Resume Building, BuzzFeed, and Bad Admins: This week’s Fresh Powder Report

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This week, in Journalistic News:

The pros say:
Five successful journalists share their stories on getting started in the journalism industry; from the most important apps to re-affirming the importance of knowing how to navigate social media, these pros give their tips for young, hopeful journalists-to-be.

Building that resume:
And, while we’re on the subject of journo-hopefulls, journalism.co.uk gives 7 tips for students who need some actual work experience in the field.  It’s never too early to build your resume– especially if your students are serious about making journalism a career.  Some of the tips are simple (like checking your spelling grammar a million times before submitting an application, or writing a great opening line on a cover letter), but are still useful for students with little to no “real-world” experience.

Streaming made simple, (and free):
Another article from journalism.co.uk shows us how six news organizations are utilizing SoundCloud; which makes sense, as it is the best and most reputable free streaming service available.  It makes sharing audio stories easy, accessible, and a great way to draw in more audience members; certainly worth giving a try with your publication! If BuzzFeed can do it, you can too.

Become the next BuzzFeed:
Speaking of good ole’ BuzzFeed, here’s a quick lesson taken from SXSW on how to engage your readers, build an audience, and extend your reach. The report, given by Jonah Peretti, discusses the future of news from BuzzFeed’s point of view; online newspapers everywhere can always stand to learn a thing or two from this new media powerhouse.

Censorship strikes again:
Most of you have probably been following the Panther Prowler’s recent censorship of their school paper due to a dedicated sex issue– an issue complete with pictures that led some parents to accuse the student publication of “sexual harassment”– and how that has affected the students at Newbury Park High School and their freedom of speech.  This article on the Student Press Law Center details the case so far; if your publication has ever faced a similar situation, you might want to learn more about it, and send an email to the administration expressing your support of the Panther Prowler.

The fight for education:
This article is not “news” in the sense that it’s new information– we’ve been aware of the struggle in the education field for a long time now.  This LA Times article, written by the director of Bard College’s MA in Teaching program, points out that administration is failing to address the issues that prevent successful teaching. Here’s hoping that with more discussion centered around education, the more likely it will be to change.

These things also happened this week: