The pitch session
- Stories pitched should fit into one or more of the standard newsworthy traits – timeliness, proximity, consequence, novelty, conflict, human interest and/or prominence
- Story pitches should be relevant to the time period of the specific newspaper, i.e. don’t offer up a story that’s best suited for around Thanksgiving in September, wait until a November paper
- Pitching order stands: news, opinion, feature, entertainment and sports
- Stories are pitched first come, first serve – a student cannot lay claim to a story that someone already pitched unless the original pitcher defers
- Stories are pitched and vetted first: All stories should be vetted. Nothing should magically appear on the board.
- Stories will only be assigned in the last 10 minutes of the class period, after all the pitches have been completed
Assignments
- Every reporter must take a story beginning each issue – it doesn’t guarantee your story will be printed
- Editors must take a story, but not necessarily one on their own page
- Not being assigned a “good” story is on you – if you don’t like what makes it to the board and is leftover after you pitch your story, pitch a better one next time
- A story is given a two-week, standard turnaround unless approved by a the editor in chiefs and adviser, students are still responsible for pitching, taking and reporting a story during the following pitch session
- You should always aim to interview at least three people
Personal responsibilities
- Students are expected to come prepared to pitch stories and not be on smart phones or other devices during class
- You may be asked further questions about your pitch, please have as much information as possible ready – you don’t need to start reporting your story prematurely, but at least have a grasp on what you want to write about
- Students should have more than one story idea to serve up to the group
- You may criticize, but do so respectfully
- No personal attacks: Understand that it’s OK to challenge an idea without attacking the individual presenting it
- Do not confuse constructive criticism with being “attacked,” no one is out to get you, in fact the editors have a vested interest in YOU WRITING WELL
- There are no “stupid ideas,” rather many story ideas just need more fleshing out – if your idea doesn’t make the board for one reason or another and it is still relevant to the next issue, go back to it, get more information and pitch it again