.
WRITING LEADING
During production day I like to make small talk with the other newspaper members. I feel overall this is where a lot of the connections I made started, and I feel as though having such a small staff it was easy to get to know everyone. I think during class time I could have spent more time connecting with my peers, as I only really tackled them when we were having big group meetings and not one on one. It has always felt a little awkward working in a leadership role when around peers. It can be hard to be a boss when we are all the same age (sometimes people are even older than me. Overall, I think it is more important to be respected. Maybe it is just because the word “popular” instantly reminds me of Mean Girls, but I believe having mutual respect for everyone creates a more kind and professional atmosphere, while still having fun.
As I can be a bit of a control freak, being a leader is something I enjoy. Being a control freak can also make leadership difficult, as when something isn't being done the way I feel it should be, it can be hard to tell my peers that (as I don't want to seem ruthless). But as long as you take a deep breath and approach with an open mind, I find things work out in the end.
To create an award-winning publication month after month, teamwork finds itself to be vital. There is no way to put together an entire newspaper if we can't all work together to share ideas and keep each other on top of work. We all must help each other out when someone needs to find an interview or get a photo. And making sure we can all communicate and be nice to each other, makes not only a clean newspaper but an award-winning one.
I do agree that having a vision is vital in leadership. Many people look up to leaders to guide them a certain way, or be their rock when they need some support, and when you do not have a clear vision it can be hard to do any of these things. You may find yourself astray otherwise, and unsure what to do. However, I think the essence of leadership is cooperation. To be a leader you have to think about the people you are leading. You must be able to relate with them to better speak up for what they want. Nobody wants a dictator.
