We’re Teen Journalists, and We’re Fighting Gun Violence

In this op-ed, high school journalist Malavika Kannan explores the powerful position of teen journalists in the fight against gun violence.

We were nowhere, until we were everywhere. We were silent, until raising our voices became our only option. We were teenagers, until all of a sudden we had the rage and strength of millions Americans behind us, and we realized that it was up to us to speak our truths.

We are student journalists, and we are using our power to change the world.

Growing up in an era of mass shootings, teen journalists have been at the center of a whirlwind of violence. We’ve been raised in a terrifying world of lockdown drills, death tolls, and moments of silence and fear. Mass shootings aren’t new to us. But the #MarchForOurLives movement is. Because for the first time, we’re not the victims of history — we’re its makers. And right now, journalism is our greatest weapon.

For the past two months, we’ve started to make headlines, literally. Not only have young activists consistently made front pages, but teen journalists are also publishing their voices and speaking their truths. We’re writing editorials in our school newspapers. We’re amplifying our voices in major magazines like Teen Vogue. And we’re even gaining recognition — for example, earlier this week, the Washington Post released an arresting documentary about Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s student newspaper, The Eagle Eye.

We’re telling our stories, and now the world is listening.

As a journalist for my own school newspaper, The Seminole, I’ve experienced firsthand what it’s like to begin reporting on gun violence before you even have a journalism degree. When my school lost an alum in the 2016 Pulse shooting, we found ourselves telling a personal story that the major papers did not cover. We learned to use our insider’s perspective and personal connections in order to invest ourselves into the story of someone who mattered to us. In doing so, we conveyed the local and emotional impact of our loss in a way that the bigger outlets couldn’t.

Then, when 400 students walked out of my school last month, we wrote about the walkout from a student’s perspective. And when we did, we captured the nuance and passion for change that the TV soundbites glossed over, because we shared a common understanding with the peers we were interviewing. That’s when I realized that as student journalists, we have both the obligation and the opportunity to write about gun violence as it directly affects us.

And this is especially important to the student journalists of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Last month, MSD broadcast students released MSD Strong, a 27-minute documentary that focuses on MSD’s efforts to surmount the devastating tragedy. Comprised of exclusive interviews and footage of their fellow students, the documentary provides an intimate perspective on a healing community. The intent of the student journalists behind MSD Strong is not to dwell on tragedy, but to focus on how youth emerge from its aftermath. By documenting the resilience and strength of the MSD community in the wake of the shooting, MSD Strong serves as a testament to the power of journalism to mend communities.

“After the shooting we had two weeks off. Our TV production teacher [Mr. Eric Garner] texted us and said we were going to do a documentary,” said student producer and junior Alexa Zarem. “The point of it was to show people what’s going on in the school in a way that the news can’t. But I know for a lot of us it helped us heal from what happened because we had something to watch and remember the 17 [victims] by.”

Alyssa Marrero, a sophomore broadcast student, told me that the documentary’s coverage differs from that of major news organizations because it focuses on memorializing the positive results of the tragedy, rather than sensationalizing the negativity.

“The darker side is what the professionals are covering. Since it hit us at home, we want to show everyone the brighter side of it,” she said. “We’re able to show the world that yes, this is a tragedy, but good is going to come out of it. We’re not going to make their deaths irrelevant. We’re going to fight for it to be better.”

The film covers several key moments in MSD’s journey towards recovery, including the nationwide #NeverAgain protests, the first day back to school after the tragedy, and the determination of students to make a difference. It features interviews from MSD’s principal, as well as prominent student activists like Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, and Delaney Tarr.

“The documentary is about the activism and mourning, and how we’re trying to help America make better laws,” sophomore Sam Griselj said. “This activism is leading us to get better gun control, and working on the documentary was a great experience.”

Part of the students’ motivation to produce MSD Strong was to combat the overwhelming misrepresentation and belittling of student activists. The accusation that they are “crisis actors” — a smear tactic sometimes employed by those who wish to discredit those fighting for gun control — convinced them of the importance of telling their authentic story.

“When you’re a journalist, you’re trying your best to explain exactly what happened. And when people go in and call you crisis actors, it’s a horrible feeling, because you’re trying to tell your story and people won’t listen,” said junior Arianna Casamento.

“I’ve seen the people that they’re calling crisis actors in the hallways and in my classrooms,” Alyssa added. “David [Hogg] is one of the TV students, and Cameron [Kasky] is in my class … They’re trying to make it fake. It hurts because we’re not acting; these are our reactions.”

The journalists started work on the documentary when they returned to school. For many, recording the recovery process — which included therapy dogs and counselors — became a form of therapy in itself, with over 50 students dedicating themselves to the project in order to make their deadline.

“[MSD] did the segment #ReclaimTheNest. In a day, I went out and edited for about 14 hours because we had such little time,” said Alexa. “Everyone from the [MSD] TV class had a part in it. We got all the footage sent to us from everyone who helped us with other segments; then we sat down and we put it all together.”

They especially enjoyed filming the outpouring of love and support from high school students and alumni in the form of posters and video messages. Schools from across the nation pitched in, submitting footage from the weeks that the MSD students weren’t at school. The opening sequence of the film — a montage of dozens of posters sent in from other schools — is only a fraction of the support they’ve received, according to student producer Zakari Kostzer.

“I didn’t expect so many people to come together to help us out! It was truly amazing,” said Zakari. “The feedback has been incredible. When we showed [it]... to students, they absolutely loved what we had put together and they were happy to see that we are getting through the hard times.”

For several broadcast students, the documentary was a powerful opportunity to rise to the occasion and serve the community as real, professional journalists. Casamento told me that just weeks before the shooting, she had been taping film of football games and track meets. All of a sudden, she found herself reporting on the deadliest school shooting of the year.

“Going from having to film [sports] to having to film about a shooting, the way I convey things has become different. This is a learning experience, and although I never wanted to learn what [a shooting] was like, it’s an experience that’s going to change my life,” she said. “I didn’t need this to happen, but now I have an understanding, and I can convey things like this.”

The journalists hope that the documentary can become a catalyst for good, demonstrating the resilience and fortitude of the MSD community to the rest of the world.

“MSD is not going to go down without a fight. We’re not going to let [the victims] die in vain. We want to be the last major school shooting, and we don’t want anyone else to have to worry or experience what we went through. It’s not something anyone should experience,” Alyssa said.

The entirety of the MSD Strong documentary can be found on YouTube, and it’s well worth a watch for any aspiring young journalist. Because here’s the thing — in a world where tragedies are occurring faster than we can heal from them, it’s necessary to take a step back and consider the importance of honoring, memorializing, and learning from our stories.

Today, student journalism is everything. It’s the catalyst for change. It’s the understanding that we are not just students, but members of a changing society, and as such, it is our responsibility to harness our own power and embody the changes we wish to see. It is up to us to recognize our individual potency to transform the world — not with our fingers on a trigger, but around a camera or pen.

And that’s a pretty powerful thing.

Related: What Would Happen If Students Walked Out Until Gun Laws Changed?