It is a day in the middle of October. I am attending a journalism conference at the University of Iowa with the rest of Pella High's publication staff. We are listening to a wonderful speaker. Somewhere in the middle of his speech, he says you need a soul to be a good journalist.
I couldn't agree more! Journalism, in a nutshell, is the telling of stories. Yet, in order to tell a story well, you have to care about the characters in it. I recently watched a YouTube video made by a very kind, funny, and awesome journalist, Chris, which made me remember the words spoken at the conference.
It was about a girl named Mollie who has a stutter. A shooting happened at her school and her heart longed to tell the world about it. She was interviewed by journalist but unfortunately, they cut her out due to the stutter. If that wasn't bad enough, the other people they interviewed did not even go to her school. So, they did not attend the school where the shooting happened.
This made Mollie feel like she did not have a voice. I read some of the comments and one was by a journalism professor. She said she was going to show this to her media ethics class as an example of how to be unethical. She believes aspiring journalist have a lot to learn from Mollie and her story.
After I watched the video, I remembered another article I saw a couple years ago. It was about this photographer who refused to take pictures of children with Down Syndrome. Another photographer stepped in and took their pictures. All she asked for in return was to get a picture with each kid.
Based on these two stories, I conclude what aspiring journalists can learn from Mollie is it is not your talents but what you use them for. In all these four instances, there were people whose talent was journalism. Yet, the role they played were soooo different. Chris was letting Mollie share her voice while those other journalist weren't. One photographer was not willing to bask in the beatufulest, shiniest, and golden of lights each and every one of those kids had. The other was more than willing to not only bask in it but let it shine for the rest of the world. I ask everyone who has, is, and will do journalism: Which types of these journalist(s) do you wanna be like?
These stories have a special place in my heart not only because I loved being a journalist for the Pelladium but also because the best part of my high school has without a doubt been interacting, forming friendships, and working with my peers who have special needs. I helped them perform physical activity and create art in peer P.E. and art. These experiences have developed a special place in my heart for the special needs community.
This fall, I plan on pursuing psychology, journalism, and a certificate in disability studies at the University of Iowa. My dream is to be a psychologist who works with people who have special needs and write articles about topics relating to special needs for psychology media. I also have a photography business and hope to do all kinds of journalistic work about people with special needs through it. I want to use journalism to advocate for, spread awareness, and tell the stories of people with special needs.
My favorite stories to write for the Pelladium have been all those relating to the special needs department at PHS. I love, love, love, love all our editions but my favorite has and always will be the one we did about special needs way back during my sophomore year. It made my day to shine the light on the special needs community not just at our school but all around the world. Saying they deserve it is an understatement!! I have never been more proud of my fellow staff members then while we were working on the special needs issue.
Ever since than, a flame ignited inside me. Anytime I was coming up with story ideas, I would itch to think of one about the special needs department or someone in it. Anytime we could choose what to write about, I would write about something relating to special needs. I became known as the undesignated special needs reporter. Everyone on the Pelladium staff how much I loved peer classes and the never ending passion and love I have for the special needs community.
Every end of the year, the publications staff makes frames for all the seniors to put a group photo in. Tiffany, one of the head editors, made mine. I had earned the nickname of "the sass princess" so I thought it would be filled with stuff reflecting how sassy I am. Instead, it perfectly reflected my love and passion for the special needs community. There was a headline from a story I had written about one of my friends from P.E. Also, she cut out part of my favorite issue and you could plainly see "students with special needs" on the bottom of the frame.
I also was on student council. I loved that a lot and had written articles about what we were up to. Yet, that is not what I have left being known for. Looking at my frame, you would not have been able to tell at all I was on and had written about student council. As much as I loved student government, I am totally okay with this. Everyone on the newspaper staff had a thing: show choir, sports, FFA, speech, the latest technology updates, politics, yearbook, memes, and have I mention politics?! 😂
I hate sports. I've had it up to here with politics. I don't get memes. Public speaking terrifies me. I tried out for show choir only to not even make the prep group. I haven't updated my smartphone since I got it four years ago and can see myself having the same version for the rest of my life. I may have written about one of my friends competing at the State FFA convention for Ag Sales with a product people who, like her, ride horses use. Yet, last time I actually got on a horse, I completely and totally panicked. Yearbook is just too much graphic design and not enough writing for me. And did I mention I've had it up to here with politics?! 😂 My thing happened to be peer classes and I would not have it any other way.
Having the special honor, blessing, and privilege of working with and including people with special needs in the paper and web has taught me an infinite amount about the special needs community, journalism, the world, life, and myself. It made my high school years and time on staff extremely enjoyable, memorable and, at least in my opinion, worthwhile. I hope someone from the Pelladium reads this and sees a dream worth pursuing and fighting for. I hope I have made at least one person from it and everyone else who has read my articles be more open hearted and minded towards the special needs community. I hope I can inspire someone at the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication to tell the stories of all kinds of people. After all, everyone deserves a breaking news story at least once in his or her life, for we all overcome and bless the world.
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