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NABJ to Vote on Admitting High School Students

By Darryl D. Smith
Black College Wire

High school students could reap the benefits of membership in the National Association of Black Journalists if a proposed amendment to the group�s constitution is adopted during elections set for Aug. 5.

But while this might help high school students enhance their journalistic skills, some NABJ members worry that the organization might be hurt by taking on a new challenge while already struggling to provide for its 1,295 collegiate journalists.

Others say that it is better to start new journalists out young to help increase the talent pool needed to ensure diversity in the newsrooms in the future.

The proposal, made by student representative Caleb Wilkerson, reads:

�Student membership shall also include high school students who indicate a strong interest in pursuing a journalism career.�

If this proposal passes by winning two-thirds of the votes cast, the rights, dues, responsibilities and benefits of the new young members would be recommended by NABJ�s membership committee. Only the professionals may vote on the proposed amendment.

NABJ needs to �continue its work with young college journalists, the group of kids that are about to enter the workforce,� said Derick Hackett, director of student media at Southern University in Baton Rouge. �We need to enhance and get them better prepared so they can make a contribution to the journalistic field. [NABJ] needs to focus more on the collegiate African Americans getting into the field and then stretch out to the high schools.�

Many professionals attending the NABJ annual convention in Atlanta supported the amendment, including some newsroom recruiters.

�The size of the pool of talent will go up for newspapers to diversify their newsroom,� said Steve Proctor, deputy managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. �If allowing high school students to be members of NABJ gets more people interested in journalism, it will increase the number of talented minority candidates out there for newspapers. I will be in favor of anything that increases the talent pool.�

Other journalism organizations allow high school students to join with limited benefits. For example, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists lets high school students participate in convention student projects and internships, and receive scholarships. The membership fee is $25.

The Native American Journalists Association gives high schoolers a discount on the convention fee and allows membership for $10.

High school students may join the Asian American Journalists Association as well. They may attend conferences. Their membership fee is $25.

These young members are not allowed to vote in those organizations.

At the convention, opinions varied on the issue:

Asked whether high school students would be welcome at the convention job fair, recruiter Lailany Mierre of ESPN said, �With the work we do at ESPN, we look for students who are at the junior and senior level at their collegiate career. We can�t allow high school students to just jump into it. That makes it more difficult for us.�

Photo credit: Darryl D. Smith ESPN recruiters Stuart Scott and Lailany Mierre said students should attend job fair.

In the recruiting booth, her colleague, Stuart Scott, an on-air personality for SportsCenter, said that it was beneficial for anyone to have the experience of participating in the convention events and job fair.

�This is a good experience if you�re 20 with no job . . . or if you�re 16 years old and you know you want to be in the field,� he said. �This will help get your leg up on the field. Of course, you have to know how to conduct yourself. You can�t come here acting silly. It gives you a taste of the real world four or five years before you get to it.�

Danny Butler, a Bearden High School student from Knoxville, Tenn., who is attending his fourth NABJ convention, said, �I think it would be great support for them, and I think it would be a really good opportunity for some older members to be able to help out the younger generations.�

Several members approve of admitting high school juniors and seniors, as they might be more sure they want to concentrate on a journalism career than a younger student might be.

�If you know that early on that�s what you want to do, that�s fine,� said Margo Stann, who thinks NABJ should remain an adult organization. �However, I still think you need to explore to see what you want to do.�

For those who know they want to be journalists, membership would help them get �insight on what to expect in the field,� said Angel S. Longino, a junior at Jackson State University.

Some conventioneers suggested alternatives, such as starting a high school mentoring program to attract young people to journalism. Others favored holding a convention geared toward high school students.

Whether the amendment passes, some members said, one thing is for certain: NABJ does need to cater toward the next generation.

Rahwa Asmerom of CNN described the potential benefit of NABJ membership for high school students.

�I would not have gotten interested in journalism if I did not learn about it in high school,� she said.

Darryl D. Smith is a mass communications junior at Grambling State University. Joi Gilliam and Kendrick Marshall also contributed to this story.

Posted Aug. 4, 2005