Hi! I’m going into my freshman year of high school and we have the choice to take newspaper or yearbook as an elective class. After taking a year of the class, we get to be part of the newspaper/yearbook staff. I previously signed up for yearbook, but now I am not sure because newspaper sounds like a lot of fun. I love writing. It is one of my biggest hobbies and it sounds like you get to write more in newspaper. However, I took yearbook for a quarter in middle school and I loved the class. Writing was my favorite part but I also really liked the design aspect of it. I have never taken newspaper before so I don’t know what that would be like. I’m also not that into photography, so if I was part of the yearbook I would probably stay away from that. I also want to try to get an executive position later on, when I’m in my junior and senior year. So, which class do you think would be better to take?
It sounds like you’d have fun with either. Yearbook does a substantial amount of writing too. though it’s a different kind of writing than what you’d be writing for the newspaper. Yearbook stories are usually profiles about different people, clubs, and activities. With the newspaper, you have editorials, investigative reporting, campus news, sports, arts and culture, etc. A lot more variety with the newspaper and a chance to try your hand at different types of reporting. Also, you say you like the design aspect of newspaper–yearbook also has a lot of design, too.
On the other hand, don’t think that you won’t have to take pictures for the newspaper. Photos drive the story, and while I don’t know what the setup is like at your school’s newspaper, I know that at many, students are jacks-of-all-trades…they report, design, and take photos. Doesn’t mean you’d be doing it all the time, but chances are you’d have to do it sometimes. Don’t let that hold you back though; when I first started working for my school newspaper I wasn’t really into photography but once I got started it quickly became something I liked just as much as writing.
Also, another difference–the yearbook is one big publication of 200-300ish pages that will go out at the end of the year. The newspaper is a smaller publication that goes out multiple times a year. Which would you rather help produce? Some people like working toward publishing one big edition; others (like myself) love always being on deadline and cranking out an issue every couple months.
So, in summary, the two are very similar but also very different. You really can’t go wrong with either. Just weigh the pros and cons. Since you took yearbook in middle school, maybe you’d like to try something different and see how it compares (though yearbook in middle school is a lot different than in high school, at least at my school).
I worked for my school newspaper all throughout high school and was editor-in-chief so I can answer any questions if you have any.
It might be totally different at your school, and I’m definitely biased as a newspaper staffer/section editor! But I think if writing is your favorite part, you should go for newspaper. You’ll probably still get to do design stuff, since that interests you (I get to play with InDesign and Photoshop quite a bit). Also, if you’re on newspaper you might get to write columns and reviews, if opinion writing interests you.
As for exec positions, which staff is smaller? The less people on staff, the higher chance you have of getting on the editorial board. (In my experience, anyway.)
Either way, good luck! High school journalism is a lot of fun and has opened up some pretty great opportunities for me, so I hope you have the same experience!
Seems like you’ll learn way more about journalism in newspaper as opposed to yearbook.