Submitting Reports to the Newspapers
Scouts or their parents should send a photo and short description of
completed service projects to the local newspapers. This is a good way to
publicize the amount of service that Troop 149 provides to the community.
It also provides a way to publicly recognize the sponsorship of Friendship
Presbyterian Church and the support provided by businesses in the form of
donated materials or services.
Items that should be considered for inclusion:
- Good quality photograph
- Name of Scout
- Names of the Scout's parents/guardians
- Boy Scout Troop 149
- Description of project
- Organization that received the service
- Rank being earned
- Sponsored by Friendship Presbyterian Church
- Name of your Scoutmaster
- Names of companies who donates materials/services
- Names of those who assisted in the project
Sample text:
Joe Smo of Boy Scout Troop 149 recently built a wheelchair ramp for Malcom Bridge Middle School for his Star rank service project requirement. Troop 149 is sponsored by Friendship Presbyterian Church where Paul Matthews is Scoutmaster. Materials were supplied by Lowe's. Shown with Joe is the school's principal, Tom Odom. Joe is the son of Moe and Cloe Smo of Bogart.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 149 assisted Sam Smith with his Eagle Scout service project, building an outdoor classroom at Herman C. Michael Park. Shown finishing the construction are Sam, parents Chuck and Sally Smith, Billy Bob, Willy Ed, Jim Bob, of Herman C. Michael Park and Scoutmaster Paul Matthews. Materials were supplied by Home Depot. Plans were reviewed by Landmark Engineering. Troop 149 is sponsored by Friendship Presbyterian Church.
Photographs:
The photograph should convey information about the activity.
There are many ways to do this - be creative. Just remember that you are
representing the Troop and Scouting, so make the creativity respectable.
Newspapers will want a somewhat contrasty print. (Mixture of brights and
darks) The canoe race photograph at right is well exposed and contrasty. it would print well in newsprint. It is also well composed and interesting.
The wilderness survival photo (below left) is well composed and would have been an interesting photograph, but it is seriously underexposed. The deep sea fishing photograph is overexposed in the background, causing a loss of detail (you can't see clouds or the horizon), and underexposed in the foreground (people's faces).
Try to fill the frame with the subject. A picture of a person (that little dot in the middle of the picture) standing 300 feet away in the middle of a field isn't very interesting.
Take a lot of pictures. Even professional photographers take lots of pictures hoping to get "that" shot.
If you have people in the picture, have them remove dark glasses and either take off their hats or push them back so that their eyes show up. Pictures of people wearing dark glasses makes them look like thugs waiting to mug little old ladies. (which is not considered very "Scout-like")
Where to submit photos and write-ups:
Wayne Ford is Editor of the Oconee Bureau of the Athens Banner-Herald. His office is at 1031 Village Drive, Watkinsville (behind Dairy Queen and Bank of America). There is a drop box outside their office if no one is in the office. The Oconee Living supplement is published on Thursdays.
The office of the Oconee Enterprise is located at 26 Barnett Shoals Rd, Watkinsville.
You must include your name, address and telephone number with your write-up and photo in case they need to contact you. They sometimes edit submissions and if there are portions of the write up you do not want cut, you should let them know.