BizNet News Reporter As a reporter in JA BizTown, you will need to keep your eyes and ears open for news stories. You may write articles on anything happening in the town or report about an upcoming event back at school. You may conduct a survey and/or interview the Mayor, a teacher, or another person of your choice for an article. The CEO will assign you several stories to write, others are up to you. 1. Remain in your business until after the Pledge of Allegiance to help with business start-up. Your business needs everyone s help before it opens. 2. Participate in the Planning Meeting with your volunteer facilitator, CEO and other BizNet News employees to discuss today s BizNet News layout and plan your work. Remember, there is no deadline for entering news article on the BizNet News online site. 3. The CEO will assign you several news stories to begin working on after the Pledge. After each story you write has been posted, inform your CEO. Your business will be paid $25.00 for every story that is posted on the BizNet News site. 4. Wear your Press Pass (from the business supply container that comes from the Distribution and Delivery Center) when you are on official BizNet News business in JA BizTown. 5. After the Pledge of Allegiance, begin your first news story/interview that the CEO has assigned to you. Read the questions on the interview assignment sheet and prepare yourself for the interview. 6. Make sure you to discuss with the Photographer the story and person you are interviewing so that pictures can be taken and placed with the news article on the BizNet News site. 7. After completing the interview, write a good story about what you learned and the information that you gathered. Follow the directions in the Blue On-Site/Blog folder to post the story and information on the BizNet News site. 8. After completing the news stories that were assigned to you from the CEO, you may find your own stories in write about in JA BizTown. Review the Reporter s Guidelines, News Suggestions and Assignment Checklist to help you with ideas for news articles. Use the Reporter s Article Form from the business supply container (or other paper provided) to gather the information. 9. Help sell the shout-outs and photos to be uploaded on the BizNet News online news/blog site to JA BizTown citizens. (continued) 08/13
10. During the final GREEN afternoon shopping break, visit each business and give the CEO enough JA BizTown website address cards for the employees in that business. Ask the CEO to give one card to each employee to take home with them. The card provided the information needed so that the citizens can go on the website and see the BizNet News articles that were posted, comment on the articles written, see pictures of the day and the TV production. If you do not explain the reason for the cards, the CEO will not know what to do with them. 11. Assist with business clean up at the end of the day. 12. Place your lanyard pouch on the bulletin board.
BizNet News Reporter s Guidelines The JA BizTown Reporter s most important job today is to conduct interviews and write articles for the BizNet News. It is very important that when gathering information for your articles, you gather the facts in a courteous, friendly manner. Ask good questions of your interviewees and listen carefully to their responses. INTERVIEW GUIDELINES Listen carefully as you conduct an interview, so you can be certain that you get the facts right! When you have completed your interview, return to the BizNet News and write your article while the information in still fresh on your mind. Suggestions for interview questions include: 1. What is your favorite part of JA BizTown? 2. Is there anything about JA BizTown that has surprised you? 3. What is the most difficult part of your job at JA BizTown? 4. What have you learned about being a successful team member in a business? 5. Why do you think it is important to learn about checking accounts and savings accounts? 6. You can include your own interview questions on topics of interest here at JA BizTown or at school. ARTICLE GUIDELINES As you write articles, remember, each story should: 1. Open with a short, interesting sentence to catch people s attention and make them want to read. 2. Tell the Facts: who, what, when, where, and why. 3. Be accurate. 4. Include at least one quote. After returning to the BizNet News, use the Reporters Article Form to write your article. Then proofread it for errors and ask the Editor to also review it. You want it to be the best article that you can write! Have fun! 09/12
BizNet News Reporter s Assignment Checklist To the Reporter: Select at least 5 or more of the following subjects and write articles for today s newspaper edition. Each story should be 50 75 words long. Write an article about the Construction Company s park bench or Adirondack chair project. Interview a visitor in JA BizTown (if there is one) and write an article about that person and why he/she is visiting our Town today. Write an article about what you have learned about rights and responsibilities as a citizen of JA BizTown. Interview the Mayor and write an article about how JA BizTown s government works, and what he/she has learned about running a city. Write an article about the long lines at the Bank. Interview a Teacher and write an article about how well the citizens are doing today in JA BizTown. Write an article about the importance of teamwork in JA BizTown. Interview a Parent Volunteer and write an article about something that surprised them today. Write an article about what you did in the classroom to prepare for JA BizTown. Write an article about a sporting event or other activity coming up at school. Do your best and HAVE FUN!
Reporter News Suggestions JA BizTown BizNet News Reporter Business Start Ups Distribution & Delivery Center businesses getting their supplies Restaurant making popcorn and cookies, setting up tables & chairs Retail shops pricing items, setting up display case. Construction measuring doors & windows Non-Profit Director handing out philanthropy jars Daily Business Package Handlers delivering mail, getting mail from big brown mailbox Construction workers making Adirondack chair or park bench Citizens depositing checks at the bank Radio DJ in booth Citizens eating lunch Restocking supplies in the Distribution & Delivery Center Rental Agent taking down For Rent signs in front of businesses Health assessments in the Wellness Center Exercise demonstrations in Sports Shop Energy Scientist reading meters Energy Scientist Experiement Bank president accepting deposits Citizens buying items from retail shops Citizens voting in City Hall CFO paying bills Bank Savings officer receiving savings checks Citizens getting their picture taken in the Graphics Shop TV station studio conducting interviews on-air Graphics shop employees hanging business signs Interviews Various Citizens about their jobs and JA BizTown experience Teachers Interesting things that are happening and newsworthy in JA BizTown Experiments being done in the TV Station (how clouds are formed), Lab Works (elephant toothpaste), Investigations at the Wellness Center Environmental Scientist making a necklace out of Styrofoam at Planet Earth Nutrition Researcher extracting the fat from different foods what kind of fat is it? At the Restaurant Physiologist- how long do you need to exercise to burn that snack? At the Sports Shop