Print Press Program

Print Press Program

Purpose
The goal of the Print Press Program is to provide students with an opportunity to understand the role of media in a participatory democracy. Members of the Print Press Program engage in the writing, interviewing, commentary, editing, layout, photography, graphics, production, and circulation of a newspaper.

Participants in the Print Press Program are given an opportunity to view the political arena from the eyes of a neutral observer and gain knowledge and experience in journalism as it relates to government. They will have opportunities to work in a team setting with other dedicated, highly motivated individuals. Participants in the Print Press Program will get an opportunity to learn technical and stylistic reporting, editing and layout.

Students will also get a chance to put their creative skills to practical use in writing, photography, graphics, and page composition. While stories are reviewed by the Program Coordinators, the content and style of each publication is determined by the student staff.

Structure
The Print Press Program demands individual initiative and responsibility. Members work as part of a newspaper staff. The structure of the program mirrors those of a newspaper and individuals are assigned to cover the functions. These areas include:

Management: story assignment and editing.
Developing articles and reporting: interviewing, covering activities, events, individuals, and issues, as assigned by editors and Program Coordinators.
Graphics and layout: creating headlines, overall layout, artwork, and graphics.
Photography: providing photo coverage to record the State Convention.
Production: printing, collating, and distributing the newspapers.

Roles
Youth leadership opportunities for the newspaper staff may include an editorial staff consisting of the following positions. Other positions may be assigned as needed.