Mission
Real Reporter is an international English newspaper published by the Real Reporter Editing Team of the University of Shimane, Japan. The newspaper showcases works of students who are English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The primary purpose of the newspaper is to promote English learning by giving EFL students an opportunity to express their stories in a meaningful way, because one difficulty of learning English as a foreign language is the fact that learners do not have daily contact with native English users. Real Reporter encourages EFL learners to share their stories to a broader audience who use English as a tool of communication.
Call for contributions
1. Topics
Although the primary goal of Real Reporter is to offer a forum where EFL learners can share their works in English so that they can improve their English proficiency, that is not all. The secondary purpose is to encourage EFL learners to contribute to cross-cultural understanding. The current global society is characterized with increased interaction with the cultural others, and it is not uncommon for modern people to experience cultural misunderstanding. The problem of misunderstanding lies in the assumption that everyone thinks in the same way. However, it is not true. It is important to make sure that the intent of communication is understood by the audience when communicating cross-culturally. In writing, which does not allow instant feedbacks, it is extremely important to provide elaborate background information so that the culturally different can understand the whole picture. In Real Reporter, therefore, topics that promote cross-cultural understanding are highly appreciated. The Real Reporter Editing Team suggests topics related to young people in the current global society as follows.
Current Issues
Investigative reports on social or personal issues important to college students in the global society. Possible topics for this section are plastic surgery, smoking tabacco, drinking, eating habits, tattoos, global warming, aging society, etc.
Sample Headlines
Internet addiction causes grades decline
Students will not receive pension in the future
Traditions
Descriptive, narrative, or analytical stories about traditional events in Northeast Asia. Stories about holidays, customs, foods, rituals, ceremonies, etc.
Sample Headlines
New Moon festival held
People shop after Thanksgiving Christmas rituals in Korea
College Life
Descriptive, narrative, or analytical stories about college life such as course, grades, clubs, job-hunting, part-time jobs, relationships, leisure activities, shopping, sports, music, etc.
Sample Headlines
Students cram facts before finals
Zero study hour common in Japanese campus
Hungry students battle for cafe seats
Technology
Descriptive, narrative, or analytical stories about modern technology such as smartphones or apps.
Sample Headlines
LINE the most popular SNS
WeChat users worry privacy leaks
80% of students shop at Amazon
Travel
Descriptive, narrative, informational or analytical stories about traveling experiences or sightseeing spots. How to get there and what to do at a sightseeing spot.
Sample headlines
Trip to Vietnam opens mind
Israel the popular travel destination in Korea
How-to guide
Useful tips on how to do something better for college students such as job-hunting or improving relationships.
Sample headlines
How to get good grades
How to persuade parents to study abroad
Reviews
Reviews of books, movies, games, etc.
Spotlight
Interviewing of an outstanding college student who will be a model for other student
Sports
Descriptive, narrative, informational or analytical stories about sports clubs of own university or sports event of own university
2. Language
English errors
Real Reporter Newspaper showcases stories written by students taking English writing courses in college. So, Real Reporter Newspaper is not a professional newspaper. Real Reporter Newspaper admits errors of English as long as they do not interrupt the flow or meaning of a story. The writers are non-native college students who take English writing courses. They are in the process of learning how to write, so it is natural for them to have errors in syntax and expression.
Background information
The language used in the story must reflect the awareness of the writer to the need of readers in foreign countries. The readers of Real Reporter Newspaper are young college students in China, Korea, Japan and Russia. Although they share similar interests as young college students, they do not share the same cultural backgrounds. Therefore, the writers must elaborate the cultural and social background of a story in detail.
Proper nouns
Proper names of places and people, in particular, need special care. They may be obvious to the local readers, but proper names do not make sense to foreign readers. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid using proper names and use general terms, or add explanation after a proper name.
Local concepts
Concepts only expressed in a native language also needs to be translated into English. Such concepts are culture specific and the audience outside of the cultural group cannot understand such local concepts if a term other than English are used.
3. Submission formats
WORD
Real Reporter Newspaper accepts WORD and text formats. Please send electronic files named with .doc, .docx, and .txt extensions.
Bylines
All stories must give the name of the writers. The byline will be placed between the title and the body of the article. The byline may include the affiliation of a writer.
Text length
One story is about 200 to 400 words in length. The maximum length is 600 words.
4. Visuals
Photos
Photographs are important in newspaper editing. They catches the eye of the reader and add details to the story. All writers are encouraged to submit at least one photo related to his or her article.
Please use a digital camera and submit a few photographs that match the topic of a story. The size of a photo determines how large the photo can be printed out in a page. The larger, clearer, and artistic a photo, the better is it placed in a page.
The format of a photo must be either JPEG or TIFF, and it should be submitted in a separate file. In addition, the all the photos should be embedded in the WORD story so that the photos can be identified by the editing team.
Figures
Illustrations, graphs, and tables can be accepted if they are originally drawn by contributors. The figures should be created using graphic software such as Adobe Illustrator, EXCEL or WORD, and saved as JPEG files separately from the text. It should embedded in a WORD document so that the editors can identify the figures. However, all the figures should be saved separately in JPEG format.
Credits
All photos and illustrations should be original. The name of the photographer and illustrator should be clearly written in the WORD text. It is assumed that the photographer and illustrator grant the copyright to the Real Reporter Editing Team once they are submitted. Real Reporter does not accept images taken from the Internet without permission.
5. Privacy
The right of privacy is defined as a person’s right to control her name, image, and information from the public eye. 2000 hard copies of Real Reporter are distributed among partner university campuses and local communities. The contributor should be aware of risks of being in the public eye such as causing unwanted attention or causing unexpected problems once stories are published. Both the editors and the student writers must understand the importance of protecting the privacy of people mentioned in their stories as well as themselves.
6. Submission
Stories and photos should be submitted online. Please go to http://realreporter.online/submission/.
2021 Submission Deadlines are as follows.
Friday, July 2, 2021for No. 44
Friday, November 12, 2021 for No. 45
Friday, December 10, 2021 for No. 46