Sunday, October 05, 2008
Mutiny on the Bounty... averted
The big news this week: the new production schedule based on what we learned at U of I.
On Monday, I explained the new production schedule:
1st deadline - stays the same: two interviews or an observations
2nd deadline - all info collected (at least 4 interviews and an observation) change=no draft
On this deadline, we now sit down and layout the pages based on conversations with the reporters and photographers. Not all reporting will turn into a story. The point is to talk about the best way to present the information.
3rd deadline - stories written - turned in to EICs for editting.
On Monday, after my explanation, we proceeded to spend the entire period discussing why this new system is a good vs bad idea. A few staffers, including an EIC, did not like the idea at all. I was pretty frustrated, so were the few staff members. The staffers who liked the idea were also frustrated that those who did not like the idea would not get on board.
Good news: we had many more discussions on a more personal basis over the rest of that day and the next few days. I think having Tuesday off to cool off a bit might have helped too. These discussions were great. We really got to the heart of what people's concerns were and what our weaknesses were (both personally and journalistically). I learned a lot about myself.
Fast forward to Thursday. I sit down with Claire, Neal and Sarah to take a look at the centerspread section (Katie came later). We talked about what they wanted their readers to get out of the section as well as what information they had found already. It took a while, but by the end of the block, we had a plan for the centerspread that included a well-focused story, a great infographic that will double as the main graphic on the page, and several small stories to cover less important info.
Friday was similarly successful with the Feature section. The big problem I am finding is that this takes a long time, these discussions. So, I now have to sit down with a calendar and see how we can time this better.
On Monday, I explained the new production schedule:
1st deadline - stays the same: two interviews or an observations
2nd deadline - all info collected (at least 4 interviews and an observation) change=no draft
On this deadline, we now sit down and layout the pages based on conversations with the reporters and photographers. Not all reporting will turn into a story. The point is to talk about the best way to present the information.
3rd deadline - stories written - turned in to EICs for editting.
On Monday, after my explanation, we proceeded to spend the entire period discussing why this new system is a good vs bad idea. A few staffers, including an EIC, did not like the idea at all. I was pretty frustrated, so were the few staff members. The staffers who liked the idea were also frustrated that those who did not like the idea would not get on board.
Good news: we had many more discussions on a more personal basis over the rest of that day and the next few days. I think having Tuesday off to cool off a bit might have helped too. These discussions were great. We really got to the heart of what people's concerns were and what our weaknesses were (both personally and journalistically). I learned a lot about myself.
Fast forward to Thursday. I sit down with Claire, Neal and Sarah to take a look at the centerspread section (Katie came later). We talked about what they wanted their readers to get out of the section as well as what information they had found already. It took a while, but by the end of the block, we had a plan for the centerspread that included a well-focused story, a great infographic that will double as the main graphic on the page, and several small stories to cover less important info.
Friday was similarly successful with the Feature section. The big problem I am finding is that this takes a long time, these discussions. So, I now have to sit down with a calendar and see how we can time this better.
