Diversity » Foundation Update (Winter 2006)

Feature

Teens give advice on the ‘ideal’ youth content program.

By Elissa Jennings

What is the “perfect” teen newspaper?

The 13 teen fellows at the 2005 Youth Editorial Alliance Conference attempted to address this question, describing various aspects of the ideal teen newspaper before an audience of youth editors. The students collaborated during the conference weekend to define the perfect teen publication in terms of its program structure, editor, content and Web design.

Andrew James and Jessica Schreifels collaborate on their part of the teen fellow presentation.

According to the teens, the “ideal” teen publication program is competitive, requiring an application, at least one recommendation, an interview and demonstrated interest in and commitment to writing. As one student at the conference pointed out, “There are people who don’t do anything. You have to make sure you weed out [those] people.”

On the other hand, Reena Singh, a correspondent for 757 at the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, stressed that the teen staff should consist of members who have diverse interests and enough time to apply genuine effort to their work, not just of students who miss every other meeting for SAT or ACT review classes. In order for a teen section to have a strong core of writers, students must be willing and able to focus on maximizing the publication’s potential.

A publication’s adult leadership can assist in helping students meet this goal by hosting an orientation for first-year reporters. The teen fellows recommended that this meeting be used to introduce newcomers to journalism basics and ethics. They also advised that orientation be followed by educational workshops open to all teen staff members.

Jessica Ogelvie reviews a teen section.

Elizabeth Lane of teenessean at The Tennessean in Nashville recalled a workshop that she attended in which she and her fellow correspondents received tips from professional journalists and sat in on a news budget meeting. Lane found this experience “exciting and inspirational,” and encouraged other newspapers to sponsor similar events. The teen fellows agreed that a shadowing/mentoring program should be available to students who need help with their articles.

Such programs and workshops serve as effective supplements to regular staff meetings, which, the teen fellows said, should have an authoritative presence but also be “laid-back.” The fellows advised that the first of these meetings should include an icebreaker in which students interview each other and then write practice articles.

Of course, a good editor must support such a program. The fellows said that the ideal leader promotes a positive editor-correspondent relationship, designs effective meetings and edits honestly. Sara Jeffries of Satellite at the Tulsa World stressed that all editors must maintain good communication with their correspondents. “Accessibility is key,” she said, “so set aside time to meet one-on-one with writers.”

‘We like finding things that are unique,’ Pablo Paz says of content in teen publications.

An ideal editor also is able to acknowledge the writers’ desires, yet remain honest. “Take opinions into consideration,” urged Whitney Burdette of FlipSide at The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette. “We’re very opinionated. Censoring is pretty much the worst thing that you can do to a teenager.”

However, the teen fellows discouraged editors from accepting poor ideas and/or products from their teen writers. “Don’t be a softy,” said Paul Bowers of INK at The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. “We thrive on criticism. … Every once in a while we need to hear, ‘That sucks.’ ”

Grinning, he added, “It’s like that George Carlin quote: ‘Most people with low self-esteem have earned it.’ ”

Bowers noted one exception to his tough-love policy: “Don’t use red pens. We’ve had traumatic experiences with red pens.”

Nevertheless, the color of the pen used by an editor does not affect the content of the ideal paper in terms of the subjects within it – this issue is purely a matter of teenage interests. The fellows said that teen content should cover a variety of topics and perspectives.

For instance, a paper’s teen audience would enjoy reading articles pertaining to both popular and “out there” bands. The fellows pointed out that teens would even appreciate reviews of local topics such as transportation and postal services. They emphasized that they and their friends are repulsed by newspapers that include “filler” or “fluff” to take up unused space, observing that the inclusion of such articles in teen newspapers trains readers to expect fluff in all reading material, including adult-oriented publications.

Sara Jeffries shares her thoughts with the youth editors.

Indeed, the teen fellows expressed faith in their peers’ ability to appreciate high-quality writing and voiced particular impatience with the superficial marketing that is rampant throughout teen-oriented materials today.

“I like looking pretty,” explained Jessica Schreifels of TX. at the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah, “but I really don’t care about reading an article on the 14 different ways to put on lip gloss.”

Teens generally do not tolerate “corporate” or brand-name influences in writing, either. “We like finding things that are unique, like underground music,” noted Pablo Paz of Generation Next at The Santa Fe New Mexican.

The 13 fellows agreed that almost all teen-oriented publications should focus on topics that interest older students. They believed that younger teens and older teens are fairly similar in their abilities to understand information and common cultural references. In addition, one teen fellow reasoned that “younger kids look up to older teens,” so they want to learn about topics relating to older students.

The fellows give advice on the ‘ideal’ program, editor, content and Web design

The fellows also identified general types of articles that will grab the attention of teens, citing controversy, diversity and visual appeal as the primary means by which readers are attracted to written materials. They encouraged editors to use art by teens in their newspapers. “Of course, if it’s bad art, don’t use it,” a student opined. “But good teen artwork … is preferable [to professionally-generated images].”

The teens at the conference said that a newspaper’s Web site is, in some ways, just as important as the print version to a teenage audience. Therefore, in order to ensure that teens are comfortable visiting the site, the group recommended that the Web site have a memorable URL and simple, clear navigational tools.

When discussing links from the teen site to the paper’s main site, Schreifels observed that “we don’t want to accidentally stumble into these articles that don’t apply to us at all.” She and other fellows noted that teenagers find pop-up ads and “over-the-head Flash animation” irritating. In addition, the fellows said that “elevator music,” or background music, can discourage teens from spending time on the site.

The fellows also offered advice on Web content. Observing that a newspaper’s Web site should contain more than what is available in the print product, they promoted the creation of archive sections on Web sites along with online polls, trivia questions and local sports updates, all of which encourage teens to return. The site also could include videos, streaming audios and links to the main newspaper.

To facilitate communication between a teen publication’s Internet audience and its writing staff, the fellows said a paper might organize an online reader forum and allow teens to e-mail the editor with story ideas and comments. The group recommended that the paper’s Web designer also post previews for the next issue on the site so that online viewers will be driven to return. According to the fellows, the print version should always refer readers to the Web site.

The teen fellows’ suggestions concerning the ideal program, editor, content and Web site provide insights into the long-term vision that some of the nation’s future journalists hold for their current pursuits. In the meantime, mentors and editors of such students are encouraged to discard their red pens …

Elissa Jennings, a junior at The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn., is a correspondent for teenessean at The Tennessean in Nashville. She can be reached at teenessean@comcast.net .

PHOTOS BY JAN DIEHM