Arizona Daily Star editorial writer Sarah Gassen shared practical tips to writing better commentaries to 30 visiting high school journalism teachers Wednesday at Arizona State University. Students' opinion writing "must meet high standards," which she defined as accuracy in facts, names, details, timeliness, fairness, and a "concept of the greater good," Gassen said. She encouraged high school journalism teachers to teach best practices to teen reporters. "Good opinion writers are good reporters first," she said.
To a question about should high school reporters submit letters to the editors to daily newspapers she said they should, "not as a classroom project, but as individual students." Sara suggested students decide which students in the class should best represent the school. Teddy Holliday and Frank Adams, two students at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, did submit divergent views on classroom cell phone bans to the Chicago Tribune that were published March 24 in the paper's "Classroom Voices."
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-24/news/ct-vp-0324classroomvoiceslettersbriefs-20120324_1_cell-phones-classroom-voices-gas-prices
Stan West
Hales Franciscan High School
Chicago
It must have been an incredible thrill for those students. I'm glad the Tribune provides this opportunity to students.
ReplyDeleteSteve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix