MAJOR REFLECTION
My time at Verde Magazine began with a year of COVID-reporting, where I often conducted interviews and wrote stories from home. It was distinctly different from the idea of student journalism I had dreamed of; collaborating in the Media Arts Center with staff and reporting in person. Naturally, I was hesitant, unsure of how reporting could be conducted with integrity and detail in a COVID environment.
But soon I got the “knack” of what it meant to be a high school journalist. I met deadlines, took up stories, and slowly learned how to be effective and impactful in my work, although I made plenty of mistakes along the way.
For example, the greatest difficulty I faced was learning how to use Adobe InDesign to design stories; a significant focus at Verde Magazine. My first two stories were––although simple in idea––challenging to produce due to the complexities of InDesign for beginners. After an insatiable amount of hours learning about each tool and convention––and with a lot of help from others––I slowly started getting more familiar with the system and have developed into a proficient InDesign user.
Another challenging moment as a journalist came while writing the Paly reopening story, where constant changes concerning the reopening plan drastically affected the configuration of the story. Plans were canceled, district and county statements were made which resulted in new drafts every couple of days––even during vacation. It was an eye-opening experience in terms of the unseen difficulties of producing quality journalism, such as conducting tens of interviews, writing drafts, changing angles–all at the last minute. A moment that stuck out to me was logging onto my computer while in San Luis Obispo to draft a new angle amid news that Santa Clara County was moving to purple tier. The result was; late nights dedicated to the story––mostly editing revisions or drafting new sections. Though the entire process was arduous, it helped me develop close relationships with my peers and an understanding of the realities of journalism.
Weeks later, I applied as an Editor-in-Chief (EIC). I was unsure about my chances, but thought that my commitment to the publication warranted, at the very least, a consideration of my application. And alongside three other fantastic journalists, I was selected as a Verde EIC.
Soon, my responsibilities shifted to a more macroscopic outlook of Verde’s operations. I fully expected to spend my time editing stories, teaching AP Style, and influencing ideas for new articles. However, much to my surprise, my responsibilities also included handling disagreements within the 39-person team. I quickly learned that I had to become a leader, as well as a manager.
Towards the end of our magazine production last spring, I noticed one student came to my class and was unusually quiet –– something seemed off and when I asked her, she became visibly upset. She claimed that her story partner put his name on the byline, even though he hadn't contributed to any writing or interviewing for the article.
To me, repairing a staff relationship between two writers was as important as completing a story. I was aware of some tension between them in the past, but their relationship was now so fractious that it not only hampered the mood of the staff, but also threatened to delay our publication deadline.
I met individually with the writers to understand both sides of the conflict, and I realized that it was resolvable by a mediated discussion. I strongly encouraged both writers to reconcile, learn from the issue, and move forward.
Eventually, I brought them together but took a backseat in the conversation. The two agreed that he would be credited with a secondary, “additional reporting” byline instead of a full byline.
It was a success for me that I could foster an environment where the writers could come together to resolve the conflict on their own. Leading Verde has taught me the importance of nurturing a staff, rather than simply managing it. It’s made me more empathetic. More communicative. In my experience, leadership is equal parts listening and direction; sometimes it’s enough to invite resolution and collaboration without telling others what to do.
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MINOR REFLECTIONS
News Gathering
Crucial to the process of delivering an accurate and thoughtful story is––obviously––newsgathering. Over the five stories I have written this semester I learned how arduous, yet rewarding the process is. In my story concerning the complicated––and eventually failed––reopening of PAUSD schools I conducted various interviews over a period of 3 weeks. Each interview taught me about the fundamentals of journalistic integrity: preparing questions, patience, and the art of follow-up questions. My first semester with Verde Magazine has provided me with the foundation for improving these skills for the rest of my journalistic career.
Design
Verde Magazine is the most design-oriented publication at Paly. Each cycle we produce stories that design matches our quality journalism. In addition to our written work, we rely on unique and flamboyant designs to actively engage readers with our magazine. Throughout cycles, designing the story is the most challenging aspect, since there are many different parts to a well-designed story. I learned to use InDesign to format and refine stories, Photoshop to edit media, and Google Drawing to outline.
Editing
A Verde Magazine each story undergoes a rigorous editing process. After submitting my story, it is subject to edits, changes, and suggestions from about 10 people. That means the story undergoes constant changes which I have to respond to. Editing a story allows me to reflect––and hopefully improve––my writing. As an Editor-in-chief, editing stories, designs, and outlines is how I spend most of my time. When I edit, I look to correct any grammatical, angle, or structural issues while also preserving the author's voice and creative license.
Leadership and Team Building
Despite the fact that my Verde experience began almost exclusively via Zoom, being a part of a publication has fostered a wonderful community-like experience. Whether it be from late-night office-hours or Verdudes, I’ve already built close relationships in my short time with Verde. As an Editor-in-chief, I've dedicated a lot of my time to collaborating and leading the staff towards our goal of producing quality journalism. Assuming a leadership position has taught me a lot about the importance fostering communities and encouraging collaboration. As I head into the last semester of my senior year, I'll look for opportunities for me to grow as a leader and further connect within the Verde community.
Writing
Joining Verde, I knew I would be able to write on a plethora of subjects––and as Staff Writer that is exactly what I have done. From park reviews to an election column, to a multi-drafted feature on my school district’s school reopening fiasco, Verde has allowed me to search for my niche as a writer. My favorite was without a doubt my feature on reopening. It was my first exposure to investigative journalism, and it gave me a good sense of the trials and tribulations experienced by journalists.
Photojournalism
Though I’ve always been involved in the photojournalistic aspect of my stories, once I became EIC I quickly learned how much weight a photo brings to a story. In addition to the expected coordination between photographers and subjects, taking a good photo requires a lot of foresight. When designing a story, it’s crucial to visualize how a certain photo contrasts with the colors, organization, and overall mood of a design page. One of my favorite photos was from a protest for the protection of the AAPI community following a surge of hate crimes. My shot, which is included in my work samples, captures the resolve and passion of a community addressing a significant social issue.
Law, Ethics and News Literacy
One of my main goals as EIC was to emphasize the importance of respecting ethics in our journalistic work. So naturally, my first presentation of the year was on ethics. I saw teaching ethics as a way to ensure that Verde was producing accountable, transparent reporting. I urged Verdites to reduce bias within their coverage, corroborate with sources, and fact-check. In the very first cycle of Verde, we confronted dilemmas that tested how the staff would respond to dilemmas in handling anonymous sources, and conflicting information –– all of which the staff handled resoundingly well.
Marketing and Audience Engagement
As a student publication, Verde relies heavily on the support of the Palo Alto community to fund the costs associated with publishing an issue. As such, every Verdite is required to sell or attempt to sell ads. Through this practice, Verde sustains itself and is able to cover many of its costs.
However, my most important experience with audience engagement was a partnership between Verde Magazine and the international publishing platform Issuu.com. I communicated with one of Issuu’s representatives and organized a meeting where I (along with other editors) represented Verde’s marketing and promotion tactics to Issuu. Our collaboration resulted in Issuu featuring Verde in its seasonal newsletter which is sent to millions of potential customers.
Additionally, I met with the Paly MAC Boosters where I detailed Verde’s publishing and writing process in an effort to secure more funding for the Paly journalism program.
Commitment to Diversity
The largest issue facing Verde is making sure we accurately represent the community we serve in our journalistic work. As one of the few Black students in the Paly journalism program, I encourage people of all backgrounds to join a publication and make their voices heard. Verde recently published a diversity audit that analyzed our commitment to improving diversity and highlighted steps the magazine would take in increasing representation of all kinds. I met with a diversity coordinator (name) and with the Black Student Union to improve the connection between students of all backgrounds and service in journalism.