Journalism education panel
Denver Press Club
March 12, 2014

Mark Newton, Carrie Faust, Kristi Rathbun and Jack Kennedy at the Denver Press Club.

By Vicky Gits
At the high school level, kids are still interested in doing journalism and they are even more interested if they can do it online and see their work on a website.
Carrie Faust, a journalism teacher at Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, says productivity soared with the launch of the first school online vehicle, SmokyNow.com, late last year.
Since the debut of SmokyNow.com, in November writers have contributed 211 pieces of content. “More than five whole years,” said Faust.  Students write at least a story a week and Tweet every story published is mandatory, she said. In the works is an online magazine, SmokyNext.com.
A recent issue contained an article about a job fair at the new Dunkin Donuts being built on Smoky Hill Road and how to apply for a job there. Another story addressed how to pay for and complete an AP application.
The school administration resisted going online, but Faust said the kids are loving it.
Faust was part of a panel discussion on journalism education sponsored by SPJ Colorado Pro at the Denver Press Club Wednesday, March 12.
Others in the group included Mark Newton, student media adviser and journalism teacher at Mountain Vista High School; Kristi Rathbun, teacher and media adviser at Rock Canyon High School in Highlands Ranch, and Jack Kennedy, executive director of the Colorado High School Press Association.
Newton’s strategy is to encourage students to produce content for three media simultaneously: magazine, yearbook and online. Projects include broadcasting basketball games, a slam poetry night and a choir concert.
Beyond mastering the mechanics, the teaching process includes media literacy.
“This generation is a media turbo consumer,” said Rathbun, so there is an even greater need for students to be educated on media literacy.
At the same time there is a decline in the teaching of media literacy, Kennedy said.  “The vast majority of high school students are not taking a media class.”
“We believe it needs to start at third grade to help students to be better consumers of media,” said Kennedy.
Yearbook classes are in big demand on Rathbun’s campus. “Every year there are enough for three to four yearbook classes,” she said. Instead, she is assigned to teach remedial reading, which the administration regards as “more valuable.”
“We have approached journalism education in an elitist way,” Kennedy said. Teachers recommend the best students.  I call it the journalism ghetto. It’s invisible to the rest of the school. It has to be more universal.”
Audience member Doug Bell, editor of Evergreen Newspapers, said 90 percent of the publishing revenue continues to come from print, which relies on traditional news content.  Unfortunately all of the college graduates he has hired arrive completely unprepared for news writing, he said. They have no idea how government works.

“Tech skills are fantastic, but that’s not our first priority,” Bell said.
Just because content is online, doesn’t mean it is shoddy journalism, said Faust. “If it’s being taught, good writing is good despite being online. We created a website against our school’s wishes and went online anyway. The kids are publishing more than ever. It happens after class and goes to the editor.  I’m the adult and I never see it. They know the boundaries,” she said.
Kids learned a lesson recently when someone in another school posted a photo he or she borrowed from another website and later got a bill from the corporate copyright owner. “That becomes a teachable moment,” she said.