High school media today

Scholastic journalism, like all journalism, is in a state of transition. Take a look at the 2011 national count of high school student media organizations, a study from Kent State. Consider your community: High school journalism matters because it is the feeder system for those interested in journalism careers.

Class discussion questions:

Flashlight: What student media organizations exist at high schools in your city or school district? Are there schools that have no student media? How has that number of student media outlets changed over the years? Are any of those outlets online?

Spotlight: Is there any organization or entity that regularly monitors the presence of high school media in your state? If so, what do they say about the state of scholastic journalism? If not, can you find recent media coverage of local journalism at the high school level? How clear a picture does it provide?

Searchlight: Do you know of journalism programs at high schools that have been replaced by after-school clubs? When a program is lost, should the role of journalism be taught in other subject areas? Civics, certainly, but what about science, math or literature?

Extra credit: What type of journalism does your high school media produce? See this award-winning Three Little Pigs ad from the Guardian in London. Are high schools teaching interactive forms of journalism? Are they engaged with the campus in digital open forums? Or are they like the headline at the beginning of this video, depending on official sources and not delivering the whole picture?