Crazy Ideas for Next Year Vol. 1

#1 THE PAPER: OAK LEAF EDITION. So this year MTV decided to make a reality show about the a school newspaper. I don't really like it, because it makes all the people on the staff like like morons, and it doesn't really show how much talent and effort it takes to put together a paper. 

But it is a good PR stunt. So I was thinking that next year we could make little behind-the-scenes videos on putting together the Oak Leaf, showing the work we put in and how much fun it is and then have them play it before or after the announcements. I think it would help call attention to the stuff we have to do on the paper. If we could get enough interesting footage...

#2 START AN OAK RIDGE CHAPTER OF QUILL & SCROLL. Quill & Scroll is the journalism honor society, the same way ITS is the honor society for theater. Basically dedicated student journalists pay the membership dues, then they get a pin and one more impressive thing to put on their college resume.

#3 PRINT ON MAGAZINE PAPER INSTEAD OF NEWSPAPER PAPER (fyi: The official term for newspaper paper is newsprint.) I can't think of any local printers that can print magazines, but it would be awesome if we could print as a magazine. Pictures just look better on glossy paper and maybe we'd get less ink on our hands when we handled the fresh Oak Leafs.

#4 JOURNALISM INITIATION RITES. I'm still working on trying to figure out what these should be. But there should probably be something about having to walk up to a stranger and ask them a question. We've had people who wouldn't talk to anyone they weren't friends with, which is a cardinal sin in journalism. If you're a reporter have to be able to talk to lots of different people, even people you dislike. 

#5 FREELANCERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since the Oak Leaf gets stuck with notoriously small staffs, I think we should try to build up a thriving community of freelancers, people who aren't on staff but contribute stories and photos and stuff anyway. I think they should have to endure initiation rites also. It would make them feel more like they're on the staff and it would scare away people who aren't willing to spend the time.

So yeah, as you've probably figured out by now, I have all kinds of strange ideas about newspapers and Oak Leaves. I'll probably come up with a whole bunch more over the summer. 

please feel free to comment on these or post your own crazy ideas!