Available Positions at The Mossy Log

Staff Writers are critical to the success of the newspaper. They are responsible for writing a majority of the articles. A staff writer must have a careful eye for fact-checking and eliminating bias, as well as a familiarity with The Mossy Log’s styleguide and interview etiquette. Staff writers are required to write at least three articles for their section, but are still able to write for all sections if they choose to do so. All staff writers are required to attend weekly staff meetings and distribution. 

Section Editors are the core of the editorial board. They are responsible for thoroughly editing all content within their section, designing their newspaper pages, teaching their contributors style rules and pitching story ideas at the weekly staff meeting. A section editor must have a careful eye for fact-checking and eliminating bias, as well as a familiarity with The Mossy Log’s styleguide and interview etiquette. All section editors are required to attend weekly editors’ meetings, staff meetings, layout, distribution and special events.

Additional Editorial Positions include the Web Manager, Social Media Manager, and Head of Broadcasting and are responsible for publishing The Mossy Log outside of print.

The Business Manager oversees The Mossy Log’s budget, ensuring there is always a balance or profit. They must secure funding from the Student Media Board and attract advertisers, provide and collect contracts and tax forms from all editors and contributors, and manage payroll in conjunction with relevant Lewis & Clark administrative offices. They advise the Editor-in-Chief on all business-related issues. They also manage layout dinners, merchandise purchasing and additional allocation of funds from the Associated Student Body.

Application Details

Applications for all positions have two parts. First it asks for personal information and preferred position, and second it asks for a one-page cover letter answering a few questions and any writing samples you may have.

Fall 2024 Applications:

All Fall 2024 applications are due Saturday, April 20 at 11:59 p.m. PST to mossylog@lclark.edu

Staff Contributor Positions

The Staff Writers are critical to the success of the newspaper. They are responsible for writing a majority of the articles. A staff writer must have a careful eye for fact-checking and eliminating bias, as well as a familiarity with The Mossy Log’s styleguide and interview etiquette. Staff writers are required to write at least three articles for their section, but are still able to write for all sections if they choose to do so. All staff writers are required to attend weekly staff meetings and distribution. 

• News staff writer is responsible for producing stories that are relevant to our Lewis & Clark community. These stories should be timely and related to important events happening in and around campus. All News stories require at least three sources and a strong commitment to fact and impartiality.
• Opinion staff writer contribute compelling and controversial opinions that they must take a clear stance on. The writer has to argue for a stated thesis, as opposed to simply presenting facts and offering an informative, news-like story.
• Features staff writer report on human interest stories that pertain to the Lewis & Clark community. These should be stories that present unique experiences and emotions of individuals or groups. The best Features content takes a creative approach to best tell each unique story and highlight its quirks.
• Arts staff writer report mainly on cultural events that encompass all areas of artistic practice, including visual arts, performing arts, music, writing, culinary arts and others. The primary focus should be on Lewis & Clark related arts, with local events of LC-specific angles driving the rest of the coverage. Arts staff writers to capture artistic experiences in clear terms and, if necessary, remove biases.
• Sports staff writer cover the events of Lewis & Clark athletics, as well as other sports-related stories relevant to The Mossy Log’s community. As supplemental coverage, stories should also discuss health and wellness to diversify coverage.
• Backdoor staff writer write amusing satire pitches that address issues relevant to the Lewis & Clark community. Above all else, humor is most important! If you are applying to be a Backdoor staff writer, please submit something humorous. 
• Floater Staff writer writes articles for sections that are short with content. This staff writer should be passionate about writing for any section, including News, Opinion, Features, Arts, Sports and Backdoor. 
• The Puzzle Maker creates puzzles and games for The Mossy Log including but not limited to crosswords, word searches, mazes and more. The Puzzle Maker has to create a total of six games during the semester. Above all else the Puzzle Maker should be creative! 
•  Staff Illustrator will be responsible for drawing at least ten illustrations over the course of the semester. They will work closely with the Visuals Editor. 
• Staff Photographer will be responsible for taking at least ten photographs of events covered in the newspaper over the course of the semester. 

Editorial Positions

Positions on the editorial board necessitate considerable time commitment. During each print cycle, editors typically spend 20+ hours creating content of the highest possible quality. In addition, editors must be comfortable training contributors in relevant skills and representing The Mossy Log with professional conduct. Section editors are expected to communicate with senior level editors proactively and in a timely manner. Please take this into consideration when applying to these positions.

Section Editors

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

Section editors comprise the core of the editorial board. They are responsible for thoroughly editing all content within their section, designing their newspaper pages, teaching their contributors style rules and pitching story ideas at the weekly staff meeting. A section editor must have a careful eye for fact-checking and eliminating bias, as well as a familiarity with The Mossy Log’s styleguide and interview etiquette. All section editors are required to attend weekly editors’ meetings, staff meetings, layout, distribution and special events.

• News editors are responsible for finding and producing stories that are relevant to our Lewis & Clark community. These stories should be timely and related to important events happening in and around campus. All News stories require at least three sources and a strong commitment to fact and impartiality. 
• Opinion editors pitch controversial and compelling opinions that contributors may take a clear stance on. When editing, they must ensure that a writer is arguing for a stated thesis, as opposed to simply presenting facts and offering an informative, news-like story.
• Features editors find and pitch human interest stories that pertain to the Lewis & Clark community. These should be stories that present unique experiences and emotions of individuals or groups. The best Features content takes a creative approach to best tell each unique story and highlight its quirks.
• Arts editors find and pitch cultural events that encompass all areas of artistic practice, including visual arts, performing arts, music, writing, culinary arts and others. The primary focus should be on Lewis & Clark related arts, with local events of LC-specific angles driving the rest of the coverage. Arts editors should encourage writers to capture artistic experiences in clear terms and, if necessary, remove biases.
• Sports editors cover the events of Lewis & Clark athletics, as well as other sports-related stories relevant to The Log’s community. As supplemental coverage, stories should also discuss health and wellness to diversify coverage.
• The Backdoor editor formulates amusing satire pitches that address issues relevant to the Lewis & Clark community. They are responsible for teaching contributors basic and intermediate satire writing conventions. Above all else, humor is most important!

The Copy Chief edits all articles in their section prior to layout, with a particular emphasis on finding and fixing The Log style mistakes and explaining to contributors why their errors were incorrect. The Copy Chief, along with the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, are responsible for reviewing and editing Adobe InDesign pages before they are sent to the printer.

The Visuals Editor works with section editors to ensure that each story has a corresponding visual. They should encourage visual contributors to read articles for which they are providing a photograph or illustration to guarantee accuracy in visual portrayal. The Visuals Editor is required to attend part of each bi-weekly layout.

Other Editorial Positions

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

• The Web Manager is responsible for posting all articles to The Mossy Log’s website in a timely manner, complementing the distribution of an issue. They must also issue corrections, update the website design to promote engagement with content and update editors with statistics of online engagement.
• The Social Media Manager is in charge of The Mossy Log’s social media accounts. They must actively promote content through social media posts and engage with followers while maintaining a professional demeanor. Additionally, they are required to make at least three posts per week, aiming for exclusive content and everyday posts. Social Media Manager is required to attend part of each bi-weekly layout. 
• Head of Broadcasting is responsible for producing content for The Mossy Pod. This includes snippets from interviews, reporters discussing their coverage and original content. A 20-30 minute podcast should be produced in conjunction with every print issue of The Mossy Log.

Business Manager

The Business Manager oversees The Mossy Log’s budget, ensuring there is always a balance or profit. They must secure funding from the Student Media Board and attract advertisers, provide and collect contracts and tax forms from all editors and contributors, and manage payroll in conjunction with relevant Lewis & Clark administrative offices. They advise the Editor-in-Chief on all business-related issues. They also manage layout dinners, merchandise purchasing and additional allocation of funds from the Associated Student Body.