Feb1 -- Journalism Organization This Semester

The class is going to be broken into teams. This is also called Maestro (more on that later).

Each team has 5-6 reporters. They're basically on a 4-week rotation with about a third of each team assigned to each:

Type A stories (these basically are full length news/feature--500+ words and 3+ sources). They take a week to write* and week to research.
Type B stories (350 or so words 2+ sources can be researched and written* in a week)
Type C stories (opinions, reviews, "Buzzfeed" type listicles etc.) that can be researched and written in a week).
Type D stories. (Basically briefs. 200 words or fewer. 24 hour turnaround. Sports gamers in ALT format, basic Bloomberg Formula beats (Straight Lead, Quote, Factual paragraph, Quote).

So the week you are researching a Type A you might be doing a type D or two, then the next week writing and editing the longer story then a couple weeks rotating through shorter pieces before getting back in the rotation on a larger piece and on and on and on. It's our first year on this system and it's working well (ish) after a semester--still breaking editors from four years of thinking PRINT vs. WEB as opposed to continuous news cycle.

*includes editing/revising time.

TYPE D -- ALT format

It's a very specific type of ALTernative Copy Format we use for sports gamers. Totally stolen and modified from the way the Detroit Free Press does them, presumably for quick turnarounds to get into their outstate editions. They are something that can be turned around, edited and posted within one class period.

Here is what it looks like in the Detroit Free Press.

Here is what ALT format would look like turned around in one class period.

TYPE D --Basic Bloomberg Formula beats are modeled here.

Bloomberg Formula is simply a four paragraph formula Bloomberg uses for breaking news. (They update frequently, we probably wouldn't)

Straight News Summary Lead.
Quote
Factual paragraph
Quote

Hypothetical Bloomberg Format story:

The library will host a coloring therapy event to reduce exam stress on Jan. 20, after school until 3:30 p.m.
"We know kids are pretty stressed out during exam season," media specialist Gloria Klinger said. "We wanted to do something fun and creative to help get kids' heads into good space. I had seen a recent article about how adults are using adult coloring books to reduce stress and improve brain function and I thought we should try it."

The library will provide coloring books, most of which were purchased with the help of a donation from the Student Senate. Crayons/colored pencils will be available but students are encouraged to bring their own as supplies will be limited.

"In the big picture, this probably doesn't do a whole lot," Klinger said. "The week is still going to be a stress bomb. But this is fun, there's actually some science behind it and it should give some kids a laugh and a chance to be a kid again during one of the most stressful times of the year."

P.S. If you were wondering how the newspapers and press outlets are working across media platforms, check this article from Vox.