Why Journalism Matters More Than Ever in American High Schools
The Riverdale alumni profiled in this issue’s Feature section fondly recollect their time working on The Riverdale Review as an early inspiration that led to their rewarding careers in journalism. By contrast, three-quarters of students in New York City public high schools will never be able to reminisce about their high school journalism experiences. Why? Because their schools have no newspaper.
The decline of high school journalism in the media capital of the world is documented in a recent research study by Professor Geanne Belton, Director of Baruch College’s High School Journalism Program. Her report reveals that roughly 73% of public high schools in New York City lack a school newspaper. It also cites evidence suggesting that the number of high school newspapers has decreased over the past 15 years.
This alarming trend parallels America’s current crisis in local journalism as small town newspapers continue to disappear. According to a recent study by The Medill School of Journalism, the United States has lost more than one quarter of its newspapers since 2005 and is predicted to lose a third of them by 2025, creating news deserts across the country.
Possible reasons for high school “news deserts” include a decrease in reading among teens, the rise of social media, and schools' shift to a greater emphasis on STEM courses and AP classes, leaving less time for journalism. Most educators and professional journalists agree that a lack of newspapers and journalism instruction in high schools has negative consequences for students, schools, the journalism profession, and American democracy. As Ms. Belton emphasized to me, “It’s in the interest of individual students and American society to have journalism and news literacy taught effectively to every student in every high school.”
The benefits of journalism for individual students, Ms. Belton explains, include leadership experience and the development of critical skills including “writing, editing, analytical thinking, fact-checking and verification, online research, interviewing, and meeting deadlines.” Other studies have shown that involvement in student journalism is also associated with higher academic achievement. In addition, working on a school newspaper provides “experiential learning” with regard to the “role and responsibilities of a free press in a democracy,” according to Ms. Belton. “Journalism and news literacy education can help to foster a better informed citizenry and make people less susceptible to propaganda and misinformation,” she said.
Head of Upper School Mr. Tom Taylor agrees that the “process of trying to write effective news is a powerful way for students to become more informed, thoughtful, and skeptical consumers of information.” He noted that many Riverdale teachers seek to “train students for media literacy” within classes across the disciplines because “we all view it as an important skill.”
High school newspapers also help build community within schools and serve as an important forum for student voices. “Students, understandably and appropriately, want to have a voice in our community,” said Mr. Taylor. “Our students have a lot of important things to say, and we have a perfect forum,” he emphasized. He is proud of Riverdale’s “continued investment in The Riverdale Review” and considers The Review a “robust paper with lots of interesting articles.” Riverdale is indeed fortunate to have a robust newspaper. The Review has been in print for over one hundred years and also has an online presence with a website and an Instagram page. Our newspaper has a committed staff of editors, eager contributors, and two devoted and supportive advisors.
But is having a school newspaper as an extracurricular activity enough? According to Mr. Taylor, Riverdale “used to have a journalism class” when he first started working at Riverdale back in 2004. However, he noted, that class has since “gone by the wayside.” This is unfortunate. Given that the integrity of news is currently under attack and disinformation threatens our elections and democracy, now is the perfect time to bring journalism back as a regular part of Riverdale’s curriculum. A journalism elective could greatly benefit students who are interested in pursuing journalism in college or even professionally.
Even more importantly, Riverdale’s administration could help create a mini-course in journalism to support the work of The Riverdale Review. Riverdale already has established faculty-led mini-courses to support students participating in Debate, Mock Trial, the yearbook, and Impressions. According to Mr. Taylor, the administration is currently reevaluating the mini-course program, so now is the perfect time to add a Riverdale Review mini-course.
Producing a school newspaper is a team effort that is both time-consuming and labor-intensive. In addition to offering instruction in basic journalism skills like writing effective ledes and conducting interviews, a mini-course would provide dedicated class time for staff members to brainstorm story ideas, mentor new writers, and edit articles. A mini-course offered to students across all grades would also provide a forum for lessons in news literacy and understanding journalism’s role in good citizenship. Enhancing Riverdale’s journalism offerings will empower student journalists and also help to inspire and develop the professional journalists of the future, like the Riverdale alumni profiled in this issue of The Review. This, in turn, will help support our democracy by ensuring that curious students devoted to the truth—especially those from underrepresented groups—continue to enter the field and lead a revival of American journalism.
