We are inviting people from all across our circulation area to join us and become reporters. The individuals will be giving the readers of the News Advertiser the news and happenings from their corner of the world. These can be general articles, volunteer group news, special interest group news etc. Some stories will even reach the printed version of the newspaper. Alternately if you possess some digital flair and talent, we will also be accepting video submissions and premium quality photos.
About the writing…. Well, different can be better. A standard account is fine, but stories that offer a new or different angle stand a much better chance of being included in the paper. Use your imagination! Personal accounts are always more accessible to the reader, but if you can offer readers a real insight about an event, such as detail about the unique geography of an area event, it will make for interesting reading. Humor is the most difficult kind of writing, but a truly funny article is as good as gold. The same applies for a truly compelling human interest story. Find the emotion in your piece and bring it out in your writing.
Use the spell checker! Yes, we have one too, but at least make the effort to provide an article that is spelled correctly. That includes the names of participants. You would be surprised at how often the names in stories are spelled differently from the names in the results. The same applies to grammar.
Finally, we need to be very strict on the content of the editorial content that appears on the web site and possibly in the Newspaper. Obviously good taste is required and all the work must be original (not copied). We also must stipulate that the editorial content be “reporting” and not “advertising”. News is usually something that happened… past tense. It is not an announcement of an upcoming event or a thank you to a sponsor of the event you are writing about. Seeing as how the News Advertiser is a free publication, we get our revenue solely from advertising revenue and thus depend on the thank you ads and grand opening ads etc. Therefore this type of content will not be permitted.
The Wikipedia defines something that is news worthy as follows:
“Newsworthiness is defined as a subject having sufficient relevance to the public or a special audience to warrant press attention or coverage.
Normal people are not newsworthy unless they meet an unusual circumstance or tragedy. The news divides the population into two groups; those few whose lives are newsworthy, and the multitude who are born, live out their lives and die without the news media paying them any significant notice. The news has always covered subjects that catch people’s attention and differ from their “ordinary lives”. The news is often used for escapism and thus normal events are not newsworthy. Whether the subject is love, birth, weather, or crime, journalists’ tastes inevitably run toward the unusual, the extraordinary.
The subject and newsworthiness of a story depends on the audience, as they decide what they do and do not have an interest in. The denser the population, the more global the reported news becomes, as there is a broader range of interests involved in its selection.”
Of course it goes without saying that since we are dealing primarily with our web site, it is necessary to have access to a computer. This can be at home, school, library etc. Contributors will be provided with a User ID and Password as well as a quick overview of how to post stories. Initially all stories will be reviewed by News Advertiser staff members. At some point, a contributor can request an upgrade to their account to allow them to publish their news instantly, without review. As long as there are no concerns with the content, this will not change. However any abuse or violation of our guidelines will result in a downgrade of publishing authority or complete banning from the site.
The fine print… everything submitted becomes property of the News Advertiser. You created the original work and will get credit for it, but we gain ownership of it once it is in our possession and retain all publishing rights now and in the future. If you have a Pulitzer prize winning piece… we can discuss the details.
If you are interested in joining the team of writers for the News Advertiser Online, please stop in our office or send an email to GetMeOnline@NewsAdvertiser.com