‘Insightful’ Youth in Journalism Workshop wraps up another year

The Record North Shore‘s third Youth in Journalism Workshop is in the books.

Journalism-curious young adults from northern suburbs joined one of two sessions — a first for the program — this summer to learn more about newsrooms and the reporting process.

Aiden Levin, a Glencoe resident and rising junior at New York University, was one of 10 who signed up for the program and said the workshop offered plenty for anyone interested in the news.

“The workshop at The Record seems too good to be true, but it is indeed true,” he wrote to The Record after completing the workshop. “A free week-long seminar with snacks and drinks graciously provided, students get journalism knowledge from reporters in the local community. With a stipend to boot, even if you don’t have a keen interest in the subject, it is worth it to explore something new.”

The Record’s Editor in Chief Joe Coughlin and special guests led the free program, which was open to ages 16-22, and all accepted students were provided a $200 stipend to offset any travel costs or work hours potentially taken by the workshop.

The workshop aims to inform and enrich students’ understanding of the news industry. Each day, Coughlin reviewed different journalism concepts, such as ethics, media law, interviewing skills, and misinformation and how to identify it.

Visiting industry professionals provided depth and real-world perspective to the workshop. NBC Chicago anchor and reporter Patrick Fazio, food writer and TV personality Kevin Pang, retired editor and DePaul journalism professor Marla Krause and The Record reporter Samuel Lisec each offered unique stories from the field and about their journeys in journalism.

This year’s workshop was supported by the Digital Equity IMPACT Small Grants Program, which promotes digital inclusion through storytelling and community engagement. The Record’s youth workshop aligns with the program’s goal of “amplify(ing) community voices, address(ing) digital divides and creat(ing) impactful narratives that advocate for equitable digital access.”

The workshop also aligns with the mission of The Record, which is a nonprofit, independent community newsroom that also aims to enable a more understanding future of news consumer. The workshop accomplishes that, Coughlin said, by providing an inside look at news development and tips on how to identify misinformation.

Following the workshop’s conclusion, participants were sent an anonymous survey about the sessions. All responses as of press time have indicated positive experiences, with one participant summarizing:

“I enjoyed every aspect of the workshop — all the different discussions about media, interviewing and AI were insightful and gave me a better understanding of journalism!”

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