Becoming a Rapidian Reporter

In light of the first Rapidian Reporter Orientation of the year, to be held this Thursday at 5:30pm right here at The Rapidian office (1110 Wealthy St SE), I thought it might be wise to give a quick reminder about how one actually becomes a reporter on The Rapidian. Technically speaking, that is.

A common misunderstanding among new users of The Rapidian is that you are not registered as a reporter immediately when you sign up. The Rapidian was developed so that wide range of users can get involved with the project at a variety of levels without having to go all the way from the get go. Registering to use The Rapidian gives one access to leave comments, vote a story up, and participate in special projects like this winter’s Picturesque project.

For those among us who would like to take the next step and start reporting about the goings on in our community,  one must simply apply to become a “New Reporter.” A new reporter is the classification that we give to Rapidian reporters who are in the process of submitting their first few articles. Each new reporter is hooked up with a editorial mentor who helps them put their best foot forward. The editorial mentorship process is fairly “high touch” and ensures that Reporters are given the support they need while contributing to The Rapidian.

New reporters are able to graduate from new reporter status to full reporter status when both they and their editorial mentor agree that they are ready. The only difference between a new reporter and a full-on graduated reporter is that full reporters are able to post to The Rapidian without running their piece through their editorial mentor. However, many Rapidian reporters choose to remain at new reporter status for quite a while, allowing their editorial mentor to act as a sort of safety net throughout the mentorship process. The best part about working with an editorial mentor is that you always have someone to bounce things off of, even well after you have graduated through into full reporter status. Your mentor becomes your go to person for working with The Rapidian.

To apply to become a new reporter at The Rapidian, one must click the “register to become a reporter” link above and fill out the form. It looks like this:

 

Once the application form has been submitted, Holly Bechiri, The Rapidian’s Content Editor and her editorial crew will take it from there. The questions about interest area and medium help them match you up with the most appropriate mentor. If you are interested in photography, for example, we try to match you up with one of our photojournalism-inclined mentors. If you are interested in covering local government or science, we will hook you up with the mentor with the most expertise in those subject areas.  

So there you have it, a quick reminder about just how easy it is to apply to become a reporter on The Rapidian. No excuses now! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop us a line at [email protected], and we look forward to seeing you at the New Reporter Orientation this Thursday at 5:30pm.