High School Journalism Program (June 2021)

$395.00

Out of stock

High School Journalism Program (June 2021)

By the end of this prestigious and intensive online program, you will have produced a multimedia story of your choosing and written a personal essay, under the instruction of world-renowned Poynter faculty. Scholarships are available, thanks to the Dow Jones News Fund, TEGNA Foundation and 10 Tampa Bay.

June 14, 2021– June 25, 2021

Overview

  • This prestigious, 10-day program concluded June 25, 2021
  • Learn from globally renowned Poynter faculty and award-winning media professionals
  • Start building your portfolio! You will produce a multimedia story and a personal essay
  • Give yourself an edge as you apply for student media, internships or competitive collegiate programs
  • Develop relationships with people from all over the country who are passionate about the media
  • Form valuable connections with professional journalists in jobs you want
  • Tune in for 10 days of interactive learning, with both asynchronous and synchronous sessions

$395.00

Out of stock

Learning Outcomes

Accepted participants in the High School Journalism Program will:

  • Wrestle with journalism ethics
  • Discover secrets to good storytelling
  • Think critically about defining “the media”
  • Improve their understanding of disinformation, misinformation and reliability
  • Develop a more authentic voice in personal writing
  • Apply professional fact-checking skills across social media platforms

$395.00

Out of stock

Overview

  • This prestigious, 10-day program concluded June 25, 2021
  • Learn from globally renowned Poynter faculty and award-winning media professionals
  • Start building your portfolio! You will produce a multimedia story and a personal essay
  • Give yourself an edge as you apply for student media, internships or competitive collegiate programs
  • Develop relationships with people from all over the country who are passionate about the media
  • Form valuable connections with professional journalists in jobs you want
  • Tune in for 10 days of interactive learning, with both asynchronous and synchronous sessions

Training five or more people?
Check out our custom training.

Who fights to make public COVID-19 data, such as how many cases have been reported in your school district or the infection rate at your grandparent’s nursing home? Who holds politicians accountable for their policies and promises on issues like climate change or gun violence? Who can say what is happening on the ground when bystander and official reports conflict? Journalists!

If you want to affect change, shine a light on issues that affect your friends and family, and have a passion for finding facts, journalism might be the path for you. We invite you to apply for the Poynter Institute’s prestigious High School Journalism Program this summer.

You can expect personalized instruction from globally renowned Poynter faculty and award-winning media professionals delivered in a high-production online learning environment. You’ll get a cutting-edge journalism 101 education that can launch you into a communications program in college, set you up for an internship, or help you apply to your student paper. And importantly, you will develop relationships with your class and form valuable connections with working journalists from across the country.

By the end of the intensive, 10-day online program, you will have produced a ready-to-publish multimedia story about a health issue, such as COVID-19, and written a personal essay.

Program History

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st-century public discourse. Tens of thousands of professional journalists train with Poynter each year, whether online or in person. The media organizations you rely on — including The Washington Post, NPR, USA Today, National Geographic, the Associated Press, Google, Facebook and hundreds of local newspapers and TV stations — work directly with Poynter to stay relevant, develop leaders, grapple with ethics issues and more. Poynter is also the home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact, the International Fact-Checking Network and MediaWise, a digital information literacy project for young people, first-time voters and senior citizens.

The High School Journalism Program is one of the longest-running programs at Poynter. Founded along with the Institute in 1975, its goal is to give young people the chance to learn about writing and develop a passion for the values and craft of journalism.

It was formerly open only to high school students near our St. Petersburg, Florida campus, but we completely redesigned the program in 2020 and made it available online to high school students across the U.S.

Questions?

If you need assistance, email us at info@poynter.org.

This program takes place June 14-25, 2021. Students will attend live video sessions for 90 minutes each weekday of the 10-day program (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern); sessions will be recorded and available for replay. Students should expect to work for an additional 90-120 minutes of activities and opportunities outside of the video lessons. In total, participants should be willing to dedicate 3-4 hours a day to participate.

This year’s schedule is below:

Day 1, June 14 | Welcome

An introduction to the program tools, schedule, process and participants

On your own: Writing process

Day 2, June 15 | Ethics: The Secret Weapon No One Knows How to Use

Every story begins and ends with ethical reporting. This session shows how ethics in journalism are the most important—and useful—component.

On your own: Finding your voice

Day 3, June 16 | Covering COVID-19, Uncovering Truth

During this session, we will talk to two reporters who were on the frontlines covering the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics will include researching health topics, conducting difficult and sensitive interviews, and managing the emotional impact of covering difficult stories.

On your own: Narrowing focus/snapshot of a moment

Day 4, June 17 | Mental Health Coverage: Telling the Story Through Data and Experience

This session will explore the ways a reporter can personalize statistics and frame individual stories in a larger perspective that offers readers insight into a larger picture of mental health issues.

Day 5, June 18 | MediaWise Fact-Checking Strategies/Tools

Learn from multimedia reporters leading Poynter’s MediaWise project about how they approach the fact-checking process and publish the truth in social-first video formats.

On your own: Writing for the ear

Day 6, June 21 | Telling the Right Story the Right Way: A Look at 21st Century Story Types

Move beyond writing and filming stories and learn new tools to tell stories and communicate vital information. You will leave this session with ready-to-use tools and tips.

On your own: Editing your writing

Day 7, June 22 | Getting Personal: The Art of the Interview

Talking to people about some of their most difficult and personal moments can be intimidating. Learn top tips and tools for landing a great interview, even under difficult circumstances.

On your own: Recording your voice

Day 8, June 23 | Fact-Checking the Fact-Checker: Editing for Clarity and Correctness

As a vital process for holding the powerful accountable, fact-checking relies on honest, ethical reporting. Take a deep dive into what it really means to make sure you’ve got just the facts and see how editors ensure the quality of every fact check.

Day 9, June 24 | Setting Up the Pitch: Getting Published in a New Media World

You got the story. Now how do you get it published? Look inside the system to see what editors look for when you’re pitching a story.

On your own: The final polish

Day 10, June 25 | Graduation and Sharing Final Products

Who should apply

Students who are in 8th through 12th grades who are interested in journalism, writing, photography or storytelling with video should apply. This workshop is great for students who work in student media or are considering majoring in journalism, mass communications or integrated marketing communications. But you don’t need to have journalism experience to apply!

Class size is limited to allow for more personalized instruction.

Application process

The application asks you to write a short essay, 50 to 100 words, telling us about your interest in this program and why you’d like to participate. This is the most important component of your application, so please spend some time on it. Tell us about your involvement (if any) in student media, your interest in journalism and storytelling and how you hope this workshop will help you.

Cost

Tuition for the two-week training is $395 per student.

Scholarships are available, thanks to the Dow Jones News Fund, TEGNA Foundation and 10 Tampa Bay. This includes a limited number of scholarships that will make the program tuition-free for selected participants.

Students applying for financial aid may request it in the online application as part of their “essay of interest.” Tell us whether you qualify for free or reduced school lunch and any special circumstances you want us to consider.

In order to complete your application, we require authorization of payment. Your card will not be charged until you are accepted into the program. Upon acceptance to the program you will receive an email notification and your credit card payment will be processed.

Technology requirements

You will need access to a smartphone, tablet or digital camera so you can take journalistic photos to share with the group. You will also need high-speed Internet access for a desktop computer, laptop or tablet. Minimum software requirements are specified below:

Windows

  • 1.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or faster processor (or equivalent)
  • Windows 10, 8.1 (32-bit/64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit)
  • 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended)
  • Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or later, Windows Edge browser, Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome

Mac OS

  • 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo or faster processor
  • 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
  • Mac OS X 10.11, 10.12 and 10.13
  • Browser: Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari or Google Chrome

 

Instructors

Lead Faculty

  • Sean Marcus
    Interactive Learning Designer, MediaWise
    Sean Marcus is the Interactive Learning Designer for MediaWise at Poynter. Sean has spent 20 years teaching high school in Tampa Bay, twelve in public...
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Guest Instructors

  • Angie Drobnic Holan
    Director, International Fact-Checking Network
    Angie Drobnic Holan is the director of the International Fact-Checking Network, which supports and promotes fact-checking worldwide. Before assuming that role in June 2023, Holan...
    Read More
  • Kathleen McGrory
    Editor, New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship
    Kathleen McGrory is an editor for the New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship program. She was previously a reporter on ProPublica’s national staff. Before that,...
    Read More
  • Kelly McBride
    Senior Vice President and Chair of Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership
    Kelly McBride is a journalist, consultant and one of the country’s leading voices on media ethics and democracy. She is senior vice president and chair...
    Read More
  • Daylina Miller
    Multimedia Journalist, WUSF
    Daylina Miller is a multimedia journalist covering health and general news for WUSF and Health News Florida, a statewide reporting collaborative with other public radio...
    Read More
  • Lane DeGregory
    Enterprise reporter, Tampa Bay Times
    Lane DeGregory is a listener, a writer, a teacher. She loves true stories, intimate details and big ideas. She interviews strangers and writes about real...
    Read More
  • Elizabeth Koh
    Investigative Reporter, The Boston Globe
    Elizabeth Koh is an investigative reporter for The Boston Globe on the paper's quick strike team. Before joining the Globe, she was a Seoul-based foreign...
    Read More

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