Guest Speaker Visits Print Journalism Class

Today, in Room C-24 at Wall High School (N.J.), Patti Martin, Staff Writer at the Asbury Park Press, was a guest speaker for my Print Journalism class. Ms. Martin, who grew up as an editor of her school newspaper in Manasquan, N.J., spoke about her experiences as a journalist, gave tips on how to become a better journalist, and gave advice to the Print Journalism students about their options for the future.

Ms. Martin explained that newspapers are slowly, but surely, becoming extinct and the world's current economic recession is only helping to decrease their livelihood. She cautioned the Print Journalism students not to major in Journalism while attending college but rather in a subject like English, and then perhaps work toward receiving a Master's Degree in Journalism afterward while attending graduate school. As print journalism continues to make its descent, blogging on soical networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter is overtaking its role to become the future dominant form of journalism.

"You need to do it [post blog entries] often to gain a readership," Ms. Martin said about blogging. She explained that, as a blogger, a journalist does not always have to post full-length stories though. "You make yourself the 'go-to' person by providing content no one has or by showing it in a different way," she described.

"Newspapers that will survive are ones providing local content," Ms. Martin further explained. With that in mind, The Crimson Courier still appears to be in good shape despite how the journalism front, as a whole, continues to dwindle in these times of economic hardships. By providing local content about Wall High School and its surrounding community activities, The Crimson Courier continues to attract buyers and subscribers for its eight issues released during the course of each school year. The students in my Print Journalism class are always working toward writing new story ideas that readers will enjoy, and the next issue is expected to be scheduled for release in mid-to-late April.