FAQs

Q: How do I join The Citizen?

You are required to enroll in Journalism 18 in order to become a staff member of the Citizen. There are four sections of the course and you can be a staff member for two years total – first semester students would enroll in Journalism 18A, second semester students would enroll in Journalism 18B, third semester students would enroll in journalism 18C and fourth semester students would enroll in Journalism 18D.

Q: What if I don’t have much experience writing? Can I still take journalism classes or join the Citizen staff?

We will meet all students where they are! Even the best writers often don’t know what they are doing! We strive to offer a transformative learning experience rooted in self advocacy and discovery. Please don’t hesitate to contact us and discuss your needs, desires or goals. EVERYONE is welcome!

Q: What kinds of reporting does The Citizen do?

We cover our Peralta campuses and the surrounding community.

Q: I’m a community member and I want you to cover my story idea. Who do I contact?

The Citizen is a student-run publication and students have complete purview over content as per the landmark Hazelwood ruling. Although we encourage your story tips and ideas, we cannot promise coverage to anyone. If you have a story idea or news tip, please send an email to [email protected]. We strive to cover as many events and stories as possible!

Q: What other classes do you offer in the journalism department?

We offer several courses as well as an Associate of Arts (AA) degree and an Associate of Arts for Transfer (AA-T) degree. There are no prerequisites for our classes. Our courses are:

Newswriting (Journalism 21): The basics of storytelling and story writing

Survey of Mass Media (Journalism 62, cross-listed with Communication 19): Meet industry professionals as you explore traditional and non-traditional mass media through a critical lens.

Multimedia Reporting for Journalists (Journalism 69): Learn to tell the stories that need to be told using podcasts, video and audio.

Data Journalism (Journalism 70): Learn how to gather, analyze, and present data for storytelling from industry expert Dan Kopf, Data Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle.

News Production (Journalism 18): Students can take up to four semesters of our production course, serving as editors or staff writers. Students will research, interview and write stories about the campus communities and our surrounding communities.

Q: Can I contribute work to be published if I am not enrolled in any journalism courses?

No. If you have a story you’d like us to cover, we encourage you to get in touch with the advisor and editors, although we can’t guarantee anything will be published. We urge anyone interested in writing for us to contact advisor Eleni Gastis at [email protected].

Q: What happened to the Laney Tower newspaper?

The Laney Tower print newspaper, which was founded in 1952, served our Peralta community for decades. Although we are incredibly proud of our history and presence at Peralta, we have rebranded our publication and eliminated print in order to reflect industry evolution. Our department had one goal in mind: to provide our students a modern education that can help them find work in journalism or a journalism-related field. We have an advisory committee made up of current industry professionals that has advised us every step of the way. Please keep in mind that you may always print stories directly from the website if you prefer reading off of paper.

Q: Where is your Journalism lab?

Our beautiful lab is in room G-233. Check out this campus map of Laney.

Q: Where do I submit a correction?

The Citizen takes tremendous pride in being fair, balanced and accurate. If you have a story correction, please email the Editor in Chief at [email protected].

Q: What is your comment policy?

All submitted comments are subject to moderation and approval. You must use verify your email address for your comment to be approved. Comments from disposable or temporary email addresses will not be approved.

The Citizen embraces open discussion and welcomes further discourse in a respectful manner. We hope for the comment section to be a place for all of our community to have a direct voice. Offensive language, personal attacks, impersonations, obscenities and advertisements will not be tolerated. Participation is an important part of The Citizen and our coverage.

Q: Why are some names bolded in your articles?

For long articles, if a source or subject is referred to multiple times, we bold the first reference so that if readers forget who they are, they can easily locate the person’s full name and introduction by scrolling up.