Royal Oak High Student To Participate In PBS NewsHour Academy

From Royal Oak High School: Royal Oak High School junior Rebecca Messner was named to the PBS NewsHour’s third annual Student Reporting Labs Academy in Washington, D.C. She is one of 20 youth storytellers from throughout the country who were selected.

The students will work alongside public media mentors to produce original digital content and sharpen their journalism and production skills. The fellows will also help program leaders develop strategies to engage young people with the news and current affairs, and ensure that diverse youth voices are active in the conversations about critical issues facing the nation.

“The partnership with ROHS and The Student Reporting Labs give students like Becca the opportunity to learn directly from broadcast professionals and experience, first hand, what it is like to work in broadcast journalism,” said Video/TV/Media Instructor Michael Conrad. “I could not be more proud of the work Becca has submitted this year and this recognition only solidifies the quality of her craft.”

For her six-word memoir, Rebecca wrote “Create and find stories – tell them!” Rebecca explains her interest in storytelling, “Whether you look for them or they approach, the world is FULL of stories. I got involved with storytelling because it makes me so incredibly happy to share ideas and shed light onto things that matter.”

When asked what she thinks a newsroom will look like 50 years from now, she said “Fifty years from now, I think a newsroom will be full of paper-thin televisions and touchscreen monitors. I think everything will be automated and there won’t be a need for people.”

During the 2016-17 school year, these young journalists contributed to the NewsHour’s broadcast and digital platforms with Letters to the Next President, stories of New Americans, 13 Reasons Why and two upcoming series on overcoming disabilities and America’s National Parks.

Student Reporting Labs is supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Graduate: Let’s make it happen initiative, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award.

Image Courtesy of Royal Oak High School