If there’s one message that came through loud and clear from our latest survey (see July 5, 2013, issue), it’s that our readers rely on us for coverage of local news. You want more of it: more coverage of town government, including our elected and appointed boards and town administration; more coverage of our schools, their administrators, their teachers, their achievements and challenges; and more week-by-week coverage of major projects, such as the renovation of Town Hall, whose progress depends on the work of multiple boards and volunteers, not just a single vote of the Selectmen or the Finance Committee. And, of course, more features about the fascinating people who make Harvard so interesting.
As a small circulation weekly, the Harvard Press lacks the resources to hire a staff of professional reporters to keep up with town happenings. We’re not backed by a media conglomerate nor foundation money but depend on our subscribers and advertisers to sustain us. For our reporting, we depend—like so many other Harvard initiatives—on a cadre of citizen journalists, residents who love reporting and writing and want to develop their skills while contributing to their town. We even pay—modestly—for the reporting that we publish.
But we need more of you. So this week we’re inviting anyone with an interest in community journalism to join us. All that we require is a passion to learn more about the ins and outs of town government and the ability to write. We’ll teach you the rest.
We’re offering a series of free workshops in September to teach the basics of reporting for the Press, from the elements of a good lead to story organization, from the standards of principled journalism to Press policies for dealing with the ethical dilemmas that we inevitably face. We’ll start you off with small, manageable news assignments, but as you gain confidence and skill will offer you opportunities to tackle bigger stories, or try your hand at profile, feature, or investigative writing. We offer weekly mentoring and in our bi-weekly writers’ meetings we discuss what we’re missing and how we can improve. Think of us as a learning collaborative, an incubator, a place to hone your skills. That’s part of our mission, too.
If you’re interested, please send an email to editor@harvardpress.com. We hope you’ll join us.
