Chief Advocate Staff: What is the Value of Journalism?

Journalism+has+been+around+in+some+way+for+centuries%2C+but+what+is+the+value+of+journalism+today%3F+The+NHS+Chief+Advocate+staff+pondered+that+question+at+the+end+of+this+school+year.

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Journalism has been around in some way for centuries, but what is the value of journalism today? The NHS Chief Advocate staff pondered that question at the end of this school year.

The underclassmen in Nonnewaug’s Investigative Multimedia Journalism — the ones who produced a series of outstanding mini-documentaries over the final few months of the school year — reflected upon one question at the end of the year.

What is the value of journalism?

Here are some snippets of their opinions.

Journalism could carry out the best or the worst in people. Anyone who is willing to speak up on the topic has a voice, and that is what journalists like to see. Those people who speak up are the reason why journalists write stories. It is because of how they can create an environment around a community that may have different perspectives on a certain situation. … Anything is possible in journalism, and that’s what I believe is the value of it.

— Carson Buck ’24

I believe that the value of journalism is to inform and record. Journalism is history. What you write in an article or in the newspaper can be around forever, and … how you word your article could be how people in the future view the past. … Journalism can help you become a better question asker … If you know how to ask questions and be interested in what you are asking and learn how to listen and follow up the questions, you just become a better person.

— Dylan Chung ’23

Journalism should be showing what is going on in the world, good and bad, and show the consumer. The consumer should then be getting their opinion on what is happening after having all the information. … The system of journalism itself through this country needs some help to get its focus back on track on informing and helping people instead of causing political and ideological divide within the country.

— Andrew Coy ’23

The value of journalism to me is writing stories on topics that you are passionate about, but also stories that people are interested in. If you aren’t interested in what you are writing, it can show in the piece that you create. The stories we create can leave a big impact on the people who are reading them, so it’s important that what we write is something that is important to ourselves as well.

— Phoebe Criscuolo ’23

Journalism is supposed to tell a story and give someone a voice maybe they didn’t think they had. … Journalism also helps shed a light on problems you probably didn’t know were problems.

— Izzy DiNunzio ’24

It’s not easy getting a perfect story; many things come into play, such as finding the right interviews to schedule, or honestly finding the right story to write about. … I really underestimated the amount of work that would actually have to be put in to get a quality piece of work. … I believe that informing is so important since it ensures that people get the right message every time. Empowerment is also just as important. This can bring awareness to people all around that is much needed, [and] it also can bring whole communities together to work more as a whole.

— Christian Swanson ’23

With journalism, there are so many possible roads to go down, from sports reports to something more controversial like politics or human rights. Journalism is really important in society because it’s the best way to get important information out to the public, although along with that comes the responsibility of making sure that everything you’re publishing is factual and conveys the message you’re trying to get across clearly.

— Noah Vincent ’23

It takes time and [skill] to make a great piece of media to inform others that has at least some value. It helps us as a society piece each other together through media, and lets us enrich ourselves.

— Louis Williamson ’23

Editor’s note: Thanks to everyone at Nonnewaug High School and in our community for supporting the NHS Chief Advocate in our first year as an all-online publication. We look forward to resuming our coverage in the fall. Have a safe and enjoyable summer!