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Law, Ethics, and News Literacy

yoni testifying.jpeg

Yoni Zacks testifies in front of the MN House Education Policy Committee in support of the New Voices Bill to protect student journalists' rights.

New Voices Advocacy

Yoni Zacks and Hopkins High School Publications Advisor Jeffrey Kocur (right) talk to MN Rep. Cheryl Youakim (46B) following their testominies in support of the New Voices Bill at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul.

I testified in support of the New Voices Bill in front of both the MN House and Senate Education Committees. The First Amendment has always had a place in my life, and that connection only grew stronger through New Voices. Through my writing process, I discovered that I had several experiences with self censorship, a problem plaguing student journalism. I realized that the only way to combat this was by passing legislation that would prevent administrator repercussions for student-bylined articles. I worked with my advisor to discuss our school’s history with administrator repercussions, but the most prevalent was one that I experienced firsthand. My testimony was contested because I’m a private school student and the bill doesn’t affect me. However, I believe this actually made my testimony better because it showed my commitment, as well as the commitment of those trying to pass the bill, to student press rights.

Political Roundtable

One way outside of the newsroom that I contributed to news literacy was by founding and leading the Political Roundtable Club. I created a space where, once a week, students could come together to discuss the news in the world with a focus on how it’s connected to Blake students. This club is a source of pride for me, as I was a member of the club in middle school before taking it upon myself to create the club at the Upper School. Having a space where we can have a discussion about politics with an informed audience (we make presentations to discuss topics) is extremely important.

Yoni Zacks and Political Roundtable Vice President Tony Liu show off the poster they made for the Club Fair. 

Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference

This conference truly changed my life. Getting to spend five days in Washington, D.C. with other journalists who share my passion was incredible. I learned from so many journalists while I was there about all kinds of topics, from Douglas Soule’s advice on college journalism to why Chuck Todd moderated “Meet the Press.” The Free Spirit Conference was where I realized a career in journalism was possible, and I returned from the trip dedicated to improving my journalism skills, which created better articles and content for the newspaper. I also got to talk to students from two states who were looking to pass a New Voices Bill in their state. I also talked to students from other states who were having issues with passing their New Voices Bills. These events made me realize how lucky I was to live in a state where the bill was so strongly supported.

New York Times Headway Teen Challenge

One day in September, I was scrolling through my email when an invitation popped up to participate in the New York Times Headway Election Challenge. I filled out a weekly survey to help the reporters from The New York Times and Chalkbeat gather data about the election. Each week, I made it my mission to respond with a statement promoting news literacy. I diligently filled out the form until I got an email from Terry Parris Jr. telling me my quote would be featured. The quote chosen was one that I submitted about the importance of looking at a variety of sources and corroborating information that you hear. In January, I also participated in a Zoom call to gather student responses following the election. My homeroom advisor even printed out the article I was quoted in for our advisory wall. 

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