One of the most valuable skills student journalists can learn is how to give and receive feedback with professionalism and confidence. In the newsroom, feedback isn’t personal—it’s a tool for sharpening the story, protecting the publication’s credibility, and helping each writer grow. But students often struggle with this process, either softening critiques to avoid conflict or taking edits as personal attacks. Advisors can help shift this mindset by normalizing constructive feedback as part of the journalistic process. Teaching students to focus on clarity, accuracy, structure, and audience impact—not the writer’s personality—creates a more supportive and productive newsroom culture.
On the flip side, students must learn how to receive feedback without shutting down. Professional journalists expect revisions, editor comments, and rewrites; they understand that collaboration improves the final piece. Encouraging students to ask clarifying questions, view edits as opportunities, and practice humility builds their confidence and resilience. When students embrace feedback as a shared pursuit of excellence, the newsroom becomes a classroom for real-world communication skills—skills that will serve them far beyond student media.
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