Grammar is intense: Journalism grammar rules are very specific and must be followed strictly. Never say ‘will be’ because it’s passive voice. Principal is the position, principles are values. One through nine should always be spelled out, unless you’re writing a date, April 1-9. Not only is spelling as important as ever, but little rules like these make writing a nightmare.

A newspaper deadline is the worst deadline: They are spaced out enough that you think you have time, but they are close enough that you really don’t. Sometimes it’s hard to get the interview or picture you need. It’s not like your late math homework that you plan to turn in next class. If you don’t turn in your story in time, there is literally a hole in the page design. In newspaper, deadlines are set, they can’t be changed.

Catchy headlines are hard to come by: Being creative is something I struggle with half the time so punny headlines that draw people in are not my forte. So as a result, I steer clear of all the headlines.

Accurate sources are a necessity: Not everything you read on the internet is true. A good source is hard to come by but finding one is worth it. News is supposed to be something the public can look to and know it’s true. And if you’re known to print false information, no one will believe you. Finding accurate info takes time and dedication, and is never the easy route but it is so important.

Newspaper is a family: We may not always agree and deadlines sometimes have us at each other’s throats, but in the end we are a family. We stick up for each other, we eat dinner together and we have fun together. This class is not just a class but a home.

There are newspaper UIL contests: That’s right, you can go to district, regionals and state in newspaper categories, like news writing, editorial writing, feature writing or headline writing. We study and prepare for them every year in the spring and compete. It’s fun and sometimes we get out of school for it.

Brainstorming essential: Not only is it essential but it’s fun. Before every issue, we sit down on a bunch of comfy couches and chairs and discuss what will go in the next paper. We come up with all the fun stories we want to do as well as make sure we cover everything we need to cover.

Recording devices save lives: Not only is my hand writing atrocious, but I can’t write nearly as fast as people talk. So to cope, I record interviews on my phone or on a recorder. This cuts out the struggle of trying to keep up and it also cuts out any human error that I may make. Plus, I can go back and hear it again if I need to.

Design is fun: Design is the perfect mix between rules and guidelines, and creativity. There are things you can and can’t do, like you can use any font, so long as it’s not Comic Sans. The programs we use are great and being able to look at a page and say ‘I did that, I made that’ is awesome.

Do not steal photos: This is a big no-no. Photos are copyrighted use so all the photos we use, we take ourselves. You can’t take them from Google, ahem. You have to get permission from the photographer and if it’s a professional image, pay for it. So even though it’s a pain in the butt, we never ever steal photos. Ain’t nobody got time for a lawsuit.