Would you like to take Journalism or News Production? MODG offers both of these to juniors and seniors, and younger students with special permission. Journalism is a prerequisite for News Production, and News Production can be taken as many times as students want!

Students in News Production and Journalism write stories for this site, and we wanted to tell you about our experience!

What semester and grade were you in when you took Journalism?

I took Journalism in 10th grade and in the 1st semester – Dom W

I also took Journalism in 10th Grade semester 1 – Anastasia Marambos

I took Journalism in 11th grade, and I took it for first semester. -Susannah Cope

I took Journalism in first semester of 11th grade -Kaity Rose G

I took Journalism in 9th grade, in the first semester. – Katherine Milliken

How many semesters have you taken News Production? What grade(s) were you in?

Now (10th Grade 2nd semester) is my first time taking news production – Anastasia Marambos

I took two semesters 12th grade -Kaity Rose G

I took News Production in the second semester of 11th grade. -Susannah Cope

I have taken seven semesters of News Production! I took it in the second semester of ninth grade, and for two semesters in tenth grade, in eleventh grade, and in twelfth grade. – Katherine Milliken

What is the difference between Journalism and News Production?

For me, Journalism was the introduction to News Production. You would read about the basics of Journalism and write a few articles but then in News Production you had a lot more freedom to write and incorporate what you learned in Journalism – Dom W

Journalism is a 1-semester course that is a prerequisite to News Production. In it, you learn all about producing news, deadlines, challenges that journalists face, and the pros and cons of different types of news, among other things. You read a book and talk about it, and write posts about it. News production is also a 1-semester course, but it can be taken more than once. In it, you learn more about journalism and being a good journalist, but the focus is more on producing articles for the MODG news site. – Anastasia Marambos

Journalism is the first part of News Production. It is learning the practical side of journalism, a grammar review, and beginning to learn techniques for writing -Kaity

Journalism is learning about being a journalist; News Production is where you put what you learned into practice by creating news for the student website. (It is required to take Journalism before News Production.) – Katherine Milliken

Are you glad you took News Production?

I certainly am! I’ve had a lot of fun and learned a lot! – Katherine Milliken

What does a class normally look like?

If some/most of the students are in Journalism, you will be talking about the topic you read about the week before. You will also be talking about the stories you have finished, are working on, or want to do. -Susannah Cope

For Journalism, one discusses in class how to practice good journalism, and what makes for good and bad journalism. For News Production, the class is mostly about creating stories for the student website – talking about stories that are in progress, brainstorming ideas for stories, etc.- Katherine Milliken

What teacher/s have you had? What did you like about his or her teaching method?

I have had Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Sebastian for teachers, and I really liked them both! Since Mrs. McCarthy had been a professional journalist for some years, she had a lot of interesting/fun stories about that, including tips for us aspiring journalists drawn from her experiences. Something I really like about classes with Mrs. Sebastian is that there is a lot of freedom for what you write on the website, and if you have an idea for a story, you can just mention it and most likely you’ll be encouraged to write it. I’ve had great experiences with both teachers, and both were wonderful to work with! – Katherine Milliken

If you are majoring in Journalism in college, how did this class make you decide?

This class further solidified my passion for journalism. I knew I wanted to be a journalist because my mom was a meteorologist, and my uncle was a broadcast journalist. This class gave me confidence in my writing skills, and showed me what I need to work on. I learned the building blocks in this class, and I know that will help me to be successful in college. -Abby

What is the best part about Journalism and News Production?

Learning about the pros & cons about being a journalist, and figuring out how to overcome the basic, everyday challenges that journalists have to face. – Anastasia Marambos

Even if you don’t become a professional journalist yourself, I think that having the ability to spot good and bad journalism is a really good skill which will serve you well no matter what you do. I also do enjoy the fun aspects of the class – writing about topics you like and are interested in, collaborating with classmates, etc. – Katherine Milliken

What is your favorite story you have written?

I don’t know. Maybe this one: https://www.modgnews.com/12289/features/best-ever-easter-egg-hunt/ – Anastasia Marambos

I rather like my recent article about homemaking, and I also liked the “This Day in History” feature that I did in the past (here is one I did a little over a year ago). – Katherine Milliken

My favorite stories are the tips for school stories! https://www.modgnews.com/11972/blogs/helpful-tips-for-modg-courses/ -Susannah Cope

What tips would you give to students who are taking Journalism or News Production?

Write as many articles as you can, and participate in the class discussions. You will probably get more out of the class if you write as many articles as you can, and it is very rewarding to see an article with your name on it on the site. You will probably learn more from participating in the discussions than from just listening to them. If there is an opportunity to collaborate with another student on an article, do it! It is often easier than doing an article on your own, and you can get experience working with other people as well as working by yourself. – Anastasia Marambos

For a practical tip, I would suggest putting aside some time every day to work on whatever story you’re writing (or, if you’re in Journalism, your reading/discussion questions). It won’t require a whole lot of time per day if you work on it frequently, but I can tell you from experience that you don’t want to wait until the last minute and then be frantically writing the day before class! – Katherine Milliken

If you have taken Journalism or News Production in past years, tell us about your experience and your favorite story you have written.

If you want to learn more about MODG’s electives, read MODG News’ interviews about Art History, Test Prep, Health, Fine Arts and Fine Arts: Art 8, and Radio Theater and Reader’s Theater and check out the Course Catalog.