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2025 Journalist of the Year Portfolio
Law, Ethics & News Literacy
Producing news content for The Clypian is more than just reporting, it's about truthfulness, fairness, and serving the South Salem High School community. With many eyes on The Clypian’s Instagram, my goal is to create impactful coverage that resonates with students and parents alike. Creating a place where people can come to get the news and truth from a student perspective.
News Like Posts
As a member of the student-run media team, The Clypian, it’s our responsibility to keep the school community informed during critical moments. Whether it's reporting on incidents like vandalism, organized student walkouts, or covering significant changes like the introduction of new weapon detection systems, we want to be a voice that is timely and accurate. We want to showcase important stories that impact the student body.
Through our coverage, we aim to not only inform but also connect the community. While these news like post don't come along that often, when they do, I find it important to be transparent. In my role, I prioritize integrity, speed, and relevance, knowing that The Clypian Instagram plays a vital role in shaping how information is communicated and understood within our school.
In March of last year, the South Salem community faced a heartbreaking event when our school was placed on a Level 3 lockdown following reports of a shooting just a few blocks away. Unfortunately the students involved were from our school and it resulted with a fatal loss to our school community.
As the student media outlet for South, we felt a responsibility to cover this tragedy, but we also knew it was key to approach the situation with sensitivity and respect. With the help of our advisor, our social media team worked together to create a message that would both inform our community about the events while making sure we were being respectable. The experience taught me the importance of balancing the truth with empathy. The post we made and posted on the Clypian Instagram a week after the event is above.
Ethical Posts
In response to the events at South Salem High School in March, several new safety measures were implemented, including a weapon detection system, a revised door policy, and a new tardy policy. While these changes aimed to enhance student safety, they also sparked controversy and mixed reactions. As student journalists with The Clypian, we recognized the importance of reporting on these developments, ensuring that our peers and the broader community understood the intent and details behind them.
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Our video on the new door policy (featured on the left) became one of our most widely shared pieces of content, garnering 23,000 views and 234 shares. Though the feedback was not always positive, with many students expressing frustration over the inconvenience, I am proud of our coverage. Our role as journalists is to provide clear, factual information, even on controversial topics, and to serve as a trusted voice within our school. By working with the administration to verify facts and explain these policies, we helped students navigate the transition and stay informed about changes affecting their daily lives.
First Amendment
Press Freedom Award
The First Amendment Press Freedom Award is one of the highest honors for high school journalism programs, celebrating the dedication to truth, integrity, and student press rights. South Salem High Schools student media production has not only won this award five times, but we are also the only school in Oregon to have ever achieved it. I am grateful to contribute to a program that values journalism’s power and responsibility. Being surrounded by fellow passionate student journalists, where we all want to continue the standards of fairness, accuracy, and impactful storytelling is a value I will hold with me forever.
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