I joined journalism as an editor during my last year. After this great year, I can say with certainty that I only wish I had started out sooner. 

There are so many benefits to participating in journalism.

Journalists are some of the most important people in the world. They provide information on topics that cover everything from the newest movie to heavy issues like racism. Being responsible for the wealth of knowledge that gets distributed to the general public is exciting yet critical. It is essential to be thorough when researching a topic and vetting potential interviewees. The responsibility that comes with writing–whether for a prestigious newspaper or your local school newspaper, is a big one. You become the person people trust to stay updated on the current events. 

Being part of a team means having to work with other people, which helps build social skills. I found that having to talk to other people and reach out to others–whether it was your editor, interviewees, other staff members or any other number of people was helpful, especially during the pandemic. It helped burst the bubble of social isolation, and I got to meet so many new people I would not have otherwise. Admittedly, I used to find it hard to engage with strangers, but I feel as though being in journalism was helpful in that aspect as well, as I came out of my shell more and more. 

Aside from helping build social skills and managing new responsibilities, journalism is simply an enriching experience. As a journalist, you get to choose what you want to write about and freely express yourself through your writing. You might find yourself writing an article on a topic you had never even considered before. The research that comes in before finding interviewees and writing is a great experience because whatever you find could make you take a completely different path on what the article is going to be about. Your writing skills also improve a lot because an editor helps review your article and then you see areas of improvement. This process gets repeated as many times as necessary and throughout the year on every new edition. 

Seeing your name in the byline of your article is so fulfilling. People will read what you wrote because it is important and that is something that you can be proud of. 

There are some additional perks that the pandemic made impossible, like pizza after a successful edition which allowed for the staff to get together and discuss as well as just socialize, but these will undoubtedly come back once school is back in-person. 

If you are interested in joining The Spellbinder staff, contact Mrs. Storms.