J-Night

2024

Photo by Dulce Marquez

An evening to remember

Photo by Alexa Pacheco

On Monday, June 3, nearly 200 journalists, policy leaders, funders, students, and educators came together at The Paley Center for Media to support the movement for youth journalism equity in New York City.

Currently only about 1 in 4 NYC public high schools has a student news outlet (Baruch College, 2022). Our vision is a future in which every young person growing up in the city has access to journalism opportunities both in and out of school.

YJC’s Journalism for All initiative is working to bring that vision to life. The initiative includes a groundbreaking high school journalism curriculum being developed by experts from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, teacher professional development opportunities, and additional support and resources from YJC member organizations.

J-Night featured and celebrated the student and adults who are leading this collective effort.

Watch the full event recording

We had a few special guests…

Photo by Adanna Taylor

“Journalism is not just like any other extracurricular activity that you might get involved in in school. It really is a way to ensure that a multiracial democracy is served by a multiracial press. And what that means is that those who write the narrative of our country, those who determine what policies we should accept, those who determine the country that we are going to live in, are actually reflective of the country that we live in.”

— Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, The New York Times Magazine

Photo by Adanna Taylor

“Stories we tell [and] who gets to tell them matters profoundly in shaping our community and our world. …We must use this opportunity to learn from each other, challenge our assumptions, and commit to a future where every student in our city has a chance to find their voice through journalism. … I will be your ally, your champion, and your friend at City Hall.”

— Rita Joseph, NYC Council Member (CD 40), Education Committee Chair

Photo by Adanna Taylor

“In an era where misinformation is rampant, it is in our best interest to cultivate healthy news diets. Good information is empowering and we must strive to make sure our young people are both creators and consumers of high-quality media. As the media capital of the world, New York City has a unique responsibility and opportunity to uplift young voices in this field.”

— Selvena Brooks-Powers, NYC Council Member (CD 31), Majority Whip

Unheard: The Missing Voices of Student Journalism

J-Night featured the world premiere of Unheard: The Missing Voices of Student Journalism, a documentary produced by The Studio at Reel Works in collaboration with The Bell. The film covers the journalism equity gap in New York City and the work that YJC and its member organizations are doing to close it.

If you are interested in organizing a documentary screening, reach out to us at info@youthjournalismnyc.org.

Where do we go from here?

Youth and adult journalists laid out plans and hopes for the future of youth journalism in New York City.

(Left to right) Katelynn Seetaram (Pace High School), Fredlove Deshommes (Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice), Josefa Velásquez (Economics and Equity editor, WNYC/Gothamist), and Katina Paron, (Curriculum Lead, CUNY Newmark Graduate School of Journalism) discuss the Journalism for All initiative. Photo by Alexa Pacheco