Are you a student journalist? One of my all-time favorite jobs was serving as Editor-in-Chief of my campus newspaper. Mount Holyoke had no journalism department and our paper had no faculty adviser. That meant a lot of learning on the job. These are some resources I found useful during my college career, including three I made to help section editors train writers at The Mount Holyoke News. If you work at a student publication, feel free to download a copy and customize it to your own needs. And please don’t hesitate to reach out for advice or mentoring! I’m happy to share what I know about student journalism and early career moves.

Made by me...

WRITER SLIDESHOW

a quick but effective orientation tool for new reporters.

WRITER CHEAT SHEET

a condensed version of the slideshow.

ARTICLE CHECKLIST

for building better writing habits.

Made by others...

LAM THUY VO

I'm a big fan of Lam Thuy Vo, a reporter who "tells data-driven stories about economics, social issues and web culture through words, graphics and audiovisuals." Her talks and tip sheets make multimedia, data-driven journalism less intimidating. 

API JOURNALISM ESSENTIALS

It's fun to explore new storytelling frontiers, but sometimes you need to revisit the basics. The American Press Institute's "Journalism Essentials" will remind you what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to do it well.

SPJ CODE OF ETHICS

The Society of Professional Journalists provides a concise but comprehensive code of ethics by dividing a journalist’s responsibilities into four categories: Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, Be Accountable and Transparent. The guide is also available as a pdf download.