Five reasons you should join your college newspaper
I can’t really tell you when I fell in love with the idea of becoming a journalist. I know it was around the time I was 9-years-old. The voice of the late Bob Barry Sr. fed to my handheld radio every Saturday in the fall as he painted pictures of Oklahoma football games with his words.
It truly inspired me to want to work in sports media.
Getting paid to watch sports sounded less like a career and a way for me to never grow up and be an adult. And I loved it.
So I decided on the University of Oklahoma—an institution with a journalism program matched by few and a school newspaper bearing experiences I could’ve never imagined when I first unpacked my belongings into my dorm room freshman year.
I know it feels impossible to have a social life, a job and still do well in college, but OU’s newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, made me love journalism so much more. And if you’re on the fence about joining your school newspaper or it’s not even on your radar as a journalism student, let me offer a few reasons why you should consider joining your school newspaper’s staff.
The platform
College journalism classes have their purpose, but they can only teach so much within the confines of a semester. Your class assignments probably won’t be as harshly scrutinized as something that’s physically published and free for all hands and minds to grab around campus.
There’s so much value in talking with your journalism professors and gaining their knowledge on how to improve your writing. But you a learn lot about yourself when you’re writing a story that will be read publicly.
You grow as a journalist so much when you face the praise and-or backlash that might come with writing a published piece.
In my case, the OU Daily has a broad audience of students, alumni, parents and people who simply like the football team. And when events like the SAE scandal happen, our work was read nationally.
We covered that story better than any national media outlet could, because it was in our backyard and I wholeheartedly believe we knocked it out of the park through the direction of a lot of good people in charge.
Simply put, your reach at a student paper becomes so much farther than class-assigned stories that won’t be seen beyond your instructor’s eyes.
People pay attention, no matter how many bad things they post on social media. Just keep writing. Get as many bylines as you can.
Listen to what others have to say. It won’t always be positive, but don’t be afraid to listen to the audience that was enticed enough to read your article in the first place.
The feedback
One of the most challenging aspects of writing a story for a class is you might not get enough feedback from a professor before turning in a finished product.
The great thing about a student newspaper is your story (hopefully) will be passed around by your superiors on staff before it goes online or to the printer. Your student editors will sometimes be nicer than your instructors, but they can be just as harsh.
It’s with good intention. They want the paper to be as great as possible, because their name is associated with it as well and their responsibility is to ensure a quality product.
They hate reading mean things on social media as much as you do.
But get feedback from other students. Everyone’s unique viewpoint can help you determine a better angle and direction for your story. And don’t be afraid to talk with your newspaper advisors. They usually have a great deal of experience in the industry before entering their positions at the university.
Trust me when I say they know what they’re talking about.
The experiences
Speaking of experience, I hear “you’re lucky” a lot from my friends. And it’s true. I’m blessed beyond belief.
In the past year, I was one of The Oklahoma Daily’s football beat writers. The opportunity to go to a College Football Playoff at age 21 was so surreal. My experiences at The Daily turned into a part-time job covering OU athletics for the Dallas Morning News and as a correspondent for Sports Illustrated’s Campus Rush. Those positions helped me to cover a men’s basketball Final Four and national championship game a few months later.
This is not me trying to brag and I know not every school makes it to the college football and basketball final four in the same year often.
Incredible work opportunities, as well as learning opportunities, are still to be had at different schools.
But I didn’t seclude myself to the sports desk. I encourage everyone to explore every aspect of the newsroom.
A summer ago, I was able to switch positions for a day and act as a photographer for The Daily when President Barack Obama visited Durant, Oklahoma, on July 15, 2015.
I have yet to live this photo, to your left, down, but it was truly remarkable to hear from the President of the United States.
I was also able to cover the SAE scandal as it pertained to the Oklahoma football team and the ensuing protests.
The event was easily one of the most challenging times I’ve had at OU. There was so much to cover, so much to write and The Daily staff and I still had to somehow manage going to class.
Maybe I was at The Daily at the right time in terms of big events, but there’s so much you can do at a student newspaper.
There’s plenty of experiences to be had; ones you simply can’t find inside a lecture hall or classroom.
The friends
The OU Daily newsroom has presented me with so many friends that I refuse to namedrop anyone simply out of fear I might leave someone out.
The old saying goes, you meet your real friends in college. And while I still love my core group of high school friends, no one at my high school really enjoyed journalism as much as I do. Then again, that’s probably not fair. I am more obsessed with news than the average person.
It wasn’t until I joined The Oklahoma Daily staff, however, when I found people who shared the same passion for journalism I had.
I never joined a fraternity, but I didn’t need to. The Oklahoma Daily became my home for a better part of my still ongoing time in college. And the people I’ve met are some of the best you’ll find.
Yes, you’ll work with some difficult people, but that’s any workplace.
I sincerely love the people at The Oklahoma Daily. We’re not a bunch of slimy, liberal, overly-dramatic sleezeballs, as much as The Daily’s Facebook reviews would lead you to believe.
These are college students who are learning their craft just like everyone else who’s studying at OU. And I wouldn’t trade those people for the world.
The networking
You might not think it at first, but people are watching your work at a college newspaper.
From my experience as an OU football beat writer at The Daily, I met a lot of great people who are professionals in the industry and rubbed microphones with some of the biggest names in sports media.
Being in those media scrums day-to-day with the same people, I assume, helped me land internships and part-time gigs, because they were listening when I asked questions to OU coaches and players. When I wrote something they didn’t agree with, they let me know about it. And when I had news tweeted before everyone else, they shared it to their followers.
Working shoulder-to-shoulder with professionals in a sports media environment might seem intimidating, but they aren’t out to get you. They are usually very helpful, because they were student journalists themselves at one point and they typically won’t mind talking to you if you have a question.
This isn’t exclusive for sports writers. I know it happens for the news reporters and for the photographers, who also have to work side-by-side with professionals when out on-assignment.
So take those chances and do something great with your time in college. Joining The Oklahoma Daily was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Not only as a journalist, but as a person. I’m still learning and growing as a writer. I’m still growing as a person. And my college newspaper helped me in so many ways I don’t think I could ever sufficiently pay them back.
I hope you’ll considering applying for your school newspaper, wherever you go. And if you attend OU, here’s a link to The Oklahoma Daily’s online application.
Who knows where it might take you.
