There is a very large gap between having to learn a skill and wanting to learn it. Young people, even if they no longer wait with anticipation for the arrival of the day's daily newspaper, often show extraordinary interest in the basic foundations of journalism -- writing, photography and design. During our second annual High School Journalism Workshop, student come in with a rudimentary understanding of how news gathering, photojournalism and page layout work together in the process of effectively communicating to messages. The most exciting and encouraging aspect of working with high school age students is to see how motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicated they are to learning new things. This also suggests that there is a general misconception about teens having short attention spans and a general lack of interest.
The greatest -- perhaps even the most requisite -- attitude educators can pass along to future generations of journalists, especially middle and high school students, is a unconditional passion and faith in the craft, along with the conventions and tenets that make it so powerful and important in society. Despite all the misgivings people may express about the future of journalism in this country and around the world, or, despite the common feeling that journalistic belief values such as accuracy, balance, fair-mindedness and truthful reporting are retreating into the shadows of corporate self-interests, hope resides in the hearts of young people.
Teaching students early on about the differences between hard facts and personal opinion is not only good for journalism, it is good for a culture that often appears explicity shallow and reactionary. Our rising YouTube, MySpace culture -- a culture appearing to be a mile wide and an inch deep in terms of understanding the complexities and contiguities of times in which we live -- must be placed within a greater context. Journalism affords students the opportunity to understand the relationships of power and knowledge in ways few fields do. Journalism affords young people an opportunity to grasp the moral complexities of our digital age in terms of ethical and common sense reasoning.
For journalism educators and professionals, it is imperative to reach out to younger generations. The message must be clear, a free press is built upon the energy and persistence of individuals who believe factual reporting and depth is at the core democratic values.