Feather promotes news engagement, campus involvement

While the generation that fills today’s high schools has grown up immersed in technology, many students do not take the time to read or engage with the news. The Feather Online hopes to change the way students view their relationship with the news on News Engagement Day, Oct. 6. The Feather encourages to share their thoughts on how they get their news and why does news matter, whether via print, online, or social media. Either leave comments below or drop by the lab to be entered into this article as it will be updated often.

UPDATE: Oct. 6, 2015

Upon hearing about the plans that the Feather held for National News Engagement Day, Fresno Bee Metro Editor, Tim Weber, paid a visit to FC to observe the event. In the morning, Weber stopped by the lab to speak with Feather staffers about his work with the Bee and his recommendations to young journalists.

After sitting in on the Feather’s NNED presentation, Weber left several remarks regarding his opinion on NNED and advice on informing students and apathetic citizens about the news.

“Let’s pretend the governor was about to sign a bill that made it illegal for anyone 18 years or younger to consume energy products,” Weber said. “If you are disengaged, you won’t find out about this until you go to the store and you cannot purchase the drink you wanted. If you had been engaged, you might have seen news stories about the idea and could have written a letter or email to the governor asking him to not sign the bill. This is what being engaged is about in a democracy — people taking action. They can only do that when they are informed.”

Weber also explained how the Fresno Bee works to capture the attention of younger audiences by utilizing modern tools, such as social media.

“We post videos with many of our new stories now so news can be watched as well as read, which should appeal to youth,” Weber said. “We also promote and share our coverage through main social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. We are starting to do more with Instagram as well. Our main goal is to make our news content relevant to readers; whether they engage with it is up to them.”

Original Article: Oct. 2, 2015

Last year, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC) formed the first annual News Engagement Day (NNED). In the past, the Journalism Education Association (JEA) has also sponsored this event in hopes of drawing more students to news outlets.

Over the previous year, the Feather made a point to maintain community involvement by attending a variety of events. These events included the San Joaquin Town Hall Lecture series, Hope Fresno, the Civil War Reenactment, The Big Fresno Fair, the annual FC College Information Night and the Rough fire.

Since the school year commenced in August, the Feather has covered several local events. One of the topics that has had a large impact on the FC community is the Rough fire. Staffers are continually working to provide information on the fire as a number of campus families have homes in the Hume Lake area and many attend camps and/or going camping in the area during the summer months.

Throughout the week, the Feather has been spreading awareness about News Engagement Day via a variety of announcements, articles and social media posts. The Feather not only wants to cover community events, but also hopes to be a source of campus news.

In honor of National News Engagement Day, Feather staffers are also hosting a press conference during chapel on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The staff has already invited local television stations and The Fresno Bee to participate in the 20-minute assembly. They will share ways to get engaged with campus news as well as encouraging interaction with local news outlets, starting at 9:55 a.m. after a couple of worship songs and announcements start the assembly at 9:35.

Senior editors-in-chief Chloe Mueller and Rees Roggenstein will be presenting information about the event and its effects on civil liberties. Sophomore staffer, Mariana Fikse, will take a few moments to provide encouragement to students interested in news and current events and will share the importance of the First Amendment Rights. Senior Justin Houts will talk about the importance of why news matters, relating it both to students and the general pubic.

The Feather is the prime source of local news for campus students. Staffers will offer their hopes for the future, and explain they believe their peer should engage with the news. This is an issue dear to the Feather, because without a school population that shares their voices, there would be no opportunity for the Feather to exist.

Conversational informant
Cayla Rivas, ’18
Oct. 6, 2015

“News engagement day was very informative and gave me a lot of information that I didn’t know. I engage in the news by using social media and talking to my friends about things going on in the world.”

Bleacher Fan
Alex Rurik, ’19
Oct. 6, 2015

“My favorite news source is Bleacher Report. It not only gives news, but also opinion on different sports articles. Overall, the major importance of today is exercising our personal rights.”

Early Bird
Olivia Quebe, ’16
Oct. 6, 2015

“I would have to say my favorite source of news is the 5 o’clock news in the morning, because it’s a fast way to get news to people who are leaving before they go to either school or work for the day. When you go out into the world, it’s important to be informed. It’s a privilege to live here, so why not make the most of it?”

Sport report
Suky Cheema, ’19
Oct. 4, 2015

“I think keeping in touch with sports is a really good part of news, because sometimes you don’t get as much information as you need about your team or about somebody else’s team. I think it’s really helpful that you see the news to get that information.”

Balanced consumer
Rees Roggenstein, ’16
Oct. 2, 2015

“My favorite source of news is watching CNN and Fox on the television. I like to switch between the two so I can get both perspectives on a particular topic or issue that has come up. I think it’s important to get as many perspectives on a issue before I start forming my own opinion on anything, that way I have a more balanced outlook on the topic.”

Fox news enthusiast
Mariana Fikse, ’18
Oct. 2, 2015

“I usually look at Fox news, I think it’s the most reliable source and is updated very quickly. They usually have breaking news. News engagement day is a really great day for students to realize how important the news is, especially in our school, because we have the Feather and we get to experience firsthand what journalism is all about.”

Seniors Rees Roggenstein and Chloe Mueller chat about the upcoming news event and encourage student participation. They want to know where viewers get their news and how do they share it? The video, News Engagement Day 2015, can also be viewed from The Feather Online on Vimeo.

Television examiner
Justin Houts, ’16
Oct. 1, 2015

“My favorite way to get involved with the news is by watching it on television. News Engagement Day is a chance for us all to pay more attention to current issues and learn more about the world we live in.”

In support of school newspapers
Jenny King, ’17
Oct. 1, 2015

“It’s awesome that we have the choice to express out opinions and thoughts through our student newspaper. Having a school newspaper gives students a voice and knowledge about news events around us. It’s important to be aware of world events and news around you because you receive a better understanding and you can formulate an opinion.”

Appreciative author
Matthew Sue, ’18
Oct. 1, 2015

“Currently, I know virtually nothing about News Engagement Day, but I definitely appreciate the news a lot more now that I’ve been writing for the Feather. I can see the work that goes into it.”

Forming global connections
Jaden Ventura, ’18
Oct. 1, 2015

“News Engagement Day is a way to reach people and tell them why reading the news is important. It’s a day to inform the people. News helps you stay connected with events happening all over the world. My favorite source of news is the New York Times because it covers interesting events occurring around the globe.”

A poll was taken by AEJMC this past year and found that 95% of people could not name all five freedoms in the First Amendment. How many do you know?

For more information on News Engagement Day, read their 2015 press release. They also have a Pinterest site for those who want to post photos engaging with media leading up to and during News Engagement Day and beyond. The Feather staff is also hoping Fresno Christian students, teachers and supporters will share why news matters to them AND how they engage with he news. Please post comments, write a letter to the editor, submit photos and/or post on social media using #newsengagementday and tag @thefeather.

For coverage on News Engagement Day 2014, read National News Engagement Day: Join the discussion (VIDEO) and National News Engagement Day, Oct. 7, 2014.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @chloealxa and via email: Chloe Mueller.