Digital Media
Above, our very first recruitment meeting. Below, an Instagram post I made as apart of our recruitment campaign.
Acting as a liaison
As a print EIC, most of our responsibilities are related to In-print publications. However, we are in constant communication with both the Social Media Editor and the Web editors to collaborate and exchange content. Below, are a sample of the work I have done for our digital platforms.
Social Media
Fun fact: I was on the bus that crashed, and we were left on the road for 3 hours. Instead of waiting around, I decided to do an on-site story. I interviewed several people on the bus and took pictures on my iPhone.
Reporting on breaking news
Instagram has become our biggest platform as a publication, currently, we have 710 followers. Our social media was primarily used to promote our online and in-print content. However, in the past two years, we have been encouraging staff members to use Instagram posts as a medium for storytelling. In particular, we have been using our Instagram to report on breaking news. Typically, when breaking news comes out, an EIC or editor will text the group chat. Then, on the spot, either an EIC or our advisor will assign a staff member to start creating a Canva assignment and get quotes. Finally, the post is sent to the group for final review and copy edits. This process is quite hectic. But, it works - and we are able to get a breaking news story up in 15-20 minutes. I have included two breaking news Instagram posts that I did last year. The posts give a brief recap of a school bus crash and AP/IB test cancellations.
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These are the texts that were sent while creating the Standardized Testing Update.
Covering Clubs + School Events
Huron is a huge public school, so there is always something going on - a soccer game, a play, or an art gallery. Since our school is so big, The Emery is able to serve as a bridge between students and organizations. We use our Instagram to promote big club events at Huron, so our community can stay informed about student life. For example, I have attached a post I did promoting 'Art Night' at Huron.
Additionally, we use The Emery Instagram account to do polls and get in direct touch with our school’s population. We are able to ask simple yes or no questions such as - asking students if they feel safe returning to school or if they plan on using their student laptops. And, we are able to get more in-depth responses. For a spread I did about mental health, I was able to ask the student body how the pandemic has affected them and I got over twenty in-depth response
Emphasizing Multimedia storytelling
Since we have access to really nice podcasting and camera equipment, I thought we make more use of it! Multimedia context can serve as an alternative to writing a traditional article. Since last year, we have started multiple podcasts and have greatly expanded on our interactive graphics. Additionally, we have implemented “mini-lessons” about various types of multimedia context to encourage students to give it a try. In our class multimedia stories are now considered a valid alternative to doing article, design, or photostory.
Interactive Graphics
I was inspired by our sister school, Community High School, to start doing Story Maps. Here are two different ways I utilized their platform.
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Best Bubble Tea in A2
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The online editors wanted me to transform some in print articles into multimedia features. I took my A+E review, looking at different types of Bubble Tea within Ann Arbor, and transformed it into a story map. In actuality, I prefer the story in this format because viewers are able to find the bubble tea location closest to them.
Food Services for Families in Need
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For this graphic, I worked with some administrators at our school to recap the food pick-up areas for students, who needed food during the start of the COVID-19 shutdown. This story was shared in our community and became one of the top stories on the website at the time.
Podcasts
I have already done an opinion story on South Asian Representation. But, I really thought it would be interesting to do an episode with ‘Minutes of Lit’ in order to get many perspectives on the issue. Mishal Charnia, Emery's managing editor, and Ridhima Kodali, Emery's opinion editor, were kind enough to let me guest host this episode with them. We briefly outlined some main points we wanted to talk about, however, most of the podcast was just natural conversation.
Mishal also gave me the opportunity to edit this episode. It was over 40 minutes long, but I was able to cut it to around 25 minutes. I listened to all raw audio, then map out a storyline I wanted to follow within the episode. Finally, I used Alitu, a digital editing software, to cut and paste audio.