Editing, Leadership, and Team Building
Editing
As Co-Editor-in-Chief, editing has become a part of my daily routine. Our publication runs on a three tier editing system, with me and my co-editor Srivas being the last line before publishing. This means every article goes by one of us at least twice before getting published. I remember when I started editing I was super nervous because I felt I was in no place to critique the upperclassmen editors on their writing. But what I’ve learned from the past four years is the more eyes the better when it comes to journalism. Everyone has different experiences and skill sets, and someone might catch a capitalization mistake or hyphenation edit that you didn’t. On a personal level, editing has improved my writing drastically. I’m always the friend others go to for essay peer editing, always the one to find minute grammar mistakes, and trained to create the optimal sentence flow. Although it can sometimes drive you crazy to be hyper-aware of these mistakes, I wouldn’t trade this skill for anything. Journalism has made me a better person and writer.
Leadership
Working with my co-editor-in-chief Srivas, I've been responsible for guiding younger reporters to becoming good journalists. As I first stepped into minor leadership roles like Features Editor, it was difficult to fully feel like a leader when I was still learning so much. I'd ask the older editors for guidance nearly twice a week, desperate to make sure that I wouldn't mess anything up. But slowly I realized myself becoming less reliant on others. I wouldn't need to ask, I would just lean into my instincts as a journalists. Until one day I had become the leader I so often looked for. All of these mentors taught me that a good leader should work to be no longer needed.
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Since then, I always try to support youngers editors, whether it be by presenting on feature writing, holding in-person editing sessions, or even introducing timid reporters to their sources.
Meetings
Organization has always been my strong suit, so upon joining the Ghostwrier I slowly found ways to instill systems of order throughout our newsroom. Primarily, this was through meeting agendas, which I started taking in 2023 and continue to make for almost every editor and executive board meeting. Our publication rotates weekly meetings, with one editor meeting, one executive meeting, and two club meeting per month. This can make it difficult to keep track of projects and conversations, so I've found that taking liberty of meeting agendas has improved our team's efficiency.
Team Building
Staff Appreciation
It can be easy to get lost in the spur of deadlines and looming budget cuts, which is why we always try to have a gratitude session after each quarter. Sometimes it's simply sitting in a circle and calling out compliments to our fellow reporters, other times we type written responses and immortalize our thankfulness. Either way, it’s one of my favorite parts of the quarter. It’s a way to recognize all of the great work everyone has done, and ultimately bring us closer together.
News Quizzes
A video our opinion editor Penelope made that I feel fully encapsulates the competitive nature of News Quiz Friday. In some ironic way, it's this energy that brings us closer together.
The tried and true news quizzes are the highlight of every Friday in room 250. Regardless of what else is going on that day, our newsroom always saves 15 minutes to complete the New York Times’s weekly news quiz. Sometimes in teams, sometimes partnerships, but each time with a new set of faces. While the challenges force us to recall hot headlines from the past few days, it also allows us to bond with new people. There’s nothing that will bring people together quite like debating the name of Bruce Springsteen’s debut album or the cause of a murky river in Alaska.
Some of the scathing grades that have come out of group news quizes.
Scavenger Hunt
Whenever someone asks me my favorite journalism convention memory, it's the scavenger hunt. We started the tradition when I was a sophomore, and it has slowly been passed down from EIC to EIC. We spend the evenings at conventions working on a list of oddly specific things like “an EIC wearing cowboy boots” or “a monochromatic outfit”. Then on the last night together, we gather the staff, split into groups, and compete against each other to find and take photos with all items on the list. While many of the items require students to engage in mini interviews with strangers, building journalistic skills, they also serve to culminate our time together. Running around a convention center, engaging in lighthearted (sometimes not so lighthearted) competition, and relishing in our final night together—it all ties back to creating such a tight-knit group. Each scavenger hunt, however quick, has made the moments I will cherish most with my staff.
Secret Santa
This is a tradition I had initiated for the first time last year, and will hopefully continue long after I’m gone. While it’s important to connect as a newsroom, I find it even more crucial for an editorial board to be familiar with each other. So I decided to host a “Secret Santa” gift swap over a holiday weekend, allowing my fellow reporters to get to know one another through the ultimate test of gift giving. It was a huge success, and I found that meeting outside of the newsroom allowed us to further our connections without the pressure of deadlines or projects. Traditions like our cookie decorating competition are the foundation of our strong friendships.
The results from our cookie decorating competition, the main attraction of the night.
Photos from our most recent secret santa. I had Misha, our opinion editor, and received a vinyl from Ian, our social media manager.
Even during secret santa, no writer is left behind. This is a video from when we surprised our co-editor Saanvi, who was sick, with a beautiful chorus of carolers.
A Series of (unofficial) Ghostwriter TikToks
More Photos!
(because I love the Ghostwriter)
