Salem Isaf – Page 3

As it stands, I think the majority of our news department’s communication works pretty well. The prime example of this being story ideas. Stemming from our discussion last week in class about this, I thought I might expand on the benefits.

Story Ideas
- Our department relies a lot on the reporters for content. It gives them freedom in a way that I didn’t expect when I first joined. As we discussed last week, many newsrooms have a problem where story ideas are generated at the top and then sift down, but for us, there is a healthy mix of bubbling up and assigned stories.
  - All reporters must generate three story ideas each week. These then get reviewed by the heads of the news department. This helps generate a lot of ideas and the leaders get to assign the good ones

That being said, there are some issues in certain areas.

Technology
- I like Slack, the service we use to communicate, but it has its issues. Sometimes I won’t receive notifications unless I am specifically @’d or I receive a dm even though I have my notifications turned on. This results in missing updates and possible breaking news
- To fix this, I think specific text group chats might work better for important things like breaking news, giving updates or other non-immediate issues can be addressed over slack
Follow-up
- A standard should be set that editors and assistant editors should check in with their reporters daily for story updates. It helps keep the reporters on track, while also keeping both parties engaged in their work process.
Photos
- Improve the connection between news and photo departments. Make it easier for reporters to discuss with photographers what they want shown for the article
- Perhaps make teams with certain photographers being paired with certain reporters. Closer relationships lead to more cohesive teams and better coordinated work in my experience
More time to debrief
- In weekly meetings, I think giving reporters time to discuss what they did the previous week would be just as beneficial as what they plan on doing. Learning from mistakes can be helped this way, as well as helping new reporters learn tips for their own work

COVID-19 in Champaign-Urbana community
- Energy
  - How has the change in campus behavior affected the school’s energy output?
    - Abbot Power Plant supplies our entire campus with energy
    - There has been a push for years to get Abbott off of coal and on to more sustainable energy sources
    - How has behavior since quarantine began affected the energy usage of our campus?
    - Has our usage gone up or down?
    - How have our needs changed?
  - A lack of students effects all businesses, but how has it specifically affected the community’s energy output as a whole?
    - Does an online University lead to a leaner carbon foot print in the area?
    - What has Mass Transit looked like over quarantine?
      - If people aren’t traveling as much (or there are just less people in the area) should buses be running on a different schedule?
      - Talk to bus drivers: are they driving empty buses?
- Greek Life
  - Where do these organizations stand in the middle of their usual rush process?
  - Is it worth joining these organizations in the midst of a pandemic?
    - How limited are the activities that normally draw in rushes/pledges?
    - Many houses are fully canceling their rush process in fear of the virus/crackdown from the University
    - Number of rushes and accepted bids in fraternities on campus are way down compared to previous years
  - Talking to members of houses has been/will be difficult. It might be easier to try and speak with freshmen who were interested in rushing/did or have been rushing.
  - Dues for many houses, especially sororities, is expensive. Are members of these organizations still paying the same in dues even though many activities and events have been restricted?
  - Could be easier to talk to greek organizations if it is framed in a neutral sense, allowing them to tell their side of the story amidst accusations and pandemics, while also highlighting other students’ views of the organizations
- Student Life
  - Interesting chance for profiles
  - Urbana used to have a lively music scene with many house/basement rock shows
    - Has COVID effectively killed the music scene for this side of campus?
    - Contact bands/band members that were previously active
      - Do they plan to continue playing shows or figure out how to play their music for others safely?
      - Has the culture changed at all?
      - Profile of a singular band might be interesting
  - What are students doing to pass the time?
  - Profile of a student who has been quarantined with COVID
  - What is it like to live with a roommate who has contracted the virus?

Author: Salem Isaf

News Section Communication

COVID-19 in Champaign