Every year, the Talisman news organization introduces new leaders for our constantly growing and evolving team. This coming year, three current members will be stepping into these positions.
Lauren Burson, Managing Editor
What made you pursue this role?
I really enjoyed [being on the] Talisman this year. I kind of just joined it because of McClain. She really inspired me after taking journalism, and I really love writing and getting to help other people, so I thought being a managing editor, [whose] main role is managing the people, would be beneficial.
What are you excited about for next year?
I’m really excited. We have a very big group of people, and it’s a lot of new people that I don’t know. So [being able] to meet people, help people make new friends, and then also, like, help[ing] them spark their journalistic style and writing will be really fun.
What are your priorities for next year?
My priorities are making sure a lot of people understand the journalism, like rules and formatting. I feel like this year we had a lot of people who took the class and kind of understood it coming in, but with that new group of people… when writing new stories or features, it’s very important that you keep that format in order to win awards and thrive. So, really, drilling that into them… is a big goal, especially with that big [of a] group.
What are some changes you would like to make?
Some changes I might want to make next year are…being stricter with deadlines, or maybe… changing how much work has to get done in a rotation, or making sure people edit things. I feel like our editing queue is always full or just doesn’t get done. So maybe being a little stricter with that.
How are you going to include everyone in your period?
I definitely feel like [the] summer workshop will be a step towards including everyone. Usually, last year, we played games and just got to know everybody in your group, like writers, social media, broadcast, etc…I feel like with the ad sales, especially—that’s how me and Vivian got really close… And then also, with first period just being so big, making sure we sit by different people and everybody’s still talking and being social, because it’s not like a sit-down-and-be-quiet class… make sure people know [that’s] okay [and] you’re allowed to talk.
Hailey Kehres, News and Features Editor
What made you pursue this role?
I think because this year is kind of like my second year-ish [of] ever doing journalist things—freshman year I did a journalism class because it looked interesting. And then I joined Talisman. I’ve since really fallen in love with journalistic style, and so I really wanted to keep going and further my career in journalism, possibly considering doing it in college. So, I feel like applying for a leadership position will help with that and build me up to be ready for this in the college setting.
What are you excited about for next year?
Oh, I’m really excited for the huge staff that we’re gonna have, and obviously being in that leadership position too. It’ll be new, and I think it’ll be really fun. I’m just excited to be able to keep writing and choosing what I write about, so I can get my voice out there and people can read what I write. It’s always been something I’ve loved.
What are your priorities for next year going to be?
One of my biggest [priorities] is [that] I really want to help make sure that people get stuff in on time and avoid procrastinating, because I feel like it’s kind of a big issue with the staff. Even including myself, I procrastinate on the interviews really badly. So, I want to better myself in that, but also help everyone else. Like, not like nagging, but just reminders; reminding people [to] get to it. That’s the biggest thing that I really want to improve.
What are some changes you would like to make?
I just want to bring more attention to the problem of procrastination and really encourage people to want to get their stuff done on time. I don’t think anything needs to be changed entirely, we [just] need to pay a little bit more attention to issues with procrastination.
How do you plan on making the quality of work as good as it can be?
Well, when it comes to being like an editor—right now I’m not—but I like to read things multiple times [and] make sure that I can see everything and offer the best suggestions I can to make sure everything is as good as it possibly can be. That’s why I like that we have multiple tiers of editors, so that way everyone can have multiple sets of eyes on everything. So, I feel like that really makes sure that everything is the best that it can [be].
Danny Cook, Director of Multimedia
What made you pursue this role?
I would say, after this year, I feel like there were some things that could be fixed, such as, you know, training, making sure everyone is staying on task…and it’s not Olivia’s [fault, but] it could be improved. So, I thought maybe I would be able to try and help make that better.
What are you excited about for next year?
I’m excited for the group of people we got coming in. I really like the diversity we have. I like [that] there’s different friend groups [who] all know each other. We all know each other. So I really think that [we’ll have] a good mix of people, [a] good group of kids to work with.
What are your priorities for next year?
Making sure everyone knows how to edit film beyond camera; making sure they all can do everything. So if someone in the group isn’t there, they can film, or if they need something in on time, [to know the] basics, at least.
What are some changes you would like to make?
I think the the planning process [with] summer workshop, training-wise…we can start teaching kids how to edit and film instead of just film, because it was kind of sit here and listen to the writers, and, well, obviously, the ethics part is important, but the writer aspects [aren’t]. So, I was thinking of talking to McClain about maybe focusing more time on training [in the lab] instead of wasting the first two two and a half weeks doing it at school.
How are you going to include everyone in your period?
Mixing groups up. You know, maybe we don’t keep the same groups for half the year. Maybe we mix them up every rotation. [It] really depends. Listening to everyone’s ideas and going with story ideas that we wouldn’t normally go with, and just try them out and see if they work and if they do, then keep doing stuff like that.
