Journalism Journey

Ben Cozic, staff writer

When reading a newspaper, people will read a story and be done with it. What people do not notice is how much work goes into writing an article good enough to put on the page. Article topics need to be researched thoroughly by the writer so nothing is left out or written incorrectly. Articles also have to be edited and properly headlined in a way that makes them stand out. Writing articles can be an enjoyable experience.

At PVCC, there is a journalism class called Introduction to Journalism (ENG 121) that helps students improve their writing while still maintaining their own voice.

Journalism students write articles for the school newspaper, The Forum, using newly learned skills. To complete articles, students research events on campus and around Charlottesville, choose from suggested topics, or find their own source. After the articles are graded, they are uploaded onto Google Drive for editing. Students are taught how to edit their articles by peer editing in class and through helpful links on Blackboard. The articles are then formatted and published in The Forum.

Joseph Fowler, one of the editors of The Forum, told how a good article is written, “Be original. Whatever drives you, present it in your own voice.”