PEARL World Youth News
PEARL (Prepare and Educate Aspiring Reporters for Leadership) World Youth News is a partnership between iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) and the Daniel Pearl Foundation that aims to develop journalism skills among youth, while also broadening cross-cultural understanding. Secondary school students from around the world select issues to be reported, and write, edit and publish their articles on the web-based news service. Any school may reprint articles from PEARL World Youth News to add a global component to their local publications.
Communication Strategies
Articles written by students from around the world appear on the PEARL World Youth News website and schools may reprint these stories in their publications. According to the project organisers, articles published via the new service reflect a journalistic style, rather than opinion pieces, with emphasis on un-biased reporting and respect for a diversity of views. Through this editorial guideline, PEARL World Youth News aims to not only develop journalistic skills among students but also broaden cross-cultural understanding and provide a global youth perspective.
The opportunity to join the news service as a reporter is open to any high school student who successfully completes an online training and certification course designed for the project with the assistance of Karen Freeman from the New York Times and Professor Melvin Mencher, Professor Emeritus at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. The PEARL Reporter Certification Program aims to help students develop their skills to begin as international correspondents for a global youth news service. They learn about writing leads, finding sources and conducting interviews, as well as discuss reporting techniques and the ethics of journalism. Graduate students of journalism from Columbia University and New York University serve as evaluators for the certification programme.
According to the organisers, PEARL reporters and editors come from many different social and cultural backgrounds, and the news service seeks to reflect this diversity by covering a variety of issues and views. Using online forums, PEARL student reporters and editors work together to decide the issues to report on, conduct collaborative research and interviews, and edit articles. Its online structure aims to enable participating students to exchange questions and information and write about issues with balance and fairness. Editorial schools located around in Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and the US are responsible for editing news stories submitted for the different sections of the news service: news, features, entertainment, and music and performing arts. One Managing Editor school makes the final choice of stories to be published on PEARL World Youth News.
The opportunity to join the news service as a reporter is open to any high school student who successfully completes an online training and certification course designed for the project with the assistance of Karen Freeman from the New York Times and Professor Melvin Mencher, Professor Emeritus at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. The PEARL Reporter Certification Program aims to help students develop their skills to begin as international correspondents for a global youth news service. They learn about writing leads, finding sources and conducting interviews, as well as discuss reporting techniques and the ethics of journalism. Graduate students of journalism from Columbia University and New York University serve as evaluators for the certification programme.
According to the organisers, PEARL reporters and editors come from many different social and cultural backgrounds, and the news service seeks to reflect this diversity by covering a variety of issues and views. Using online forums, PEARL student reporters and editors work together to decide the issues to report on, conduct collaborative research and interviews, and edit articles. Its online structure aims to enable participating students to exchange questions and information and write about issues with balance and fairness. Editorial schools located around in Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and the US are responsible for editing news stories submitted for the different sections of the news service: news, features, entertainment, and music and performing arts. One Managing Editor school makes the final choice of stories to be published on PEARL World Youth News.
Development Issues
Youth
Key Points
The project was inspired by the life and work of Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was killed in Pakistan in 2002 who "brought people from various cultures closer through journalism. His skills as a foreign correspondent were apparent not only in the entertaining pieces that shed light on other cultures and customs but also in investigative stories that uncovered the truth from the rubble of war and devastation. PEARL encourages student journalists to uncover, report and write news stories in the spirit of Daniel Pearl and continue his legacy of building cross-cultural understanding."
Partners
iEARN (International Education and Resource Network), Daniel Pearl Foundation
Sources
Email from Ed Gragert to The Communication Initiative, April 13 2005 and
PEARL World Youth News website, January 30 2006.
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