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School Newspapers on the WWW
By Devin D. O'Leary
APRIL 27, 1998:
Junior Journalist Jamboree
Every major newspaper in the world (including Weekly Alibi,
of course) has staked out its claim in cyberspace. The Wall
Street Journal, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times: All
maintain extensive and cutting-edge Web sites. Many of the journalists
employed by these papers, I am sure, got their start as budding
keyboard bangers on a high school newspaper. Things have changed
a bit though--even since I was in school. No longer content to
stick to their four-page mimeographed roots, high school newspapers
are jumping on the Web, too, providing their creators with a valuable
background in technology as well as journalism. Here is a small
sampling of school newspapers that have found their way onto the
WWW.
The Arrow (www.netrix.net/fhspub/)--This weekly paper is
"the official paper of, for and about Flathead High School
in Kalispell, Montana." The kids who go there are obviously
quite proud to be flatheads. Their newspaper is a prime example
of the typical high school newspaper. Amazing how headlines like
"District 5 To Change Lunch Program" can take me back
to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Arrow maintains
a simple and straightforward design. There are no pictures or
graphics, but some stylish type and a well designed layout manage
to keep readers' attentions focused. A single cover page trumpets
the week's headline, while small buttons link to sections on News,
Editorial, Features, Sports, Arts and Entertainment. Some of the
writing is surprisingly poetic, as in a review of "The Simpsons"
TV show: "There are many splendors in life that may go unnoticed.
The lucky people are those who find their joys before they're
gone. Some joys are sunrises, fresh mountain air after hours in
a stuffy brick building, and most of all: 'The Simpsons.'"
Gosh, kinda brings a tear to the eye of an old couch potato like
myself.
The Bolt-Reporter (reporter.bolt.com)--This site is a little
different. The Bolt-Reporter is a national online newspaper
featuring articles that have been banned by high school officials.
No "Lunch Program" articles here. This is some surprisingly
hard-hitting stuff for teenage journalists, and it certainly bodes
well for the future of the print medium. Some recent articles
featured in this jazzy daily have explored topics like assisted
suicide, the dual prejudice facing biracial kids and the debate
over sale of medical marijuana. No wonder some wormy little high
school principal in Des Moines was too scared to print this stuff.
It's great to see someone combating the forces of censorship and
giving these topics the worldwide audience they deserve. Big kudos
should go out to the creators of The Bolt-Reporter and
multiple job offers should go out to its writers.
Hanabi Homepage (www.asij.ac.jp/journalism/hanabi.html)--This
small, online newspaper is the work of journalism students at
the American School in Tokyo, Japan. While the articles are far
from hard-hitting, they do demonstrate some nice travel reporting
skills. Some recent articles have included "The Irony of
an Air-Conditioned Bus" and "Train Mania: Commuting
to ASIJ." The breezy articles and accompanying photos (kids
wrestling with chopsticks and a bowl of noodles, for example)
give a nice, detailed feel for what it's like to be a foreign
exchange student in a faraway land. Just a click of the mouse,
and you're in Japan. Amazing.
International Student Newswire (www.vsa.cape.com/~powens/Kidnews.html) -- Here's
another excellent use of the Web for disseminating news, information
and views to a wider audience. The KidNews site collects articles
written by children all across America. Unlike the above papers,
the kids represented here are mostly of the elementary school
persuasion. This graphic-heavy, kid-friendly site is a great opportunity
for junior journalists to submit their own articles for the world
to read, or to read newswire stories that other kids have written.
Just like a real newswire, teachers and students are encouraged
to use the (free) site to dig up articles for their own use, or
for publication in their (nonprofit) school newspapers. Heck,
some of these kid copywriters have a wider syndication than I
do! Even if you aren't publishing an elementary school newspaper,
the articles in ISN can be entertaining. Take, for example: The
informative "Adjusting to Being a New Student;" the
provocatively titled "My Daddy Saved a Skunk," or the
shocking celebrity profile "Role Model or Just a Regular
Kid: Jonathan Taylor Thomas."
--Devin D. O'Leary
devin@alibi.com
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