[Imc-outreach] Print group

[meghan at ucimc.org]

here, finally! edit at will! (I copied a little from Jane.) And add things
if this doesn't make sense...
-meghan
_______________________

Print Group

The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center Print group is responsible
for the publication of our newspaper, the Public i. Each month we put out
an 8 or 12 page paper full of locally written and edited content. We
strive to give space to voices that go unheard in the mainstream media. We
prefer stories of local relevance, but often publish stories with a more
national or international bent.

Public i meetings work on a monthly schedule. The best time to get
involved as a new member is on the first Thursday of the month (at 5:30)
when we brainstorm ideas for a new issue. We are open to new members at
any time, but this is our least business-oriented meeting, and thus the best
time to chat with us about your interests and get to know us. At this
meeting, we throw out any ideas we have about stories we'd like to write
ourselves, stories we'd like to read, people we know who might like to
write, and theme ideas.

After that, each member of the group follows up on a few article ideas.
This entails either trying to track down the suggested author or
researching an article oneself. Typically, we shoot for having first drafts
in hand by the third Thursday of the month so that we know about how much
content we are going to have for the issue. At this meeting we divide up
editorial tasks so that each potential article will be accounted for by
someone who is following up with the author and helping to shape the
piece. Mentors/editors are often the same people who brought the article
idea to the group at the first meeting but do not have to be the same. We
can always use more help with final editing for grammar errors and typos.

On the final Thursday of each month, we aim to have each article in its
final form. We go over our list of articles, and group members volunteer
so that each article has a point person to make sure it gets to the
designer. Each article must be proofread one last time, and we always need
help finding graphics and collecting author bios and author pictures.

After the paper is laid out in proof (when the paper looks like a
newspaper but has not been to the printer yet), member of the Print group
come in to read it and make any final corrections. Finally, the paper is
distributed all over Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy.

The Print Group meets on Thursdays at 5:30 pm at the UCIMC. If you are
unable to attend meetings, you can email the group at print at ucimc.org with
an article idea or your area of interest, and someone will respond to you
from the group.

What you can do in the print group:

-- Become a citizen journalist
-- Write a news story or opinion piece
-- Help distribute the Public i around the Champaign-Urbana area
-- Help with fund raisers
-- Join the editorial board
-- Be a visuals coordinator and help find images to go with articles
-- Help solicit donations from local businesses
-- Help maintain our growing subscriber list
-- Proofread the paper before publication
-- Solicit articles from community members
-- Help with layout in Quark

What Happens at a Meeting?
At a typical meeting of the Print group, we first make a list of all the
articles that have been mentioned in connection with the issue. Then we
remind ourselves what each article is, and continue to brainstorm ideas
or address new ideas that community members have brought to us. After
tackling the list of articles, we go over any other business we may have,
like fundraising, distribution, events at the IMC, or emails and other
mail we may have received with letters to the editor or article ideas.