Getting started
Once you've decided to speak out on NewsHour Extra, submit your topic idea through our online form. You can write about a topic in the news or an essay about how a current issue has affected you personally. You can also tell your story by making a video or by recording audio.

Story suggestions
Pick an event or issue that has people talking, such as an ongoing social issue, a new form of technology or an international event. Explain how the story affects you. Make sure to research the topic and be factually accurate. Remember to be specific, add interesting details, make your story engaging and a "good read."

Personal essay suggestions
Tell us how an issue in the news has affected your life, your school or your community. Think about what you want readers to learn by reading your essay and how you can make them think about the news issue in a new way. Write a descriptive story to show how you have experienced the news first hand.

Multimedia suggestions

Video: If you have a video camera, interview people about a topic or tape yourself telling your story or talking about your views on a news topic. Work with someone who has experience producing video to make sure that the lighting is good and the audio is working correctly. 

Audio: Record yourself explaining your views on a news topic, telling your personal story, or interviewing someone.

Photography: Create a photo essay to depict something news-related that people wouldn't see ordinarily.

Guidelines for submitting
Please submit your first draft through our online form, or via e-mail to the editor who responded to your story idea.

We will edit written material and multimedia for length, clarity, and factual accuracy. Our editors will work with you to make sure the final product on the NewsHour Extra site is work you are proud of and work that fits the NewsHour's journalistic standards.

Video and audio submissions should be no longer than five minutes in length. If possible, please include a written transcript of your work. Photo essays should be submitted in .jpg or .gif format no larger than 500x500 pixels - up to 15 photos with captions will be considered.

Print submissions should be no longer than 500 words. Please include a digital photograph of yourself if possible along with your full name, city, state, age, and school name.

Once you've turned in your story, we still need your help! Please answer all e-mails from your editor to discuss any necessary changes.

You will also need to print out and sign our release form.  If you are under 18, we need a release form from you and your parents before we can publish your story. Please sign this document and send it to us.

What makes a good story?

1) Why should your audience care about your story? Convince them. Make clear what you want your audience to know by the end of your story. Before you start, it's best to sit down and outline what you are going to say, whether it's a print story or a video piece. Make a list of the questions your story is going to answer.

2) Stories should contain factual information and enough background so that someone not familiar with the topic will understand it. AVOID confusion at all costs.

3) Always remember the "FAC" rule of journalists. "FAC" stands for Fair, Accurate, and Clear. When you submit a story, it should be as "FAC" as possible.

4) Keep your audience in mind as you tell your story. They are teenagers (from 12-18). The best way to structure your story is to start out with an interesting example or quote to grab your audience's attention.

5) Be passionate, have fun and fulfill a purpose larger than your own. Run your ideas by your family members, teachers, but also your peers. The more contributing minds the better. That’s how good ideas are born.