Magazine production not easy, students learn

By Lina Miller
J-School Web reporter

photo By Neel Deshpande

Journalism grad students meet with Bugle staff at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Now more than ever, aspiring journalists know that it is the real life experience of being in a newsroom that gives them the perspective to make it in an ever-changing industry.  

Five graduate students from the University of Montana School of Journalism gathered at the international headquarters of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s bimonthly magazine, Bugle, to gain insight into the world of magazine writing.

“It’s to the point in the semester where the students are sick of my voice,” said Professor Dennis Swibold. "We have several students interested in magazine writing and it’s good to see what sorts of challenges (magazines) face.”

After a tour of the newsroom, editors, graphic designers, creative directors, and editorial directors explained how the magazine comes together every two months. They covered every aspect, from assigning stories to sending the final proofs to the printer in upstate New York.

“It certainly gives an opportunity to see how a magazine is put together,” said Jan Brocci, Bugle’s managing editor. “It helps you decide whether you really want to get into (magazine writing).”

The five students on the tour are all in the print journalism graduate program, which allows students who have graduated with different degrees to gain journalism credentials and experience. For some of them this was the first time they were able to see the inner workings of a magazine newsroom.

“It gives you a real-life idea of how a magazine actually works,” said Jenny Kirby, a first-year grad student from Jackson, Mont..

Bugle’s editors let the students preview some page layouts and talked about the much-debated topic of page design programs. Many news publications have been trading in the industry standard QuarkXPress for Adobe’s new InDesign program. Bugle has made the switch along with much of the journalism community mostly because of cost and Adobe’s better technical support, according to the editors.

“I liked hearing about the design aspect,” said Elizabeth Harrison, a first-year graduate student from the Washington, D.C area. “It’s good to start realizing what I’ll need to know to be able to get a job someday.”

Helping the students learn more about the design and production aspect of journalism is important because that’s where the steady jobs are, Swibold said.

The Bugle staff explained that each issue of the magazine takes about three months to prepare and editors even start assigning stories three to six issues in advance.

“I wanted students to see how much (the Bugle staff) has going on,” Swibold said. “They are constantly working at least three issues ahead.”

After of the magazine is put together on proof sheets, editors painstakingly review each one until they all agree that it is ready for print. Talking about day-to-day tasks, Swibold said, gave students a taste of the commitment and time required to produce a magazine

Harrison said she thought it was important for aspiring journalists to see the process of a career that they one day hope to have. The opportunity to meet with the editors of the Bugle is another reason why UM’s journalism program is apart from the pack, she said.

“The thing I like about the journalism school here is that it’s very hands on,” Harrison said.

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