Into the Fire

Our JMC 312 class got a first-hand look at how newspapers work when we visited the Greeley Tribune on election night.

When I got there, I was surprised at how open the newsroom was. The room is huge and filled with desks, computers, and tiny television screens. I always envisioned a newsroom as someplace small and cluttered; the Tribune is clean and inviting. I look forward to working in a newsroom like this one.

The main event of the night was the page one meeting. In a page one meeting the editors and reporters come together and discuss what is happening with the "A" page of the paper. The reporters find out what they are writing, how much space they have to write it, and when the deadline is. There is no reaction quite like when a reporter learns that their story's space has gone from twelve inches to ten inches, a difference of sixty words.

Randy Bangert, editor of the Greeley Tribune, understands that the Greeley election is a huge event. "We certainly want to beat CNN when we report these races," he said. This humor is typical of the newspaper staff; they are very laid back and like to joke around, even when dealing with deadlines. Inspired, we spent time sharing humorous stories of our own.

Tonight was fascinating, but I do not think I would like to cover a local election. A national election would be interesting since it can hold the attention of an entire nation, but there is too much apathy from residents in a local election for me to care enough about it.

For those interested, here are the results of the election.