This story is syndicated from The Uproar at North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford, PA. The original version of the story ran here.
As staff writers for The Uproar, we are, as the site’s tagline states, The Student Voice of North Allegheny Senior High. Though we are a collective of people that range from a variety of different backgrounds and walks of life, it’s safe to say we all have one thing in common: we care about reporting on the stories and ideas that matter to NASH students.
But how can we, as student journalists, accurately achieve that? Why does what we do matter to society? We’re young, anyway. We don’t have decades of calculated wisdom to back up our theories or unprecedented poise, so what’s the point?
As a writer myself and someone who wants to pursue journalism as a possible career, I often find myself ruminating over such questions. Oftentimes, I feel as though my passion for writing will never get me anywhere in life, so therefore there’s no point to it. While I can’t be quite sure where those doubts stem from, a part of me knows it’s due to the public’s negative perception of the “dying field” I so adore.
Whenever an article of mine is published online, I often feel as though I am sending it out into some kind of intergalactic void that no one—aside from my mother and father—considers venturing into. It often seems as though no one truly cares. But obviously, that is not the truth. As a platform, the conversations we, as student writers, report on are crucial. It can often be seen as one of the main contributors to the way we connect with our age group.
Student journalism is a pillar of connection, a place where students can freely discuss their ideas, bringing forth the ability to debate and point out problems in our society that need to be addressed. In our technological age, staying connected through stories, media, and news is of utmost importance. The job of today’s student journalist is to bridge the gap between virtual life and the real world. Stories are the basis of everyday life. They are the building blocks to the overarching pathway that connects each and every one of us; hence, it is through journalism that these stories become connected.
The ability to have our voices heard is the reason we, as student journalists, do what we do. Not only does it give us as writers an outlet to express our thoughts, but it also enables the youth of today to receive the same opportunities.
In the United States, most people in political power are part of an older majority. According to the Pew Research Center, the average age of those currently residing in the U.S. Senate is 65.3 years, while the House of Representatives is 57.9 years. President Biden is the oldest in history, currently residing in office at the age of 81. There are not many young voices in that higher echelon that can cater to the demographic of younger Americans.
Student journalists, however, are that voice. They represent all it means to be a young adult growing up in this time period. They have the ability to relate to others in a way no one above the age of thirty could ever comprehend. By providing validity for young voices, young adults feel as though their concerns are no longer silenced by an older majority.
We most definitely aren’t Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovering the Watergate scandal or Daniel Ellsberg unveiling the classified truth behind The Pentagon Papers, but our writing has value in its own way. As a student newspaper, we report on the topics we care about—the topics we want to shine light on. That is what truly matters.
It has been said that journalism is the first draft of history. It’s how we as a society stay informed on current events, oftentimes exposing corruption in our government and other idealized industries in the process. Journalism is used to tell the stories of those whose stories deserve to be told. It’s so much more than what many might perceive it as, and it most definitely is not meant to be a tool for manipulating public opinion.
