IHS journalists look to give students a ‘voice’

By

News

November 1, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Online news has become a staple in our culture, but some say there is nothing like holding a newspaper in your hands. It is this belief that is driving Iola High’s newspaper team to resurrect its print news.
“If someone is handed something, there is a much better chance they are going to read it,” Brandon Hamilton, a junior newspaper student, said about print news.
For the past four years, the news at the high school has been centered on online content. Cody Cokely, a senior in the class, said the paper was discontinued because of school budget cuts and faculty changes.
When asked, the class of seven unanimously agreed that the student body has not accepted online news content well.
Sophomore Cris Harris said many people do not bother to read the material.
“A lot of people (students) say ‘it’s only online, nobody reads it anyway,’” Harris said.
Cokely said this is the first year that the news has been taken seriously over the past several, which is why his class decided to bring back the physical newspaper, formerly known as The Messenger.
Senior Jason Tidd said  the newspaper provides a service to the students and “gives them a voice.”
The students have responded well to the idea of printing news again, Tidd said students noticed when the paper was not around.
“The student body didn’t really realize what they we’re losing when the paper shut down,” Tidd said.

EFFORTS TO START the process have already begun.
After the idea of printing a newspaper was approved by principal Stacey Fager, Samantha Branson, the instructor, said students have spent the year thus far learning fundamentals and basics of journalism.
“It has been a lot of hands-on learning for them,” Branson said, “They have been covering reporting and writing, along with outlines and other things.”
The newspaper will be funded partially through the budget of the class. However, the students have taken the initiative to raise advertising funds to cover the price of the first two issues. For $25, local businesses may purchase an ad that will run for five issues. For an additional $5, their ad will be added to the online addition.
The first issue is planned for early December. The class then will produce a winter issue and a combined January and February issue, and they hope to have five papers off the press by the end of this school year.
Branson said the paper will be printed by the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) from its branch in Texas, which will cost than printing at the high school.
The class meets three to five hours a week, and Cokely said the class must make more out of less and work with the yearbook class as well — which has almost twice as many students with 15. He said they will share photos with the yearbook class and work to support each other, due to “limited resources.”
These limited resources do not seem to deter the class from working hard on their projects.
Tidd, described as the “political one” in the class, said he started watching the news from freshman year on.
Senior Robert Goodner, co-editor with Tidd, said he joined the newspaper class to explore new career paths and generate new ideas.
The class is comprised of five seniors, one sophomore and a junior. Cokely said he and his fellow seniors recognize that they will only see the beginning of their product, and they are excited to see where the paper will go.
“We want it to grow upon itself to make something better,” Cokely said, “We can’t imagine what the newspaper will be.”
The student body can be reassured that the newspaper students are hard at work, making sure the school will have something to read come December.
When asked what sort of content will run in the paper, Cokely said the material will be centered around students, which he called the most important thing.
“The students will drive the coverage,” Cokely said. “It might be nice to see what the they think.”

Related
December 6, 2018
November 12, 2012
November 5, 2012
January 14, 2012