It is the dusk of the end of the year, and the end of three years of journalism class. Throughout my career in this class, I have risen from a sophomore reporter to Arts and Entertainment Editor and finally to Managing Editor. All of these were large responsibilities, and looking back on them, I am very happy with what each has taught me.
As a reporter, I learned not to be afraid to approach people to ask for interviews. The first article that I wrote was on Fall TV premiers, and I had to ask a wide spectrum of students what their favorite shows were. I will admit that it was mildly terrifying the first time I asked a senior, but, contrary to my certainty, I survived the incident with all limbs and ego intact. Journalism is also a singular class, in that you are actually responsible for handing in work on time and totally done. If you miss your article, you don’t get your grade reduced – you get yourself in trouble, your editor in trouble and possibly lose the paper money.
My reporter-year dream came true when I was a junior and elected to be Arts and Entertainment Editor with Charlie Dorf. We were as journalism class often does, thrown into the water. Luckily, both of us learned how to swim. Dealing with disgruntled reporters, missed deadlines and stylistic murder, we had our hands full for the year. We also learned how to have people working under us, an invaluable experience.
It took me some time at the end of last year to decide what I wanted to do with my senior year. I did not want to be an EIC because I wanted to still have hands-on opportunities. I still wanted to edit papers and resolve crises face-to-face with editors and reporters. The job I applied for, therefore, was Managing Editor. I have thus spent this year as the hidden hand behind about a third of the apostrophes in the Courant, and the hidden slasher of all Oxford commas (no Serra, they don’t make sense, they’re superfluous!). I have also gained very valuable work experience by actually being in contact with a real company. Managing Editor has always been in charge of communicating with Trumbull Printing, a job that is indispensable to the publishing of the Courant.
I am very glad to have gotten the opportunities for experience that I did in journalism class and, as I cannot pass on the torch of my Managing Editor duties directly, I blow the spirit of Strunk and White and the Columbia style guide onto our waxing Fab Five.
https://nchscourant.comarts/2011/03/godfather-jaws-lassie-how-to-define-a-classic-film/
https://nchscourant.comarts/2010/11/stewart-taylor-on-the-road-to-hollywood/
https://nchscourant.comarts/2010/02/dramafest-playwright-winners-announced-friday/
