A NewsHound's Guide to Student Journalism

February 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-This accessible text uses a fictional graphic narrative as a springboard to explore journalism. Vignettes featuring the staff of the high school newspaper the Hallway Monitor are interspersed between more straightforward informational passages. The students encounter scenarios inspired by true stories that relate to each chapter's concept: investigative journalism, conflicts of interest, independent sources, plagiarism, and more. Each chapter also offers a "journalistic takeaway," a "story behind the story," and classroom activities. Readers will appreciate the book's numerous examples and writing samples. The characters' mistakes make for great teaching moments, and the resolution of their errors is realistic. A particularly effective chapter, "Journalism in the 21st Century," describes how to crowdsource and verify information. Occasionally the narrative takes some leaps, leaving readers to intuit what happened during missing moments. The cast of characters include many people of color and those with different body types. However, the portrayal of some African American characters, who are depicted with oversize pale lips, reminiscent of blackface, is offensive. VERDICT Despite the solid information found here, the racist portrayal of black characters mars this title. Not recommended.-Kacy Helwick, New Orleans Public Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2019
Grades 8-12 Journalism is the only profession protected by the Constitution, and this fantastic guide helps budding reporters understand their special role in society. It revolves around a diverse student staff at a high-school newspaper and the realistic issues they face. Each chapter opens with a cartoon that introduces a dilemma, inspired by a real-life case, and a related journalism topic, from investigative journalism and independent sources to plagiarism and conflicts of interest. As the student staff works through the problem and develops the article in running cartoons, the text relates journalism essentials, such as the anatomy of a news story, interviewing tips, and word choice, in digestible chunks of information. Readers will overlook typos to focus on the top-notch treatment of journalism basics and the spot-on writing activities that conclude each chapter. Particularly powerful are chapters on First Amendment rights and social media's influence on journalism, as well as a final reference chapter with a reporter checklist, style guides for inclusivity, and more. A thorough and engaging resource for teens eager to report their world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)