It has always filled me with a degree of pride over my years working at community newspapers to see how many young people pick up a copy of the paper each week.
They’re usually looking to see their friends, family, news on their schools or sport teams, or sometimes even themselves, in print.
I was a regular newspaper reader by the time I was in junior high school. However, seeing myself in my hometown newspaper, the Edmonton Journal, would’ve been like winning the lottery.
I was joined by Western Wheel photographer Brent Calver for a visit with Grade 6 students at Dr. Morris Gibson School last week to discuss writing, photography and newspapers. I was pleased to see first hand just how many Grade 6 students put up their hands when we asked who read the Western Wheel.
They’re learning how to write news articles in their classes and principal Kevin Newman asked us to come by to talk about the basics of news writing and newspapers. Two days later, they invaded the Western Wheel newsroom to pour over old copies of the paper from our archives.
We were kept busy answering question after question, but the last one was my favourite.
Did I think it was important for them to learn how to write an article? My answer is yes.
Now, I know most of them likely won’t go on to pursue a career in journalism. They don’t really need to know how to write a news lede or about story structure. Still, I think the lessons they’re learning are valuable because someday they will take their place in a broader civic society.
This means being an informed citizen. Newspapers are still a key source of information about their community and the world around them.
With the unfortunate advent of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts,’ learning about newspapers and how to disseminate between what’s correct and what isn’t in the modern age is not just an exercise in language arts, it’s an important life lesson.
