September 18, 2015

So, you think you can’t write…

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It’s that time of year again: September, when all activities resume within our communities and Ukrainian American community life is bustling with activity. We see this first in the myriad events submitted to our “Preview of Events” and in the many listings on our “Out & About” calendar. Plus, we feel it all around us, as everyone is suddenly very busy, kids need to get chauffeured to and fro, and our community centers, almost eerily quiet during the summertime, are now abuzz.

There are many wonderful things happening in all our communities and that’s why we’re urging our readers to share their news with fellow Ukrainian Americans. Yes, it’s true, some communities and organizations have their own e-mailed newsletters, but many of them don’t take the time to send in information to this newspaper, whose goal is to unite our community. (Some of these folks have the mistaken impression that all they need to do is keep their own people in the loop. And then there are those who feel posting on Facebook is enough…) We urge you to extend your reach and broaden your circle of contacts, friends and supporters by sending information to The Ukrainian Weekly, which we will gladly publish in our Community Chronicle. In order to benefit from each other’s experiences, we need to share them. Instead of islands of separate activity, we can have an interconnected network!

Think you can’t write? Think again. You don’t need to write an extensive account of each and every one of your community events. Oftentimes, a simple caption to a good photograph is all it takes to let others know what’s happening in your community. And, if you’re not sure about your writing skills, do the best you can in telling the story, but do get the facts right and the spellings of names correct. And give us “the 5 Ws,” as they used to teach in journalism school: the who, what, when, where and why of the event being reported. We’ll take it from there; we’re happy to serve as your ghostwriters and editors – all in keeping with our mission to keep us all in touch and informed. And you will get the byline, or tagline, or photo credit. (We’re sticklers about that and want to give credit where credit is due!)

Take a look at pages 14 and 15 of this issue. Stories there range from brief captions alongside photos, to more lengthy reports aimed at telling readers all the details about a particular event. All were sent in by local community activists. Our sincere thank you to these individuals from the Albany area (Capital District) of New York state, Sacramento, Calif., New Haven, Conn., and Rochester, N.Y., and to the Saskatchewan Provincial Council of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

Here are a few suggestions that will help get your information published as quickly as possible: always put a byline (the name of the writer) atop your story; don’t forget to write captions for each photo sent and credit the photographer(s). Since the vast majority of news items sent to us these days come via e-mail, we also advise: send stories as simple documents (not pdfs); send only good-quality, high-resolution photos as jpgs; and label the photos and captions so they match each other (either by name or number). Finally, please include your complete mailing address and daytime phone number in addition to your e-mail address. (By the way, we also welcome letters to the editor.)

To wrap up: there is value in community news, as there is value inherent in our community life. By sharing your news with others, you are magnifying that value. We are your partners in this endeavor by publishing your news in print and online in one of our community’s most read newspapers. Join us!

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