There was an extremely lively and colorful feel to campus today as crowds of smiling students reunited with classmates and rushed with enthusiasm to their new classes. Down here at the Vanguard newsroom, often affectionately referred to as the “Dungeon” by some on staff since we’re located in the basement of the Smith Memorial Center, it’s been a relatively quiet and humdrum kind of day.
However, today was indeed a production day for the news and sports sections, so we’ve been preparing and finalizing pages for tomorrow’s edition. Even though the day has been mild, it certainly hasn’t been without its ups and downs. Production is always a bit of a rollercoaster, however, I’ve been the sports editor since last spring now and I’m pretty used to the ride.
The process of an article begins earlier in the week as editors meet with their writers and develop story ideas. Once the articles are assigned, the writers do their research, conduct interviews, and put together their story. Photo assignments are also put out and our amazing team of photographers work their visionary wonder in coordination with the writers. Before the deadline, the articles are then emailed to the editors, usually the day before production, but really, this is just the first big hill encountered on the track.
Next the editors get to work. The articles are due into “Copy” by about noon, so section editors do most of their revising either the night before production or early the morning of. After a few grueling hours of proof reading, fact checking and editing, the articles are passed along to the all-important copy editors, who provide yet another set of eyes for the story.
Sidenote: The copy editors save me on a weekly basis and help to ensure I do my job…good.
From copy, the stories are taken by the production team, who then construct and design the actual pages. Once the advertisements are placed with the articles and the photos, the pages find their way back to each section editor’s desk by early evening. Final corrections and kinks are worked out on the “dummy” pages, going from section editor to copy editor to editor-in-chief and then back to production. The cycle is repeated 2-3 times until everyone is satisfied or properly worn out.
Then the newspaper is printed and put on the stands for our readers by the next morning. This is the lifespan of a typical article at the Vanguard.
Despite the inherent anxiety that comes with being employed by the Vanguard, working for a news publication is a thrilling, exciting, and rewarding experience. The newsroom and this staff is bursting full of incredibly talented and creative individuals with many diverse backgrounds and interests. As I interact with my co-workers every week it constantly amazes me. So, in many ways its not surprising that these people have found their way to the Vanguard, as this type of work seems to most often attracts a creative personality type.
The world is an ever-changing and evolving roller coaster ride and most of us here at the Vanguard simply want a front row seat.
Thanks for reading…