Reviving Student Journalism

Rain pummeled New York City one day in September 2023. During the storm, a leak sprang at Pace High School, soaking the rubber flooring of its gym. When the floor dried, it was bumpy and uneven, rendering it almost unusable.

For months, the school’s pleas to the City Council for funding to replace it went unanswered. Then in December, The Pacer, the high school’s student newspaper, ran a 700-word article about the gym.

This time, the City Council responded, agreeing to provide $750,000 for the floor renovation, according to a council member and the school’s principal.

It was a big win for the 4-year-old, student-run outlet—and it represents a vanishing experience for many American high school students. Across the nation, various factors including rising costs, difficulties in finding faculty advisers, and an emphasis on science, math, and technology have led to a dearth of high school journalism programs, particularly at schools in low-income areas.

Pace High School in New York City needed new rubber flooring in its gym. A storm in September 2023 caused the roof to leak and the flooring was soaked. When the floor dried, it was bumpy and uneven. It was almost unusable.

For months, the school asked the City Council for funding to replace the floor. The requests went unanswered. Then in December, The Pacer, the high school’s student newspaper, ran a 700-word article about the gym.

This time, the City Council responded. It was agreed that the City Council would provide $750,000 for the floor renovation.

It was a big win for the 4-year-old, student-run paper. For many American high school students, the opportunities for student journalism are vanishing. Various factors including rising costs, lack of faculty advisers, and an emphasis on science, math, and technology have led to the end of high school journalism programs. This is particularly true at schools in low-income areas.

Seeking to address the problem, local news outlets and universities in states such as California, Illinois, and Texas are teaming up to prepare teachers to lead electives and workshops for aspiring young journalists. And New York City will soon have its own initiative, Journalism for All, which will create journalism programs at 30 high schools across the city, provide $15,000 startup grants to help get student publications off the ground, and pay for four students from each school to do summer internships in local newsrooms.

The investment in high school journalism will be a welcome change, says Camila Sosa, a 17-year-old senior at Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School in Brooklyn, New York.

“I don’t have a [school] publication—I’ve always wanted one, and I know so many kids who do,” she says.

Seeking to address the problem, local news outlets and universities in states like California, Illinois, and Texas are joining up to train teachers to lead electives and workshops for aspiring young journalists.

And New York City will soon have its own student journalism initiative. Journalism for All will create journalism programs at 30 high schools across the city and provide $15,000 grants to help student publications get started. The organization will also pay for four students from each school to do summer internships in local newsrooms.

The investment in high school journalism will be a welcome change, says Camila Sosa, a 17-year-old senior at Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School in Brooklyn, New York.

“I don’t have a [school] publication—I’ve always wanted one, and I know so many kids who do,” she says.

There’s no national data tracking the number of high school news outlets, but it’s been on the decline for at least the past decade, says Mike Hiestand, the senior legal counsel at the Student Press Law Center, a nonprofit that helps support student journalists.

Student media programs are expensive, he explains, so they tend to exist at more affluent schools, leaving a “visible gap” between those schools and those with fewer resources. And they often report on problems that school officials would rather not have pointed out.

“Student voices can be quite inconvenient to administrators,” Hiestand says.

Janel Limardo, a 17-year-old senior at William Howard Taft High School in Chicago, saw firsthand what student journalists can accomplish while working on her school paper. In response to a social media trend that encouraged vandalizing public bathrooms, the school had shut down many of the restrooms in the building—but that meant students often ended up waiting in long lines during class time. Janel, an editor for Taft Today, wrote a piece about the situation. Soon after, administrators reopened one of the bathrooms for students.

“It made me feel really proud,” she says.

Janel’s journalism teacher, Abigail Glickman, has received support from Teach for Chicago Journalism, another initiative that helps both student journalists and the adults who advise them. It offers workshops, field trips, mentorship, and other resources.

“It’s been awesome,” Glickman says. “They’ve provided me with a good foundation for how to teach journalism.”

There’s no national data tracking the number of high school news outlets. It’s been on the decline for at least the past decade, says Mike Hiestand, the senior legal counsel at the Student Press Law Center, a nonprofit that helps support student journalists.

Student media programs are expensive, he explains, so they tend to exist at more well-off schools. There is a “visible gap” between those schools and those with fewer resources. And the papers often report on problems that school officials would rather not have pointed out.

“Student voices can be quite inconvenient to administrators,” Hiestand says.

Janel Limardo, a 17-year-old senior at William Howard Taft High School in Chicago, saw firsthand what student journalists can accomplish while working on her school paper. The school had shut down many of the restrooms in the building because of a social media trend that encouraged vandalizing public bathrooms. Students often ended up waiting in long lines during class time. Janel, an editor for Taft Today, wrote a piece about the situation. Soon after, administrators reopened one of the bathrooms for students.

“It made me feel really proud,” she says.

Janel’s journalism teacher, Abigail Glickman, has received support from Teach for Chicago Journalism. The initiative helps both student journalists and the adults who advise them. It offers workshops, field trips, mentorship, and other resources.

“It’s been awesome,” Glickman says. “They’ve provided me with a good foundation for how to teach journalism.”

Organizations like Teach For Chicago Journalism say that by supporting teachers, they hope to ensure more students have the skills to cover their communities and schools.

In California, the nonprofit newsroom CalMatters began its Youth Journalism Initiative in 2022 to help teachers become more confident in teaching journalism, in hopes of strengthening student publications across the state.

“A lot of student journalists feel really empowered to represent student voices and opinions and views and themes, but also, they want to cover their communities responsibly,” says Michael Lozano, who leads the initiative. “Whereas in the past, they feel like their communities and schools haven’t been covered fairly or at all.”

For teens, working on a school paper or in a journalism program can be transformative, they say.

Organizations like Teach for Chicago Journalism say that by supporting teachers, they hope that more students will have the skills to cover their communities and schools.

In California, the nonprofit newsroom CalMatters began its Youth Journalism Initiative in 2022. They work to help teachers become more confident in teaching journalism, which can lead to stronger student publications across the state.

“A lot of student journalists feel really empowered to represent student voices and opinions and views and themes, but also, they want to cover their communities responsibly,” says Michael Lozano, who leads the initiative. “Whereas in the past, they feel like their communities and schools haven’t been covered fairly or at all.”

For teens, working on a school paper or in a journalism program can be a life changing experience, they say.

The Chicago students working on Taft Today, for example, cover everything from school news and sports to movie reviews and the impact of international events—such as the war in Gaza—on the local community. They also work on the layout of the print edition, upload online articles, and promote their work on social media. They hope to start a podcast too.

“This class builds our people skills, our writing skills, our communication skills in general,” Janel says.

Her classmate Cassie Nowik, 17, agrees, adding that the newspaper promotes media literacy and encourages students to understand their First Amendment rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

“I used to never really consume news,” she says. “This class has really taught me how to . . . observe different pieces of news and understand what they’re talking about. It’s just made me a better citizen as a whole.”

The Chicago students working on Taft Today, for example, cover everything from school news and sports to movie reviews and the impact of international events on the local community. They also work on the layout of the print edition. They upload online articles and share their work on social media. They hope to start a podcast too.

“This class builds our people skills, our writing skills, our communication skills in general,” Janel says.

Her classmate Cassie Nowik, 17, agrees, adding that the newspaper promotes media literacy and encourages students to understand their First Amendment rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

“I used to never really consume news,” she says. “This class has really taught me how to . . . observe different pieces of news and understand what they’re talking about. It’s just made me a better citizen as a whole.”