" I'm on the outside, and I'm looking in."
When I first entered the room of journalists, I was in awe of how much was going on around me: students pieced together stories, editors sweating because the deadline is near, photographers scrambling for good picture placement and reporters apologizing for not having their story finished in time. This was my first day at the Statesman, and as an outsider looking in, I knew that things would soon change.
My two-day experience in the newsroom went from smooth discussion of stories for the following weekly paper, and what stories would be posted for the current week to pandemonium in the matter of days. Tuesday came along, a day before the newest issues was to be published, and everyone was running around trying to wrap things up. It was overwhelming to say the least, but thrilling all at the same time.
I thought of a newspaper like a kid who is running late for school - Everything seems perfect, but when the alarm doesn’t go off chaos starts, but in the end the kid makes it school with only seconds to spare. That is exactly how I saw the process of printing a story on paper, and getting the links up online.
I looked around at everyone working frivolously to get their stories perfected, and I watched the editors dismember stories and sew the pieces back together. I then realized that the same stories needed to be posted online, and the whole process would have to be repeated with a different format in mind.
Eric Ludy is the man in charge of formatting and designing the paper's website. Ludy explained that one of the biggest challenges he faces is creating new headlines for the stories posted on the site. Besides being the web master for the site, Ludy is also the current news editor for the Statesman, and he says that the job is easier than it looks.
Ludy explained that with the help of numerous reporters and good communication, writing for the paper is pretty fun and sometimes relaxing, which I find somewhat misleading.
I thought that it would be impossible to finish everything before the sun came up, but dedication prevailed and everything worked out. Things may have not been perfect, but when Wednesday rolled around, sure enough, there was the Statesman, ready to be read by thousands of students and staff.
When I first entered the newsroom, I was definitely an outsider, but as the days rolled by, I found myself helping out in the editing process, writing stories and taking pictures. I didn’t realize what I was doing until I had a moment to breathe.
The Statesman is always looking for reporters and editors, and they are always willing to listen to suggestions and comments the student body may have. Feel free to stop in their office located in the Kirby Student Center.