EDITING, LEADERSHIP & TEAM BUILDING
Editor-in-Chief
Having been appointed chief editor for Hatchie Headlines in spring of 2021 and throughout the current 2021-2022 school year, I have really defined the importance of supportive leadership. Journalism has taught me that collaboration and being a confidant for my staff members is so important for productive workflow. I make it my priority to be present for my staff whenever they may need my assistance. I always stay ready to look over staff members' articles or assist with ideas for projects. I want our newspaper staff to be comfortable around me and know that I will provide nurturing advice and support whenever they need me. Therefore, this role has been so important to me in that I am simultaneously the cheerleader and figurehead for my writers, the voice that prompts them to think in unique ways and improve. With this comes pressure but also so many opportunities for growth.
Editing
As chief editor for Hatchie Headlines, it is my job to look over every article before it is uploaded to the website. I read through my fellow staff's articles, looking for issues with grammar or comprehension. I make it a main objective to never try to force my own personal writing preferences on others, which could harm journalistic individuality and voice. I edit solely for stylistic clearness through Google Doc's suggestion feature. Along with correction comments, I also try to leave encouraging notes on improvement at the end of each article. I know in the past when I used to get affirmative comments from my instructor, the encouragement was so heartening and helped establish a judgement-free growth environment and mindset. As editor, I wish to convey that same positivity and motivation.
Being the chief editor for articles uploaded to our site, I feel a responsibility to maintain clarity and quality when I edit. I want to be a positive, unbiased revisor who cleans up any grammatical or comprehensive errors while concurrently not writing the article for them. This balance has greatly improved my ability to be vigorous where effort is lacking and encouraging where improvement flourishes.
Every time we pick new article topics as a class, we brainstorm ideas of what potential stories could be. This is a synergic time to put our heads together as a staff and consider what influential stories are out there for us to cover. After typing up our ideas, writers are able to pick and begin work. As editor, I make a mental note on what everyone is writing so I can hold them accountable for deadlines and submission to me to edit.
I also assist with the Broadcast portion of Hatchie Headlines whenever there are any technical/graphic-related questions due to my experience in video editing. Pictured to the right is me sending out a tutorial on how to add a lower third graphic to a video clip.
Holding the Editor-in-Chief position also implies that I am a leader for my team, and I find it so vital to lead through example. I strive to be dedicated, on time, and always ready to create new stories, an attitude that I hope carries through to my fellow student journalists.
Hatchie Headlines 2021-2022 staff at MSPA Fall Convention at Southern Miss