Week 16: The final post option

Parents Struggle with Cyberbullying: An awesome, in-depth piece on cyberbullying and how parents respond. Do you think the parents in this piece are being reasonable? Is there a better/different way to monitor internet usage at a time when students are susceptible to bullying and harassment? How is Facebook (according to the article) to blame for much of this? Is this fair to blame Facebook?

A footstep then an explosion: A brief yet amazing story of a photographer in Afghanistan. Look at the photos he's taken. Do you think reporters should be embedded with troops? Is this the only way to ensure a fair and somewhat accurate portrayal of the war in the media?

Too good to check: A great opinion piece about correcting an outrageous statement instead of repeating it. My questions are: 1. What do you think of the overall style of this piece (is it well written, etc)? and 2. Why is the media so reluctant to do the research needed to debunk statements? More often media sources are willing to perpetuate false statements.

This is the final post for the semester. You have until December 31, 2010 at 11:59.59 PST to post. Good luck.

Week 15: It's December!! CLOSED

Sports for little ones: And I thought year-round dedication to one sport was a lot. Check out this article. Apparently it's never too early to start. What do you think about this new wave of sport?

Angry Birds: Apparently Bananagrams isn't the only game out there people can't stop playing. Angry Birds is all the rage. I enjoyed this piece not only for the content but also for the informative graphics. What are your thoughts on this gaming craze? Any idea why, all of a sudden, people are returning to simple games to pass the time? Is Angry Games an app on your phone?

Week 14: All about you CLOSED

This will be the final post for November. On Dec 1 there will be a new set of articles.

Growing up Digital: Wired for Distraction: A great piece on the influence technology will have on your generation. What do you think? Do you see this as an issue in your life? In the lives of your friends? Could this be a good article for The Voice to cover?

Teaching for America: An excellent opinion piece about the state of education (particularly teachers) in the US. The hottest opinion in this piece has to do with teacher pay and recruiting. What are your thoughts? What do you think of Friedman's opinions?

Can't Pick a College Major? Create One: Another great piece on the state of education at the college level. Have any of you thought about tailoring your college major? Is this the way of the future? Are the days of a standard liberal arts degree over? Share your thoughts?

Edition 4 article ideas

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will early January. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas.

Please post 5-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Week 13: More fall fun CLOSED

The Defiant Ones: Here's a great review of a new book from this weekend WSJ. Thing is, this review is also a bit of a bio on the writer. What is your take on this combo review/profile? Does it work? Do the two stories naturally align themselves?

What the Internet Knows About You: A fascinating piece from Newsweek a few weeks back. It's all about what personal information you can find on the web and how, in the future, it might be used against you. Yikes. Do you think this fascination with internet information is a passing trend or do you think this is really the way things will go in the future?

Edition 3: In-class work for staff

Folks

Here is the assignment. We will go over this together as I know there will be questions.

Remember: this is about learning InDesign. You will struggle, but you'll learn as you go. The first hot key you need to learn is command + D. That's how you place text and graphics.

Edition 3: Editor Goals

Please post three goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition of last year, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

General goals for everyone:
1. Visible difference in headline size (heads should be larger than 30 but no smaller than 30)
2. Photos anchored to headline (no floating graphics/photos)
3. Make sure exported PDF is high resolution (we had some issues with this last edition)
4. After you copy edit a page, make sure all elements/storylines are still on the page

Week 12: Fall has arrived! CLOSED

1. Every holiday season the NYT runs profile pieces called The Neediest Cases. These profiles are about New Yorkers in need. Here's the first one of the 2010 season. What are your thoughts on this profile? What does the writer do to present a full picture of the person?

2. Another piece from the NYT about efforts to end bullying and how some community sees these efforts as an agenda to push homosexual beliefs. Might this issue become a First Amendment fight? Can you make a school or office safe for everyone without a common vocabulary or belief system?

LOVE the over-heards going up. They're hysterical. Nice work!!

Week 11: Welcome November CLOSED

1. Here's a good piece from Neha. Here's what she said, "We make it to the world series and suddenly everyones a die hard Giants fan! Also the lead and closing have some nice style elements to them." Agree. What are your thoughts not only on the topic but also the style of the article? And who is this mighty Casey mentioned at the end? (yes, I know the answer, but do you?)

2. A powerful piece from the NYTimes about undocumented students at UCLA. This article delves into the Dream Act a bit, but it's really a profile piece on some young people and the struggles they face as a result of their undocumented status. What are your thoughts on the style of the piece? Does the journalist present a clear and unbiased picture of the situation?

Edition 3 Overheard

Ok, folks, post away! Share the wild and wacky things you hear. Thanks to Julia for the suggestion of using the blog for this.

Week 10: The end of October CLOSED

1. Helmet Safety Unchanged: A solid piece from the NYTimes about helmets and head safety. Lots of data is used. This is a good time to look at how newspapers and courses use date to support their claims. What are your thoughts on the data provided? Be specific as you answer the following: does the use of data bolster the validity of the claims?

2. Coaches stress helmet safety: A similar piece to the one mentioned above, but a smaller audience, a more local focus. Compare this article to the one above. Does it cover the material as well? Go as in-depth? Convey the same message?

3. Death of a Fulton Fish Market Fixture: A great feature piece on a mysterious woman. In death, her mystery was revealed. This is just a great example of clean and concise writing that tells not only a story of a woman but also an institution in New York City. What do you think?

Thursday's class

1. Take the news quiz. Kick yourself for not knowing more. Congratulate yourself for being awesome.

2. Get to work on the InDesign tutorial. Annie and Alex have finished the tutorial, so they can help. Please know you should be finished with this by the end of class. While I think helping each other solidifies your skill set, you should be able to complete most of this work alone. You need to make sure you save this document so we can review it at a later date.

3. If you finish the tutorial early, here are some work options: A. Complete this handout — here's where you can find the October edition of The Voice; B. Read the blog and comment on the October articles; C. add a few more article ideas to the blog.

Edition 3 Article ideas

Same rules as the last time. Publication date will either be November 29 or December 3. Please keep that in mind when coming up with ideas.

Please post 5-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Week 9: Max maxes out the articles! CLOSED

Here's a regular forum from the NYT. Room for Debate is fabulous on-line discussion pertaining to a hot topic. This RFD is all about how college freshman have changed over the years. What are your thoughts? There are seven perspectives to read, so comment on three or four. They are short but quite interesting. I know I was most intrigued by Babcock's insights.

And some awesome reads from Max.
These are both from ESPN. Still, the first one--which is a Simmon's article--is very relevant in terms of how "reporting" is done nowadays with Twitter. Also, he's always an entertaining read. 

The second article is just very well written and a fascinating profile of a huge referring blunder.


This is another article like the last one, and it's pretty old, but I stumbled across it recently and it is one of the best pieces of sports writing that I've read.

Edition 2 headline ideas

Please post your article headlines here. Make it clear what your article is & what section it belongs in. Please post options ranging from 30-50 characters in length. Remember, spaces count as characters, and all headlines should have verbs!

Edition 2: Editor goals

Please post three goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition of last year, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

Week 8: Olivia Opines! CLOSED

1. The first is from the New York Times about new google cars that can drive themselves. The writing isn't amazing, but I just thought it is a little scary, but at the same time incredible that we are now creating cars that drive themselves. People aren't going to need to use their brains anymore I swear. But maybe these cars are the way to go, there are some horrible drivers out there.

2. Here's an article on the legalization of pot. It's timely considering our center spread on the issue and it's funny. This is a good way to relate a current event to fun pop culture. and there's even a delayed lead too!

Week 7: Marshaling in some news CLOSED!

1. From CNN: A piece on Ochocino. And this is why we copy edit. And fact check.

2. Another from CNN: This is a great opinion piece about the suicide of the Rutgers student. I'd love to see this issue addressed in one of our editions. OK, hopefully not suicide, but the acceptance of members of the LGBTQQ community.

Week 6: Andrew Enlightens CLOSED!

This piece contains some commentary coupled with the wisdom of Jon Stewart
regarding our current political system, why it's broken, and what he is
doing to point out its ridiculous nature. I love the way the piece
addresses the absurdity of the state of politics today. Even though the
nature is only semiserious I felt like it was a perspective to good to
ignore.

---

I decided it was time for an Onion piece once I decided on the Stewart
piece. It is a perfect example of what Stewart says, and half the comedy
of the piece comes from its proximity to the truth. If you think of it as
absurdist commentary on American politics, it turns out to be pretty
on-target and informative.

Edition 2 Article Ideas

Same rules as the last time:

Please post 5-7 ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Week 5: Riley Reads! CLOSED

1. "Clive Thompson on the Death of the Phone Call"
Summary: This Wired opinion piece raises some interesting points about the
changing culture surrounding phone use. Specifically, the author notices
how short our voice calls are becoming, if they are even made at all. But
his tone is not nostalgic and critical of the change, rather he sees logic
in this emerging trend.

2. "How New Orleans is Cleaning Up Its Big Sleazy Reputation"
Summary: In commemoration of the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,
Time magazine did a series of articles looking back on the event and
assessing the progress made since then. I chose this article because I
thought it did a good job of mixing journalism with a bit of history when
reflecting on the recent condition of New Orleans.


Share your thoughts insights and ideas about the content and structure of these pieces.

Edition 1: Staff work

Please read these instructions carefully so as to understand what you are expected to do in class during these layout days.

NEW STAFFERS
Welcome to chaos, magic and the computer lab. During these next four class periods (usually it will only be three) we will be here, in the lab, working on putting the newspaper together. Yes, this is where the magic happens and where all the hard work gets turned into the awesome thing called The Marin Academy Voice. For you, your work is done. You have written articles, taken photos, pulled together the content for the newspaper. Now you get to work on some skills and otherwise become even more awesome than you currently are.

Please complete the following work as directed. Check the syllabus for nightly homework.

Wednesday:  First Amendment for the high school journalist — This will be your first introduction to NewsU and to the courses you will take. You will need to create a log-in account and register for the course. Once you've done that, you can get going. Send a course report to me once you've complete this course.

Friday: The Interview — As one former staffer said, "I feel like my MA diploma should have an asterisk that says NewU graduate."

Tuesday: Building Blocks of News — It's amazing how much smarter you are after today's class.

Thursday: CHANGE IN PLANS! Two stories, 40 minutes. It's go time.


RETURNING STAFFERS
Your work during these days is a bit different, a but more fun (I hope). I would love you to make either some InDesign or Photoshop tutorials for the class. Think about the lessons you learned over the last year or what cool thing you figured out. Or you could do some of the basics: how to adjust color on a photo, how to change the color of a text box or text, etc. There are lots of options, and hopefully you'll find something you enjoy to work on and teach others. You could also do something about the elements of a good news piece or feature piece and find examples. Think of this as expanding on the MUSTS already on the blog. If you have any questions, let's chat.

Week 4: on my own CLOSED!

1. The NFL: What you need to know —This is a priceless piece on the upcoming NFL season. It's not cutting edge news; it's all about the really important stuff. The tone is fabulous: a little cheeky yet quite knowledgeable. What do you think? Do you have to be an NFL follower to find the humor in the piece?

2. Ramadan means midnight practice — There were plenty of stories about Ramadan and its effects on some players' preseason schedules, but this piece focuses on a high school team in Michigan. A timely piece considering our center spread. What are your thoughts on the style and the content? Could you see an MA team ever making this kind of change for its players, regardless of the religion?

Edition 1: Editor goals

Please post three goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition of last year, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

Edition 1 headline ideas

Please post your article headlines here. Make it clear what your article is & what section it belongs in. Please post 3-4 options ranging from 30-50 characters in length. Profile pieces should be on the shorter side. Remember, spaces count as characters, and all headlines should have verbs!

Week 3: Lauren shines! CLOSED!

1. How the E-book will change the way we read and write: Agree, disagree, thoughts?

2. Facebook Stalker Button: Is this the final step in on-line voyeurism? While this may seem somewhat over-the-top, if you had this magic button, would you be enticed to follow a friend .... all the time?

Share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback.

Week 2: Katie Rocks! CLOSED

1. An opinion piece from the New York Times about the mosque and general
racism/religious prejudices in America. I think it starts with an
interesting story as its hook. Also, it relates to our next edition which
is an added bonus.

2. A piece from Washington Post about women's rights and progress but also
fall backs. Balances interesting information and pleasurable read very
nicely.

Bonus pieces:
From Olivia and the NYT: Your brain on Computers.

From Marshall (great piece to read if you're working on the center spread) and CNN: Teens becoming fake Christians.

Edition 1 Article Ideas

Please post your ideas for the first edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Remember the off-limits topics: new teachers and sports previews.

Here we go!
mc

Week 1: CLOSED!

1. What fact checking means online: This is a great piece from this Sunday's NYT Magazine. What are your thoughts on fact checking in the internet age? How can we, as a newspaper, do a better job of fact checking? What do you think about the writer's final thought?

2. How I almost saved the earth: This is awesome. And I don't use that word lightly. What a great example of factual satire. And what a great read for the eco-conscious Bay Area inhabitants. Is this an effective essay? Why or why not?

Share your thoughts and brilliance!

Week 16

What Makes Marion Jones Run? This is a fabulous piece on Marion Jones' life and her return to the sporting arena. Once a decorated track star, she now has a prison sentence on her resume. But with outstanding athleticism and a desire to get back into a game, any game, Jones is now a member of the WNBA. What do you think of this profile piece? How does the author keep you engaged?

No Tackling, but a girls' sport take some hits: An interesting story on the rise of girls' varsity flag football. Why are people conflicted about this sport? Why are some pro-girls sports boosters worried this isn't a meritorious sport? Isn't staying active the #1 goal of athletics? Is there an MA hook in here?

Year-end project

Here is the assignment.

If you have questions, just ask. This is the focus of our work for the remainder of our time together.

News Literacy Project

What do you think of these five questions we think teens should ask themselves about new information:
• Who said this?
• Is it verified by reliable sources?
• Does the giver have a bias, and should I look for other sources?
• Do I have a bias on this subject?
• Where can I discuss this with others or find more information to form my opinion?

We need some real-life examples of UNTRUE information (no names will be used) of what students are reading and sending. We would love some text messages, Facebook entries, emails, website pages, whatever. Just remember it must be untrue.

Have you ever read something in a text message, on Facebook, or on a Web site, e-mail, Twitter — and, even though they knew it probably wasn’t true, passed it on to others? No one’s being critical here, but we’re looking for some examples. If they have some bad information they are willing to share, please do.

Week 15

Another two pieces that work well together. The target is clearly you.

1. The Tell-all Generation Learns When Not To: The trickle down effect is especially present in on-line behavior. A few years back, Facebook was for college kids and MySpace was for high schoolers. Now, Facebook is ubiquitous. Older Gen-Y folks, though, are now starting to feel the repercussions of putting everything on-line. What are your thoughts? How about your habits? What are your thoughts on privacy?

2. How Does Technology Affect Kids' Friendship: As Gen-Y pushes the technology limits -- think younger and younger people acquiring cell phones and using social networking sites to engage in relationships -- people are starting to wonder about the long-term effects of such habits. What do you think about some of the worries stated in this article? From your perspective, is there any validity to this argument?

Week 14: Howdy, May

Here we are in our final month of the school year. Kind of exciting! So we'll get this month started off with two pretty different readings. I was hoping to post a piece about free throws in the NBA and the local Dipsea race, but neither story are available for free. But, if you head down to the MA library, be sure to check them out. The former is in the May 3 edition of ESPN mag; the latter, in the June 2010 Runner's World.

1. The Man the White House wakes up to: (NYT) This is the story of Politico's Mike Allen and his might political playbook. He is, for all intent and purposes, the go-to man on White House information. This piece delves into the life of a political reporter but also the life of Allen himself. What do you think about the piece? Is Allen's role in the White House the more important element of this story? Or is this a well developed profile? How does the writer manage the balance between personal history and present day influence?

2. The Texas Curriculum Controversy: (from Newsweek) An interesting read on the influence (or maybe lack therefof) Texas has on national curriculum. Texas has been in the news lately for its passionate dislike of current political policy, but this bit of dislike is more interesting than most because it has to do with educating millions of students at a very young age. What are your thoughts?

3. Braking Away: (NYT) A simple opinion piece about stopping for red lights while bicycling in New York City. Is this monumental? No. Is this exciting? Nope. But it's a great read on such a simple act. What do you think are those simple acts around MA we need to explore a bit more?

Week 13: So long, April

1. This American Life: Nummi — Ok, this is a long, long episode of This American Life, but it's well worth the listen. Not only does this story touch on the state of the economy today, but it's local. The Nummi plant was located in Freemont, and closed only a few weeks back. Give a listen. What do you think of the story telling? Did this change your opinion of GM? American workers? Unions?

2. Hate: This is a piece from Newsweek that addresses the increase in militia like movements in the country. What do you think of the use of historical information in this piece? How about the statistics? Is the main issue with the rise in hatred and militia-like forces a product of a dwindling white majority? Or are we Americans generally more hateful these days? What are you thoughts?

3. The Economy of the NFL Draft: One of life's biggest events happened recently, and if you didn't watch it you must be crazy. The NFL draft is a fascinating process of player selection, all in an attempt to bring up the losers and temper the winners. But according to this piece, that's not happening with the current draft format. What do you think of the tone of this piece? It's serious, but there's something slightly ridiculous when it comes to tinkering with a process that is now broadcast 24/7 and more popular than any other sport's selection process.

Week 12

Firstly, check out the very thoughtful responses to last week's posts. The three ladies did an excellent job, but pay particular attention to Elizabeth's. Well done, ladies!

Two pieces from the Wall Street Journal.

1. An Homage to Hummer by Penn Jillette: That's right, Penn of Penn & Teller, laments about the loss of the Hummer. If GM doesn't find a buyer by May 1, the Hummer will be no longer. In an interesting and slightly unexpected essay, Penn ties the Hummer to a loss of freedom. hhhhmmm. He's a bit fast and loose with his sentence structure, but what do you think of his message? How does his form complement his purpose?

2. Altered States — U.S. Secession Efforts: Part U.S. history, part fantastical story-telling, this piece was on the front page of the Weekend Journal. Why? That's what I'd like you to comment on. Is this timely? Relevant to issues coming up today? And did you learn anything new from this piece?

Week 11: April Already

Two good pieces that complement each other quite well. Lots of talk about the Catholic church and the happenings of some abusive priests.

A Woman's Place is in the Church: Some folks think bringing more women into the inner circles of the church will help with some of the current dilemmas. What do you think? What do you think about the presentation of this argument?

What Went Wrong: Don't Blame Scandal on Celibacy: Some folks think celibacy has nothing to do with the issues facing the church. The church needs to reclaim more of its former conservative ways, clean house a bit, and then move forward. Any thoughts from you? A shorter piece than the first. Is this one more effective in presenting its argument?

Week 10: Final March post

1. Pelosi's Power of Persuasion: A great read from Time Magazine and Alec. An interesting look on Pelosi's life as Speaker of the House. What do you think of the style of the piece? There's a mixture of personal and professional information. Why would the writer choose to do this? Might this be a format for a profile of an MA person? If so, what person might be great for this style of profile?

2. Pushing Back at Stereotypes: An awesome piece from the NYTimes sports section. There's been a lot of press about the aggressive nature of women's college athletics, but is it something that has always been around or something that's on the rise? Can this be seen in MA's sports programs? Is there an MA hook in here? Is MA doing anything to educate players about managing anger during the game? Is there a time when it's ok to get angry and a time when it's not?

Article Ideas — Edition 7

Please post your ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). You MUST format your post in the following format:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

This edition will come out in early May.

Week 9

1. Do the Right Thing: From ESPN magazine and Nish. This post is full of insight and questioning about journalism and the media's doings as of late. There's the Kornheiser/Hannah Storm controversy, tape-delayed coverage of the Olympics, Tiger Woods, and more. ESPN's Ombudsman looks at some of the major issues coming up for not only ESPN but all of the media. What are you thoughts? Do any of these issues (specifics being different, of course) resonate at MA?

2. The Millenial Generation is getting Clobbered: From Newsweek, this is the world you have to face as the growing deficit and slumping job market make themselves more permanent fixtures in America. While your generation is more open, more socially aware, you will be faced with an aging population that relies on you for help. There's also that pesky sense of entitlement mentioned; that can't be helpful. What is your generation to do? Is there an MA hook in here?

Layout Work for Staffers

Folks

Here are two courses I'd like you to complete during our layout days. My expectation is that you will work on these courses during class and for homework (you can access the website from any computer), and then take some of the practices and principles from these courses and apply them to a design project.

1. Color in News Design
2. Typography for News Design

Once you are done with the courses, here's the next step:

http://www.greek-islands.us/traditional-greek-products/kimolos/Honey.jpg

Create a label for the MA Honey. That's right, the honeybee folks have harvested a bunch of tasty, delicious honey and now the jars need some art. Fun. I know.

Size/Shape: Oval 2.5" long by 1.5" high for front. 2" x 2" square for back of jar.
Copy: Marin Academy, Honey, Harvested March 2010 from the MA apiary by Club, Apiary is managed and by the MA Beekeeping Club, Raw (unheated), Local (from nearby wildflowers and the MA garden),
Graphics and design: up to you. Maybe a wildcat-honeybee? Sunflower? Honeycomb? Go wild. Just remember copyright laws .... we can't steal images.
Keep in mind: How are you going to split up the information from front to back? How are you going to prioritize the information? Create an information hierarchy; the most important info goes at the top.

You can create the designs on one InDesign document, just make sure each element fits the required size. Good luck. Have fun!

Edition 6 Headline Ideas

Please post your article headlines here. Make it clear what your article is & what section it belongs in. Please post 3-4 options ranging from 30-50 characters in length. Remember, spaces count as characters, and all headlines should have verbs!

Marshall and Jacob have gotten us off to a strong start.

Editor Goals — Edition 6

Please post 3 goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

Week 8

An overwhelming amount of goodness in the news this week and last:

Government is not the problem: From Newsweek, an interesting take on why the government isn't doing so well. As you'll see from this story, it's not the government, it's the people. What do you think of this theory on the United States' recent troubles? Can you see any of this mentality in the MA community? Is there an MA angle in here?

Schools New Math: the Four-Day Week: From the Wall Street Journal, this piece looks at the abysmal state of American education. With huge budget short falls and states in a pinch for every extra dollar, education is an easy place to cut. What are your thoughts? On one hand, a 3-day weekend would be nice, but at what cost? What are your thoughts on this situation? What would happen to the MA community if cuts knocked out some school days? classes? after-school programs?

Framing Childhood: From the NY Times, this piece takes an interesting look at how digitizing our lives will impact the next generation. Is this the way of the yearbook? Of the newspaper? Will we all be so consumed with documenting that we forget to live?

What Were They Thinking: Just a fun WSJ read about politicians and their mistakes. While the topic is politicians, you could substitute professional athletes into the story with ease. What is it that makes those in power think they are immune to the consequences of their actions? Maybe politicians and professional athletes are stuck in a perpetual state of adolescence? Thoughts?

Week 7: Hello March!

1. The topic of this piece struck me as something I often struggle with: choice. The Paralyzing Problem of Too Many Choices is an interesting read from the NYT. What do you think about the stye and structure of this piece? Is there a healthy balance between sources and research? What are your thoughts on this topic? At MA, how might too many choices be a bad thing? In what areas do students have too many choices? too few?

2. The Greatest Moment in Women's Sports: From ESPN magazine and famed writer Rick Reilly, this piece is about exactly what the title claims. But there's one little thing: the greatest moment in women's sport came when a woman beat all the men. Reilly has a solid style and structure, and clearly knows his sport stuff. What do you think of the topic of this piece? What about Reilly's opinion? At MA, is there a greatest moment we've missed reporting on? Some experience, some moment, some something we need to expose?

Week 6

Fool's Gold: A solid piece from Newsweek about sports and politics. It's a timely piece because of the Olympics and the upcoming World Cup. What are your thoughts on the tone of this piece? What did you learn? Is there an MA or greater San Rafael angle for this story?

The $555,000 Student-Loan Burden: This article made me think -- WHAT?! It's a story becoming more and more common as the cost of college goes up and the amount of financial aid goes down. There is an element of misinformation on the part of the subject of the article, but as college bound students, this is a reality in the coming years, especially as an undergraduate education is just the beginning of your higher education. Is there an MA angle to this piece? What's the cost of an MA education? Tuition, endowment, grounds and maintenance, etc ....

Mixing not plagiarism: hhhhmmm. What do you think? A sticky issue in the publishing world right now. This has also happened in the news industry as recently as last week. Thoughts?

Week 5

The Time it Takes to Win it All: From the Wall Street Journal, this piece is an interesting look at the time, start to finish, that goes into an NFL football season. The Journal has had amazing statistical coverage of the NFL these last few weeks, and this is the culmination of the work. Where's the MA story in this article? How can we be inspired by this idea and bring it to our community?

Gay Marriage: The Case from the left & The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage: Two complementary pieces that present the Prop 8 issues from a different perspective: the conservative one. Read these two pieces in order as the first is about the writer of the second. Often times we know exactly what someone should think based on his or her party lines, but these articles turn that idea on its head. What do you think of these pieces? Of the arguments made? Any surprises?

Week 4: Welcome February

Too much to read, so four posts to start off the month:

1. Remembrance of Candy Bars Past: A solid read on the regional candy bars of the US. But, like many small businesses, these local favorites are slowly disappearing. What might be an MA or local San Rafael hook to this story? And I found it quite interesting that when these companies first began they sourced local products in an effort to battle transportation costs. We've now come full circle as more and more companies are again trying to use local products to attract local buyers. Be sure to check out the graphic of the box of chocolate.

2. Masculinity in a Spray Can: An interesting look at the burgeoning life of a tween and teenage boys. Females are no longer the lone buyers of product, now there's just as much targeted at boys and males. How is this, though, affecting the lives of boys? Is this a good thing? Are we headed down a slippery slope of body image problems already plaguing young girls and women? And, surely there's an MA angle in this piece. What is it and how do we go about reporting it?

For the sports lovers:

3. Portrait of Reality as Told by Vick: There's no shortage of reality TV, so why shouldn't Michael Vick get involved? Is this a good thing for television or might Vick and his show fall victim to all the hype and hoopla?

4. Excess Reigns at Super Bowl, and That's No Ballyhoo: It's a week away and it's the commercial blitz of the year. But how many people are watching the Super Bowl for the game? This piece takes a look at the history of the event and what it has become now. The Voice has done stories about different pieces of MA history, but is there an MA Super Bowl so to speak? Or something in the larger community that has taken on a life of its own?

Edition 6 Article Ideas

Please post your ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). You MUST format your post in the following format:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

This edition will come out in late March.

Edition 5 — Layout Day

Welcome to the first edition of second semester! So exciting! So thrilling!

Since we have done some work with design and layout, I thought it was time we work with actual text and graphics and .... our newspaper. That's right. I have broken you up into teams, and as a team you will be working to redesign a specific section of the most recent edition of The Voice.

News Team: Charlotte & Katie
A&E Team: Henry & Ruby
Sports Team: Elizabeth & Eric & Jacob
Features Team: Ilana & Lauren
Op/Ed Team: Lena & Hossain
Center Spread Team: Riley & Jackson

Here are the guidelines
1. You must include all of the elements from the original page
2. The page must look COMPLETELY different
3. Be sure to notice the little things: pica spacing, date, page number, photo credit and captions, coy editing, and more.
4. This is not a race. It's about learning and executing good practices.

How to get started

• VOICE --> Layout Templates --> Voice_Layout.indt --> double click the file and Indesign begins.
• Trusty handout to start:

How to get the files

• VOICE --> Old Stuff --> Voice Archive --> 2009-2010 --> Edition 4
• While in Indesign, you can use Command+D to place documents.

Questions — just ask. Have fun. Be creative. Good luck.

Editor Goals -- Edition 5

Please post 3 goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

Week 3 -- Final January Post

1. The Kids Will be Alright: From the Wall Street Journal, this is an interesting story on birth rates in the US and other countries. Marin is dealing with a birthrate first: the dominant white population is slated to plateau, while the non-white population is booming. For MA, this poses a few issues, namely, how does a while culture school embrace and attract the non-white culture. How might that be a hurdle for MA? As for a localized angle for this story, we might look at the changing or unchanged face of the MA student population. What are you thoughts on bringing this story to campus?

2. Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Care if You Like Her: A solid profile piece from Esquire. Jamie brought this to my attention last week, and when I found out one of my favorite writers wrote the piece, I loved it even more. What are you thoughts on the style? the content? the piece as a whole? Again, how can we take our profile writing up a notch and how can we incorporate such in-depth coverage in The Voice? Might this inspire a bit more pizazz in our Wildcats of the Issue?

Week 2

1. The Coast of Dystopia: A fabulous opinion about the state of California. Only question to ask is: what are your thoughts?

2. 11 Minutes of Action: That's the total amount of actual play time in an NFL football game. I know I had no idea, and I've been watching a lot of football lately. What do you think of the stats? How about the graphic? Will this deter folks from watching the entire game? Maybe encourage more DVRs? Is there some aspect of MA life that we can analyze like this? Maybe assemblies? How many minutes a day students spend standing around in the BLC? Walking across Mission?

Happy New Year: Week 1

Welcome to 2010. A change in blogging protocol: you cannot comment on past weeks' posts. That means you have ONE week to comment on my post and then the comments are closed.

1. What About George? This is a fantastic profile piece that includes multiple sources. Often times we struggle to write well-rounded profile pieces that include multiple sources. What do the different sources add to the story?

2. Ballot Issues in California Is there such a thing as a California State of Mind? Clearly that state of mind is starting to rear its ugly head again as we approach another voting day. How could we localize this piece? How does this issue manifest itself in our community?

Share, enlighten, dazzle.