Endangered Species. That is how journalist Scott Simon referred to high school newspapers in a 2013 NPR article, citing social media as the end of student journalism. Over a decade later, however, after talking with journalism advisors, advocates and student journalists themselves, it is clear student publications still continue to play a vital role in high school communities and society as whole.
As they should.
Student participants gain valuable experiences
Journalism programs offer numerous benefits to student participants. Newswriting teaches valuable communication skills including the ability to synthesize information and to convey ideas clearly, attributes any effective leader will need as they enter the workforce.
“When students learn the skills and values of journalism in the classroom, they become more careful—and more effective—communicators,” Frank D. LoMonte, a professor of media law, said.
Participating in high school journalism teaches students the importance of fact checking in a real life application. Research shows “fake news” is more likely to be reposted and shared on social media than other content. Additionally, Meta announced at the top of the year that it will end its fact checking program across platforms like Instagram and Facebook. With misinformation running rampant, it is more important than ever for students to have a good understanding of fact verification and media literacy.
“Journalism courses themselves provide so many incredible skills. There’s life skills like media literacy, critical thinking, creativity and leadership. There’s technical skills like writing and interviewing and research and videography,” Sophie Mode, a senior advisor at the Youth Journalism Coalition, said.
Another benefit to student publications is the social interaction they foster. Producing a newspaper or site requires collaboration and teamwork. Student journalism offers many opportunities for students to engage and connect with their wider community as well, from attending local events to reaching out to city leaders for interviews.
“The experiences that students have through journalism are really important soft skills that they’re going to need moving on into the future no matter what they do,” Trina Helson said. Helson has advised The Eastern Eagle, the student newspaper at Eastern High School, since 2001. She points to interviewing as a key example of an exercise that helps students develop confidence and communication skills.
Research has also found that being on a journalism staff has academic benefits as well. The Newspaper Association of America found that on average students who work on high school yearbooks and newspapers had higher GPAs and ACT scores than their classmates. Additionally, journalism provides students opportunities to develop skills that will be useful in various fields.
However, the number of school newspapers in the US is on the decline. The New York Times reports that in New York City, only 27% percent of public high schools have a newspaper, an over 50% decrease in just the last 15 years. In Kentucky, the landscape is more likely even more dismal, but without a system to track student news publications in the state, programs disappear in silence. Countless students are missing out on the opportunity to benefit from these journalism programs.
Student journalism provides necessary benefits to school communities
In addition to the individual benefits to students, journalism programs are also crucial to fostering a sense of community within a school.
Eva Alcaraz-Monje is the co-editor-in-chief of The Lafayette Times, the student newsite of Lafayette High School also in Fayette County. From articles about Taylor Swift, to how the school clocks aren’t set to the right time, Alcaraz-Monje appreciates the platform the school news site offers to students.
Their staff has also tackled more serious issues, like reporting on campus protests against Senate Bill 150 in 2023 and a piece about how the school contains one less girls’ restroom than boys’, a potential Title IX violation.
“I’ve seen a lot of things with students speaking out against district issues and school issues and things like that, and it’s really powerful to see,” Alcaraz-Monje said.
Student publications can also help uplift the stories of students within the school. From reporting on student accomplishments to interesting initiatives by school sponsored clubs and organizations, student publications have access to niche stories and audiences other professional publications do not. They also act as important record keepers. Beginning as early as the 1920s, student newspapers had become a prominent part of the American High School experience.
“Right now it’s Eastern’s 75th anniversary and my students are going back into old issues of the newspaper to reprint old stories,” Helson said. “The journalism program, be it newspaper or yearbook, that’s the history of the school forever and ever and ever.”
Most importantly however, student newspapers and news sites offer important outlets for student perspectives to take center stage. They are, by design, platforms to uplift the voices of students, a group often undervalued in other spaces.
“For me, student journalism has been the platform to talk about issues in my school community and insert my opinion and examine things in a way that’s balanced and nuanced and complex, even though I’m just a student,” Liza Greenberg said, “It’s always been important for me to just be part of the conversation.”
Greenberg is the editor-in-chief of The Science Survey, the student newspaper at the Bronx School of Science in New York City. She is also a student leader at the Youth Journalism Coalition.
At most schools, students don’t have an equal say in the decisions being made, even though they are the primary stakeholders. Student publications offer students the platform to write about the issues affecting them in a productive way. However, issues over funding, student interest and censorship threaten the livelihood of school papers.
Student journalism supports democracy
In addition to benefiting student participants and their schools, student journalism is also important to America’s democracy. Engaged and informed citizens are key to a strong democracy. When students are tasked with informing their community, they are forced to actively take part in civic discussions. They must follow the news around them and decide on what is most relevant and impactful.
“Youth journalism is a civic incubator. It teaches people not only how to be journalists, but how to be citizens,” Greenberg said.
Thinking critically about a broader community is a skill every engaged citizen needs, and a skill that student journalism fosters. It teaches students to think about issues broader than those just affecting their lives. Additionally, it is the task of any good citizen to be a conscientious collector of information. Whether or not students plan to go into journalism professionally, learning to analyze the news and stay up to date on current events is important when making decisions about how to vote and perform other civic duties.
“People cannot be engaged citizens without knowledge, and without knowledge that they trust, and knowledge that reflects the needs and perspectives of their communities,” Mode said. “Even if they’re not being news creators, everyone’s always going to be a news consumer. Journalism is a really amazing way to learn those skills.”
A 2016 study by the Pew Research Center found a strong correlation between voting likelihood and local news consumption. 52% of regular voters also follow local news closely. Journalism is the perfect medium to cultivate civic engagement within students, and our democracy is dependent on a civically engaged and well informed society.
Student journalism is vital to communities
A free press is essential to holding leaders accountable and to keeping communities informed. However, according to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, the US has lost one-third of its newspapers since 2005. An average of 2.5 newspapers closed each week last year alone. This age has been marked by the rise of conglomerate media companies and a decline in local media.
Many attribute the decline of local news and journalism outlets in general to a growing culture shift where once reputable news sources are more likely to be branded as biased or as spreading misinformation. The Pew Research Center reports that 79% of Americans believe news organizations favor one political side over the other.
“Overall, I just think newspaper, and the journalism industry, as a whole gets a really bad reputation,” Sydney Cain said, “I think a lot of viewers are very skeptical of bias and misinformation.” Cain is the co-editor-in-chief of The Devil’s Advocate, the online student newspaper of Henry Clay High School in Fayette County.
Student journalists, however, are in a unique position to develop and package relevant news in a time when their communities so desperately need it. In fact, student reporting can potentially be more impactful than national conglomerates, as community members may be more likely to read the news if it is coming from a source they know is based locally. Our communities need to know what is happening in their own backyards, and as professional local news outlets go obsolete, school newspapers and news sites will need to rise up in their place.
In Helson’s classroom, she is already witnessing a changing of the tide.
“I’m seeing a little bit more interest through the students and I’m seeing interest in the students waiting for the paper,” she said, “Right now it seems dire, but I am hopeful that the pendulum will eventually swing back.”
As student journalism programs across the country face the threat of being shut down, it is more important than ever to acknowledge the benefits of these publications. Student journalists are learning valuable lessons that extend beyond their high school newsrooms, and into their communities at large.
