Inbox [cerealia]
Apr. 30th, 2015 02:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cardboard_journalism"Sss, sss, sss.
You've reached the desk of Myriam Scuttlebutt.
If you're calling to submit a story to the Cerealia Times, please press 1.
If you're calling to inquire about employment with the Cerealia Times, please press 2.
If you're calling to make a complaint about a story in the Cerealia Times, you are free to hang up. Complaints will only be accepted as submitted letters to the editor, delivered in physical form.
If you're calling for any other reason, please leave a message after the beep."
[boop]
[if 1 is pressed]
"You've reached the extension for submitting a story to the Cerealia Times. Please describe your story after the beep. For reference, please include your name and contact information. You may also make your tip anonymously, or ask for anonymity. As a source, your anonymity is protected by law, and will not be revealed without your express permission.
Kahk-kahk... Keep in mind, you cannot be financially compensated for information you provide, for reason of journalistic ethics. ...no, really, journalists aren't supposed to do that."
[boop]
[if 2 is pressed]
"The Cerealia Times is in need of correspondents, reporters, photojournalists, and delivery personnel.
Correspondent: you are expected to respond to stories that break out in an assigned section of Cerealia, report the information at the scene, interview witnesses, and supply written stories. Mild literacy is required.
Reporters: you are expected to actively pursue assigned stories and conduct related interviews in a timely manner. Mild interpersonal skills a plus, but not essential. With approval, you will be free to investigate your own stories.
Photojournalists: you are expected to record newsworthy events on film. This may require taking shots under suboptimal conditions.
Delivery personnel: you are expected to transport, unload, and fold bundles of newspaper around Cerealia.
All of these jobs take long hours and are very demanding... but they're worth it. --Except for the delivery job, that's just busywork. Sss, sss!
Leave your contact information, desired post, and brief description of your experience, if any!"
[boop]
[action thread continuations can go here too!]
You've reached the desk of Myriam Scuttlebutt.
If you're calling to submit a story to the Cerealia Times, please press 1.
If you're calling to inquire about employment with the Cerealia Times, please press 2.
If you're calling to make a complaint about a story in the Cerealia Times, you are free to hang up. Complaints will only be accepted as submitted letters to the editor, delivered in physical form.
If you're calling for any other reason, please leave a message after the beep."
[boop]
[if 1 is pressed]
"You've reached the extension for submitting a story to the Cerealia Times. Please describe your story after the beep. For reference, please include your name and contact information. You may also make your tip anonymously, or ask for anonymity. As a source, your anonymity is protected by law, and will not be revealed without your express permission.
Kahk-kahk... Keep in mind, you cannot be financially compensated for information you provide, for reason of journalistic ethics. ...no, really, journalists aren't supposed to do that."
[boop]
[if 2 is pressed]
"The Cerealia Times is in need of correspondents, reporters, photojournalists, and delivery personnel.
Correspondent: you are expected to respond to stories that break out in an assigned section of Cerealia, report the information at the scene, interview witnesses, and supply written stories. Mild literacy is required.
Reporters: you are expected to actively pursue assigned stories and conduct related interviews in a timely manner. Mild interpersonal skills a plus, but not essential. With approval, you will be free to investigate your own stories.
Photojournalists: you are expected to record newsworthy events on film. This may require taking shots under suboptimal conditions.
Delivery personnel: you are expected to transport, unload, and fold bundles of newspaper around Cerealia.
All of these jobs take long hours and are very demanding... but they're worth it. --Except for the delivery job, that's just busywork. Sss, sss!
Leave your contact information, desired post, and brief description of your experience, if any!"
[boop]
[action thread continuations can go here too!]
no subject
Date: 2015-05-06 04:38 am (UTC)Sss, sss, sss.
[As if to remove all doubt, familiar hissing sounds of her breathing could also be heard]
no subject
Date: 2015-05-06 05:19 am (UTC)Leia squints, and upon closer inspection, she can actually see her eyes.]
Myriam? What are you doing in there?
no subject
Date: 2015-05-06 05:33 am (UTC)[the hat looked "news-y," which was a plus already in Scuttlebutt's book]
Pleased to meet you! Come on inside, let's discuss things.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-07 02:52 am (UTC)Sure thing. Er...
[She looks at the box, then the entrance to the cafe, considering their widths. Then she quickly grabs the door's handle, holding it open so she can get inside.]
no subject
Date: 2015-05-07 03:14 am (UTC)Er, thanks...
[she quickly scuttled in]
no subject
Date: 2015-05-07 03:48 am (UTC)(She has.)]
So... [Is she going to wear that box the entire time...] What's this plan you mentioned?
no subject
Date: 2015-05-07 06:12 am (UTC)It's... ambitious... but so am I.
I've got enough physical material ready to put together a newspaper... but not enough fodder to fill the actual columns with content. Puts a kibosh on the whole operation, doesn't it? Sss, sss, sss. No one wants to read a blank paper, no matter how nice the pages look.
So, I need stories. Lots of stories. Enough stories that, if I was going to do this all be myself, it'd take days to write out, even if I was working flat out, morning to night. --Especially since I just got here and hardly anyone knows me. I'm not exactly operating on home territory.
But, I can't wait too long either, or else I risk losing the impression that a newspaper existing here is "normal".
Given this, I intend to rush out a paper as soon as possible. People start reading, it gains some amount of followers, more contributors join, pretty soon it's on a level of popularity and regularity I can afford to start thinking about income. Start charging for classifieds, and such. Not much; I'm a journalist, not a businesswoman, but enough to keep it sustainable and make sure everyone involved gets compensated.
Then, voila! The Cerealia Times is strong, and it's a victory for the free press. Heck, maybe it'll encourage others, or at least get us more answers about what's going on from the CERES people.
What do you think?
no subject
Date: 2015-05-08 03:23 am (UTC)Well, I think we have the right mindset! I'm no businesswoman either... my boss always handled all that stuff. But I think if we work together, we could do it!
I've pulled all-nighters before...
It's been a while, but if you really want to set a hard deadline, I could do it again. I just need subject matter.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-08 04:03 am (UTC)Anything newsworthy! Reports on local businesses, events, the weather, details about people's lives before Cerealia... Something beyond what people already find out via the network. I hear what everyone really wants to know is if these "flamines" are real. Let's make finding that out our ultimate goal.
You know the standards of newsworthiness?
no subject
Date: 2015-05-09 11:30 pm (UTC)Her boss only got on her case about that like, all the time.]
S-Sure I do. I've learned that you can't just write about any old thing you find interesting... you have to cater to an audience, and write objectively!
Local businesses for example would be really helpful for other people like us who are still trying to take off. We should be encouraging people to try out these businesses for themselves... and maybe include interviews with the owners and any customers they've had an impact on.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-10 08:46 am (UTC)We can't focus too much on businesses... then we're just advertising them for free. They should be coming to us for that! People might get bored if we look at them uncritically. But, if it's framed like a review...
--Oh! You've got notes! Good. Write this down...
The standards of newsworthiness are:
Number One: if someone's hurt, injured, or dying from it, it gets a story. Huge story! Front page. "If it bleeds, it leads." Stark, but accurate. That kind of story always gets attention, and crimes should always be reported.
Number Two: if it impacts a large amount of people, it gets a story. "Large number of people trip over the same crack in the sidewalk," gets more attention than just one guy.
Number Three: if it's something about someone famous or in a position of power, it deserves a story. As far as I can tell, CERES is in control, right? If there's any info about their CEO, that's definitely newsworthy.
Number Four: timeliness! Ever heard the phrase "yesterday's news"? No one wants that.
Number Five: novelty, "things you find interesting" like you said. "Dog bites man," isn't newsworthy by itself, but "man then bites the dog back," is good for a blurb on page 14.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-11 02:38 am (UTC)Most of them seem pretty self-explanatory... but having a list to go back to certainly can't hurt!]
Wow... that all makes so much sense! So even though we want to be objective, we still need to be critical about certain things so that they're fresh and interesting...
[She taps her pen to her chin as she glances over everything she's written, nodding confidently.]
I think with enough legwork, we should have plenty for an issue really soon.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-11 11:55 pm (UTC)A toast to us, then! The Cerealia Times, may it soon spread all over every district!
no subject
Date: 2015-05-11 11:55 pm (UTC)... kahk-kahk-kahk-kahk...
no subject
Date: 2015-05-17 11:11 pm (UTC)Guess we should order something, huh?
no subject
Date: 2015-05-21 06:44 am (UTC)1/2
Date: 2015-05-24 09:41 pm (UTC)Are you hungry, too?
no subject
Date: 2015-05-24 09:42 pm (UTC)How are you going to eat or drink anything in that box? [Which is honestly getting them more stares than the whole not ordering thing, tbh.]
no subject
Date: 2015-05-24 11:14 pm (UTC)...I'm not hungry, actually. I'll just have water.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-24 11:23 pm (UTC)... It might get wet when you try to drink it. Or maybe a straw would help?
no subject
Date: 2015-05-25 12:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-26 01:14 am (UTC)Leia can't help but shake her head, but she'll ask for some water and a fruit smoothie for herself when the next waitress passes by. She'll resist the snacks and desserts... for now.]
Well, at least no one's said anything.
[About her box... I mean, she must get comments a lot, right?]
no subject
Date: 2015-05-26 03:34 am (UTC)[after it arrives, she picks up her water, and holds it up with some fanfare]
A toast to The Cerealia Times, then! May each edition stand as a beacon in the darkness until the newsprint crumbles from age!
[goes to clink her glass with Leia's?]
no subject
Date: 2015-05-28 06:05 am (UTC)To the Cerealia Times. Let's work hard together from here on out, and write the best articles anyone's ever seen!
no subject
Date: 2015-05-28 06:11 am (UTC)[it was definitely the happiest moment for Scuttlebutt yet in this place, it'd be difficult to leave her world behind, but with Leia helping her and her finely-honed journalistic instincts, she was sure she'd be able to carve out her own niche here]
[she went to drink her water... but of course the box had no mouth-hole, so she ended up holding it above her head, sticking the straw through the box's eye-slat, and tipping herself back a little so her mouth could reach it]
[ssssssssssssip.]
(no subject)
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