If you have decided to write for your school newspaper, you know the struggles of deadlines and scrambling for sources last minute. While being a reporter can be stressful, it is also a very rewarding job. Here are 30 ways you know you write for the school newspaper.
1. You probably say "I write for the paper" a lot.
2. You follow the paper on all social media platforms.
3. Your FB wall is a constant barrage of your published stories as well as stories written by other reporters.
4. You've stayed up all night to finish a story so that you made deadline.
5. Your media building is your second home.
6. You text your editors more than your mother.
7. Unanswered emails / calls by sources is more offensive than receiving "k" as a text message.
8. You would rather get stood up by a romantic interest than by a source who doesn't show up to an interview.
9. Finding out you made an error means an editor's note will be a blight on your story.
10. Having a source read your finished work and praise you is one of the best feelings in the world.
11. You have to make a lot of obnoxious Facebook statuses when you're searching for sources.
12. You know the rule "you can't interview your friends" is a load of crap, but you get why it's a necessary evil.
13. You've gotten a lot more adept at emailing professors and authority figures, as well as speaking to them on the phone.
14. You know it's a different feeling when you see your story in print versus online.
15. Your school likes to insult your paper, even though you know most of your peers couldn't last a week out in the field.
16. Some of the rudest sources have been adults.
17. "Does it have a photo?"
18. You know why journalists are notorious drunks.
19. You are probably a very opinionated person.
20. The chances of being a liberal social justice warrior are high.
21. You follow a lot of professional journalists and publications.
22. You have a professional twitter and a personal one where you can be your true ratchet self.
23. You have issues with AP Style.
24. You use your school paper as a resume booster all the time.
25.Your whole day can be filled with trying to get sources and conducting interviews.
26. You become much more familiar with campus culture as well as the culture of the town where your school is located.
27. You have the opportunity to interview really high up members of your school, such as the president or football coach.
28. Press passes are bae.
29. You know the story has the capacity to get thousands of views, and that is truly a powerful feeling.
30. Waiting for a story you are especially proud of to drop is an excruciating wait. As Kanye says, "The clock's ticking/ I just count the hours."
Overall, while writing for the school newspaper can be an exhausting and sometimes thankless job, you know it is a worthwhile opportunity that really gets you out of your comfort zone, helps you develop professional skills, and allows you to expand upon your writing abilities.
