On this episode we're joined by student journalists Poojasai Kona and Nico Fischer. They are wrapping up their time as this season's hosts for On Our Minds: Election 2024, a podcast run by the PBS News Hour Student Reporting Labs. Poojasai is an 11th grader at Frisco High School in Texas. Nico is an 11th grader at Santa Clara High School in California.

You'll also hear from Christine Zirneklis, the organization's director of communication and partnerships and Briget Ganske, youth media producer and lead podcast producer for Student Reporting Labs.

The two students, who come from vastly different backgrounds, share insights into the skills they've gained from working on the podcast (particularly the importance of gaining self-confidence), the need for diverse youth perspectives in media, and stories of their triumphs and rejections. They also talk about balancing school and their outside activities and managing their mental health.

Christine and Briget share some background on the program, what is so impressive about the students who work on it, and how other students can get involved. Both students saluted Student Reporting Labs, as well as ...

Poojasai's salutes: Neha Madhira, New Voices

Nico's salutes: Amanda Vigil, digital producer and youth specialist at KQED Public Radio and Washington Post reporter Arelis Hernández

Notable Links

Where to find On Our Minds Election 2024 (select your app of choice)

https://studentreportinglabs.org/on-our-minds/

Teen Vogue article referenced by Nico about conspiracy theories aimed at Latino men

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/conspiracy-theories-young-latino-men-gaming-sports-sites

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On this episode, we're joined by Tony Bartelme. Tony is the senior projects reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier, for whom he has worked for 35 years. He's a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist with one designation in four different categories (explanatory, breaking, feature, and local reporting).

He's also the author of 4 books, most recently A Surgeon in the Village, an American Doctor Teaches Brain Surgery in Africa in 2017. And he's done other recent reporting in both Greenland and Africa as well, as relates to the origin of hurricanes that have hit South Carolina.

Tony shared how his reporting on hurricanes came together, how an Elvis impersonator helped him explain what happened as they watched glaciers met, what goes into writing cinematically, and how an angeltree played a pivotal role in his career. He also discussed the evolving mission of local newspapers amid current media dynamics. 

Tony's salute: The Pulitzer Center

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On this episode we're joined by Diego Mendoza-Moyers. Diego is a reporter covering energy and the environment in western Texas for El Paso Matters for the last 2 years. He's previously worked for papers in San Antonio, Phoenix, and Albany N.Y. He's a graduate of Arizona State University.

El Paso Matters is a non-profit news website covering El Paso and the surrounding area in western Texas.

Diego discussed his approach to storytelling, how he sources his stories, and provided examples of stories he covers on his beat. He explained what makes El Paso such an interesting city to cover and shared how he's still learning as a journalist.

Diego's salutes: Houston Landing, Source New Mexico, Texas Monthly

Article examples:

An Ode to El Paso

Story about rare earth deposits

Impact of Trump Tariffs

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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On this episode, we're joined by Isabella Ramírez. Isabella just completed her tenure as editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator at Columbia University and President of Spectator Publishing Company. She is the first Latina to hold that position. She just received the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Student of the Year award.

One of the people who nominated her for the award said Isabella's leadership changed her campus.

Isabella led a staff covering protests against the Israel-Hamas War and the university's investments in Israel. That included a Gaza Solidarity encampment in April, the takeover of a campus building, Hamilton Hall, the subsequent arrests of hundreds of protesters by the NYPD, and the resignation of the school president. The protests at Columbia were a catalyst for other collegiate protests across the country. Isabella also represented The Spectator in national and international interviews.

Isabella discussed her journalistic leadership during campus protests, her approach to storytelling, managing, and teaching, and the significant internal and external challenges faced by The Spectator during her tenure. She also reflected on her heritage, how she manages her mental health, and her aspirations within journalism.

Isabella's salute: National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

An oral history of the protests written by Columbia students for New York Magazine

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/columbia-university-protests-israel-gaza-campus.html

An interview with Isabella on how the staff managed its mental health

https://mindsitenews.org/2024/05/08/a-student-journalist-on-how-her-team-coped-with-the-stress-of-covering-a-campus-under-siege/

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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On this episode, we're joined by North Carolina State University student journalist Erin Ferrare. Erin is a junior majoring in science, technology, and society with a specialization in science and technical writing.

She's also a sports writer for Technician, the school newspaper at NC State. She recently wrote a piece 'The Invisible Girl on Press Row' about the contrast in experiences between male and female writers in covering college sports and the Carolina Hurricanes.

And she's also written about how men's sports at her school have been more highlighted at her school than on social media.

Erin has also worked in science communication both at her school and at Yale.

I learned of Erin through Melissa Ludtke's newsletter, Let's Row Together – Melissa is a pioneer among women in sports journalism.

We talked to Erin about both her sportswriting and science writing experiences (an example of the latter, here), how she views her purpose as a journalist, and more.

Erin's salutes: Any woman pushing boundaries in women's sports and also research communication lead Matt Shipman.

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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In this episode, Mark Simon interviews science journalist and NYU grad student Humberto Basilio, who covers stories about science globally, with an emphasis on Latin America. Humberto's stories touch on climate change, biodiversity, and vulnerable communities across the globe, as well as many other topics.

Humberto discussed one example of his approach to a story, a piece about desert racers in Chile destroying ancient art that ran in The New York Times and a story about the future of science in Venezuela.

He also shared insights into his featured essay in 'The Craft of Science Writing' (edited by past podcast guest Siri Carpenter) and his methods for pitching stories to major outlets. Humberto revealed the challenges and rewards of being a freelance journalist and emphasized the impact of journalism on personal perspective.

Humberto's salutes: Science writer Alexa Robles Gil and The Mexican Network of Science Journalists.

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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On this episode we're joined by Tamika Smith. Tamika is the local host of All Things Considered on WAMU in Washington D.C. She has been with the station since 2014. She's worked in radio as a host, producer, and reporter. She also worked in print journalism as a managing editor for Patch.

Tamika discussed her passion for storytelling, her Caribbean heritage's impact, and the empathy she brings to her work. The conversation touches on lessons from her career, how a show is put together, her significant investigative series on sickle cell disease, and the importance of diversity and careful language in journalism. 

Tamika's salute: NPR's Michel Martin

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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On this episode, we talk to students who attended the Journalism Education Association's national convention in Philadelphia, November 7-10. We got their perspective on how they view journalism and why it's important to them, as well as their take on the president-elect calling journalists the enemy.

Student Journalists we spoke to:

* Sophie Nguyen, Granite Bay High School, California (1:21)

* Ghost Taylor, Olathe East High School, Olathe, Kansas (12:38)

* Linus Bossardt, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Los Angeles (15:29)

* Jenny Marquez, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Los Angeles (18:29)

* Hannah Berk, Pulitzer Center (21:28)

* Allesandra Tremulis, Carlmont High School, Carlmont California (23:00)

* C.J. Getting, Naperville High, Naperville, Illinois (33:55)

* Vivian Kumpf, Delaware Hayes High, Delaware, Ohio (35:41)

* Juliana Yao, Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Pennsylvania (39:07)

* Anna Herr Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana (41:57)

* Oskar Doepke (44:12), American School in London

* Sophia Bateman (47:19), American School in London

* Rena Felde (49:18), Redondo Union High School, Los Angeles

* Student newspaper tribute (37:19)

- The Spoke- Conestoga High, Berwyn, PA

- Comet- Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana

- The Dispatch- James Bowie High School, Austin Tx

- Eastside- Cherry Hill East, Cherry Hill, NJ

- The Nexus- Westview High School, San Diego, CA

- The Redwood Bark- Redwood High School, Larkspur, CA

Advisors saluted

- Julie Francesconi, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, California

- Adriana Chavira, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Los Angeles

- Lindsey Skaggs, Olathe East High School, Olathe, Kansas

- Cyndi Hyatt, former advisor, Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Pennsylvania

- Kristina Collard, Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana

- Keith Carlson, Naperville High School, Naperville, Illinois

- Julianne McLain, Delaware Hayes High School, Delaware, Ohio

- Louisa Avery, American School in London, London, England

- Justin Raisner, Carlmont High School, Carlmont, California

Also saluted

- Journalist Kitty Felde

- Washington Post reporter, Arelis Hernández

- Sophia Bassi, student, Columbia University 

Articles of note

- Why Does Wellness Notify My Parents by Sophie Nguyen

https://granitebaytoday.org/why-does-wellness-notify-my-parents/

- Hidden Narratives, Individual Realities of Student Drug Dealing by Allesandra Tremulis

https://scotscoop.com/hidden-narratives-individual-realities-of-student-drug-dealing/

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ben Kaplan, a VP in the sports and entertainment industry and a former Division III basketball player, who is the co-author of 'Pipelines to the Pros: How D3 Small College Nobodies Rose to Rule the NBA' with Danny Parkins.

Ben wanted to talk about how a non-journalist learns journalism on the fly for the purpose of writing a book, so that's what we did!

We look at the lessons he learned along the way about how a book needs a throughline, how to interview prominent people (like former NBA head coaches Jeff Van Gundy and Stan Van Gundy) and dig for anecdotes they haven't shared before, and how to fight through the struggles of being a first-time author.

Ben's salutes: Chris Herring, Mirin Fader, Chris Ballard, Jeff Pearlman, and Jeff Passan

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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On this episode, we’re joined by Stella Mackler. Stella is a junior at Davidson College in North Carolina. Stella was co-editor in chief of her college’s newspaper, The Davidsonian, this past year and spent considerable time reporting on student reaction to the war in Gaza. Additionally, she’s done an independent reporting podcast project on the Jewish community in Moldova, written a freelance piece for The Forward, and spent several months as a researcher on a book about the history of Sesame Street.

Stella is double majoring in environmental studies and Arab studies. She lives in Atlanta and is currently studying abroad in Cambodia.

Stella’s salute: WABE, 90.1 FM – Atlanta’s NPR affiliate.

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to [email protected]

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