Pace Paw Print

Welcome to another year at Pace and another great year of the Pace Paw Print.

Often times throughout the year questions arise about how certain aspects of the paper work, what certain principles of journalism are, and how the staff is instructed to run the paper. It seemed that this would be an appropriate time to address some of those questions and make our general rules common knowledge.

The first aspect of the Paw Print I would like to explain is the position of The staff members. Essentially the paper is run by it's Editor in chief. The Editor in Chief is assisted by the managing editor in managing each section editor. The section editor is solely responsible for being sure that the stories in theirs section cover the stories the way they instructed and appear the way they prefer.

Submission, Changes, Headlines, Captions

Anyone may submit a story or an idea to the Paw Print; however, it is important to understand that ultimately the Editor can edit any part of the story for inappropriate content, accuracy, length, or style. While major changes are extremely rare, in the event that a change must be made the editor will usually work with the writer in this area. This is a common understanding within the newspaper industry, and anyone making submissions should understand this in advance. Although changes can be made, no corrections changing the meaning or purpose of the story will be made. Common changes made without consulting the writer are: grammar, spelling, captions, headlines, and cutting off a latter paragraph (in a news story.)

News stories are usually written according to something called the inverted pyramid, where the most important points are first and the least important last. This allows editors in need of space to cut of the latter paragraphs without cutting out important details in a news story.

In most newspapers, captions and headlines are not the responsibility of the writer but the editor or copywriter. A writer only looks at their story, but the editors look at their whole section or the whole paper.

This allows them to chose headlines that better suite the look and flow of the paper, and is common practice within the journalism industry. We are happy to accept your suggestions for headlines with the understanding that it is the editor or copywriter who makes the ultimate decision.

Conflict of Interest

The Paw Print strives to avoid writing stories with a conflict of interest. Conflict of interest is when a staff member or the paper has a special interest in a story because it benefits them (i.e. a football player writes a story about the football teams latest win). We try to avoid this at all costs. This means that when you want something written about your club or organization, you must either contact a disconnected member of the newspaper or a neutral party not affiliated with your club. In an educational environment sometimes these conflicts are unavoidable and we understand that, but we will do anything we can to avoid it. One thing a person in a club can do if they would like a story writing is to write a press release. Ultimately, a press release is a story written about your club, event, or sport. It includes quotes, information, and all important details. Once you submit the press release to the Paw Print, a reporter will take the release and turn it into a neutral story, under their name-not yours. We thank everyone for the continued cooperation in this area.

We are students

I would also like to ask that everyone realize that we are all students and learning as we go. If you notice an issue with the paper, please be constructive. There is no reason to cut someone down because they messed up. We want to promote an environment that encourages everyone to participate and have their voice heard. If people are harsh or mean spirited in their criticism it doesn't help create an open environment. Also understand that our style is our own and changes as the staff changes over the years. We have our style and all work hard to put out a paper with a specific style. There is no need to compare or point fingers. We are the only Pace Paw Print, and we strive to be unique in that.

Credentials

We are currently advised by Professor Klaeger, the chair of the Media and Communication Arts department. As of this new school year, we are also a member of the Associate Collegiate Press and credentialed through their organizing. This gives us third party accountability and judgement as well as the ability to compete for journalism awards.

We need your help

Finally, this is the students Paper. The more people participate, the better paper we will be able to put it. Writing for the newspaper is a great resume builder, and is a great addition to any portfolio. It doesn't matter where your area of expertise is. For example if you are a CIS major, write a story about the latest advancements computer technology. Now when you go on an interview you can tell your future employer that you had an article on "Keeping your computer safe" published.

If you are a journalism major on the other hand, it is essential to your development and career in print to at least write one story to add to your portfolio. I've never heard of anyone getting a job in print without at least one story to show for it.

Join us, and contact an editor in your favorite area. Send them a story and get your name in print. I hope this helps you better understand us, and I look forward to a great year with Pace and everyone involved with the Paw Print.

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