High school journalism is more than what the average student sees in the morning news. It’s about finding the story, writing with purpose, and learning how to ask questions, all while being creative. Journalism programs can be fun while in school, but also a gateway to getting into professional journalism. 

Under the lights 

(from left) Juniors Aubrey Wheeler and Lillian Fiorella anchor for the Nov. 24 morning news segment. As anchors, their job is to read from the teleprompter using lighting and other visual cues. This job instills anxiety in some who fear mispronunciations or getting lost on the teleprompter. But when the red light comes on, indicating “on air”, some anchors find it exhilarating. 

Behind the scenes 

On the other side of the anchors are the camera people who give cues, as well as truck, pan, and tilt for the appropriate composition each morning. They move in the direction of the director who speaks to them from the control room.

In the control room 

The control room is where the magic happens. The audio engineer adjusts the anchors’ microphone levels and sets the music choice for the intro and outro of the episodes. The switcher, also known as the technical director, is responsible for readying previews and playing pre-recorded videos. The graphics operator prepares the animated menu of corner and full-screen images that appear during the show. They also launch crawls, messages that run at the base of the live screen. Last, the teleprompter operator scrolls the text feed at the reading pace of the anchors. He or she uses a series of keystrokes to keep pace with the anchors’ read words. All of the equipment and its operators are integral to the success of the daily show. 

The news studio is a place of community and teamwork where everyone has a place to help and learn in the company of people who have many shared interests.