STUDENTS’ WORK APPEARS ON WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING
(Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in The Fayette Tribune on February 7th, 2019.)
Students from the Fayette Institute of Technology’s Multimedia Publishing program recently had their podcasts air on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
In a collaboration with WVPB reporter Kara Lofton, seniors Tabitha Gill, Katie Cameron, Keesha Moore, Chloe Perdue, Nicole Lesher, and Haley Cameron developed stories that focused on health issues in West Virginia. The students’ topics ranged from the lack of regulation of sugar amounts in elementary school breakfasts, how social media can contribute to teen anxiety, and the effects of the opioid crisis on West Virginia teenagers.
“Now I know how hard it is to work as a radio broadcaster. It was it was a rough ride at times, but it was also fun,” said Chloe Perdue. “We got to experiment with our writing skills and turn it into a six-minute radio broadcast.”
WVPB journalist Kara Lofton said, “When we go into classrooms, yes we are teaching kids how to use technology and how to write. But we are also teaching them to listen, to fail and persist anyway, to discover that they can do something that is hard, and that they can (and should) ask awkward questions. Ideally, we teach that their voices deserve to be heard, and maybe that they have the power to give a voice to others.”
Working with Lofton had an immediate impact on the students.
Tabitha Gill said, “It was interesting because I’ve never experienced someone who worked that way: her thought process, how she could think ahead, plan her interviews, and know what content she was going to have before she had it. It was inspiring, and it helped all of us grow. ”
FIT Multimedia Publishing Instructor Keith Doherty said, “There are a lot of talented people in West Virginia, and it’s my goal to have my students working with professionals, doing professional work. This project challenged their comfort zones, but they persevered when they faced obstacles.
“Receiving a good grade wasn’t their motivation. They were working to meet the quality expectations of West Virginia Public Broadcasting and to become published journalists. It was an authentic experience that simulated the demands of the workplace, and Kara was an incredible role model for them.”
Perdue said, “It wasn’t a fast process for brainstorming our topics. We had to really think about it because we wanted it to be interesting. When we were writing it, the end result was so much better than where we began. To have that learning experience and to have Kara acting as an editor, it was really enlightening for us to understand the process of critique.”
The students used a variety of recording devices ranging from their smartphones to more professional audio equipment. They also used iMac computers and Adobe Audition for their editing. For most, this was their first experience with producing a podcast.
Gill said, “The most difficult challenge was to think ahead and make a story out of nothing. Interviewing was difficult. I have a new respect for broadcasters and news outlets.”
Lofton added, “I was most proud of the girls as I watched them learn to ask difficult questions. If they got nothing else from the project besides becoming even moderately more critical thinkers, the project was a success.
“So much of school is scripted, yet success after school depends very much on being able to think, adapt, be creative and come up with unexpected solutions. Most of those kids probably won’t go on to become journalists. And that’s totally okay. But I hope they will listen a little more actively, ask the hard questions, persist when it’s difficult and go through life with the little ball of fire that their story matters.”
In the end, it was clear these students’ stories did matter.
“The most rewarding part was the feedback,” said Gill. “I really enjoyed that people liked the content that we made because there was a lot of hard work that went into it.”
“We put a lot of effort into this project because at the end of the day, you don’t know who is going to hear this,” stated Keesha Moore. “You’re representing yourself, your school, and all of your hard work. You want it to be good because your name is on it.”
To read the transcripts or listen to the students’ podcasts, click on the following links:
http://www.wvpublic.org/post/high-school-journalists-find-no-regulation-sugar-school-breakfast#strea
