Staff ed:So thanks for the memories
Issue date: 5/9/05 Section: Opinion
We at the VC Press have come a long way since the first day each of us walked into Trailer 4. Some of us had different agendas. All of us had the option to be a reporter, copyeditor, photographer, graphic designer or cartoonist.
We had to learn the basics of being members of a newspaper staff. Some of the things we had to learn could be taught in class, such as writing a good lead paragraph. Some skills could not be taught in class. Interviewing skills had to be learned from having personal contact with sources.
Copyeditors had to read every story and correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and style. Photographers had to be patient and take the right shot at the right time. Graphic designers had to lay out pages and create graphics that catch the reader's eye. Cartoonists had to be funny yet have good taste.
We had to contact our editors and let them know how the story was coming along and whether there were changes in the story. Once the interview was done, the story had to be written by deadline. Working on deadline called for good communication skills and teamwork.
After we got experience, there were other options to explore. We had opportunities to become page editors, advanced writers or both.
Being a page editor meant more responsibility and more commitment. Editors must find story ideas and contacts, assign reporters and photographers to stories, make sure both stories and photos are ready before deadline. They spend all day Thursday until 10 p.m. and a good part of Friday on production so there will be an issue on Monday for the entire community to read.
All of us have put in countless hours to make the VC Press a respected and award-winning publication.
The VC Press has been one big happy and sometimes dysfunctional family. We have enjoyed serving the communities of Ventura and Oxnard.
Skills learned here will be invaluable for our careers, things employers look for like teamwork, dedication, communication skills and the ability to deliver a quality product on deadline.
The VC Press has been one big, happy and sometimes dysfunctional family. We have enjoyed serving the communities of Ventura and Oxnard.
Most of all, however, we have learned the importance of free speech and fighting for what we believe in. We are not done fighting to save the art and technology programs that have been cut. If we save even one program, we will have done our jobs.
We had to learn the basics of being members of a newspaper staff. Some of the things we had to learn could be taught in class, such as writing a good lead paragraph. Some skills could not be taught in class. Interviewing skills had to be learned from having personal contact with sources.
Copyeditors had to read every story and correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and style. Photographers had to be patient and take the right shot at the right time. Graphic designers had to lay out pages and create graphics that catch the reader's eye. Cartoonists had to be funny yet have good taste.
We had to contact our editors and let them know how the story was coming along and whether there were changes in the story. Once the interview was done, the story had to be written by deadline. Working on deadline called for good communication skills and teamwork.
After we got experience, there were other options to explore. We had opportunities to become page editors, advanced writers or both.
Being a page editor meant more responsibility and more commitment. Editors must find story ideas and contacts, assign reporters and photographers to stories, make sure both stories and photos are ready before deadline. They spend all day Thursday until 10 p.m. and a good part of Friday on production so there will be an issue on Monday for the entire community to read.
All of us have put in countless hours to make the VC Press a respected and award-winning publication.
The VC Press has been one big happy and sometimes dysfunctional family. We have enjoyed serving the communities of Ventura and Oxnard.
Skills learned here will be invaluable for our careers, things employers look for like teamwork, dedication, communication skills and the ability to deliver a quality product on deadline.
The VC Press has been one big, happy and sometimes dysfunctional family. We have enjoyed serving the communities of Ventura and Oxnard.
Most of all, however, we have learned the importance of free speech and fighting for what we believe in. We are not done fighting to save the art and technology programs that have been cut. If we save even one program, we will have done our jobs.