Inside Page Design
This is the link for my inside page design.
Front Page design
This is the link for my front page design.
Library Beat #11
I talked to Mrs. DiFranco on March 25 during lunch. She said that Ms. Marie and her are waiting for more news about restoring library technicians. The library is also making one last purchase from Borders for this year. The library is welcoming any suggestion of purchase.
Pages Critique
I will critique the November issue front page and page five in the October issue.
The link for the November issue is http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/2199203151847453/lib/2199203151847453/_files/2._11-10-2009.
The link for the October issue is http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/2199203151847453/lib/2199203151847453/_files/October_13,_2010.pdf.
The November issue’s horizontal photo should have followed the order the Harrower handbook recommended on page 55. The photo should have been on the top, then the byline, the headline, and finally the text. Quoted from the Harrower handbook on page 55, “When you mishandle the sequence of elements- in this case, putting the headline above the photo- you risk confusion. In new stories, the headline should touch the start of the story.” The story for the photo was a new story so the headline should have touched the start of the story. The other stories on the page were formatted correctly and the photo made an impact on the story. Page 5 in the October issue had many problems in the mug shots. The mug shot should have fit the frame tightly. It should have only shown the face and a bit of the shoulder. The mug shot for Mr. Thompson, Mr. Anaya, and Miss. Downey did not really fit the frame tightly. They should have been like the mug shot of Mr. Rose. It would be better if the pictures fit the frame tighter because it would be easier to see the faces of the teachers. Mr. Thompson and Miss. Downey’s mug shots were also missing a cutline. The position of the mug shot was good for Mr. Thompson and Miss. Downey because it did not waste too much space as stated in page 52 of the Harrower handbook.
March 2 Evaluation
Be aware of what you are saying: ‘retard’ is not ‘stupid’
Original Lead: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mental retardation as a “sub average intellectual ability equivalent to or less than an IQ of 70 that is accompanied by significant deficits in abilities (as in communication or self-care) necessary for independent daily functioning, is present from birth or infancy, and is manifested especially by delayed or abnormal development by learning difficulties and by problems in social adjustment.”
Weakness: I thought the lead was really long and kind of boring which could cause readers to stop reading this article. The handbook also says that a lead should not be a dictionary definition.
New lead: The word ‘retarded’ was meant to describe people who have an IQ of 70 or less. It was never meant to describe anything that is unpleasant or ridiculous.
Strength: The new lead gets to the main point. It is short and concise, and makes readers wonder why it is wrong to use the word ‘retarded’ as a label for stupidity.
NUMMI closure affects student and family
Original lead: The close of the Fremont NUMMI Plant affects WHS students. Sophomore Billy Burgendall’s father has been working in this plant for 24 years. Burgendall blames the recession and the decline for the demand of automobiles.
Weakness: I thought it was confusing when the first sentence says that it affects WHS students, but then it starts talking about how a WHS student’s parent is affected by it.
New Lead: The close of the Fremont NUMMI Plant affects WHS students and their families. Sophomore Billy Burgendall’s father has been working in this plant for 24 years. Burgendall blames the recession and the decline for the demand of automobiles.
Strength: The original lead was okay; I just thought adding ‘their families’ would make more sense. Also, it would better to call Billy Burgendall’s father by his name than just Billy Burgendall’s father.
All-Star athletes commit to colleges
Seniors Lauren Floro and Cedric Lousi were both honored for their athletic achievements in being actively recruited by Division 1 colleges. Floro has been recruited by University of California, Riverside and is guaranteed a spot on the soccer team while Lousi has been given a full ride scholarship to attend San Jose State University for football. Activities director Helen Paris arranged a “signing party” for both athletes to finalize their scholarships with family and friends. The leadership class spent the beginning of fourth period, Feb. 2, decorating the MPR, plastering the walls with posters and balloons.
Weakness: I thought the lead was really long for this article. It would be better if it was shorter.
Activities director Helen Paris arranged a “signing party” for senior Lauren Floro and Cedric Lousi athletes to celebrate their recruitment from Division 1 colleges with family and friends. The leadership class spent the beginning of fourth period, Feb. 2, decorating the MPR, plastering the walls with posters and balloons.
Strength: I took the important points from the original lead. The other information is important, but it should be after the lead.
Barbecue honors basketball teams
ASB held a lunchtime barbeque Feb. 23 to celebrate the advancement of both the boys and girls basketball teams to NCS.
Weakness: The lead does not state the most important point. (Why is it so special?)
ASB held a lunchtime barbeque Feb. 23 to celebrate the advancement of both the boys and girls basketball teams to NCS which hasn’t happened for 10 to 15 years.
Strengths: I thought the original lead was okay, but the quote from Ms. Paris could be incorporated to the lead to make it clearer. Now it states why it was so special that ASB would hold a barbeque to celebrate.
Library Beat #10
I talked to Ms. Marie on March 4 during lunch. The library has textbooks which students can look at to help them decide what classes they want to take next year. I saw some sophomores look at the physics textbook. There are no budget cuts for the library next year, but they are no restoration either. Ms. Marie told me that there are about 800 check-outs every month. She says it is very difficult to maintain the library and is unhappy about the budget cuts.
Leads #2
The first article I found is called “Mortgage relief funds headed to California” by Carolyn Said who is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. This article is in the Chronicle’s February 20, 2010 issue. Here is the lead:
Targeting California and the four other states hardest hit by the housing crisis, President Obama on Friday offered a $1.5 billion “innovation fund” to devise solutions for homeowners struggling against foreclosure.
Who: President Obama and California homeowners
What: Housing crisis
When: February 19, 2010 (Friday)
Where: Washington D.C. and California
Why: to help homeowners who are struggling against foreclosure
How: offering a $1.5 billion innovative fund
The second article I found is called “S.F. exhibition celebrates bookbinding” by Hedi Benson who is also a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. This article is also in the Chronicle’s February 20, 2010 issue. Here is the lead:
Enough with the hand-wringing over the death of the book. That tidy little piece of technology is having its own quiet heyday, while digital devices mutate madly.
The hook is an anecdote. The writer tries to convince readers to keep reading the article by making the lead amusing. The readers would want to find out what is the technology that is making book binding easier.
Library Post #9
I talked to Mrs.DiFranco on February 9 during lunch. I interviewed her for the article that I was writing about the Founder Day’s award. She showed me what the honorary service award looked like. She received a certificate and a pin that looked like a golden oak leaf that said California on it. This was the third honorary service award she received.
Library Post #8
I talked to Ms. Marie on February 5 during lunch. Ms. Marie and Mrs. DiFranco received Honorary Service Awards from the California PTA on February 4. The award recognized their outstanding service to children and youth. Mr. Skillings also made a speech for Ms. Marie and Mrs. DiFranco. The library also received new fiction books.
Midyear
I thought journalism would be a harder class and I wouldn’t really fit in since I’m always so quiet. The class wasn’t really hard and I could just relax after I finished my article. I also made a lot of new friends. I finally learned the process of producing a newspaper. I thought it would be more stressed and busy, but I guess since I’m just a reporter and a copy editor, it’s not stressful to me. It’s probably the most stressful for the section editors since they have to come up with ideas, edit articles, and design the pages in the newspaper. I also learned how to write a proper article. Although, I don’t really like to interview people because I don’t like to talk to people I don’t know, but I’m proud of myself for taking the risk. I never expected that I could have the courage to go up to random people and just interview them. I hope next semester will go smoother for the class. I’m always confused about my grade because there are always changes made. I just hope everyone works harder and make a better-quality newspaper. Then, next semester the newspaper will have more pages. I hope that I’ll do as well as I did this semester and write better articles.
