08 Sep EdSource: Contra Costa High School Students Win International Journalism Award

(Photo by Sanket Mishra on Pexels)

By Emma Gallegos
EdSource

High school students in Contra Costa County are receiving international recognition for their journalism.

An international jury awarded the Contra Costa Youth Journalism program and its fiscal sponsor, the Bay City News Foundation, the Global Youth & News Media Prize Award for Journalism, according to CC Spin.

CCYJ is a collaborative effort between high school students and professional news organizations. Students attend a journalism bootcamp and are paired with professional mentors. Students receive lessons on the fundamentals of news gathering, ethics and writing, as well as the importance of a free press and the First Amendment and diversity, equity and inclusion. The Contra Costa County Office of Education has been an early supporter of the program since it launched in spring 2024.

“Even at a high school level, these students are more than capable of producing professional-level stories and informing what’s happening in their community,” said Bruce Koon, program coordinator for CCYJ.

Students’ stories are professionally edited and published on CC Spin as well as Local News Matters, which offers stories free of charge to news organizations.

“The Contra Costa Youth Journalism program is a strong model for empowering secondary school students from underserved districts to fill local news gaps and increase diversity in journalism by training them in journalism fundamentals,” the judges stated.

The Bayonne, France-based Global Youth & News Media awards organizations that educate the world’s youth population in journalism and encourages them to pursue a career in the field. Co-founder, president and executive director Aralynn McMane said this year’s awards “honored news companies that gave youth real power in helping local journalism survive.”