A Discussion With Gen Z Journalists
 | Author:
Nancy Marks, MT43 News Reporter
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
A Discussion with Gen Z Journalists
Nancy Marks
MT43 News Reporter
Editorial Column: Mt43News writer Nancy Marks: "I attended the second annual Montana Free Press news service conference in Bozeman recently. The keynote speakers were outstanding: Jon Tester, former CIA operative Tim Weiner, Author Tom McGuane of Boulder and Barry Beach, convicted of killing his high school classmate in 1979, served 30 years and then was pardoned for the crime he did not commit. While these speakers gave powerful messages, none stood out more to me than this one."
The session was titled "Youth Newsrooms Hope from Gen Z Journalists." Veteran independent journalist Maritsa Georgiou moderated the discussion. The four women in the panel are editors of their school newspapers or successful freelance writers, all under the age of 30.
In answering the question Where is Today’s News? Former University of Montana Kaimin editor and Bozeman Daily Chronicle writer Claire Bernard explained Gen Z is the most informed generation but at the same time the most misinformed generation yet. “People are extremely aware of what’s going on in the world so we must present current events in a way that people don’t ordinarily receive. The facts must interest them,” she said.
She explained the reason Gen Zers are not engaged with today’s journalism is because Gen Zers are not tied to the larger media and see no reason to care. “We need to be reached at where we are. We have something to say in our own way.”
She gave TikTok, the controversial social media platform, as an example where Gen Zers prove they have something to say to the world in their own fashion.
Montana State University Exponent Editor in Chief Amanda Fulton explained that because of all information floating out there, apathy among her peers is the biggest problem. She works at trying to find a way out of apathy by searching out the facts and holding people accountable. Using that style of reporting and being “out in her village” she called it, helps her build trust among her peers.
Fulton continued her generation are living on their phones, not engaging with the larger world, so apathy through social media becomes a coping mechanism. She explained that engaging critically with news is uncomfortable. “So social media reinforces being comfortable.”
She concluded that social media for Gen Zers is a “bubble of our own experiences.” In any case, social media is not going away. She said journalists must learn how to use it to get out the facts.
Bernard concurred: “At the same time, it has made us hungry for deeper understanding of information.”
Where do algorithms fit in today’s reporting? Freelance journalist Bernard pointed out journalists have more tools to work with than any reporters have had previously. She said those, such as algorithms and ChatGPT, account for stronger writing based on more available data bases. She thought those tools allow for more innovative and exciting writing that really interests the reader.
All the speakers felt that algorithms were not to be feared, instead put to work to further in-depth reporting. They pointed out the need to use the tools, not ignore or abuse them in writing.
A third question was What Gives You Hope? Charles M. Russell High School newspaper Editor Malena Gangi expressed great hope in high school journalists who are included in events such as Montana Free Press’s Conference. Gangi, who has earned state and regional awards for her work with her high school newspaper, said while her paper’s content may be somewhat censored, she is trying to delve into issues that affect the students rather than covering events.
Bernard said the conference gives her hope because interacting with published writers and journalists emphasizes the moment: “You came all this way to talk to me? It is so powerful to ask people their story and really listen in a meaningful way.”
Should journalists of this time worry about whether the facts will be covered and shared in the future by new journalists, she promised: “Don’t worry, guys – we got it!”
As an observer of these amazing three young people, I was convinced our work at MT43News is the right action to take in these turbulent times. And I won’t worry about who will take the lead when our writers, editors and producers step down.
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks, MT43 New Photographer
Image 1 Caption: High school, college and freelance journalists discuss Gen Z journalism at Montana Free Press Conference in Bozeman at Montana State University. From left: Moderator Maritsa Georgiou, freelance journalist and former Kaimin newspaper editor Claire Bernard, Charles M. Russell High School student newspaper editor Malena Gangi and MSU Exponent newspaper editor-in-chief Amanda Fulton.
Nancy Marks, MT43 New Photographer
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