There’s news right under your nose!  Feb. 2, 2009 Holly A. Heyser, Professional Journalist in Residence, Sacramento State Questions that help you find news Do you see a problem that needs to be solved? Is something happening that changes how you and your neighbors function? Did you see an unusual event or happening Can you see a new trend? (Magic Number: 3) Is there an interesting new business or person in your neighborhood? (Or has one left the neighborhood?) How are national trends (e.g., the economy) affecting you and your neighbors? Do you know about something being planned? So, what’s interesting? The test is this: Will you mention it to a friend or family member? If it’s w

The Art (and Science) of Interviewing Martin Kuz, Senior Editor for Sactown magazine, March 19, 2009 Pre-Interview Deciding what your story is about will help you determine what questions to ask. What are the primary points or themes you want to touch on in your story?  Who is your audience? Understanding who reads the publication you’re writing for – and what writing style that publication prefers — will also help you craft your questions. Research your subject. Read what’s been written about the person. Depending on the story’s complexity, talk to other sources before you interview the main subject. Prepare a list of questions and bring it to the interview. Ideally, you’ll have yo

It was suggested by one of the users of and contributors to the site that the Sacramento Press create a section where people can access the materials from the workshops that we hold. Many people who have been unable to attend the workshops have also requested copies of the handouts from the various workshops. In order to better arm our readers with the tools that will help them write, there will be a section where all of the materials from the past workshops can be found. If you type in "SP workshops" in the search field, all of the articles and handouts dealing with our workshops will come up. Also, in the future we will upload a video feed of the workshops, if people are interested, so

For those of you who missed our first Interviewing Techniques workshop, given by Sactown Magazine's Senior Editor, Martin Kuz, we'll be having another one on Wednesday, April 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Molly Dugan, an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication Studies at Sacramento State, will discuss how to tailor your interviews toward articles that you would be writing for Sacramento Press. Attendees will learn the art of interviewing and the types of articles that work best for our site. We'll serve food at 6:30 p.m. and the workshop will start at 6:45 p.m. Our office is located at 431 I Street, Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as the Starbuc

Ballpoint pens wiggled, keyboards clicked and seven community members fought writer's block during the Intro to Journalism and Article Composition workshop at the Sacramento Press office Thursday evening. Holly Heyser, faculty adviser for The State Hornet and professional journalist in residence for the Communication Studies Department at Sacramento State University, was on hand to help writers develop their stories and flesh them out onto paper. Attendees brought ideas such as how to get a motorcycle license, what it's like to be a delegate for the Democratic National Convention, the Assembly bill that would legalize marijuana and the positive aspects of RT, among others. Heyser gave b

Just under 20 people gathered in a semi circle at the Sacramento Press's office to listen to a Journalism Ethics workshop on Wednesday night. Molly Dugan, assistant professor of journalism and communication studies at Sac State, led the workshop. Participants enjoyed pizza and salad from Hot Italian and mingled with other professionals from various media organizations. Dugan covered the basics of libel, public figures, honesty, accuracy and disclosure when writing articles. She encouraged writers to utilize public records and disclose their connection with the story - whether it be revealing that they have made a donation to the political candidate they are writing about in an article, o