Joining your school’s newspaper is a decision that needs careful consideration, involving a 

number of academic, professional, and personal factors. Here are simplified pros and cons that can help students make an informed choice.

Student newspapers offer hands-on experience in writing, editing, and digital publishing. These opportunities can help students develop precise communication skills and meet real deadlines, attributes valued in many fields. In addition, involvement in the newspaper provides exposure to teamwork, independent research, and responsible reporting, which contribute to a stronger portfolio and résumé.

Social media management is increasingly getting more prominent to newspaper operations. Students may gain experience in audience engagement, analytics, and multimedia content creation, skills beneficial in both marketing and communications.

A primary challenge is the time commitment required. Newspaper work often involves balancing classes with interviews, articles, and managing digital content. Many students find the pressure of deadlines stressful, and published work is subject to editorial review and public scrutiny. Accepting criticism and revising work are standard experiences for newspaper staff.

Balancing traditional journalism work with social media management can be demanding, as it involves not just creativity but constant monitoring and interaction. Yet, mastering these modern communication tools is an invaluable skill set for future careers in media, marketing, or any field involving public engagement.

Beyond writing the stories, a significant amount of work goes into managing the newspaper’s digital presence. This is often invisible to readers who only see the final, polished article. Staff members are continually learning how to manage the content of the software that powers the website to format articles, embed multimedia, and ensure pages load correctly across all devices. 

This involves a steep learning curve in digital publishing, including tasks like search engine optimization to help our stories get found on Google, managing photo galleries, and troubleshooting display issues. You gain practical experience in digital architecture and publishing that is highly valuable in any tech-driven field, far beyond traditional journalism.

The tradition of a physical newspaper is still crucial, and it involves a unique skill set. The staff meticulously works on page layout and design. This is a highly visual and detail-oriented process where staff must master design software to arrange text, photos, and advertisements into a cohesive and visually appealing product. 

The stakes are high: once the paper goes to the printer, there’s no editing. This demanding process teaches extreme attention to detail, graphic design principles, and the art of managing physical production cycles, skills that are essential in publishing, marketing, and design professions.

The Mycenaean has some of the best editors, including our EIC Darcy, and our social media engagement team, Kaylee and Gabriella. 

Gabriella Cueto, senior, co-manages all of our social media, “I really enjoy posting and seeing Leesville’s reaction, but it definitely is a learning process.” Stating how one post might not do well, but she learns from those posts and can make better videos.

Joining your school newspaper offers a blend of traditional reporting and the exciting challenge of managing social media, each complementing the other to create a richer, more dynamic experience. If you are prepared for the time commitment and eager to develop both your writing and digital communication skills, it is an excellent opportunity.