Our opinion: Join us as we celebrate Student Press Freedom Day

At a time when misinformation and disinformation spreads at the speed of online keystrokes and sound bites sent out over the airwaves and through cable networks and streaming services, we sometimes wonder about who will carry on the valuable tradition of the ethical news media.

Hearteningly, reminders regularly come that the next generation of news hounds is chompin’ at the bit, learning their craft on school campuses throughout the region.

One of the most recent examples was the resurrection of The Bobcat Spirit, the student newspaper of St. Vincent de Paul School in Cape Girardeau. Students revived the Spirit after it fell dormant in May 2003, and Father Rick Jones blessed the endeavor at a ceremony earlier this month. The student newspaper club is led by Lea Arnzen, Caroline Dawson, Lucas Farnham, Evan Griesemer, Leslie Hernandez, Jojo Iwuchukwu, Paul Schallberger and Lyndsey Zhang. The club is managed by Brigid Farnham and Jill Bruenderman.

Each week as we put together our sister publication, The Banner Press, which serves Marble Hill and Bollinger County, we receive stories and photos from a host of student journalists. At Leopold, Madison Massa and Elise Vandermierden provide coverage of various school events, including sports. Woodland students Makenna Rhodes, Addy Massa and Zaylee Whitener are adept at profiling their fellow Cardinals. David Meier does the same at Meadow Heights.

Just up the street from our office, at the Rust Center for Media, Southeast Missouri State University students pursue their studies in journalism. We work closely with them through a longtime mentorship agreement, and their publication, The Arrow, has a national reputation for excellence. Editor Maddox Murphy leads a talented staff of writers, photographers and designers. Some of them will soon join the professional journalist ranks.

All of these student journalists are learning how important their work is and how much their audience appreciates the information they are compiling.

Thursday, Feb. 27, is Student Press Freedom Day, the eighth annual occasion sponsored by the Student Press Law Center. According to the center, the day will gather student journalists and their supporters across the country to raise awareness about student journalist challenges, celebrate their contributions to their schools and communities and take actions to protect and restore First Amendment freedoms.

Congratulations to all the student journalists in our area. We encourage them to continue their work to highlight events and activities in their schools. We look forward to them informing their audiences accurately and truthfully. And we, too, celebrate Student Press Freedom Day.