BY CHARLIE BLODNIEKS
In the age of fake news and alternative facts, the CCHS journalism department journeyed to Fort Lauderdale to explore the role of activism and accountability in new media.
Hosted by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the conference took place at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six hotel, where high school publications from across Broward County met to discuss the social climate facing the African American community, particularly through the lens of journalism.
“The overall message was to say to high school students and to millennials that they are important to the future of the country now – not later, but now,” NNPA President and CEO Benjamin Chavis said. “We believe that the future of journalism and the future of the publishing business is going to be increasingly in the hands of millennials.”
Historically, the organization is aimed at supporting publishers of black-owned newspapers across America. Intrinsically fitting with this battle is the idea of advocacy journalism, dealing particularly in the realm of the role of journalists to be activists.
Bobby Henry, the editor of the West Side Gazette, Broward’s oldest black-owned newspaper, commented that journalism and activism are essentially one in the same.
“The first black newspaper was called Freedom’s Journal,” Henry said. “It was because of advocacy against slavery and injustices that the black press was born. I think the press is supposed to be an advocate for the people. It’s supposed to be a voice for the voiceless.”
Throughout the day, talk of activism drove the discourse.
Dr. William Barber, President of the North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), called upon the millennials in the room to speak loudly for what is right.
“We have to have writers who will write the truth,” Barber said in his speech.
However, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the truth is no longer simply relegated to writing. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have changed the landscape of journalism, pushing news sites to a more fast-paced beat.
Panel member and Recorder Media Group editor-in-chief Ebony Chappel spoke on both the dangers and benefits of social media, noting that while fake news spreads faster online, it is only through Twitter that news (such as the Ferguson riots) can spread during media blackouts.
And in such a fashion, Twitter may find itself on the forefront of journalism as the current administration continues to place media gags on federal employees, such as the recent measures against the EPA.
“The workshop put so much emphasis on journalistic integrity,” Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Morgan Malan said. “In a time where someone can lie so blatantly and still be elected president, it’s important for journalists to learn that the truth is still important.”
But the message relayed did not stop at the heels of current journalists. In fact, the role of scholastic journalism continued to shape discourse around education and critical thinking. Broward County School Board member Dr. Rosalind Osgood spoke on former President Barack Obama’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a policy reincarnation of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.
ESSA decentralized education in an effort to give children the resources they need to thrive after graduation. By scaling back standardized testing while still improving state accountability standards, the ESSA aimed to restructure the education system in American schools.
The scholastic journalist is particularly subject to this legislation, which impacts the availability and, oftentimes, success of student publications across the country. As part of such an ever-shifting field, student journalists seem to be constantly learning and growing.
“When we invest in young people, we leave a legacy,” Osgood said in her speech.
For the students in attendance, this effort for advocacy did not go unnoticed.
“I learned that as a student journalist, it’s very important to have a voice and speak the truth at the same time,” CTV Member Kiara Bencosme said.
