Since the first murmurings of war, journalists from across the nation evaluated and implemented various coverage methods. Some were live news feeds from Iraq, some largely editorial, some sensational and some ran alongside articles about high school graduation and senior itis. In the seemingly endless stream of war coverage in mass media, high school publications have not been left behind. Rather, the scholastic press has embraced the opportunity to inform students of international matters, attempting to make the news interesting and understandable to high school students.
“I know there are students on campus who couldn’t care less about the war. But if there’s one kid who wants to know more or has an interest, there’s a reason to write the story,” Jeff Katz, 17, co-editor in chief of the Granite Bay High School Gazette, said. Although the topic is covered in all media, high school journalists are forced to deal with war coverage in unique ways due to their main audience, print schedules and resources. Since information provided in the professional media can often be in-depth and elaborate, comprehension of international issues can be dauntingly complex for some students. “I tell my students: ‘your goal is not to inflate diction or create complex, lengthy paragraphs; your objective is to clearly communicate,’ ” Gazette adviser Karl Gru baugh said. “That’s what good newspapers do – take significant stories and make sense of them for their community and readership.” In Puyallup, Wash.
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The education system in France: (source: European Union) I. Information on Community Law II. Information concerning the national education system III. Useful addresses I. Information on Community Law The fundamental principle of non-discrimination on grounds of nationality between students studying in a foreign country and national students applies as regards admission to an educational or ...
, the staff of the Emerald Ridge High School Jagwire used various techniques to clarify topics for a teenage audience, including info graphics, maps and timelines to explain the precedence of political turmoil in Iraq to students who perhaps know little about the background of the conflict. “A lot of the problem with the war is that until you turn on the TV and see missiles exploding, it doesn’t seem real. And still, this stuff is going on half a world away,” Jagwire Editor in Chief James Eberlein, 18, said. Most high school newspapers are published monthly or bi-monthly, making up-to-date war stories difficult, if not impossible, to report. “It’s hard because we have to be relying on other’s stories for our stories, so we tend to focus on how it’s affecting us and our community,” Katz said. “For example, it’s a lot easier to cover our own football game than, say, a 49 ers game, and students are more interested.” Avoiding timeliness problems is one of the reasons scholastic publications tend to write more focused feature articles.
Common topics like war protests, students or alumni in the military or how the conflict affects gas prices serve as an alternative to straight news coverage, which can easily be found elsewhere. Students generally choose to allow the professional media to inform the public of major events, while their more personal coverage interests high schoolers because it involves people they know and see on a daily basis. “We use as many school resources as possible: talking to teachers who are Vietnam veterans, interviewing students in the military and writing opinion pieces reflecting the views of students here. That’s the stuff you can’t see on CNN,” said Eberlein.
