Indiana University
ACP: Tell us a little bit about the editors and staff of your Pacemaker-winning publication.
Ron Johnson, Adviser: The Indiana Daily Student newspaper, Arbutus yearbook and Inside magazine are partner publications for Indiana University Student Media. Students produce all content for the weekday newspaper and its site, social media and mobile, and student editors have full authority and responsibility for IDS content. About 250 students are on the Student Media payroll, with varying levels of participation. We welcome IU students of all majors. About two-thirds of newsroom student staffers are in journalism. Our newsroom leaders have significant IDS experience and often one or two internships.
ACP: How did the staff ensure the quality of the publication?
RJ: The students take great pride in their work, and they work long hours to serve their readers. At the front end, significant planning goes into content – stories, visuals and designs. When news breaks, they hustle to be both fast and accurate. At the back end, our weekly staff meetings reflect on the week’s ups and downs, and adviser coaching and critiquing offer additional insight into strengths and shortcomings.
ACP: Is there any one issue, story, photo, package, etc. that stood out during the year?
RJ: The IDS is known for its narrative journalism, and the 2013-14 year did not disappoint.
“The only way to hold on†was a first-person narrative on one of writer’s transition from Iraq back to the IU classroom.
Another, “Suspended justice,†focused on the acquittal of a man tried three times on the murder of his wife and two young children.
In contrast was a breaking-news narrative: “Indiana man saves 2 children from drowning.â€
One went viral. “The end of the Waffle House†was eventually condensed for Reader’s Digest.
ACP: Tell us about a hardship or obstacle you felt your staff overcame.
RJ: Our editors take their jobs very seriously. We’re blessed with a rich tradition at the IDS, and each newsroom staff hopes not just to maintain our coverage, but to enhance it. They sometimes put enormous pressure on themselves. They live and breathe the IDS. We critique and encourage them, but we also help them understand their own humanity.
ACP: What qualities will you remember the most about this Pacemaker-winning staff?
RJ: Editors-in-chief come in a variety of personalities. For 2013-14, our fall editor and our spring editor were both transfer students who had worked their way up the IDS chain of command. Very different in some ways, but they had striking similarities: Calm. Focused. Determined. Productive. And, thus, inspiring.
ACP: What were the goals going into last year and how did you ensure those goals were met?
Gage Bentley, Editor-in-Chief: My main goal was to generate web content more intently. I ensured that by, as often as possible, asking, “what’s best for our web product?” answering that question, then executing. And I tried to have my team ask the same question.
ACP: Tell us about a moment you will remember the most about this staff.
GB: When I asked my whole newsroom to support the investigations team in reporting about a very difficult (and arguably dry) subject, Age of Change, they went above and beyond my expectations.
ACP: What does the Pacemaker mean to you?
GB: It means all our hard work and willingness to try new things wasn’t in vain.
ACP: What was the toughest moment you faced last year? The most exciting/rewarding?
GB: The toughest moments were those when I had to admit I was wrong and own up to that to all my staff. The most exciting/rewarding moments were those when I could tell someone could succeed in ways they didn’t know possible.
ACP: Anything else you’d like our readers to know?
GB: We’re new to journalism. We often make mistakes. Sometimes we don’t respond well to those mistakes. But we always learn and we always care. We will always work hard to serve our community.
ACP: Any advice to share?
GB: Even if your budget situation is scary and morale is weak, don’t panic and don’t try to fix everything in your semester. Set reasonable goals, and respond to failure with good humor. If only one person improved during your time, then you still succeeded.