Missing Voices: Part 1 — Tale of Two School Newspapers
“Journalism should be in all schools. Privileged schools have a journalism program. That way students are able to explore and see if they like that field.”
New York City is the media capital of the world, but not for its youth. Just one in four public high schools has a student newspaper these days. And there are big disparities in access by race and class.
In this system of haves and have nots Townsend Harris High School in Queens is definitely among the haves. Its student newspaper, The Classic, has received national recognition for hard-hitting reporting in recent years.
Kate Estevez, Elliot Heath and Janna Habibulla (left to right) serve as editors-in-chief for The Classic, the Townsend Harris High School student newspaper.
Ramata Diop (right) is a reporter for The Pacer, the Pace High School student newspaper. Courtesy David Rohlfing
Meanwhile, at Pace High School in Manhattan, dedicated students and a veteran English teacher are defying the odds by building The Pacer from scratch.
The Missing Voices series was reported by Wesley Almanzar, Jadelyn Camey, Fredlove Deshommes, Edward Mui and Jayden Williams. Editing and production support from Sabrina DuQuesnay, Mira Gordon, Abē Levine and Taylor McGraw. Scoring and sound mixing from Peter Leonard. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Made possible with support from the Education Writers Association and the Pinkerton Foundation.
To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Never miss an episode! Subscribe on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher