Earlier this year, we did something a little crazy. We took the keys to our Web site and turned them over to a group of high school students.
What were we thinking? Actually, opportunity. New content for duluthnews
tribune.com. And a chance for students at the Duluth East student newspaper, the Greyhound, to learn about journalism in the modern era by creating and maintaining their own news Web site within our site.
Breaking news. Blogs. Photo galleries. It's what we do every day at duluth
newstribune.com. And for students thinking about entering our profession or a similar line of work, what an opportunity: Learning what it's like to work in a real-world newsroom as they covered the news of their high school.
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With the school year winding down, I visited with the students recently. They said they learned a lot.
Writing for the Web is "a lot more fast-paced," said junior Briggs LeSavage. "Obviously, you have to get the stories and information a lot faster so it can be a lot more up-to-date on the Web site."
When we first discussed the idea in January, LeSavage said, "I was really excited, because I'm looking to go into journalism for college. I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn how to do a bunch of different writing instead of just for the paper."
She and the others experimented with faster-paced journalism and new kinds of writing, such as blogs, that haven't been a part of the monthly in-print Greyhound.
"With the Web, it's a lot more rapid," senior Will Dack said. "And more people can access it at different times. It's such a different format."
The students were a bit nervous when they invited me back to class to critique their effort. I had some pointers. Sourcing could have been deeper in some stories. And we need to do a better job promoting the site. When I asked the students how their work was resonating with peers, they said many didn't know the Greyhound had a Web site. In the fall, we need to get posters up in the hallways and talk about the site over the school announcements.
But overall, I had high praise for the student journalists. Since January, they have posted more than 120 stories and other content elements. Senior Sage Bonomo is one of the most prolific bloggers, with her "Comix, Punx and Geex."
"It's been really fun," she said. "I just kind of write about whatever I want, whatever I feel like, whatever I'm interested in. It's really nice to have people come up to you and say, 'Oh, I read your blog. I really enjoyed it,' or, 'Now I'm going to check out this band.' "
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Opening up our Web site to people in our community is the future of online newspapering. No longer does, or should, all the content come through us. Community members, like the students, can be reporters, photographers and videographers for us and for you, our readers. They know their community well. They find good stories.
Who knew about "Michigan Man," an East student so in love with the University of Michigan that he wears Michigan shirts and other apparel to school regularly? What's the latest etiquette for asking someone to prom? And what did it look like in the hallways of East during Red and Gray week?
The East students told us. And they weren't just repurposing content from their monthly student newspaper. They became real online journalists, creating content specifically for the Greyhound online.
"To showcase the hockey state tournament when we weren't coming out for over four weeks after that in print -- to get that online -- was a great experience for them," Greyhound adviser Kirstin Peterson said.
The students also learned a lesson in responsibility. They took good care of their Web site within our Web site. I always knew they would.
"I'm grateful that you guys trusted us," said Claire Klein, a co-editor of this year's Greyhound with fellow senior Katie Hayden. "It was a great opportunity. I'll be able to use it on a resume. It was an honor to have the keys to this big Web site."
ROB KARWATH is executive editor of the News Tribune. You can reach him at (218) 720-4177 or rkarwath@duluthnews.com .
