A new generation of journalists are being developed in Jackson, Mississippi. Courtesy of The Bell, a nonprofit organization dedicated to journalism, the Jackson Youth Newsroom (JYN) has recently launched to educate high school students in the area on the skills and attributes needed to grow and tell stories. JYN has the students working on stories from around the Jackson area, connecting the community together and taking on tough issues that need addressing.
“When I got to Jackson, the plan was always to take what we had learned and the model that we had developed in New York City and bring it here, closer to home,” said Taylor McGraw, executive director of The Bell.
McGraw is originally from Oxford, MS. After graduating from Ole Miss, he moved to New York City and took part in Teach for America programs, afterward eventually co-founding The Bell in 2017. McGraw then moved back to his home state in 2022, where he always had plans to develop a branch of the program.
JYN began this operation at the start of the Spring school semester, recruiting 8 students from across high schools in the Jackson area. They meet twice a week after school hours, where the students learn writing and reporting skills for news production.
“ We’re really trying to expose them to all the different things that it takes to run a modern newsroom,” McGraw said. “ We’ve only been going for a few months now, but I feel like the students have gotten a real taste of what we want to be able to do on a sustained basis in the future.”
In addition to what they are learning in the JYN classroom, the students are getting out in the field and finding stories in the community. This way, they are getting the best of both worlds in developing their multimedia news skills.
“ They are being trained on how to be journalists, learn the basics, but not just that,” said Azia Wiggins, JYN Program Manager. “With getting out in the field and applying and refining those skills, we don’t want to be just an afterschool program, we want to be a living newsroom.”
McGraw echoed this same sentiment from Wiggins, adding that JYN is meant to build up students and improve journalistic capabilities.
“We’re not trying to compete with other news,” McGraw said. “We’re trying to enhance the newsroom’s ability to uplift these stories and youth perspectives to reach youth audiences.”
As for the students themselves, they have found the opportunities working with JYN to be beneficial in their path learning in journalism.
“It has been a great pleasure, I’ve been able to improve my writing and communication skills, get more involved in my city, and made relationships with people that I hope to maintain for a long time,” said Hannah King, senior at Murray High School.
King expressed that the camaraderie, she and the other students built between each other was key to their success over the semester.
“We got to work on stories with each other and that helped us grow stronger relationships,” King said. “We all related to each other being high school students, and communicated a lot with each other throughout the program.”
King is taking her experience in JYN with her for the future, both in going to college and beginning her career in writing.
“In August, I plan to attend Belhaven University, and I hope to continue work with JYN and The Bell to get more into journalism, which will help with launching my work as a creative writer.”
Student intern Zyquria McClendon shared on some of the newsroom operation she and the others carry out. The JYN space is striking a balance between in-class experiences and the field work that is so critical for students’ growth in their work.
“We’ve set up interviews, assigned stories to certain members, and went out to events like other newsrooms,” McClendon said. “We have lessons on journalism in-between. Taylor and Azia really pushed and encouraged us to grow closer and build relationships with one another.”
McClendon has been busy in JYN, but mentioned her favorite story as something she really enjoyed. As her first byline, she took a lot of pride in what she developed.
“My most notable story was when Laeyla (a fellow JYN student) and I covered the Teens Take the Lead Mayoral Candidate Forum,” McClendon said. “I was eager to have my name in a byline and showed it to everyone!”
Despite being in its early stages, McGraw and Wiggins want JYN to show students how important they are, and the great work they can do in the state. They also wish to expand the program to really grow with the area around them.
“ We want to show them there is a real ecosystem here for journalism and they are needed,” Wiggins said. “That way, if they decide to go to college here, they can come back here and work in Mississippi. This year we only scratched the surface of really collaborating with other media institutions. Our goal is to build out our pipeline and resources, because we want JYN to be something the community buys into.”
The Jackson Youth Newsroom is winding down its first semester in 2025, but will continue to promote young voices and connect with its local Jackson ecosystem, telling the stories that won’t be seen elsewhere.
For more information, visit bellvoices.org, jacksonyouthnews.org, or follow them on Instagram!
