Transitions Magazine - Fall 2012 - Prescott College

The Last Word
By Todd Mireles, faculty adviser for Newspaper Journalism Practicum course
The Last Word
STUDENT PUBLICATION ONLINE ONLY
Todd Mireles
Fall
“The Raven Review is committed to social justice and aligns with the
values of Prescott College. As a news source within Arizona, we strive to
rebalance statewide media by respecting the diversity and humanity of the
Prescott area. We hope that our accessible news gives a voice to students and
community members that supports their engagement and activism.” Raven
Review Commitment to Social Justice, Winter 2014
This past spring term six intrepid students signed up for the
Newspaper Journalism Practicum, and by the end of the
semester they had launched an online version of the Raven
Review, Prescott College’s student newspaper.
This was my first attempt at teaching journalism in a classroom.
Although I have experience working at daily, weekly, and studentrun
newspapers, I found my most gratifying experiences centered
on the publication of small independent journals. My goal was to
help create an atmosphere where my students could experience the
satisfaction that comes from exercising our First Amendment rights.
The Raven was published regularly in the first part of the 2000s
as a multi-issue printed newspaper each spring term. Publication fell
off and had become irregular over the past few years. We decided to
move to a strictly online version for several reasons:
• The news industry is moving to the online format. The ability to
write for this format and be familiar with industry requirements is
key in finding employment post-graduation.
• Costs associated with printing, publishing, and distribution have
been all but eliminated. Without the limits of print, we would be
able to showcase Prescott College’s amazing photography program
and its talent up front and center.
• The move to digital allows the Raven Review to accept submissions
in multiple formats.
Another big change coming up for the Raven
Review will be the creation of work-study positions
for students interested in participating in a publishing
environment year-round. The creation of a sales
department will afford students the opportunity to
experience the necessity of balancing finances and
the pursuit of social justice. This introduction of sales
will be especially important for students’ professional
preparation as competition for funding grows stronger
and the pool of money available for publications
shrinks in the wider market. Placing Prescott College
students at the forefront of responsible and ethical
business practices is committing in a holistic way to
social justice.
The Raven Review is committed to the full expression
of Prescott College students and members
of the Prescott community. To that end we solicit
and accept submissions of all types of writing and
multimedia. Prescott College has a strong zine tradition,
and we have devoted a portion of the website to
the housing and archiving of zines produced in the
Prescott area.
We are looking to develop our section on Senior
Projects. This long-time graduation requirement is
one of the hallmarks of a Prescott College education,
and the good work students are doing should be recognized
and showcased. In our current format we can
do that in ways that have not been explored before.
Check out the new Raven Review at
ravenreviewnewspaper.com. Advertise with us, send
us a message about what you are doing now and let
us do a story about it!
Transitions Fall 2014 29