Anybody who majored or even minored in Journalism, I need your opinion/help.

Question

Well here is the rundown. My friend and I are going to propose a monthly newspaper for our High School to our principal. If we do suceed in the proposal, my friend would most likely take over the marketing and formatting of the paper, along with writing pieces for it of course. I would most likely decide which articles enter the paper, editing, writing pieces for the paper, etc. We would of course invovle a teacher of ours who is well acquanted with Journalism and a team of writers. Now my question to you is what should we include in this High School paper? Also any tips on running such a program, along with the proposal would be truly apperciated.

Answer 1

Talk to the teacher first.  You need a faculty member who's willing to dedicate time to it.

The subjects you could cover are practically endless.  There should be a listing of all upcoming events.  Someone should attend the monthly meetings of the school board (which are open to the public) and report on what takes place.  There could profiles of anyone -- such as the new president of the senior class, or the cafeteria lady, or the music teacher.  There should be a sports section, and one of your writers should attend every game so that you can tell more than just the final score.  How about a story on fashion?  A poll on what is the most popular after-school snack?  Find out who has a special interest and let them write a column, such as computer tips.  Or, write about what students do -- such as, how many hours does the band practice every week, or how many hours does the football team practice?  This September, write a story listing all the new teachers, what they teach, and little bit of their background.  Come to think of it, what interests do teachers have outside of school?

Be aware that you will probably meet resistance and/or censorship if you try to write about anything that's too controversial.  For example, a story about teen pregnancy would probably be very interesting to many high school students, but I doubt if your administration would let it be published.  

Now, some questions that will have to be resolved.  How will the paper be financed?  (Publishing isn't free!)  Will ads be sold, or would the adminstration be willing to pay for it?  How many copies would be printed?  Would you need an outside company to print them, or could it be done using school equipment?  Will there be photography?  Would it be in black&white or color?  

This just scratches the surface.  But there are a few things to get you started.  Good luck!  

Answer 2

One column that always works is a Gossip Column.  Invite others to participate in submitting their own articles too.  You should be making a list of monthly columns:  ie: sports, activities, clubs.  Is there a journalism class in your school?,  You have a big job, so involve others.