NIE 2014 Newspapers In Education A supplement to The Taos News | www.taosnews.com/nie
inspire
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Aspyn Vigil, Age 12, Taos Middle School, Grade 6, Teacher: Linda Martinez
Ericka Casias, Age 11, Taos Middle School, Grade 6, Teacher: Ms. Autumn
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Leonela Velasco Parchas, Age 12, Taos Middle School, Grade 7, Teacher: Christine Autumn
Emree Lee Valencia, Age 11, Taos Charter School, Grade 6, Teacher: Sally Grey Wolf
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Tina Larkin
Taos High School students keep informed about their community by reading The Taos News as participants in the Newspapers in Education program.
HOW DOES NIE WORK? Some 700 newspaper companies provide newspapers to schools in their local areas. The basic premise of the Newspaper in Education Program is one in which newspapers are distributed to schools or other institutions that conduct educational programs. At this basic level, an NIE program may involve nothing more than the weekday delivery of newspapers to a school. At the most active level, an NIE program engages several newspaper staff members; a well-defined package of products and services, including extensive teacher training; and activities all year long. With the immediate gratification provided through today’s media and entertainment industry, students and parents have lost the ability to utilize critical thinking, reading and communication skills. NIE is designed to make reading and newspapers a fun and profitable learning experience; the key being fun. — From nieworld.com
table of contents
Newspapers in the classroom: What a fabulous learning experience Get the news in your classroom, through NIE Participating educators Newspapers in Education keeps students involved and interested What goes on behind the scenes of a newspaper? Visit The Taos News How to find the right answer for your question The Taos News ... more than a newspaper, in print and online The buck stops at the publisher’s desk Glossary of words used in the newsroom Advertising helps local businesses thrive Taking local news to the world via the web And now, news from the editorial department Designing minds turn ideas into great ads Taking care of business at The Taos News Getting newspapers to our readers Donations make NIE possible Hey, I saw you in The Taos News Program helps turn used printer cartridges into newspapers in classrooms
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Staff n Chris
Robin Martin, Owner Baker, Publisher Joan Livingston, Editor n Chris wood, Advertising Manager n Andy Jones, Special Sections Editor Marilyn M. Olsen, Designer n virginia l. clark, Copy Editor n Jennifer Taphorn, Production Manager n Cover design: sally brooks n Cover photographs: Tina Larkin
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Destiny Elam, Age 14, Questa High School, Grade 9, Teacher: Ms. Jennifer Vialpando
Liah Murphy, Age 12, Taos Middle School, Grade 7, Teacher: Ms. Autumn
Eva Younkman, Age 12, Taos Middle School, Grade 6, Teacher: Linda Quintana Martinez
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Newspapers in the classroom: What a fabulous learning experience
he Taos News maintains a close relationship with many area students through a program called Newspapers in Education. The nationwide program, which has existed since 1976, encourages teachers to use newspapers as a learning tool in their classrooms. Newspapers can be used for a variety of subjects including civics, history, sciences, arts, economics, humanities, English, Spanish, and more. Students can be informed about current events for Northern New Mexico. Besides keeping in touch with their community, students learn first-hand about the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits laws that would impede, among other important rights, Freedom of the Press. Likewise students can study the responsibilities of journalists, that the information they provide must be attributed to a source and coverage must be balanced. For newspapers, the NIE program is an opportunity to turn youths into lifelong readers who remain engaged in their community. Informed readers are involved residents. Often they become leaders when they are adults. According to various studies, lifelong newspaper readers are more likely to be active in civic matters and high school journalism students earn better grades, perform better on college entrance exams and receive higher grades in college writing and grammar courses than students who have not had the high school journalism experience. NIE participants stay up-to-date on local governments, schools, businesses, arts and entertainment, the environment, politics. They can also sit back and enjoy a feature about an interesting person or a community project. They become aware of businesses they might want to frequent.
Tina Larkin
The NIE program is an opportunity to turn youths into lifelong readers who remain engaged in their community. And students can stay in touch via the newspaper’s website and social media such as Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. If they wish, they could share their opinions via a submission to the op-ed pages. We at The Taos News also hope students in the NIE program may be inspired to pursue a career in newspapers. Perhaps they will want to be reporters, photographers and editors. Students who have an artistic flare and computer skills might want to design. Then, there is the constantly evolving digital department. Those who prefer the business end of newspapers might prefer to be a media specialist or work in the front office. The best way to achieve these goals is to ensure the news leaders of tomorrow become the news readers of today. — Andy Jones, special sections editor
Newspapers In Education Objectives
• To educate students and cultivate future readers. • To narrow the gap between school and the real world. • To motivate students through challenging newspaper activities.
Newspapers In Education Provides
• Newspapers at little or no cost. • Classroom curriculum materials and student programs.
Student Benefits
• Classroom newspapers. • Promote student literacy. • Provide hands-on opportunities and real life examples of how school subjects apply in today’s world. • Integrate world and local news, politics and technology into the classroom. • Spark enthusiasm for meaningful classroom Interaction. • CuItivate continued student Interest in current events, broadening the ability to learn. • Serves as a living textbook, allowing student to witness history as it happens. • Endure as a motivating and stimulating teaching tool. • Create lifelong learners, more informed consumers and involved citizens.
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Tina Larkin
Teachers from 10 area schools use The Taos News as a learning tool in their classrooms.
Get the news in your classroom, through NIE Newspapers in Education is a great way for local teachers to make sure students have access to news and information happening in their communities. The Taos News offers a special school rate of 20 cents per copy, with a minimum of 10 papers to qualify. If a class has less than 10 students, it allows combined orders with other classes. Educators receive weekly delivery of the newspaper, along with supplemental
teacher packets to help with lesson planning, allowing students to build reading comprehension skills and more. Nieonline.com offers lesson plans that go along with the national news, but teachers can create their own lesson plans using The Taos News. For information, contact circulation manager and NIE coordinator Saul Rodríguez at (575) 758-2241, ext. 105 or email circ@taosnews.com.
Participating Educators Alta Vista Elementary Rachel Roybal
Chrysalis Alternative Orion Cervio
Questa Jr./Sr. High
Monica Archuleta Maria Cintas Ricardo Contreras Lois Fernández Debra García Brandi Hidinger Larry King Diane Leon Tomas Madrid Jesus Maes Janene Mondragon Paul Passino Gordon Robinson Geri Roybal Santana Santistevan Janice Torres Jennifer Vialpando
Peñasco Elementary School
Rosemary Fernández
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Peñasco Elementary/ Middle/High School
Taos High School
Lucille Argüello
Peñasco Middle School Marina B. López Franklin Fernández
Peñasco High School Miel Herrera Shirley Romero
Peñasco High/ Middle School
Taos Middle School
Katrina Abreu Ortiz
Ranchos Elementary School
Enrique Gonzales Richard Quintana Nadine Gonzales Frank Purpera Marshall Bailon Christine Martinez-Hudson Michelle Chacón June Martínez
Rio Costilla Elementary Caral Moralez
Mary Spears Annette Arellano Jeff Carr Esther Herrera Sue Martin-Trujillo Yavanne Jaramillo Tracy Galligan Catherine Collins Emy DeHerrera Angie Henderson John Henderson Ms. Autumn Mrs. Jensen Ms. Vigil Mrs. Fernández Mrs. L. Chávez Ms. Archuleta Mrs. Thoma Ms. Berryhill Mrs. T. Valdez Ms. Sanchez Mr. Spevacek Mr. H. Chávez Ms. Quintana Ms. Graham
Giovannie Sanchez, Age 11, Taos Middle School, Grade 6, Teacher: Mrs. Quintana
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Tina Larkin
Students in Mary Spears’ class say Sports is their favorite section in The Taos News.
Newspapers in Education keep students involved and interested By Elliott Martin
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hile the concept of reading the newspaper might seem “old school” to some, Mary Spears puts a different spin on the subject in her Independent Living class at Taos High School. Spears, who is now in her 16th year of teaching and is currently the family and consumer sciences instructor, has used the newspaper as a teaching aid for a long time. In fact, she used to pay for the papers out of pocket. Now the newspapers makes it into the classroom through the Newspapers
In Education program. The papers floating around Spears’ classroom are sponsored by Tim and Leslie Reeves, owners of the Old Taos Guesthouse. After completing a survey asking what the benefits are of having access to The Taos News in the classroom, as well as their favorite section, the majority of the high schoolers had the same answer. “I love to know whats going on in the community,” said Daisy Eirich, a junior. Apart from community awareness, other students mentioned how it is beneficial to be able to read the con-
tent in the school environment. “Sometimes I feel I get more out of looking at The Taos News at school then I do at home,” explained Kirstin Romero, a senior. Ariana Trujillo, a freshman, elaborated on this idea. “The benefits to having The Taos News at school is that you get to read and discuss whats happening in Taos or around Taos with your classmates, and discuss different opinions,” she said. Dylan Stockdale, a junior, summed it up in five words, “Free newspaper and good information.” The most popular section was, without a doubt, the sports section. More
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than 80 percent of the class said it was their favorite section to read. “I like reading about the sports. Its great to know the scores and how our team is doing,” said Sierra Herrera, who is also a freshman. Abizay Hernández said, “I like reading the sports section because it keeps me updated with whats going on around town, and what schools are making noise around the district.” Other favorite parts of the paper were the Tempo and the police blotter. Even the obituaries were mentioned. Spears has a variety of activities she does with the students to help them learn about using the paper as a
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Angelica Lovato, Age 10, Alta Vista School, Grade 4, Teacher: Mrs. Rael
Tina Larkin
Students in Mary Spear’s class say they appreciate the ‘good information’ found in The Taos News. resource. They do the standard article reading, discussions and written summaries, but it doesn’t stop there. She also makes her students do a scavenger hunt to learn where items are in the paper. “[We] use the entire paper,” she explained, mentioning that they do one activity using ads to pick out and price a dinner. Her Independent Living class is currently doing a unit on food nutrition and cooking. Last semester they covered the topic of personal and family relationships as well as child development. While many students have access to taosnews.com on their cellphones, she is happy to have hard copies of the
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paper due to limited computer access in the classroom. There is also another benefit of having the physical paper. Spears was not exaggerating when she said they use the entire paper. “You can’t make piñatas out of a web page,” she said, pointing to the papiermâché projects along the back wall. Spears explained that they use the old papers for arts and crafts. She wants her students to develop the habit of picking up the paper. When asked why she uses The Taos News in her class, Spears responded, “Because I’m a person who believes in print. People really need to read the newspaper to find out whats going on.”
Amara Johnson, Age 13, Taos Middle School, Grade 8, Teacher: Ms. Autumn
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What goes on behind the scenes of a newspaper? Visit The Taos News
he Taos News has been the leading news agency in Taos County since Robert McKinney started the paper in 1959. The newspaper’s ownership is now in its second generation. Robin Martin, McKinney’s daughter, heads up The Taos News, The Sangre de Cristo Chronicle in Angel Fire and The Santa Fe New Mexican. Hopefully, the newspapers have inspired people to implement positive changes in the community. The Taos News aims to not only inform, but also entertain, with feature stories that capture the spirit of local characters, places and traditions. The weekly Tempo magazine is filled with news about the area’s arts and entertainment, including an extensive calendar. Then there are the numerous special sections published throughout the year. The business side of The Taos News is centered around advertising. The ads in the paper are mostly designed in-house and feature local businesses. In terms of circulation, readers can get The Taos News in the traditional newspaper form, or via the Internet, online at taosnews.com. The newspaper is sold in retail stores and racks around the area, by
Newspaper Tours
The Taos News offices on Albright Street. street vendors on Thursdays and distributed to subscribers via the postal service. For those who have an interest in how a newspaper works, and who’d like a behind-the-scenes look at an award-winning community newspaper, the newsroom at 226 Albright St. is available for tours for school groups and scout troops. The tours are given Thursdays and Fridays only and arrangements should be made in advance. Call the managing editor, Joan Livingston, at (575) 758-2241 to set up an appointment. Visits can be customized to fit stu-
dents’ or youth groups’ interests, but they include a tour of each department — editorial, advertising, production, digital, front office and circulation. Those on tours will see what it takes to put the newspaper in the hands and on the computer screens of our readers every week. Staff members are also available to visit classrooms. Our goal is to encourage young people to become regular newspaper readers — and perhaps to work for a newspaper someday. — Staff Report
• Tours are available Thursdays and Fridays. • Tours should be set up at least two weeks in advance. • Tour groups should not exceed 20 people — students, teachers and chaperones included. • We encourage teachers to have their students prepare and write down at least one question to ask the paper’s staff. Most people like talking about their jobs. • Remember that you and the chaperones are responsible for your students’ behavior. • Other groups such as scouts are welcome at tours as well.
Classroom Visits
• The newspaper staff is happy to visit classrooms to talk with students. • Staffers are available from any department. • We will need two weeks advance notice to set up a classroom visit. To make arrangements, call Joan Livingston, editor; at (575) 758-2241.
How to find the right answer for your question
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very work day The Taos News staff fields calls and emails from readers — including questions and tips about news stories, plus information on how to place a classified ad and promote their business through a display advertisement. Even a relatively small newspaper like The Taos News has several departments with distinctly different functions. To help readers reach the right department, and the right person at The Taos News, we have a list of who and how to get in touch with who you need to. To reach anyone on this list by phone, dial (575) 758-2241 and then enter the extension.
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T h e T a o s N e w s c o nt a c t l i s t
ADVERTISING
Chris Wood, ext. 109 admanager@taosnews.com
BUSINESS/CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS Mary Chávez, ext. 107 business@taosnews.com
CIRCULATlON/SUBSCRIPTlONS Saul Rodriguez, ext. 105 circ@taosnews.com
During normal business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday
General NEWS AND CONTENT QUESTIONS
CRIME, COURTS AND SOCIAL PHOTOGRAPHS Tina Larkin, ext. 143 SERVICES, WEB Andrew Oxford, ext. 122 aoxford@taosnews.com
photos@taosnews.com
ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT
TAOS COUNTY, EDUCATION AND BUSINESS
Jennifer Taphorn, ext. 114 jtaphorn@taosnews.com
Joan Livingston, ext. 126 editor@taosnews.com
Rick Romancito, ext. 145 tempo@taosnews.com
TOWN OF TAOS, ENVIRONMENT, POLITICS J.R. Logan, ext. 120 jrlogan@taosnews.com
through Friday), someone at the front desk will connect you to
Elizabeth Cleary, ext. 121 ecleary@taosnews.com
Special SECTIONS
Andy Jones, ext. 115 specialsections@taosnews.com
the person you are seeking. And for those who want to
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AD PRODUCTION
ENCHANTED HOMES AND Julie Osmanski, ext. 113 josmanski@taosnews.com
WEBSITE, TECHNICAL Ray Seale, ext. 113 rseale@taosnews.com
visit in person, The Taos News is located at 226 Albright St., Taos.
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find over 40 great Taos deals online now!
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As the publisher, Chris Baker oversees all of The Taos News’ departments.
Tina Larkin
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The buck stops at the publisher’s desk
o offer a look at the day-today operations of a community newspaper, we asked the department heads at The Taos News a few questions about their work. First, Chris Baker talks about being publisher of The Taos News.
Q. What is the role of a publisher? A. Overall, the publisher is the authority all department heads answer to. Hiring, firing, setting the tone for special editions, plus ensuring customer needs are met, sales goals are met, expenses are in line, the newspaper has a presence in the community and that budgets are adhered to are some of the publisher’s responsibilities.
Q. What experience and education does a publisher need to have? A. A newspaper publisher is the person responsible for the overall management of a newspaper operation. An editor is the executive over the newsroom. An advertising manager manages advertising issues and personnel. A circulation 14
manager handles circulation and distribution. And other departments have their own individual managers. But those managers all answer to the publisher. Generally speaking, it is the person who’s responsible for the financial health of the operation and because news content, circulation, advertising sales and more contribute to that financial health, this means he or she is the CEO, if you will, of the newspaper. Recently, the trend among publishers has been toward managing business matters or toward managing advertising departments. Thus, many publishers come to a paper with a sales or business background. A publisher for a weekly newspaper should have a bachelor’s degree in business or journalism, with at least 10 years experience working at a newspaper.
Q. What changes have you seen in the newspaper industry since you started in the business? A. One of the biggest and most obvious changes The Taos News has under-
gone during the last couple of years is the transformation from the fiber edition to now publishing everything we do online. Our online audience has exploded for us. We now reach over 78,000 unique visitors and 360,000 page views monthly. And the last decade has seen more change in the craft of journalism than perhaps any other. Online distribution has become part of a journalist’s job description. From our Facebook profile to the way our readers respond to comments on a blog, a journalist’s activity online has formed a key element to our news organization’s distribution. In the past, a reporter would cover a story and publish it in the fiber edition and that was it. Today, that same story will appear on The Taos News website, maybe accompanied with a photo series, or video. Then, it will be linked to a number of social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. The life of a single story is then picked by Google, Yahoo and a host of other web platforms. We have completely transformed the way we capture and distribute news.
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With the emergence of the Internet and social platforms, it’s more important for the newspaper to be where reader is, rather than the other way around.
Q. What are some of the projects are you proud of? A. Probably the biggest project I’m most proud of is the growth and popularity of our Tradiciones edition. When we first kicked off the section in 2001, we had a small ceremony with 100 people in attendance at Momentitos de la Vida in Arroyo Seco and we published a small 36-page section. Today, the section is the cornerstone of everything we do with over 100 pages in size and over 500 people at our annual event. Enchanted Homes magazine, illustration maps, dining, wedding and gallery guides have blossomed with glossy formats which are the benchmark on how to do niche publishing. The awards and accolades we have received with these publications have been tremendous at newspaper press association events nationwide. 2014
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Glossary of words used in the newsroom
ike most professions, journalism has its own vocabulary. Here is a sampling thanks to “The News Manual,” a professional resource for journalists and the media. ADVANCE: (1) A story looking ahead to a future event. (2) To bring a story forward in a bulletin or earlier in a newspaper. (3) An up-front payment for commissioned work, such as a longer article. AP STYLEBOOK: Associated Press Stylebook, a standard reference source for American journalists on word usage and spelling, including names in the news. ATTRIBUTE: To identify who said something, either as a quote or as reported speech. BANNER: A headline stretching across the width of a page, usually at the top. BEAT: A specialist area of journalism that a reporter regularly covers, such as police or health. BREAK: A story that is first published while the event is still happening. Sometimes called breaking news. BYLINE: The writer’s name, printed at the beginning or end of an article. CIRCULATION: Number of copies sold
by newspapers and magazines. COLUMN: (1) In typography, a column is a vertical block of text on a page, separated by margins and/or rules. (2) A regular feature often on a specific topic, written by a person known as a columnist. COPY EDITOR: A newspaper or magazine staff member who corrects or edits copy written by a reporter, writes headlines and places the story on a page. The copy editor ensures the text flows, makes sense, is fair and accurate, and poses no legal problems. Also called a sub-editor. DEADLINE: The time the editor or producer sets by which the reporter must submit a finished story. EDIT: To prepare raw material — such as text or recorded vision — for publication, checking aspects such as accuracy, spelling, grammar, style, clarity etc. EDITION: A newspaper or magazine printed in a single run of the presses. It may be changed for different purposes, e.g. country edition, city edition, final edition etc. EDITOR: The person — usually a journalist — in charge of the editorial content and direction of a newspaper, magazine or other news outlet. (2) A person in charge of a special section of news out-
put, e.g. sports editor, political editor etc. EDITORIAL: An article written by, or on behalf of, an editor, giving the news organization’s opinion on an issue. FOLLOW-UP: A story which is written to report new or more detailed information on a story which has already been published or broadcast. FONT: In printing, a set of characters — letters, numbers and punctuation marks — of a single size and style of a particular typeface. HEADLINE OR HEAD: A word or short phrase in large type at the top of an article designed to either summarise the news or grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read it. INVERTED PYRAMID: The most common structure for writing a news story, with the main news at the start and the rest of the detail following in decreasing order of importance. KICKER: (1) The first sentence or first few words of a story’s intro, set in a larger font size than the body text. (2) A small headline in different type above and slightly to the left of the main headline. (3) A few words at the beginning of a caption to grab the reader’s attention. LAYOUT: A plan of how stories, pic-
tures and other elements are to appear on the finished page of a newspaper or magazine. Sometimes called a dummy. LEAD: (Pronounced ‘leed’) (1) The first story in a news bulletin or on the front page of a newspaper. Also called a ‘splash’. (2) The first paragraph in a story. (3) A tip that may lead to a story. MASTHEAD: The name of a newspaper in a banner in special, distinctive type at the top of the front page. MUG SHOT: A head-and-shoulders photograph of a person. EDITORIAL CARTOON: A cartoon which appears on the editorial page, commenting on a current controversy. OBIT OR OBITUARY: An article summarising the life and achievements of a person recently dead. OP-ED PAGE: The page in a newspaper opposite the editorial page, containing opinion columns, sometimes readers letters and other items expressing opinions. QUOTE: (1) The use in a printed story or on television of the exact words spoken by a person, distinguished by quotation marks at the start and finish. (2) Short for quotation marks. — Source: thenewsmanual.net/ Resources/glossary.html
Yair Villa Gtz, Age 18, Taos High School, Grade 12, Teacher: Galligan
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Advertising helps local businesses thrive community and make good money. My two favorite things about the job: 1. Seeing media specialists take control of these challenges and blossom into a success. 2. Doing a little sales myself and hitting the streets on a Thursday to take the paper to my clients and catch up on all their successes. It’s a lot of work, but it’s even more fun.
hris Wood, advertising manager for The Taos News, talks about the advertising department.
Q. What is the role of the advertising department in a newspaper? A. The advertising department delivers awareness for local businesses and organizations, informs readers and pays the bills. With our newspaper and website reaching 40,000 readers each week, we’re able to bring consumers and businesses together and help the local and regional economy of Taos County. Monies collected from advertisements in turn pay our staff and bills. Q. What challenges and
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Q. How has the advertising Tina Larkin
Advertising Manager Chris Wood and the media specialists work with clients to promote their businesses in the newspaper’s fiber and digital editions. rewards exist for a media specialist? A. Media specialists juggle deadlines, sales goals, and large groups of clients all at
once. It’s a lot of pressure. Fortunately the rewards dwarf the challenges. We get to help business thrive, meet a diverse and supportive business
Q. What is the relationship between the advertisement and editorial departments? A. We work at different tasks with different goals. For the sake of our credibility as a news source, there’s a strict division between advertising and news. On the other hand, we’re still a small staff. We know each other well, see each other at the coffee shop or on the slopes and enjoy collaborating to inform Taos County and beyond.
Taking local news to the world via the web
ay Seale, the production, technology and web director for The Taos News, talks about the digital department.
Q. What is the role of the digi-
tal media department for The Taos News? A. We here to help bring the news and information to our readers in a format that they are or will be accustomed to. As we all can tell, the face of newspapers and publications in general is quickly moving to many digital platforms. From e-readers, iPads Kindles etc., to mobile devices. Change is hard. Newspapers have been around in the current paper format for over 200 years. We have to take a step back, out of the print mindset and view ourselves as content providers. No matter the format. The Taos News has an extra challenge. We are a weekly print publication. Our readers are now used to getting news as it
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department adapted to the Internet? A. We’ve embraced the digital age. Our online inventory has been at 85 percent capacity for two years now. With an online audience commanding as many eyeballs as our print audience, we’ve made it a huge priority to deliver digital adver-
tising solutions to our clients and make sure their businesses are marketing in the 21st Century. We’ll expand these offerings this year with mobile advertising and hopefully more opportunities.
Tina Larkin
Ray Seale is the innovative director of The Taos News’ digital department. happens. We have to come up with ways to deliver that. Right now we do that via our website, text messages, email and social media. We use all this to meet the readers expectations. My department helps get us to meet those needs.
Q. What kind of skills and education does someone in
your position need to have? A. That’s a tough one. Journalism schools are just now getting programs together to specifically address this. The idea is for professionals to have the vision and mindset of our mission then apply their skills to it. For example, my department utilizes the journalistic skills of
Andrew Oxford as our editorial digital coordinator. He uses his skills to write and look at stories and them get them to our readers either on the web and onto social media. Ayleen Lopes is our digital administrator. She brings here excellent data skills to collecting our web (traffic and advertising) statistics together as well as pooling data from out other digital areas like splurge and our apps. Julie Osmanski does the lion’s share of our ad design for the website. As for myself, I have a degree in music business where I have taken bits of that and focused on digital marketing. Also, I have digital experience outside of the newspaper industry.
Q. How does your department work with other departments? A. We work closely with all departments. Remember we’re
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taking the content that the rest of the paper uses and preparing it for digital distribution. Editorial creates our content, ad sales and design creates our ad content, the business office handles our billing and circulation takes our reader data and reports it as circulation.
Q. Why is having an active website and social media important for a newspaper? A. It’s no longer the future of newspapers. It is the right now. It’s how our readers have moved to reading The Taos News. And we service more than just the Taos County area. Fifty percent of our readers are from outside New Mexico. Digital lets us get them the news they need in a timely manner. Newspapers need to move quickly into the concepts of digital including social media and mobile. It’s how our readers consume information in today’s world.
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And now, news from the editorial department oan Livingston, managing editor, talks about the news department.
Q. What are the responsibilities of the editorial department? A. The editorial staff includes reporters, editors, a photographer and designers. The staff’s role is to report stories and take photos that inform — and often entertain — our readers about what is happening in Northern New Mexico. Reporters have beats, which include crime, courts, business, schools, environment, arts and entertainment, sports, town and county governments. They also get to do fun features. Tempo focuses on the area’s lively art scene. Editors read the stories to make sure they are complete and written well. Our designers prepare the paper’s layout electronically. We contribute stories and photos to the weekly newspaper and our website taosnews.com. Staff members also write a weekly blog, typically about their beat. Our sports editor tweets game coverage. We also compile an entertainment calendar in Tempo (and on our website), police blotter and school honor rolls.
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ment, whether it is sending an item for the op-ed page, a news tip or family news such as a graduation, or an event for Tempo’s calendar. Many contact us just to say they are happy or unhappy with coverage. Most press releases come via email.
Q. What is the primary obligation of a community newspaper? A. Our mission is to report news in a fair, accurate and objective way. When I first worked as a reporter, I covered my hometown in Massachusetts, which had only 1,200 residents. I learned quickly I would constantly meet the people I wrote about, say at the town’s only store, and that meant I better get my reporting right. Tina Larkin
Managing Editor Joan Livingston says the role of a newspaper is to inform readers so they can make sound decisions about their community — and at times be entertained. Q. How has the Internet changed the way the news is reported? A. When The Taos News was strictly a fiber edition, people had to wait until Thursday to read the news. But now an active website means breaking news can be posted quickly. Also readers are alerted about breaking news through
social media such as texts, Facebook and Twitter. We also post many of the stories that appear in the fiber edition on our website. Actually, readers can access the entire paper for free starting Saturday. Finally, the Internet is a way for readers to connect with the editorial depart-
Designing minds turn ideas into great ads
roduction manager Jennifer Taphorn talks about designing advertisements and creating eye-catching materials to promote the goals of The Taos News.
are ready to go, so that the newspaper (special section) gets built on time. If the client has purchased a web ad, the ad is reformatted for digital use and delivered to the digital department to be posted on The Taos News website.
Q. What is the role of the production department at The Taos News? A. The main role of the production (design) department is to create ads for print and web ads in a timely fashion in order to make weekly deadlines. Our goal is to make sure our clients (advertisers) are happy and produce award-winning design. Our team of designers also develop post-its, brochures, posters, logos and more! Q. How does your department work with other departments? A. The design department is the main link between the sales force and the editorial department. Every day we work hand-in-hand with the sales department 2014
Q. What education and experiences are needed to work in the editorial department? A. Usually reporters have a bachelor’s degree in journalism or English. Most have had experience at other papers, whether at the college or professional level, before they are hired at The Taos News. I like to say there are two kinds of reporters: hunters and gatherers. I prefer hunters.
Q. What kinds of skills and education does the staff in the production department need to have? A. The production staff must have an associate degree in graphic design, as well as a knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite and a good eye for design and layout. We use Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator every day. Tina Larkin
As production manager, Jennifer Taphorn and designers make sure clients are happy with well-designed ads. to create ads for our clients. The process begins when a sales rep turns in an ad ticket to our department. The ad ticket describes the look, feel and overall design
the client is aiming for. Once the sales rep and client have both signed off on the print ad it is prepared for the editorial department. We make sure all the ads
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Q. What is the best part of your job? A. I love to see the final product! There is nothing better than to design a great ad or feature layout and to see it in the paper. Working at The Taos News you get to see your designs come alive each week!
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Taking care of business at The Taos News
M
ary Chávez, business manager for The Taos News, talks about her department.
As a department we all assist the media specialists by providing them with information regarding their customers’ accounts. We work with production as they lay out the classified ads for the week, as well as perform normal clerical duties that accompany an office setting.
Q. What is the role of the business
department at The Taos News? A. The business department manages all the revenue that flows in and out of our business on a daily basis plus we also function as The Taos News Classifieds Department, better known as El Mercado.
Q. How does the business department work with other departments? A. The department consists of four employees Shirley Mondragon, Moriah Montoya, Carole Grant and myself. Shirley Mondragon is the front desk supervisor. Her job is to make sure the front desk runs smoothly. She is the liaison between the other departments, plus she troubleshoots issues as they arise. Furthermore she also schedules ads for the media specialists — making sure tickets are correct and in order. Moriah Montoya handles all legals that come through our office: name changes,
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Tina Larkin
The Taos News business department, from left, Shirley Mondragon, Moriah Montoya, manager Mary Chávez and Carole Grant. credit notices, meeting notices, etc. She also oversees the payments and maintains the accounts for our newspaper subscriptions and dealers. Carole Grant is our newest addition. She is the outside classified sales rep and also manages our collections. She goes out and sells the different sections within the classifieds like the Commercial Space, Service Directory, Good Life, and Auto-
motive Essentials. Then, she comes back and calls on past-due accounts. As The Taos News Business Manager, some of my jobs include payroll, human resources functions, manager of the classified section, accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing invoices and statements, sales, software program troubleshooter and my favorite job — the monthly birthday cake order!
Q. What kinds of skills are needed to work in a business department? A. Computer, basic math, cash handling and daily balancing are examples of skills used on a daily basis. But the most important skill of all is the ability to provide the best customer service experience for our clients.
Getting the newspaper to our readers aul Rodríguez, the circulation manager, talks about getting The Taos News to our readers, in Taos County, and elsewhere.
the paper. How does that system work? A. Our street vendors start their morning at 6 a.m. No matter the weather these guys will stay outside waiting for an opportunity to get The Taos News into the hands of a customer. Most have a regular spot where they sell The Taos News from week to week. You can find our vendors in full force between the hours of 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays. With smiles while waving hello, you can always count on our street vendors no matter the weather.
Q. What are your responsibilities as the circulation manager? A. I have many responsibilities but the one I consider the most important would be getting The Taos News into the hands of as many readers as possible. Sure there are many other things I do but knowing that we have an average of 10,000 hardcopy readers weekly gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Q. Tell us how the newspaper gets from the printer to readers? A. Every week The Taos News driver takes our box truck to The Santa Fe New Mexican printing facility in Santa Fe and picks up all papers printed for that week. That night The Taos News mailroom comes alive with employees and contractors filling routes, preparing mail and, of 18
Q. What services does the business department provide to the newspaper’s customers? A. We are the “front line” of our business. We take customers’ calls and field them out to the appropriate departments. We also schedule classifieds, obits, and provide customer service for our client’s accounts. Stay tuned for some exciting changes happening within our classified section that will assist us in providing even more for our customers!
Q. How important is the NIE program? A. Our Taos News NIE program had
Tina Larkin
Circulation Manager Saul Rodríguez makes sure The Taos News and its many publications get into the hands of readers. course, getting papers ready for our street vendors. It’s kind of like Santa’s workshop on Christmas eve. From there our dedicated route carriers, store dealers, street
vendors and local post offices take over.
Q. The Taos News has a long-standing tradition of using street vendors to sell
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grown rapidly over the last few years with great results. Teachers use newspapers to help students learn skills like budgeting, keeping up with current events while younger students use the papers to enhance reading and math skills. I can see no negatives when it comes to our NIE program. With the help of the community, this program will continue to grow over the upcoming school years.
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Donations make NIE possible The Newspapers in Education Program would not be possible without the generous donations by individuals and businesses. In addition to reduced rates offered by The Taos News, schools benefit directly from sponsorship, which can sometimes result in free newspapers
for classrooms. Sponsors can donate to a specific classroom or donate funds to be distributed according to need and interest. For more information, concat circulation manager and NIE coordinator Saul RodrĂguez at (575) 758-2241, ext. 105, or email circ@taosnews.com.
List of 2013-14 NIE sponsors ANN GROCE ATILANO DOMINGUEZ JR. BILL HUGHES C.G. PRINTERS DON GRABER ELIZABETH BROWNELL GABRIEL ROMERO GEORGE BASCH HILARY AND PATRICK SHAW JAMES BROCK JEABBE BAILOR JOE SANCHEZ JOE KERN KATHRYN JONES KATHY APPEL LENORE ERCK LUCIO R. MARTINEZ
MARK MOOS MARTHA DICK MICK CLUCK/KAY WITT MILLARD CLUCK NORA SHAW PAMELA GARRISON PETER CHINNI PRESCILLA ESCH SGT. FELICIANO MARTINEZ STANLEY BAKER SUZANNE SCHUTZE SYLVIA MAESTAS TONITA MANCHEGO VICKY VIGIL VALERIO WILLIAM HARDY Tim and leslie Reeves Emily Ortiz, Age 11, Alta Vista Elementary, Grade 5, Teacher: Mrs. Rael
Ronnie Salazar, Age 15, Taos High School, Grade 9, Teacher: Mrs. Galligan
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Kiana Passino, Age 11, Alta Vista, Grade 6, Teacher: Mr. C
Andria Fernandez, Age 11, Taos Middle School, Grade 6, Teacher: Ms. Martinez
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Hey, I saw you in The Taos News By Joan Livingston School coverage is a big part of The Taos News. And, yes, students, if you participated in activities, we may have seen you in a photo or story and sometimes both on our pages and website. Here are some examples.
SCHOOL EVENTS: Often teachers will call the newsroom about a special project their students are undertaking. For instance, the students in Megan Avina’s second-grade class at Taos Integrated School of the Arts are trying hard to find a home for Charlie, a black Labrador mix who has been at Stray Hearts Animal Shelter for over two years. Then, there were the students at Chrysalis Alternative School, who will be raising goats. Most recently, we covered the opening of a new playground at Enos García Elementary School. Students may also appear in Tempo if they are involved in an art project, play or musical performance. While we can’t cover every activity, we will try our best if a school’s staff gives us, preferably, five days notice. If we can’t make the event because of scheduling problems, we ask the school staff to send photos and captions. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS: We print briefs about local students who do well here and elsewhere. We welcome photos. We recognize local students who receive scholarships. (Often the group granting the scholarship will send a press release.) Also we publish information about students who are chosen for awards, conferences and internships. Then, there are science fairs and spelling bees — both popular activities in Taos County. We report the results of competitions such as those for Health Occupations Students of America, debate and chess teams, Business Professionals of America, Culinary Arts, and more. In spring, we attend every high school graduation in Taos County, plus the University of New Mexico-Taos. Our staff members attend each one, taking photos and reporting on these special school coverage continues on Page 22
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Tina Larkin
The Taos News is proud to cover major events, like when the Taos High School boys and girls cross-country teams celebrated their state championships with awards and banners.
Tina Larkin
Graduation coverage is always a critical component of The Taos News school coverage. Shown here are Chrysalis Alternative School 2013 graduates from left David Branchal, 17, Jesyka Ortega, 18 and Destiny Trujillo, 18. N e w s p a p e r s i n E d u c a t i o n / t a o s n e w s . c o m / N IE
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Dion Medina, Age 15, Taos High School, Grade 9, Teacher: Tracy Galligan
Kristyna Martinez, Age 11, Enos Garcia Elementary, Grade 5, Teacher: Jason Weisfield
Aliyah Martinez, Age 12, Taos Middle School, Grade 7, Teacher: Ms. Autumn
Nate Martinez, Age 12, Taos Middle School, Grade 6, Teacher: Linda Martinez
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Elliott Martin
Ashlee Rowden, an 8th-grader at Taos Middle School, qualified for the regional science fair in the plant sciences category, and The Taos News had the story. school coverage continued from Page 20
occasions. Then, there are honor rolls, which we print as space allows.
EL CREPUSCULO: Students in the Spanish IV class Taos High School practice their writing skills en español by writing profiles of classmates, teachers and coaches. Under the guidance of teacher Esther Herrera, the students choose El Tigre de la Semana and supply photos. They get paid for their contribution to the newspaper.
Angelo and Jessica Ortiz take their son Ambrose, 5, center to his first day of kindergarten at Enos Garcia Elementary school Monday (Aug 19).
COLUMNS: Then, there is Ashley Branch’s biweekly column Social Light, which focuses on area youth. For several years, Branch has reported on students — their school interests, extracurricular activities, their families and hopes for the future. Perhaps you were featured in one of them.
SPORTS: Area schools are big into sports. So are we. Each week during the 22
Tina Larkin
school year, Sports Editor Cody Olivas is on the sidelines shooting photos and following the game. He interviews athletes and coaches.
Since Olivas came on board as the sports editor, our schools have enjoyed great success, including state championships. He selects those athletes who have
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had an outstanding performance during the fall, winter and spring seasons. Olivas also reports on the young athletes who compete out of school.
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Program helps turn used printer cartridges into newspapers in classrooms
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n addition to contributions from generous sponsors, the local Newspapers in Education program is also funded through the Empties4Cash printer recycling program. For each inkjet cartridge dropped off at the offices of The Taos News, the local NIE will receive up to $4. In order to participate, bring empty cartridges, in a Ziploc bag or the original cartridge box, to The Taos News, located at 226 Albright St., Taos. When a full box is sent to the program sponsor, cash payments are sent back to help fund NIE.
In addition to the benefits for NIE, recycling empty cartridges is smart ecologically. Cartridges decompose slowly in the landfill, perhaps taking as long as 1,000 years. Also empty cartridges can be remanufactured and reused. Any cartridge with a print head qualifies for the program. This includes most Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Compaq, Canon, Dell, Brother and Apple brand cartridges. If you unsure whether the cartridge has a print head or not, bring it in anyway. — Staff Report
Madeline Vasquez, Age 15, Taos High School, Grade 10, Teacher: Tracy Galligan
Daisy Kirshbaum & Kaili Tank, Age 11 & 12, Taos Charter School, Grade 6, Teacher: Sally Greywolf
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Juliana Chavez, Age 14, Questa High School, Grade 9, Teacher: Ms. Vial Pando
Dennis Trujillo, Age 10, EGS, Grade 5, Teacher: Mr. J. Weisfeld
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