Journalism

Inspiration & Exploration

Journalism is how the public finds out what's actually happening — in their school, their city, their world. Start by reading widely: spend a week with a mix of outlets. Read the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News for local Utah coverage. Check out ProPublica for investigative journalism that actually changes things, and The Pudding for data-driven visual storytelling. Listen to "The Daily" podcast from the New York Times to hear how journalists talk about their reporting process. Watch "60 Minutes" clips on YouTube to study long-form television journalism. The subreddit r/journalism has great discussions about the field. Notice the difference between a straight news story, a feature, and an opinion piece — they sound and feel completely different. You're ready for the next step when you can pick up any article and identify whether it's news, feature, or opinion — and explain your reasoning.

Tools & Techniques

Journalism runs on a few core skills: interviewing, note-taking, verification, and clear writing. Start with the AP Stylebook — it's the grammar bible for journalists, and a used copy is cheap, or access it at most school and public libraries. Watch the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas on YouTube for free courses on reporting basics. Download the free app "Otter.ai" — it transcribes audio recordings of interviews automatically, which is incredibly useful. Learn about the inverted pyramid structure: most important information first, least important last. Practice on your own life: write a 200-word news story about something that happened at your school or in your neighborhood this week. The SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) at spj.org has free resources and ethics guidelines every journalist should know. You're ready for the next step when you can explain the inverted pyramid and write a strong news lede sentence.

First Creations

Write three short news stories about real things happening around you — your school, your neighborhood, a local event. Each one should be 200–400 words, use at least one real quote from someone you interviewed, and answer who, what, when, where, why, and how in the first two paragraphs. Use Google Docs to write and share your drafts. Reach out to one person for an interview — it can be a teacher, a local business owner, or a community organizer. Email is fine if calling feels intimidating. Look up how to verify facts: check that every claim you make can be supported by a second source. Post your best story to your school's newspaper if one exists, or share it with a trusted adult for feedback. You're ready for the next step when you've published or shared three finished news stories and received feedback on at least one.

Style Development

Expand your range beyond breaking news. Write a feature story — a longer, more narrative piece that tells a character's story while covering an issue. Feature writing lets you use more descriptive language and structure your story with a beginning, middle, and end rather than the inverted pyramid. Choose someone in your community doing something interesting and interview them for 30–60 minutes. Study how the Salt Lake Tribune's long-form pieces are written, or read selections from "Best American Magazine Writing" (available at the Salt Lake City Public Library). Learn to use FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests for public records — the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press at rcfp.org has free guides. You're ready for the next step when you've written one feature story of at least 600 words with multiple sources and a narrative structure.

Refine Your Craft

Real journalism is built on accountability. Pitch a story to an actual publication — your school paper, a local neighborhood newsletter, or Amplify Utah, which publishes youth journalism. Before you pitch, write a one-paragraph story description that explains the story's news hook, who you'll interview, and why readers should care. Study how to conduct a records search: Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) gives you the right to request public documents, and the Utah First Amendment Coalition at utahfac.org explains how. Join the Journalism Education Association student network or look into the National High School Journalism Convention. Read your own drafts out loud — your ear catches problems your eye misses. You're ready for the next step when you've successfully pitched a story to an editor and received a response, even if it was a rejection with feedback.

Portfolio Piece

Produce your best piece of journalism: a thoroughly reported, carefully edited story of 800–1,200 words on a topic that actually matters to your community. It should include at least three named, on-record sources, at least one document or data point, and a real news hook. Aim to publish it somewhere real — a school paper, a community blog, a local news outlet's youth section. Build a simple digital portfolio using Adobe Express (free) or a free WordPress site and post all of your best work there. Include a short bio explaining your journalism interests and any specific beats you cover. Share the link on LinkedIn and with local journalists whose work you admire — a short, polite message asking for feedback is almost always welcome. You're ready for the next step when your portfolio piece is published, your portfolio site is live, and you can defend every factual claim in your story.