“DeKalb Schools On Probation,” reads the headline stripped across the top of the front page. A secondary headline elaborates: “Accreditation ruling sparks criticism, raises concerns among stakeholders.”
Those headlines usher readers into an eight-page report on what the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ move means to Georgia’s third-largest school system. It features interviews with then-school board chairman Eugene Walker and SACS chief Mark Elgart, reaction from teachers and students, and a two-page graphic explaining the accreditation agency’s actions in easy-to-follow terms.
Another day of comprehensive coverage from the experienced journalists at the AJC? Not this time.
This is the Feb. 20 issue of The Spotlight, the student newspaper of Druid Hills High School.
Surprised? I was, at least initially. Pretty quickly, though, I became impressed. And then, heartened for the future of journalism in metro Atlanta and beyond.
Let me back up. Last fall, a couple dozen students who worked on The Spotlight came to the AJC, led by faculty sponsor Melissa King-Rogers to observe how we report the news. I was one of several editors who spoke to the group. The students asked a lot of questions – especially a self-assured teen with a mop of brown hair – before heading back to school.
Months passed, and an envelope arrived in my mailbox. It contained the Feb. 20 issue of The Spotlight and a letter from its staff.
“We took the advice you gave us to heart and have devoted ourselves to offering solid coverage of the news of our community. We want to share with you what we believe is our best work.”
As I pored over The Spotlight Extra: Accreditation Issue, I was amazed not only at the great interviews the students nabbed, but the care they took to make sure they were educating their readers on every aspect of the probation decision.
I emailed Dr. King-Rogers and asked if I could visit The Spotlight. She readily agreed and a couple weeks later I spent almost two hours talking with the newspaper’s staff in their classroom.
I asked the students why they decided to produce an extra edition. That self-assured teen with the mop of brown hair, Spotlight Editor Drew Schwartz, talked about how the SACS decision hit the school hard. Students were asking what the confusing news meant for them. Drew and other Spotlight staffers – stunned by the implications for their own futures - felt an obligation to explain the news to their classmates. They swept aside plans to cover basketball games and other routine school happenings and devoted all their energy to reporting the accreditation crisis.
Drew spoke about the excitement of prepping to interview Walker and Elgart. After Drew and classmate Pierce Bauer conducted those interviews and absorbed the 20-page SACS report, they pulled an all-nighter writing the front-page story for the Spotlight Extra. True deadline reporting!
Back in the classroom, Drew, Pierce and other students peppered me with questions, eager to understand how professional journalists approach our work. I explained that while we’re a business that needs to make a profit, we also aspire to higher callings: serving our community, holding our leaders accountable, and playing a key role in keeping our democracy sound.
Drew, a senior heading to Boston University this fall, asked perceptively about myriad subjects: When do we use anonymous sources? What do we do when a source tells us something we suspect isn’t true? How do we get documents a government official doesn’t want us to have?
The school bell rang so we wrapped up. I walked to the door and Drew followed, still firing questions. I walked outside; Drew followed. I arrived at my car and clicked my keyless entry. I could have stood there all day talking to this bright young mind about the craft I’ve devoted 23 years to, but instead I said, “I’ve got to get back.” We shook hands.
The next day an email arrived in my inbox. “Thank you so much for taking the time to give us feedback and answer our questions today…” Drew wrote, “our conversation affirmed my desire to pursue journalism in the future.”
Most of you know times have been challenging for American newspapers as the media landscape has become crowded and confusing. And I, like many longtime journalists, have wondered whether young people would still be attracted to an industry that’s having to reinvent itself.
Then I met Drew. His passion for uncovering the truth and improving his community inspire me, and they reassure me that journalism will be just fine.
