Washington, D.C. (November 1, 2018) — Teen reporters from PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs (SRL) reveal the issues that matter most to young voters in the new series, Turning Out: The Youth Vote. From Miami, Florida to Rexburg, Idaho, student journalists from SRL’s national network of 135 schools conducted more than 300 interviews to explore the impact of the youth vote. The series explores the emerging youth voice that has moved front and center in national conversations around issues such as education and school safety.
With only 17 percent of 18-to-24-year-old voters turning out in the last midterm election, teen journalists from SRL’s network tackled topics like low voter engagement, today’s political climate among young Democrats and Republicans, and the increased number of women running for office this year.
“We hear about the youth vote every election, but it’s usually adult news producers or pundits parachuting in,” says Leah Clapman, Managing Editor for PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs. “High school broadcast programs can tackle important topics like who votes and why. It’s part of the NewsHour’s unique approach to issues that affect young people and their families, and SRL’s civics education mission.”
Students were able to interview candidates on all sides such as Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and his Republican opponent Corey Stewart. They also joined a press pool following Senate candidate Beto O’ Rourke at a campaign stop in Texas; and interviewed influential youth activists from organizations like NextGen and Vote16USA.
“The whole experience has really opened up my eyes to a side of politics that I never knew about, as well as really emphasizing the importance of voting,” said Morgan Fisher, an SRL student at Dominion High School who interviewed Kaine and Stewart.
“It is amazing for our students to play a crucial role in informing the voting public about the voting choices that lie before them in the significant race here in Virginia for the United States Senate, and the Dominion High School Broadcast Program and PBS Student Reporting Labs provides a robust platform from which our students are empowered to make meaningful contributions to the world,” said Monika Vereb, Assistant Principal at Dominion High School.
In the days leading up to the November 6 Election Day, follow SRL on social media and NewsHour’s platforms.
Featured Labs:
Abingdon-Avon High School-Abingdon, Illinois Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School-Miami, Florida Aragon High School-San Mateo, California Black River Falls High School-Black River Falls, Wisconsin Blackstone Millville Regional High School-Blackstone, Massachusetts Brighton High School-Cottonwood Heights, Utah Broadhead High School-Broadhead, Wisconsin Cedar Crest High School-Lebanon, Pennsylvania Clinton High School-Clinton, Arkansas Communications Arts High School-San Antonio, TX Daniel Pearl Magnet High School-Lake Balboa, California Desert Pines High School-Las Vegas, Nevada Dominion High School-Sterling, Virginia Escondido High School-Escondido, California Etiwanda High School-Rancho Cucamonga, California Forestview High School-Gastonia, North Carolina Fort Mill High School-Fort Mill, South Carolina Franklin Learning Center-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Frederick Douglass High School-Upper Marlboro, Maryland Hall High School-Little Rock, Arkansas Hallie Wells Middle School-Clarksburg, Maryland Jackson Creek Middle School-Bloomington, Indiana John F. Kennedy High School-Silver Spring, Maryland Judge Memorial Catholic High School-Salt Lake City, Utah Legacy Early College High School-Greenville, South Carolina Lewis and Clark Middle School-Omaha, Nebraska Madison High School-Rexburg, Idaho Maui High School-Kahului, Hawaii Miami Country Day School-Miami, Florida Mid-Maine Technical Center-Waterville, Maine Middle Creek High School-Apex, North Carolina Northview High School-Covina, California Oakland Military Institute-Oakland, California Omaha North Magnet High School-Omaha, Nebraska Ontario High School-Ontario, California Pflugerville High School-Pflugerville, Texas Pine Crest School-Fort Lauderdale, Florida Santa Fe High School-Edmond, Oklahoma Smoky Mountain Youth Media-Knoxville, TN Social Justice Humanitas Academy-San Fernando, California Surrattsville High School-Clinton, Maryland West Ranch High School-West Ranch High School West Roxbury Academy-Boston, Massachusetts Westview High School-San Diego, California
Station support for this project provided by:
KUED; KLRU; UEN; East Tennessee PBS; KQED; PBS SoCal; WETA; KPBS; SCETV; WHYY; AETN; WGBH; OETA-Oklahoma; South Florida PBS; NET; PBS Hawaii; WTIU; Vegas PBS; Wisconsin Public Television; and Maine Public Broadcasting
About Student Reporting Labs
Student Reporting Labs provides middle and high schools with a unique video journalism curriculum, teacher professional development, mentorship and relationships with local public media stations to produce original stories that explore how critical national issues impact communities around the country. Visit PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award.
About PBS NewsHour
PBS NewsHour is seen by over four million weekly viewers and is also available online, via public radio in select markets, and via podcast. PBS NewsHour is a production of NewsHour Productions LLC, a wholly-owned nonprofit subsidiary of WETA Washington, D.C., in association with WNET in New York. More information on PBS NewsHour is available at pbs.org/newshour. On social media, visit NewsHour on Facebook or follow @NewsHour on Twitter.
Media Contacts
Leah Clapman, Managing Editor, Student Reporting Labs: lclapman@newshour.org
Elis Estrada, Director, Student Reporting Labs: eestrada@newshour.org
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