We Say #NeverAgain: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists

by Melissa Falkowski, Eric Garner Narrated by Melissa Falkowski, Eric Garner, The Parkland Student Journalists

Overview

A journalistic look at the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and the fight for gun control--as told by the student reporters for the school's newspaper and TV station.

This timely and media-driven approach to the Parkland shooting, as reported by teens in the journalism and broadcasting programs and in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas newspaper, is an inside look at that tragic day and the events that followed that only they could tell.

It showcases how the teens have become media savvy and the skills they have learned and honed--harnessing social media, speaking to the press, and writing effective op-eds. Students will also share specific insight into what it has been like being approached by the press and how that has informed the way they interview their own subjects.


Read by Melissa Falkowski, Eric Garner, and the Parkland Student Journalists: Suzanna Barna, Chris Cahill, Nyan Clarke, Einav Cohen, Daniel Cuervo, Ryan Deitsch, Richard Doan, Abby Dowd, Brianna Fisher, Zoe Gordon, Augustus Griffith, Jr., Sam Grizelj, David Hogg, Daniella Infantino, Zakari Kostzer, Jordyn Laudanno, Christy Ma, Lewis Mizen, Lauren Newman, Nikhita Nookala, Carly Novell, Andy Pedroza, Josh Riemer, Carlitos Rodriguez, Dara Rosen, Rebecca Schneid, Leni Steinhardt, Delaney Tarr, Kevin Trejos, and Daniel Williams


"One thing is clear: The Parkland students are smart, media savvy, and here to fight for common sense gun laws." --Hello Giggles


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of essay*copyright information.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

11/12/2018
Falkowski and Garner, teachers of journalism and broadcasting, respectively, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, offer gripping introductions to this compelling anthology of student writing. Falkowski writes an immediate account of the Feb. 2018 events; Garner underscores the duality of the contributors’ post-tragedy lives, describing the journalism and broadcasting students whose sense of security was shattered yet who were galvanized to become “on the outside, activists, and on the inside, journalists.” Reconciling those roles and advocating for gun legislation reform and school safety are recurring themes. The students also speak about their indignation at being accused of being publicity-seeking “crisis actors” for appearing in media interviews and participating in the March for Our Lives movement. Throughout, the students express appreciation for peers and faculty who exhibited courage during the shootings, and they stress the importance of journalistic integrity. An impressive roundup of eloquent, well-reasoned, and inspiring writing. Ages 14–up. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"An arresting account of capable young people drawn together by a journalistic mission even as they negotiate their own grief, fear, and anger.... simultaneously raw and poised." —Bulletin, starred review

"Frank and sincere. . . . A book like this shouldn’t have to exist, and yet it does—and for that reason alone, it deserves a space in all libraries." —Booklist, starred review

"[E]ach piece is powerfully written and adds another necessary thread to a growing national dialogue." —SLJ 

"An impressive roundup of eloquent, well-reasoned, and inspiring writing." —PW

"Falkowski adds eloquent arguments for the importance of high school journalism programs and independent student-run school newspapers." —Kirkus

Kirkus Reviews

2018-09-02

Ruminations from student journalists in the wake of the Feb. 14, 2018, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings.

Edited by two MSD teachers who themselves write of their experiences on that day, the short essays focus primarily on the students' ongoing emotional states and general observations about the decidedly mixed treatment they received in the tragedy's aftermath from the press, politicians, and over social media. These are interspersed with tributes to select individuals who performed "Extraordinary Acts" and also with photos that, being nearly all uncaptioned, provide more atmosphere than information. Young grass-roots activists will find no specific reform agenda here, though several contributors do offer savvy general advice. If some of the prose is less than stellar, there are plenty of mature, thoughtful insights to compensate: "We are navigating our way through our grief, which includes guilt," writes Carly Novell. "We can live and remember, but we can't live our lives stuck on February 14." Unlike David and Lauren Hogg's #NeverAgain (2018), this is less a coherent manifesto than a chorus of individual voices feeling pain, describing learning experiences, discovering the heady power of collective action—and expressing determination that, when it comes to real change, "it didn't happen after Columbine in 1999, but it will happen now." Debut author and editor Falkowski adds eloquent arguments for the importance of high school journalism programs and independent student-run school newspapers.

Scattershot but cogent and encouraging. (MSD media awards, contributor profiles) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172111334
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

The Events of February 14
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "We Say #NeverAgain: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Melissa Falkowski.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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