Fall 2015

Vol. 39, No. 1 A changing conference to celebrate theBy Barbara Pulitzer Benish Prize’s 100th anniversary NEWSPA Executive Secretary awarded to provide an incentive for jour- nalismIn 1917,excellence. the PulitzerNearly 100 Prize years was later, first NEWSPA will celebrate the Pulitzer’s con- tributions to our society and encourage high school students to pursue writing ex- cellence into the next century. Thanks to a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, NEWSPA’s keynote speaker at the April 20, 2016 conference will be a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. But to keep the celebration going into the The NEWSPA board met on Oct. 30 to plan the 2016 conference. Clockwise from left next year, NEWSPA, again with WHC sup- are Jason Cummings, Lucas Cleary, Aaron Ramponi, Barb Benish, Cindy Schultz, Jeff port, will also unveil a new writing contest Carter and Matt Smith. Below you can also see Amy Karoses. that will encourage students to report “in Editorial Cartoons” and other favorites will the Pulitzer tradition,” all while having a be back. However, the “Pulitzer tradition” chance to win $1,000 in prize money. The will be a theme throughout the conference, winning entries will be honored at the with sessions planned such as “Writing in 2017 NEWSPA conference. the Pulitzer Tradition,” to “Promoting and Not only will the keynote speaker be Protecting a Free Press at Your School,” to a big name in journalism for 2016, but the “Multimedia Storytelling” and more. conference will also see big changes. Most Other new sessions being planned noticeably will be the location. Since Reeve include “Tips to Write Better Leads,” “Edi- Memorial Union is undergoing renovation, torials that Make a Difference,” and “You’re the conference has been moved to the online. What now?” Alumni Welcome and Conference Center At the NEWSPA Board of Directors and Gruenhagen Conference Center, which meeting held on Oct. 30, the group also are located across from each other on the decided to hold an advisers’ workshop southeast side of campus. Their proximity at UW-Oshkosh on Aug. 10, 2016. They to Wisconsin Street and its many restau- picked the date of a few weeks before rants will also make it easy and quick for school starting, thinking it would help get students to get off campus and get some- please email your idea to benish@uwosh. advisers ready for the new year. Tentative edu. Lastly, if you haven’t renewed your thing to eat during the lunch break. topics to be addressed at the workshop in- A change in location doesn’t mean membership, do it soon and save. Dues clude “How to Finance Your Publication” will increase $10 to $65 on Dec. 1. For in- that favorite sessions will be gone, howev- and “How to Get Your Newspaper Online: er. “How to Cover Controversial Subjects,” formation, go to http://www.uwosh.edu/ Making it Easy and Engaging.” If there is a journalism/newspa/membership. “Journalism Smackdown,” “How to Create topic you’d like covered at the workshop, Table of Contents features

Scholarships: Apply Early and Often 08 Learn about the best way to find and fill out scholaships.

Sports Photography 10 Learn what it’s like from a professional who has covered everything from the Superbowl to the Olympics.

Wikipedia: An Excellent Starting

13 PointLearn where to find the best sources for your stories, and look beyond Wikipedia. Get The Most Out Of Every Interview 14 Learn what questions to ask and how to ge the most information from your interviewee.

departments

A Changing Conference 01 Read about plans for the upcoming 2016 NEWSPA conference.

Letter from the President 03 Read Trent Scott’s letter about returning to NEWSPA. 14 Journalism Scholarships 16 Board Member Contact Information

02 uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa Letter From The President

By Trent Scott and gone the extra mile to ensure that the paper goes to print (no matter the emo- NEWSPA President tional mess their adviser happens to be in). Their ability to self govern and work I am proud to return and serve NEWS- autonomously never ceases to amaze me PA as president after what has been a long and it strikes me just how important this and winding road these past few years. “elective” is in the lives of students. They In 2011, I went on a bit of an adventure support me personally because they know and moved to California to take on a po- me intimately and, despite the Christian sition as an AP Literature instructor at and college prep atmosphere in San Jose, a Christian college prep academy in San that’s what I was missing during my time Jose. Although the work itself was sublime “abroad.” (AP students in a private school environ- When I had the opportunity to attend - the Reynold’s Fellowship program at Kent nitely not my cup of tea. State University, one of the professors ment? Please…), California was most defi called journalism “Common Core 101.” heavy heart as I was missing family and What a perfect description of a discipline friends Heavy back traffic, in Wisconsin. heavy cost I returned of living, to that synthesizes pretty much every im- Oshkosh West High School in Fall 2012 as portant skill in a meaningful fashion, for both English a meaningful au- teacher and dience. However, Their ability to self govern and Trent Scott newspaper ad- there is no CCSS work autonomously never ceases viser. The past to measure heart, that this simple task of “putting out the pa- four years have to amaze me and it strikes me just empathy and fam- per” helped to possibly save a life. how important this “elective” is in ily. That’s what So, I apologize in advance if you were with challeng- keeps me coming been filled the lives of students. hoping to see a review of changes in Pho- es personally back (even after toshop or the latest tips about getting your and profes- two decades of Trent Scott newspaper online. Yes, we teach those sionally. I lost pushing this rock NEWSPA President my mother in up a hill!). than that, and what this work offers is so 2012. My wife That is a two- muchskills. Butmore we important. are so much We more on significantthe board had major sur- way street, of can’t wait to see everyone in April for an- gery this past summer. course. One of my seniors who graduat- - My father is currently battling bladder ed a couple of years back revealed to me sions ranging from digital storytelling to cancer (I am typing this from the hospital just how dark her psychological state had interviewingother fabulous to conference layout and filled design with to sesthe as his post surgery stay fell on the same fallen. Though I knew there were issues ever popular Journalism Smackdown! Ad- stretch as our fall board meeting). Why all with anxiety and depression, she revealed ditionally, we will have more resources, the personal information? I think it speaks that the newspaper, and our family and its more training and more opportunities for to the importance of what we do as ad- quirky demands, gave her a reason to come folks to get involved. visers. My newspaper staff (from the edi- to school and keep pressing forward, even Thanks for reading and we’ll see you tors to the staff) has always been so much when the rest of her wanted to give up. I in April! more than just an extra-curricular. They have had my share of honors and whatnot are family, and family stands tall in times over the years, but none of them matter, all of crisis. My editors have supported me

pale in significance, to hearing uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa 03 Sara Marquardt, the 2014-2015 NEWSPA president, wears a newspaper hat to announce the winner of the 2015 NEWSPA scholarship.

2015 Conference

Students look at each other’s yearbooks to share ideas.

04 uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa Keynote speakers Matt Smith, Rachel Schneider and Frank LaMonte discussed how to combat prior review. 2015

A student asks a question at the Conference keynote dicussion. Recap

Award time! Mirza Mehmedovic and Barb Benish. Mehmedovic was a NEWSPA speaker and Fullbright Scholar. uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa 05 A-T staff gives glimpse into college papers By Megan Esau down here on Tuesdays putting pages together and figur- ing out how many stories you have.” dvance-Titan staff gave high school students a Zemlicka said with the pressure of working as an glimpse of what it’s like to work at a college news- assistant editor, she appreciates the teamwork and friend- Apaper during the 2015 NEWSPA conference. ly atmosphere at the Advance-Titan. “It’s just a lot of fun, and if you do want to go into “What I like about our group is we’re all kind of journalism or writing and editing…it’s great experience friends, we all build our own little family down here,” Zem- and you’ll learn a ton from your peers,” Assistant News licka said. “So you have a support system right where you Editor Jessica Zemlicka said. work and where you spend your time.” The Advance-Titan student newspaper consists of A senior at Oshkosh West High School, Hannah four sections: news, opinion, campus connections [fea- Schacherl is editor-in-chief for her school newspaper. She tures] and sports. said she came to the session to get ideas for her publica- During the session, staff members shared what tion. typical duties are for different positions at the paper and “I’m still interested in seeing how a college talked about the importance of working together and gain- newspaper compares to my experience on a high school ing experience. newspaper, and just kind of get that information and see if Edtor- they had any in-Chief Katie tips and tricks Knox first ex- about getting plained a typi- involved and cal workweek being an as- for a writer. set,” Schacherl “Ba- said. sically, an However, average week Schacherl said is you get the most valu- your story able informa- assignments… tion she took on Wednes- away from the day at one in session is the the morning importance of or Thursday gaining expe- early in the rience for the morning or af- real world. ternoon, and I think the you’ll start most mem- reporting, and orable thing your deadline [was] getting is Sunday or Monday depending on what kind of story you involved in pretty much everything you can get your hands have,” Knox said. on and getting involved early,” Schacherl said.Schacherl Knox said photographers have similar duties and said she hopes to pursue journalism in order to make an deadlines to writers. impact on a large scale. “You’d be given a story assignment and you’d have “I guess my main reason why I possibly wanted to to go photograph the event,” Knox said. “Then come down pursue journalism is because I see how much of an im- here and upload your photos.” pact you can make just in my high school,” Schacherl said. According to Knox, one of the more time-consum- It’s important to give people a voice and let others know ing positions on staff is that of a section editor. about events and things people are doing. “As an editor, it’s a little bit more work,” Knox said. “You are down here Monday nights when we have our editorial meetings, and then depending on how much you want to get done before Wednesdays, you could be 06 uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa Dates to remember Register for reduced price Conference registration deadline Nov. 30 NEWSPA membership April 13

2016 NEWSPA conference! Newspaper contest deadline April 20 Mar. 2 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay April 1 NEWSPA scholarship deadline up to date on NEWSPA news!

Getting involved brings college success By Hilary Shandonay get involved because going to a club or an activity on cam- pus really helps you relieve stress. It gets you out and about High School students who are planning on going off to and gets you out of your room.” college learned how to get in- Taylor Greening, Na- volved on the campus of their talie Speers, Melanie choice at the 2015 NEWSPA Haetd, and Lindsey Vang conference in Reeve Memorial from Berlin High School Union at UW Oshkosh. attended the presentation Melanie Cross, public rela- to learn more about get- tions and social media director ting involved when they at UWO’s admissions office, and go to college. Baylei Schmit, a senior at UWO Greening and Speers majoring in Communications are both planning on at- and minoring in Spanish, said tending UW-LaCrosse and students who are involved on they said once they go to their campus will most likely college, they would like to have a better college experience. be involved in clubs and Cross and Schmit asked the organizations on their audience why they might not get campus. involved on campus. Various students in the audience said “I am interested in joining student council and I want to they might not have enough time, they would not know any- volunteer,” Greening said. one there, they are planning on commuting, or they are too Haetd is attending Berlin College in Green Bay and said shy. she is very interested in getting involved on her campus as “I commuted and lived on campus so I know the strug- well. gle of being a commuter and going home, putting on paja- “I went to this presentation because I wanted to see mas and not having any motivation to go back to campus at what kind of advice the speakers had because I’m scared 8 p.m.,” Cross said in the presentation. for college,” Haetd said. Even though the stress of college can get in the way “Sometimes your freshman year you might feel a little of getting involved on campus, Schmit said the audience overwhelmed, college courses are more difficult than high should get involved in various clubs and organizations school and you will have to study more,” Cross said. “Some because students can make connections with people they of you are helping to pay for college, you might have to get might not usually talk to. a job, so you might not want to join 50 clubs your freshman “You might feel tired, have a lot of homework, or feel year, then you will probably find yourself being stressed stressed,” Schmidt said. “But everybody is really going out. So find a good balance of clubs and things you can get through those things when you start college and you should involved in.” uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa 07 Scholarships: Apply early and often By Jennifer Goldade time putting it all together.” Haverland said students should go for scholarships Anne Haverland, scholarship committee member, and where their odds of getting them are greater. Haley Walters, a UW Oshkosh journalism student, informed high “Think about those scholarships where the application school students of the key to getting college scholarships at the pool is much smaller,” Haverland said. 2015 NEWSPA conference on April 22 at UW Oshkosh. Haverland said students should not be afraid to apply for Haverland said students should start getting ready to smaller scholarships. If every student thinks it’s a small amount, apply for scholarships now, even if they are only a freshman in so it’s not worth it, you could do it and have a better chance of high school. She said students should start keeping track of things getting it. She said students also shouldn’t be afraid to apply for they are involved in, keep hard copies of things colleges may ask scholarships where an essay is required. for and keep track of people’s names and contact information for “Apply for scholarships where essays are needed, be- possible references. cause if people don’t want to do it, that lowers the application Walters said students should tour colleges with their pool,” Haverland said. - High school student Lauren Sassi said she has not been tion for Student applying for schol- Aid,parents which and decidecould if they are going to fill out the Free Applica arships, but she include getting should probably grants, loans or be thinking about work studies. it. Haver- Haver- land said it is im- land said when portant that stu- applying for schol- dents have a talk arships, students need to show with their parents what makes them beforeabout they finances apply unique. for scholarships. “What “Many experiences have people don’t want you had that have - made you grow… nances, but this is that make you ato discussion talk about you fi unique,” Haver- have to have be- land said. “Are cause what (your you a scuba diver? parents) earn is Haley Walters, left, and Anne Haverland gave tips on how to get scholarships. Have you gotten going to affect that kind of certi- what you might be - - land said. fication? Have you able to get in scholarships, grants or other financial aid,” Haver gone aboveWalters and beyond said students and got yourshould CNA have (certified someone nursing proofread assis merit, which looks at various things such as academics and extra- theirtant) certificationapplications beforebefore you they graduated are submitted from high for anyschool?” missed er- curricularStudents activities. can Haverland get scholarships said it is based important on financial for students need orto rors and to keep papers organized if they are reusing them for get their college applications in early. multiple applications. “Get (your application) in as close to when they start, “Keep everything really organized so you’re not scram- because once they start accepting people, they also start looking bling at the last minute,” Walters said. at that pool of money and matching that pool of money to their Haverland said students should keep applying for schol- accepted students,” Haverland said. arships. Haverland said students should read through scholar- “Don’t leave money on the table and not apply for it,” Haverland said. case they realize they do not meet a requirement. ship qualifications“You want carefully to look forbefore getting completing the most an bangapplication for your in buck,” Haverland said. “How much time is invested in the appli- cation: don’t waste it. Don’t apply for scholarships that you’re not Look for scholarship going to be able to get…Read through it before you spend all the opportunities on Page 11. 08 uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa Keeping your publication drama free

By Brenna McDermot “Because the class is adviser signature, meaning they have to have my permission to take the course, they can be asked to Sara Marquardt, the yearbook adviser at Oshkosh North drop the class if they are not performing to the standard we have High School, presented “Keeping Your Publication Staff Motivat- set,” Marquardt said. “Usually just one discussion about expecta- ed and Drama Free” at the 2015 NEWSPA at UW Oshkosh. tions, and students step up.” The session focused on teaching students icebreaker activities that could help their staffs quickly bond. Activities included 20 questions, competitive cotton ball blowing with a straw and Sara Marquardt, below right, taught the creative use of toilet paper to share fun facts students team building activities to about oneself. help their newspaper and yearbook Marquardt said that the biggest motivator for staffs get along. her staff is food. Every Friday, one staff member brings in a treat for the rest of the staff, and the time spent eating is a great opportunity for the students to socialize with each other. Marquardt said personal accountability is a major motiva- tor. “I have it set up as a class, so they do get graded for it, but also they go through a process for editing and their peers really make a great motivation to do well,” Marquardt said. “Also, their names are on the pages and they know the whole school will be looking at it, so that helps.” Marquardt said she sets up her yearbook like a business in

“I let them know that while they do not have to like everyone theyorder work to prevent with, theyconflicts. do need to act professionally,” Marquardt said. “They each have a job title that has the duties for it posted, and they must apply for positions and go through an interview process for editorial positions, which helps with the profession- alism aspect.” privately discussing the problem with a student is typically the most If effective there is waya conflict to resolve among it. staff members, Marquardt said

Apply for the 2016 NEWSPA Scholarship. Visit www.uwosh.edu/newspa for application instructions. Deadline is April 1. $500 uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa 09 Sports Photography By Erik Buchinger vorite photos are the shots that tell a story. He used a high Evan Siegle discussed his experience as a photographer school football team as an example. for several major sporting events with a group of students “[The team] hadn’t won a football game in forever,” Siegle during the 2015 NEWSPA conference at UW Oshkosh on April said. “I covered the team, and it was everything except action 22. As a staff photographer for the Green Bay Press Gazette In the second of the four slideshows Siegle presented, the and USA Today, Siegle has covered Green Bay Packers’ home photoson the field, included so I didvarious more high behind school the scenes.”sports as well as Hank, and away games since 2003, the Super Bowl, Olympics, Fro- the Milwaukee Brewers’ ballpark pup. zen Four, PGA U.S. Open and more. “That was actually one of my favorite assignments,” Sie- Siegle said 85 percent of his work is in sports and a big gle said. “I got to go down and follow Hank for the day at Mill- pointer for taking good pictures in sports photography is the er Park. It was kind of cool because he’s an icon down there.” equipment. he uses a 400-millimeter lens. Siegle spent three weeks in Italy to cover the Olympics “For sports photography, gear is huge,” Siegle said. “My lens is probably $10,000, so I basically drive around with men’s and women’s hockey. more money in my trunk than my car is worth.” in 2006He alsofor USA went Today to the covering snowboard long trackcross figure and coveredskating andthe Another important aspect of photography is being pre- event when American Lindsey Jacobellis attempted a trick on pared, knowing the sport and anticipating what could occur, the second-to-last jump of the race and fell to miss out on the according to Siegle. gold medal. “You should always be aware of what might happen,” Sie- Clare McInerney, a student at Sevastopol High School, gle said. “When I cover Packer games, I know which way Aar- came to see Siegle’s session for tips on putting together the on Rodgers rolls out. I know what some of the more popular high school yearbook. “The presentation was really helpful because we all have Siegle also attributed timing and luck as important fea- to go out and take photos, and it’s really tough to get the turesroutes of are, sports and photography.I know where to line up on the field.” sports photos,” McInerney said. “They’re blurry most of the Although Siegle said peak, action shots are cool, his fa- time, so it’s helpful to learn how to set those up.”

Journalism Smackdown By Alison Hermann

Students competed for prizes when they attended UW Oshkosh professor Miles Maguire’s session Journal- ism Smackdown at the 2015 NEWSPA spring conference. Journalism Smackdown is an interactive jeopar- dy-styled game that consist- “I think it’s usually over crowded because it is the only ses- were:ed of five famous rounds. Wisconsin Each round names in journalism, comma questions, sion where you win prizes and I think that high school students newshad questions about the that news, pertained AP style to a questionsspecific topic. and This grammar year’s topicsques- see that and get excited,” Maguire said. tions. Retired UWO professor and founder of NEWSPA Gary Coll Rachel Flom, a junior from Appleton North, was a part of the helped out at the sessions. winning team for session two. “It went well,” Coll said. “Usually it is pretty crowded and we “I love the title,” Flom said. “I like things that can be competi- tive. It’s better than just sitting around and listening to a lecture.” usually have five groups. We always have a lot of fun.” Journalism Smackdown was offered for session two and attending Journalism Smackdown. Sofia Voet, a junior at Appleton North, said that she enjoyed three at the 2015 NEWSPA conference. Each session is limited to “I like that you get to learn about journalism, but that it is a total of 30 students. Maguire said that the number of students still interactive,” Voet said. is limited because in the past, Journalism Smackdown would get Maguire said he enjoys hosting Journalism Smackdown be- overcrowded. cause “students get to jump around and have fun.” 10 uwosh.edu/journalism/news- Integrating variety in reporting makes for better sports stories: Berg randon Berg spoke to a group of students about Berg said another way to keep readers interested is to his career experience and provided tips on sports utilize column writing. Bwriting at the 2015 NEWSPA conference. “Column writing gives you a chance to incorporate Berg graduated from Oshkosh in 2010 and worked for your opinion,” Berg said. “Generally, you want to keep your the Advance-Titan for a year as the assistant sports editor. thoughts and ideas out of game stories and features. Column now the sports editor of the Chippewa Herald, Berg said writing is your way to incorporate your ideas, whether it’s his experience with the campus newspaper helped him land something you’ve seen or something you believe, and you can a job out of college. hopefully back it up with a fair amount of information.” “A big factor that got me to where I am is the fact that Berg said he wished he would have gotten involved with I already had experience in a newsroom environment,” Berg the Advance-Titan sooner. said. De Pere High School student Morgan Van Lanen was in According to Berg, integrating a variety of writing styles attendance and has experience as a freelance writer with the can make a newspaper more appealing. Green Bay Press Gazette, where she will also be interning this “Altogether, you can use different things to create a bit of summer. a diverse sports page,” Berg said. “Nobody is going to want Van Lanen said she learned some good tips from Berg’s to read the same things each and every week because it gets speech, including covering games in general as well as writ- boring.” ing about bad teams. - “At my school, the football team is terrible, so that gave pecially when the game is a blowout, but a story can still be me some good ideas about how to cover them,” Van Lanen told.Berg said writing game recap stories can be difficult, es said. “Never go into a game thinking there’s nothing you can Van Lanen said it’s exciting to see somebody from the write about because there’s always something,” Berg said. UWO journalism department doing so well after college. In addition to game recaps, feature writing is a more in- “He’s an inspiration because I’m going to come to [UW teresting way to gain more readers’ attention, according to Oshkosh], so it’s cool hearing about how he found a good job Berg. “Feature writing gives you a focus more on the athletes said. or people involved,” Berg said. “That’s never a bad way to go in journalism,Van Lanen especially said her since dream this job is a isdying to coverfield,” Vanthe LanenGreen because a person is going to be a lot more interesting than a Bay Packers and she plans to be a sports writer for the Ad- 42-0 football game if you’re on the wrong side of it.” vance-Titan in the fall. Journalism Scholarships NEWSPA Scholarship SPJ High School Zimmerman $500 Essay Contest Scholarship April 1, 2016 $300 - $1,000 $5,000 Feb. 24, 2016 Feb. 1, 2015 For high school seniors plan- ning on studying journalism in For all high school students. For high school seniors pursu- college and who have attended Write 300-500 words on the ing a career in journalism. Must NEWSPA. Submit an essay and topic of “Why is it important have a 3.0 GPA, three letters of application form. that we have news media that recommendation and college For more information visit are independent of the govern- accaptance letter. For more www.uwosh.edu/newspa ment?” For more information information visit http://www. visit http://jea.org/home/ press.org/about/scholarships/ awards-honors/high-school-es- zimmerman say-contest/ uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa 11 How to be a graphic designer in 40 minutes By Madeline Fisher hate Comic Sans.” Rau said that students aspiring to have a career in UW Oshkosh adjunct professor and graphic designer graphic design should remember four key points: stay in- Kevin Rau said being a successful graphic designer means formed, know your history, do pro bono work and be able having a good understanding of design elements and ty- to discuss your work. pography to create powerful and professional work. “Some knowledge of historical trends should inform “A design mercenary is what I call myself,” Rau said. your design,” Rau said. “And you will be asked to defend “Basically I’ve been involved in the graphics industry for a your work.” really, really, really long time.” Briah Larson, a freshman at Ashwaubenon High School, Rau said he has been working in the graphics design said she wasn’t sure about pursuing a degree as a journal- industry since 1979 after earning his Bachelor of Science ist, which is why she chose this particular session. in Art and Master of Fine Arts from UW Madison. “I’m not really big on journalism,” Larson said. “But I Rau started off the session by clearing the air about the am interested in graphic design.” title of his presentation, “How to Be a Graphic Designer in 40 Minutes,” and said the time element might be a bit mis- leading. “It’s not possible,” Rau said. “I’m still learning how to design - how to be a graphic designer.” Rau focused on several different design elements throughout his presentation including composition, color and typography. “We’re working with type and words all day every- day,” Rau said. “Type can be a really different thing and can speak to us on many levels.” Rau shared a CollegeHumor YouTube video entitled “Font Conference” that personified different typefaces in a humorous and engaging way, earning laughs from the au- dience and helping explain his point on choosing the right font. “If the thought of reading a paragraph in that type of font makes you want to vomit, it’s probably a decorative Kevin Rau stresses not to use personified fonts, particularly font,” Rau said. “If you’re a graphic designer, you should those that make you want to vomit.

The 2016 NEWSPA Conference will be held in Gruenhagan Conference Center and the Alumni Welcome and Conference Center since Reeve Memorial Union is now under construction.

12 uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa Wikipedia: ‘An excellent starting point’

By Corissa Mosher Hansen said information found on Wikipedia pages should not be disregarded as false right off the bat. in fact, A UW Oshkosh journalism professor discussed all there are many cases where Wikipedia may be the most things Wikipedia in a session titled “Going Beyond Wikipe- credible source. dia: Finding the Best Sources.” Hansen quoted Tom Worstall, contributor to Forbes “I think (finding the best source) is just something magazine, saying, “It’s an interesting everyone should know about,” Marissa Hart, at- world where Wikipedia is more ac- tendee and sophomore at Neenah High School, curate than both the CIA and the said. “It’s just a skill everyone should be Wall Street Journal” in an arti- aware of.” cle he wrote. Sara Steffes Hansen, UW Oshkosh Hansen taught attendees journalism professor, said Wikipedia is how to track all edits to an excellent researching tool for all stu- Wikipedia pages they vis- dents. it and research off of. Hansen discussed the five pillars “On every single of Wikipedia: it is an encyclopedia, Wikipedia page you can a neutral point of view, free, editors compare every single treat others with respect, civility and edit,” Hansen said. there are no firm rules to the site. Hansen said stu- Hansen pointed out that there are dents should avoid citing accredited editors all around the world Wikipedia in any of their editing Wikipedia for free. work, but should instead Hansen also warned students that since cite accredited pages that are almost anyone can use, edit, modify or distrib- linked from Wikipedia pages. ute content on Wikipedia, people can be both truth- “Wikipedia is an excellent starting ful and malicious on Wikipedia pages. point,” Hansen said.

You can get a dream internship, too By Hilary Shandonay Haight said that he UW Oshkosh students Andrea Larson and Isaac submitted eight Haight discussed with high school students at NEWSPA writing samples on Tuesday on how they both got their dream internships. to the National Larson was an intern at GenArt in Los Angeles, CA and Haight Sports Center. was an intern at National Sports Center in Blaine, MN. “I can’t “I hope they are motivated to start preparing for the stress enough future,” Larson said. “As an incoming college freshman it is how important it is to have a lot of experience.” writing samples,” beneficialLarson to have said the she mindset felt lucky of getting to explore involved a new and city gaining and Haight said. Larson Isaac Haight and Andrea Larson encourage festival during the internship. said she had two students to get internships while in college. work on “Iftwo the businessy are lucky proposals enough for to aknow clothing what line they and want film to phone interviews major in and do when they graduate, they can start looking for her internship and the application process included sending in her resume can start working toward them,” Larson said. and cover letter. into internshipsHaight said and henote found the qualificationsthe internship and on Titanskills Jobsso they and “I hope they are excited to get involved in school and had an interview over Skype. follow their dreams,” Larson said. “The best thing to do is build a relationship in that.

Haight said. Tryuwosh.edu/journalism/newspa to find some personal connection with the hiring person,” 13 Get the most out of every interview

By Corissa Mosher notes immediately and if possible, write the story on the spot. The adviser and the managing Scott used his knowledge and editor of The Index, Oshkosh experience as a previous sports West High School’s newspaper, string reporter to create examples discussed tips and tricks of for the students. interviewing at the 2015 NEWSPA Scott advised students to conference. avoid email, twitter or phone “The art of an interview is interviews because they generate everything,” Trent Scott said. inorganic responses. Scott and Taylor Ferrere, Aliza Hitz, attendee and managing editor of The Index, Oshkosh West High School broke down interviewing into freshman, said she came to this three steps: preparing for session in order to get quotes that the interview, conducting the capture more details to create a interview and writing after the better story. interview. “I wanted to be able to get Scott said that preparing better quotes out of people,” Hitz for an interview includes doing Scott said during an interview, one said. extensive research and setting up the should make it conversational and have Scott said interviewing is vital to interview in advance. the ability to jump around from question journalists because telling what other Scott said when setting up an to question as discussed instead of just people say is what journalism is all interview it is best to inform the person reading all of the questions in order as about. you are interviewing what the subject written previously. “We’re tape recorders, that’s our matter is and exactly how much time “Life doesn’t happen in a straight job—to record what people say,” Scott you will need with them. line; interviews don’t happen in a said. “Our job is to represent that in its “If you are asking for someone’s straight line,” Scott said. purest form.” time, you are asking for a valuable Scott said after the interview is resource,” Scott said. conducted one should review their

BJournalismy Sarah Zander 101 Lisa Hutchinson, 2014-2015 adviser of Oshkosh North’s important.” The North Star student newspaper, taught high school stu- She also explained that as a reporter, you’re able to hold dents about the basics of journalism. She used the Missouri your school accountable for your learning. School of Journalism faculty’s “ten basic tips for good report- “Have you ever thought about that?” Hutchinson said. ing” to outline her presentation which included things like “You have the ability to constructively criticize your school the necessity to be accurate, avoid biases and present multi- and education and hold them accountable. As a journalist, ple viewpoints among others. you get to present both sides of an issue and get that student Hutchinson said the best writing is direct, clear, concise, voice out there.” lively and accessible. Hutchinson said that if you communicate effectively, the “Easily accessible means that people should be able to pressure that you put on administrators will be heard. - Aliza Hitz a freshman at Oshkosh West and writer for The thing they need to know,” Hutchinson said. “Hopefully be- Index, said the presentation was extremely informative. causeread the of yourheadline lively and lead, the they’llfirst paragraph want to read and theknow rest, every but “It went more in-depth about what journalism really is and what you’re supposed to do,” Hitz said. what they need.” “[Lisa Hutchinson] said that journalism has changed a lot if theyHutchinson don’t finish also the talked story, about at least the importancethey have the of pursuingbasics of the truth. show what journalism is today,” said another writer for The “You are the historians for your school,” Hutchinson said. Index,in the Katiepast five Landolf. years and so her presentation really helped “You are leaving your mark in terms of your class, your gen- eration, and the trends that were happening during your time in high school. “This makes being accurate extremely 14 uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa Photoshop tips and tricks

By Alison Hermann ful.” Rau said that even though Photoshop is a nice program Photoshop Tips and Tricks was an hour and a half long to use, there are many ethical issues that students need to session where UW Oshkosh adjunct instructor Kevin Rau be aware of. walked students step-by-step through important parts of “There’s a whole ethics issue with Photoshop especially Photoshop. with the clone tool,” Rau said during his lecture. “You need Students worked through dimension and resolution, to be careful. Ask yourself, ‘Do you know where to draw the shadows and highlights, color correction, retouching, con- line?’” verting RGB files to CMYK, grayscales and duotones, blend- Rau said that he is always trying to sneak in ethics ing and layers. when talking about Photoshop because with younger gen- Photoshop Tips and Tricks is open for Yearbook and erations, they may not realize how problematic Photoshop Newspaper students. Erin Williams, a junior from Oshkosh can be. West who is on her school’s yearbook staff, said she choose “I think it is a generational thing,” Rau said. “I’ve al- to attend because she thought it would be beneficial. ways accepted all photos to be realistic, but now that has “I picked it cause it sounded the most interesting to changed with Photoshop. I think that there are still people me,” Williams said. “I liked learning about the shades and who think all photos are realistic, and sometimes it’s just tones the most.” not true.” Morgan Stinemates, a senior from Oshkosh West, said Rau said he enjoys working at NEWSPA and giving high she picked Photoshop Tips and Tricks because she wants to school students the ability to expand their knowledge. improve her knowledge of the program. Since the folks who give the presentations are well “I’m really bad at technology,” Stinemates said. “I liked versed in what they do, NEWSPA is really beneficial. Rau learning about the cloning tool. I thought it was really help- said. “I think it speaks volumes to the level of knowledge we have here.” Journalism Jobs: Not just newspapers

By Jennifer Goldade For public relations jobs mentioned, there are cli- Tim Gleason, UW Oshkosh journalism department chair ent-based public relations people, event and professor, informed high schools students of jobs jour- planners, people who work in fundrais- nalism majors can get in the session “Not Just Newspapers- ing, spokesperson, social media expert A Journalism Degree Offers Versatility” at the 2015 NEWS- or writer and media outreach coordina- PA conference on April 22 at UW Oshkosh. Gleason said tor. Gleason said a spokesperson would when people think about journalism, they may be thinking be someone who could talk to people about it in different ways. and become the face of an organization. “For me (journalism) is very broad, because I think of He said a media outreach coordinator is someone whose primary job is dealing journalism as part of this larger media field and that’s how Tim Gleason we think about it in our department,” Gleason said. with the members of an organization. The five journalism degrees you can get at UWO are ad- Writing and editing jobs mentioned were a journalist, vertising, public relations, writing and editing, media stud- reporter, TV writer or reporter and technical writer. Glea- ies and visual media. During this session, students tried to son said technical writers write things such as manuals, in- write down as many jobs as they could think of for each structions and rules, and it is one of the most high paying of the five journalism degrees. Then, the students shared writing jobs out there. “Some people find this a very tedious kind of writing, what they came up with and Gleason also shared jobs they but it is actually very difficult,” Gleason said. For media did not think of. Advertising jobs mentioned were a creative director, studies jobs mentioned, people can go into law, ethics or media buyer or designer, account executive and copywrit- history of how the media operates. Visual media jobs mentioned were photographer, web er. Gleason said copywriters are needed in advertising, be- designer, digital researcher, print designer and photo edi- cause someone needs to write the words you see on ads. “Copy writing is one of those sub-fields of journalism,” tor. H Gleason said. “Journalism is about teaching people how to igh school student Laura Zornosa said she thought of journalism as just journalists, editors and writers, so this write in a very tight fashion.” session gave her a different feel of journalism. uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa 15 2015-2016 NEWSPA Board Members Trent Scott, President (2018) Aaron Ramponi (2017) The Index (newspaper) Noctiluca (newspaper) Oshkosh West High School Appleton North High School 375 N. Eagle St., Oshkosh, WI 54902-4294 5000 N. Ballard Road, Appleton, WI 54913 920-424-4092, ext. 3155 920-832-4300 [email protected] [email protected]

Susan Carlson (2018) Matt Smith (2016) The Hi-Light (newspaper) Cardinal Columns (newspaper) Green Bay East High School Fond du Lac High School 1415 E. Walnut St., Green Bay, WI 54301 801 Campus Dr., Fond Du Lac, WI 54935 920-448-2090 920-238-9255 [email protected] [email protected]

Jeff Carter (2018) The Hartford Chronicle (newspaper) Contacts at UW-Oshkosh Hartford Union High School 805 Cedar St., Hartford, WI 53027 Mailing Address: NEWSPA 920-670-3272 Department of Journalism [email protected] UW-Oshkosh 800 Algoma Blvd Lucas Cleary (2018) Oshkosh, WI 54901-8696 Hi-Lights (newspaper) Plymouth High School Barb Benish, Executive Secretary 125 S. Highland Ave., Plymouth, WI 53073 920-424-7145 920-893-6911, ext. 1538 Fax: 920-424-7146 [email protected] [email protected]

Jason Cummings (2018) Haley Walters, PR Assistant North Star (newspaper) 920-424-1042; Fax: 920-424-7146 Oshkosh North High School [email protected] 1100 W. Smith Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54901-1896 920-424-4020, ext. 682 Darcy Thomas, PR Assistant [email protected] 920-424-1042; Fax: 920-424-7146 [email protected] Michelle Farnsworth (2017) The Hi-Light (newspaper) Cindy Schultz, Academic Program Associate Green Bay East High School 920-424-1042 1415 E. Walnut St. Green Bay, WI 54301 Fax: 920-424-7146 920-448-2090 [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.uwosh.edu/journalism/newspa Amy Karoses (2016) Notebook (yearbook) Oshkosh West High School Please connect with us on Facebook and Twitter 375 N. Eagle St., Oshkosh, WI 54902 920-424-4092; fax: 920-424-4950 Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press [email protected] Association

Shannon Kuehmichel (2018) Red ‘n’ Green (newspaper) @NEWSPA Berlin High School 222 Memorial Dr., Berlin, WI 54923 920-361-2000, ext. 1815 [email protected]