High school students write about free media

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Every spring at Winthrop, our chapter of SPJ sponsors an essay contest on First Amendment freedoms. The contest is targeted to area high school students.

This year, our big winners were from Trinity Christian School in Rock Hill and Bessemer City (N.C.) High School.

Here's an article written by Winthrop senior (and SPJ president) Ruthie McCrae, who graduates next week, incidentally. Nice job on this story, Ruthie. Good picture of the essay winners, too, Ruthie. (From left in the photo are: Cate Marshall, Matt Morgan and Dorothy Whitely.)

39 essays entered in Winthrop’s high school writing competition on media freedom

Winthrop University’s chapter of SPJ is getting high school students interested in the role media and the First Amendment plays in our lives. For the last 17 years, the Winthrop chapter has participated in SPJ’s High School Essay Contest; it encourages high school students to critically reflect on First Amendment freedoms, the bedrock of the press in America.

This year 39 students, from two high schools within a 50-mile radius of Winthrop, submitted essays. Winners were honored at a reception on April 18 organized and sponsored by the Winthrop chapter.

Dr. Larry Timbs, associate professor of mass communication and Winthrop SPJ faculty adviser, says that it’s important for Winthrop to involve high school students in the annual essay competition.

“The future of journalism is in high school students,” he said.

The topic for this year’s contest was, “Why Free News Media Are Important.”

Katie Pasour and Matt Morgan, tenth graders from Bessemer City (N.C.) High School, tied for third place. Dorothy Whitely, a senior from Trinity Christian High School in Rock Hill, S.C., came in second place, and first prize went to 16-year-old Cate Marshall of Trinity Christian High School.

The three winners celebrated their achievement with punch, cake and gifts donated by the Winthrop bookstore.

Marshall believes the media play a vital role in society. In her essay, she wrote, “Free media protect us from governmental abuse by supplying information that is unfiltered by any official or agency.”

Whitely is also appreciative of press freedom. “It’s [the press] essentially that makes us free,” she said. “It influences what we hear and how we make our decisions.”

Pasour did not attend the competition but she is thankful for the press because without it: “everyone would be more or less ignorant in many things we take for granted.”

Two faculty members from Winthrop’s Department of Mass Communication and a reporter from The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald judged the entries.