Archive for March, 2010

If you interview enough people for enough articles, you will most definitely come across those who want to see the article you’re quoting them in before it goes to print.  Staunch, hard-core journalists will tell you never let a source see an article ahead of time.  I agree that many times with hard news articles showing a source the article ahead of time is a bad idea.  But sometimes gray areas pop up.  Here are a few things to consider when someone asks to preview an article before it runs.

1. What kind of article is it?
If the article is a hard news article with various sources, letting a source preview it usually isn’t a good idea.  The sources who are bold enough to ask to preview a news article are generally those who want to make sure the article is completely slanted in their favor.  However, if the article is more of an advertorial that the source is paying for, then he or she should have a chance to read the article.  If the article falls somewhere in between and is not hard news, but it’s also not an advertorial, then that tends to go on a case-by-case basis.

2. Why does the person want to read the article?
If the source has given you lots of technical information that you don’t understand very well and they want to make sure the article is accurate, then I would say show it to them.  If they want to read the hard news article to change their quotes to sound better, then don’t show it to them. And understand that some sources will have been burned by the media before.  And especially if they are discussing a personal topic, they may be more hesitant to open up and give you information without having a chance to preview it first.  If that’s the case, I say go ahead and let them read it.  Chance are you’ll end up with more information and a better article in the long run.

3. Will they agree to your terms?
Sources who genuinely want to help you make sure you are accurate in an article will agree that they won’t ask for changes other than those for accuracy.  If they won’t agree to that, then letting them proofread hard news doesn’t work so well.

4. What does your editor say?
This is probably the most important question to consider.  When working for a publication, your editor always has the last word.  When I write advertorials, my editors tell me to let the client/source read the article first. At other points I’ve had people ask for a preview and instead of answering right away, I check with my editor first.  Different publications have different policies.  Most seem to fall along the guidelines I’ve listed above.  But, ultimately, when working on assignment checking with the editor before saying yes is best.

On Monday, Al Tompkins from Poynter blogged about the use of laptops in the college classroom.  He said some professors are tired of trying to compete with Facebook and other online distractions so they have banned laptops in their classrooms.

As someone who has taught a few classes at the collegiate level, this got my attention and got me thinking.  I have had students bring their laptops to class.  And I haven’t minded.  Are they always paying attention to me?  Probably not.  Do they need a laptop to distract them?  Certainly not.

In teaching a general studies English course at a local community college a couple of years ago, I had one student basically tell on another in an in-class writing assignment.  He wrote about how his classmate was surfing the Internet looking at skateboarding items during class.  I have to say, though, I didn’t much care.

The thing is, students don’t have to be in college.  They are choosing to be there.  And they are paying to be there.  Maybe it is because I have always been adjunct faculty and never on a tenure track, but I don’t feel responsible to make them learn.  I do, however, feel responsible to be prepared and do the best job I can to help them learn.  I love what I teach.  I love writing and researching.  I want to share that with students.

I must say in teaching at my alma mater, I’ve had more luck.  At Ball State University, I have taught journalism classes to journalism majors.  These students are in these classes because they want to pursue a career in the field.  They are more interested.  I still allow laptops.  And we work on computers.  Do I think that even in those classes no student with a laptop has ever wandered online for personal use during class lecture?  No.  I am realistic.

But, honestly, I think that hand-holding is not what should take place at the college level.  Banning laptops in the classroom doesn’t seem to be a solution to me.  It hinders students who can use them to more effectively take notes.  Responsible students will use laptops in a responsible manner.  Irresponsible students will only find other ways to distract themselves if they don’t have their laptop.

What do you think?

In the years that I’ve been freelancing, I’ve learned I don’t get sick days.  Deadlines are deadlines and I’m the only person to pick up the slack. True I can prioritize and do only what has to be done on certain days, but I don’t really get sick days.

As a mom, I’ve now learned about working through my daughter’s sick days.  Lexiana got her first cold over the weekend.  Honestly, cold is maybe too strong of a word to use.  Sniffles is probably a bit more accurate, but to this first-time mom she might as well have had the croup.  I think overall I did well with not freaking out, but I will admit I did place a call to her pediatrician on Monday morning to check in.  I’ve made sure she didn’t have a fever.  I’ve made sure she didn’t start wheezing.  And I’ve listened to make sure she is still breathing well.

And I’ve figured out how to work through this first cold.  I have utilized my multitasking skills, but I’ve also learned to get the most accomplished during her nap times (not all that different) so that during her awake times I have been able to snuggle with her a little extra.  I’ve learned to plan extra time for her to eat because, as I know from having a stuffy nose, eating with a cold is a challenge.

We are now on the downside of these sniffles.  She has a bit of a cough here and there.  But she’s not nearly so congested.  We have survived our first cold.  I managed to meet deadlines in spite of it.  I’m pretty sure we can conquer anything together!

At least that’s how I feel today.  We’ll see how I feel tomorrow on this roller coaster called motherhood.

Education is important.  That idea was pounded into my head as a child.  My parents expected both my older brother and me to go to college.  We both expected we’d go.  And we both did; each of us earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree.  When I graduated with my master’s in journalism I figured I was done with my education.  In some ways I was, in other ways I wasn’t.

I realized quickly that learning new things is something I enjoy a lot.  And selecting journalism as a career feeds right into that love.  I get to explore and learn about all sorts of new things.  Sometimes I explore topics I’m interested in to begin with.  Sometimes I explore topics I don’t know anything about.  Whether I knew much about the topic ahead of time, I am still happy to learn new things.

This week, for example, I learned about how to pick out a good mattress.  It’s not earth-shattering information, but I learned things I didn’t know before.  That information will come in handy next time I make a mattress purchase.   A few months ago, I learned how aviation security professionals across the globe use behavior analysis to identify security threats.  Though I have no plans of going to work for TSA, that information at least was intriguing and gives me some insight into common human behaviors and signs to look for that someone has malicious intent.

Even seemingly redundant articles can teach me things.  For a couple of years now I’ve been writing a feature article for the Homes section of my local newspaper.  Real estate companies pay for advertising and get these articles written.  I go in and write up a house a week or every other week that I’m assigned.  I write it as a walk-through.  I have learned what features increase the value of a home.  I’ve learned what constitutes a bedroom in a home (it has to have a closet).  I’ve learned what I will look for in my next home.

I have been finished with school for eight years now, and yet I never stop learning.  I don’t want to ever stop learning.  It’s a perk of my job!