Expanding Journalism in Mississippi High Schools
STATEWIDE INITIATIVE
Today’s teen reporters are tomorrow’s engaged citizens.
Students in high-school newsrooms gain vital skills in communication, civic awareness, media literacy and real-world storytelling. These programs are not available to students at most of Mississippi’s public high schools.
The Mississippi Scholastic Press Association (MSPA) supports a statewide network of journalism programs through conferences, awards and teacher training. But only about 15 percent of Mississippi’s public high schools are part of MSPA, and most do not offer journalism programs at all.
What’s missing is a clear onramp for schools that don’t yet offer journalism, but would like to. Press Forward Mississippi will identify a cohort of interested schools, help them launch new journalism programs, and connect them to the existing MSPA network for mentorship and long-term support.
Press Forward Mississippi has partnered with nonprofit The Bell, which recently launched the Jackson Youth Newsroom, to replicate a New York City-based program that is training and equipping new journalism programs in the city’s public schools.
The Mississippi effort seeks to identify 15 schools across the state that are ready to start journalism programs. It will provide teacher training, equipment, mentorship and partnerships with local newsrooms and universities.
Header Photo by Imani Khayyam
Project Coordinator Application Now Open
The Bell will be hiring a project coordinator as a part-time contract position to support this initiative.