Editing, Leadership, and Team Building
The majority of our editing is done directly on the site or discussed with the writer face-to-face, so it's harder to save copies of the edits made. For the sake of illustrating my editing style, here are some examples of revisions I did for a staff writer on Google Docs. After a second round of edits on the site directly (since that's what I'm more comfortable with, I didn't want anything to slip past notice), the piece was published here.
Pitch Meetings
Every Monday, our Managing Editor, Co Editor-In-Chief, and I lead a pitch meeting with our staff. These meetings act as a way for us to look ahead at the week and ensure we’re giving both continuous and equal coverage to the stories within our school. Our Managing Editor and I go down the list together, offering ideas, suggestions, and concerns with our writers, while my Co Editor-In-Chief writes these notes down as we discuss with the writers. These meetings are consistent and act as our best way to communicate with the entire staff at once.
Team Building
The best part of writing for our school paper is the people I've met through the process. I've developed genuine relationships with my fellow writers. I still remember reviewing Frozen 2 with my friends on staff because we all wanted to go see it--"Gator's Eye field trip," we'd proclaimed. We'd always bring in munchkins and keep the coffee machine stocked for happy mornings. Last year, the Student Life section and I spent days doing ice breakers in the greenroom, having fun asking questions and getting to know each other. Throughout the year, we'd find time to play games and take a break from writing to connect with each other. And this year, the returning writers and broadcasters enjoy our time in the "Swamp Life" (broadcast) room. We aren't just a staff--we're friends, and I hope we remain that way.
![IMG_6084[11450].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/922faa_2066469730d3464abd10711afba409ba~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_328,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/IMG_6084%5B11450%5D.jpg)
This was the first piece I ever wrote for The Gator’s Eye. I worked with two of my friends to reach out with local politicians. We weren’t expecting much of a response, so were surprised when Beth Friedrich enthusiastically provided us with an in-depth interview. Friedrich also mentioned that local elections didn’t get much coverage and that this could be her only news feature. We wanted to do her justice, and, in the moment, I thought we did. But the end result of the article looked cluttered and messy. Here are some changes I suggest today.