News Literacy Project students from Chicago high school to be featured on Vocalo.org
After completing a semester-long unit using the News Literacy Project curriculum, journalism students at Social Justice High School in Chicago gathered on June 9 for a round-table discussion with a public radio producer about current events, the role of journalism and the challenges and opportunities in their digital worlds.
The discussion, which lasted more than two hours, was taped on location by Tom Herman, a producer from WBEZ’s audio blog Vocalo.org. A segment featuring the students will be simultaneously broadcast and webcast this summer.
The session was a collaboration among the News Literacy Project, Vocalo and Social Justice teacher David Hernandez, the faculty liaison for the Lawndale for Justice News blog and a participating NLP teacher.
Among the topics examined were the recent immigration bill in Arizona, gentrification in Chicago, and journalism and digital media. The students particularly focused on the ways that social media is changing how young people get information. They also explored the interplay between digitization and the demand for free content online, and what these trends mean for news organizations.
The piece will air sometime next month on WBEZ 89.5 FM or at www.vocalo.org (it has not yet been scheduled). A permalink to the broadcast will be posted here once it airs.