Need for Journalists

Today was intense in so many ways.

First, Nick Oza is not only a fabulous photo journalist, but also a wonderful person. He really stressed how important it is for photographers to have compassion. He focuses on the people, showing a side of humanity that people forget about in everyday life.
The most poignant statement from Oza was, "I want everybody's voice to be heard. That is my job."

I really took that to heart because my goal over the past two years with The Freedom Forum has been to educate my staff that the newspaper serves the school community, not just the staff. We are a diverse population; thus, our newspaper should be diverse as well. Everyone should be represented.

Additionally, hearing Steve Doig state that "None of us should worry about teaching a particular technology," was equally refreshing. As an English teacher, I always feel like I should be an expert in technology as well. However, Doig also said, "They already know how to use Google." Meaning that students pick up the technology tools easily. He continued to reiterate that in order for young journalists to be successful, they should read and learn the basics. Wow! What a novel idea.

Finally, the article writing was STRESSFUL. I kept saying "there is a reason why I don't do this." I can't handle the anxiety of having such a short deadline for doing a project. We don't work that way on the high school level, so it was stressful for me. However, it was a really great experience because it gives more credence to my statement to my students that when they leave high school deadlines will be "closer than they appear."

Karla Erdman
Freedom High School
Bethlehem, PA