Student Newspaper Research Articles

Controversial Cartoon at Central University

This fictional case study provides a summary of events that took place at Central University after the campus newspaper published a controversial political cartoon mocking media coverage of the killing of an unarmed Black man. The cartoon and lack of administrative response led to the formation of a student activist group. The case highlights the conflict some campus administrators perceive in protecting student expression, which may harm other students’ feelings of safety and belonging. Discussion questions and suggested class activities are included.

First Ink: the development of a magazine of exemplary academic writing ‘by students, for students’

Exemplars of student work can help demystify the critical, rhetorical, and linguistic expectations that underpin academic writing. Marking criteria, no matter how plainly expressed, are necessarily abstract and so may seem remote—even opaque—to our students. Seeing ‘critical thinking’, ‘breadth of research’, or ‘clear expression’ exemplified in a piece of student writing can make the conceptual concrete. Certainly, research attests to the power of student exemplars in making tacit knowledge about academic writing visible and making disciplinary notions of quality clear (see, for instance, Handley and Williams, 2011; Hendry, Bromberger and Armstrong, 2012; Wingate, 2015; To and Carless, 2016). This paper began by tracing the conceptual evolution of First Ink from its origins in an internal proposal paper in 2014 to the idea of a website that combines the engaging properties of a student magazine with the educational benefits of a learning resource. First Ink 2024 offers a range of first-class undergraduate writing across different genres in the Arts and Humanities. The magazine invites readers to discover the stories behind the writing through author interviews, essay commentaries, podcasts, lecturer advice, and other resources that shed light on the craft of good writing—what it looks like on the page, what inspired it, and how it was put together. Following an account of how the magazine was developed by a staff-student team in the summers of 2022 and 2023, the presentation reflected on several issues related to co-creation, exemplar selection, student engagement, the representation of diverse voices, funding, and sustainability.

Different forms of friendship: overseas and Indigenous students at the University of Melbourne, 1950–1960

PurposeThe article examines the differences in the reception of international and Indigenous students to understand the challenges faced by the first students who identified as Indigenous, and to improve understanding of the 1950s, a pivotal decade in the development of university culture.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on archival sources and contemporary student magazines and newspapers, this article contrasts the attitudes towards international and Indigenous students at the University of Melbourne during the 1950s. It uses these populations to show that the idea of friendship specific to the populations of students and staff in the 20th century could both include and exclude groups within society.FindingsThe article shows that while students embraced the cultures of countries in Asia, and made friends with students who came to Australia to study, Indigenous students were less well received. This issue is explored in the context of the ongoing, earnest fundraising for scholarships for Indigenous students, and both the support and the backlash this engendered.Research limitations/implicationsThe article focuses on the University of Melbourne, which established the Aboriginal Scholarships committee, and where the first Indigenous student graduated, but more work is needed to understand parallels elsewhere.Practical implicationsThe article has implications for understanding the way in which university communities embrace outsiders and adapt to foreign cultures. It also sheds light on intolerance, informing approaches to respond to these issues today.Social implicationsThe article reveals the many challenges faced by the first Indigenous students during the 1950s, the time when university education first became a priority. In this it helps to understand that the slow increase of numbers was not only caused by external factors but also originated within the academy.Originality/valueThis article makes a contribution to understanding the differences between the increasing acceptance in Australian universities of international students from Asia and the persistent resistance to accepting Indigenous Australian students.

Democratic literacy: Challenges and opportunities to engage youth participatory in the age of digital media

This study endeavors to ascertain the challenges and opportunities in democracy literacy to foster active youth engagement in the digital media age. Through the implementation of Focus Group Discussions and participatory workshops involving a cohort of 17 participants, comprising eight student journalists and nine non-student journalists, who are poised to exercise their voting rights for the first time during the forthcoming 2024 elections, the research outcomes divulge that disparities exist in the democratic perspectives of student and non-student journalists, primarily due to their contrasting experiences. Nevertheless, both groups concur that a solid understanding of democratic principles empowers them to partake in the democratic process. In the digital media era context, four notable challenges emerge in democratic literacy: hoax oasis, politician stigmatization, idiot discussion engagement, and political apathy engagement. Conversely, two prospective avenues for bolstering democratic literacy are identified: information oasis and reigniting youth participation. These identified challenges and opportunities serve as fundamental pillars for formulating effective democratic literacy strategies in the digital era, thereby fostering increased participation of young voters in democratic practices.

Not “Citizens in Waiting”: Student Counter-Narratives of Anti-Equity Campaigns

Recent efforts prohibiting race-related diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have informed localized public pushback narrating anti-equity campaigns. Emerging research and media accounts have largely focused on adults engaged with or against these efforts, with less attention on youth and their perceptions of these campaigns. To center youth voice, we analyzed 224 student newspaper articles published in Carmel, Indiana and Loudoun County, Virginia—two sites replete with localized contestations of equity reform. Using narrative policy analysis and approaches to counter-narratives, findings demonstrate youths’ roles as engaged policy actors as student journalists highlighted forms of political engagement and action in their local contexts. We include recommendations for school leaders and policymakers to promote youth voice and engagement in education governance.

Enhancing Creative Thinking and Global Diversity Through Culturally Responsive Teaching in Primary Schools

This study aims to develop a problem-based learning (PBL) model incorporating a culturally responsive teaching (CRT) approach, with the objective of enhancing creative thinking skills and fostering globally diverse dispositions among primary school students. The research employed a quasi-experimental design, specifically a non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design. Participants included 26 students from a fifth-grade class at a public primary school in Bogor City, divided into experimental and control groups selected through purposive sampling. The implementation of the learning model was monitored using observation sheets, while the assessment of creative thinking skills was conducted using a descriptive test covering four key indicators: fluency, originality, flexibility, and elaboration. Additionally, global diversity dispositions were measured through questionnaires, and student feedback was gathered using both questionnaires and student-produced magazines. Observations indicated that the PBL-CRT model was implemented with full fidelity, achieving 100% adherence to the planned instructional steps. Analysis of creative thinking outcomes revealed that the experimental group exhibited a high N-Gain score, significantly outperforming the control group, which was categorized in the moderate range. Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated a superior global diversity disposition, with a difference of 11.34% compared to the control group. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with questionnaire responses falling into the "very good" category, and student magazine content reflecting favorable reactions to the CRT approach.

Communication Skill Training of Breaking Bad News for Medical Students

Communication Skill Training of Breaking Bad News for Medical Students

The making of the “transitional generation”: language politics, writing diaspora and strategic integration of Chinese students in post-war Australia

PurposeThis article explores the overlooked experiences of Chinese students in Australia from the White Australia Policy era to the post-war period. It argues that the emerging post-war transitional generation faced racial discrimination and geopolitical challenges, leading to the establishment of student societies and collaborations with religious groups and NGOs. Through writing and publishing in the 1950s and 1960s, they challenged rigid ethnic identities, shaping their ethnic identities, national belonging, language practices, and community involvement amidst historical contexts. Their narratives vividly depict a generational awakening, highlighting complex processes of integration and acculturation into a new societal landscape.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs historical discourse analysis using Chinese student magazines and bilingual archives to explore language and identity evolution among Chinese students in 1950s’ and 1960s’ Australia. It contextualizes ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identity transformations and examines how language politics and diaspora writings shaped integration strategies. The study highlights education and language politics' transformative roles in redefining cultural belonging and fostering community cohesion within the diaspora amid shifting socio-political contexts.FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that the concept of the “transitional generation” highlights integration as a dynamic process involving ongoing dialogue, identity negotiation through language, and the redefinition of cultural boundaries. Through analysis of three student-centered magazines – Murhun, Asiana and East Wind – it becomes evident how Chinese students in Australia navigated ethnic, cultural and linguistic identities. Murhun used bilingual content to strengthen solidarity and political engagement among Chinese readers, while Asiana employed English to connect Asian students with Australian society and globally. East Wind facilitated a diverse expression of identity, challenging singular notions of “Chineseness” and promoting cultural integration. These insights reflect a transformative period where Chinese students reshaped their historical position, fostering autonomy and challenging stereotypes like “Yellow Perils”.Originality/valueThis paper examines the often-overlooked experiences of post-war Chinese students in Australia, emphasizing their profound influence on immigration history and shifting public perceptions of Asian immigrants. It introduces the concept of the “transitional generation” to address research gaps and highlight the nuanced complexities of integration, respecting the diverse experiences and identities within this dynamic student community. Emphasizing dynamic negotiation and shared experiences, the study underscores how Australia’s diverse Asian communities have transformative potential. Integration extends beyond adaptation, fostering inclusive spaces for identity negotiation, thriving NGOs and enriching Australia’s social fabric with resilience, diversity and cultural vibrancy.

Media plurality, independence and Talanoa: An alternative Pacific journalism education model

The shrinking mainstream media plurality in Aotearoa New Zealand provides a context for examining publication of campus-based media where student and faculty editorial staff have successfully established an independent Asia-Pacific digital and print press over the past two decades. New Zealand’s largest city Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) has the largest urban population of Pacific Islanders globally—more than 300,000 people in a total of 1.7 million (Pasifika New Zealand, n.d.), earning the moniker ‘Polynesian capital of the world’. The presenter has had a pioneering role with four university-based journalism publications in the Pacific region as key adviser/publisher in Papua New Guinea (Uni Tavur, 1993-1998); Fiji (Wansolwara, 1998-2002); and Aotearoa/New Zealand (Pacific Scoop, 2009-2015; Asia Pacific Report, 2016 onwards), and also with two journalism school-based publications in Australia (Reportage, 1996, and The Junction, 2018-2020) (Robie, 2018). In early 2021, he was co-founder of the Asia Pacific Media Network | Te Koakoa Incorporated which has emerged as a collective umbrella for academics, student journalists and independent reporters producing innovative publications, including the research journal Pacific Journalism Review and a strengthened Asia Pacific Report, which draw on a cross-disciplinary range of media contributors and scholars in other professions. These contributors are mindful of the challenges of reportage about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article explores an independent journalism model drawing on professional outlets for Asia-Pacific students and how an investigative and storytelling model like ‘Talanoa Journalism’ can be an effective bridge to alternative media careers and addressing ‘blind spots’ in legacy news media.

Nurturing resilient journalists: A Fiji case study of student news reporting in challenging Pacific environments

This article examines the multifaceted learning experiences University of the South Pacific (USP) journalism students gain from practical training. It is the latest in a series of papers on applied learning and teaching at USP journalism. Applied training methods take into account the challenges of the Pacific news reporting terrain in which USP journalism graduates will operate once they start work. The article reiterates that the best way to condition future journalists for their work environment is to expose them to the elements. The article uses USP student journalists’ coverage of the 2018 and 2022 Fiji elections as background case studies of practical experience and learning outcomes.

Fact check: Still not core journalism curriculum

Fact-checking has become a global industry, with more than 417 fact-checking outlets in 100 countries operating in 69 languages (Stencel, Ryan & Luther, 2023). According to the Duke Reporters’ Lab, half of the world’s fact checkers are associated with media outlets, but there are also 24 affiliated with academic institutions. Although the work is time consuming and resource intensive, fact-checking has increasingly been introduced to journalism programmes at universities and in professional settings. This expert article brings together some insights from a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Journalism Education Council (WJEC) roundtable event ‘Fact-Check and Verification as Core Journalism Curriculum’ hosted by RMIT University in Australia in 2021, alongside relevant literature exploring the nature and presence of fact-check based education approaches at that time. It concludes that while fact-checking and verification are important skills for student journalists, fact checkers do not necessarily need to be journalists, nor indeed have journalistic training. However, more students are needed who are excellent journalists and the authors argue that fact-checking is just part of that training.

Nurturing resilient journalists: A Fiji case study of student news reporting in challenging Pacific environments

This article examines the multifaceted learning experiences University of the South Pacific (USP) journalism students gain from practical training. It is the latest in a series of papers on applied learning and teaching at USP journalism. Applied training methods take into account the challenges of the Pacific news reporting terrain in which USP journalism graduates will operate once they start work. The article reiterates that the best way to condition future journalists for their work environment is to expose them to the elements. The article uses USP student journalists’ coverage of the 2018 and 2022 Fiji elections as background case studies of practical experience and learning outcomes.

Fact check: Still not core journalism curriculum

Fact-checking has become a global industry, with more than 417 fact-checking outlets in 100 countries operating in 69 languages (Stencel, Ryan & Luther, 2023). According to the Duke Reporters’ Lab, half of the world’s fact checkers are associated with media outlets, but there are also 24 affiliated with academic institutions. Although the work is time consuming and resource intensive, fact-checking has increasingly been introduced to journalism programmes at universities and in professional settings. This expert article brings together some insights from a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Journalism Education Council (WJEC) roundtable event ‘Fact-Check and Verification as Core Journalism Curriculum’ hosted by RMIT University in Australia in 2021, alongside relevant literature exploring the nature and presence of fact-check based education approaches at that time. It concludes that while fact-checking and verification are important skills for student journalists, fact checkers do not necessarily need to be journalists, nor indeed have journalistic training. However, more students are needed who are excellent journalists and the authors argue that fact-checking is just part of that training.

The Feminist Practices to Fight Sexual Violence: The Case of Marin in Bushnell and Cotugno’s Rules for Being a Girl

This article explores the feminist practices of fighting against sexual violence conducted by Marin, the main character in Bushnell and Cotugno’s novel, Rules for Being a Girl. The writers used Hall’s (2015), Mulugeta’s (2017), and Hagag Hamed’s (2012) theories to conduct the analysis and interpretation of the perpetrator’s sexual violence and Marin’s actions to fight against sexual violence. The results show that Marin’s teacher, Mr. Bex, committed sexual violence in the form of touching Marin’s cheek, kissing her lips, and intending to touch Marin’s chest. To fight against the sexual violence, Marin reports the case to school administrators, writes in the school newspaper, and starts a feminist book club. Marin's attempts are similar to the practices done by the feminists to confront sexual violence. Her attempts intend to inspire sexual violence victims to speak up and put a fight. As a result, Marin’s fellow students give their testimony and have Mr. Bex kicked out of school. Through her actions and courage, Marin successfully represents herself as a feminist

Accentuation Networks of IT Students, Managers and Journalists: an Interdisciplinary Approach in Comparative Analysis

Introduction. Network diagnostic methods have an important advantage, which is the ability to integrate data from various scientific studies. In particular, the potential of the possibility of conducting diagnostics aimed at identifying the connectedness of the social and psychological characteristics of the accentuations of students of various fields of study is relevant.Methodology and sources. The conceptual ideas of various sciences involving the construction of a synthetic research methodology are used. The provisions of sociological science, social psychology and psychology on the nature, factors of formation and features of the manifestation of personality accentuations, as dependent on a wide variety of conditions, are integrated.Results and discussion. The obtained research results are presented in the form of accentuation networks, reflecting some features of the connectedness of accentuations. The main hypotheses of the study were confirmed, networks of accentuation of student journalists are built around mobile-emotional accentuations; networks of student managers are formed around aspirations to lead; networks of IT students are the most dense among the intellectual qualities and characteristics of students.Conclusion. Building networks of accentuation of students of various training profiles has a good prospect for the practice of diagnosis and correction of the educational process. Network modeling of the dynamics of the formation of students' accents as they study at the university provides a reliable basis for evaluating and managing the educational process.

Inside the Ivory Tower: How Student Journalists Reason About Ethics

ABSTRACT This article presents an interview study that investigates student journalists’ perception of ethics and moral reasoning. It aims to understand how student journalists – an important indicator for the future of journalism, yet an understudied group – perceive and practice ethics. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with student journalists from three different independent college newsrooms. The findings suggested that the student journalists have an instrumental perceptions of ethics, seeing ethics as rules that must be followed. When confronted with ethical dilemmas, which the student journalists may misidentify, they tend to consult editors and follow advice without asking for explanations. Most student reporters demonstrate moral reasoning at Kohlberg’s preconventional and conventional levels, with editors reaching the post-conventional level. The findings underscore the necessity for a more integrated ethics education. Based on the results, the article raises concerns, points out challenges, and suggests opportunities for ethics education in student media.

Instructional Health-Risk Communication: A Content Analysis of Vaping-Associated Lung Injury Outbreak Coverage in U.S. College Newspapers

ABSTRACT This study examined instructional health-risk communication involving the outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). Using the IDEA model, we investigated how U.S. college newspapers communicated health risk messages during the vaping outbreak. Our analysis of 331 news articles showed that college newspapers placed greater emphasis on explanation of the EVALI outbreak than internalization and action messages. The findings also revealed that news sources played a significant role in communicating instructional health risk messages. Specifically, news stories that included expert sources were more likely to communicate CDC-recommended action messages. The findings have significant implications for designing instructional health-risk communication and anti-smoking interventions tailored to specific populations.

Detecting the Use of ChatGPT in University Newspapers by Analyzing Stylistic Differences with Machine Learning

Detecting the Use of ChatGPT in University Newspapers by Analyzing Stylistic Differences with Machine Learning

A content analysis of EPPM’s threat and efficacy information in environmental news: The impact of a community of practice and topic

The extended parallel process model summarizes the positive impact of threat and efficacy messages on behavioral intentions. In news contexts, research to date shows national journalists emphasize threat information and neglect efficacious information. Findings show U.S. university student journalists emphasized efficacy rather than threats countering past content analysis research. We also found environmental and sustainability communities of practice did not predict threat and efficacy information, but topics did.

THE HIV/AIDS Epidemic and the University of Warwick, 1987-1994

ABSTRACT This article explores the handling of HIV/AIDS in the student community of Warwick University between 1987–1994. It investigates the perception, management, and navigation of the crisis within the context of student sexual health. The article draws on an extensive body of high-quality original research, particularly archived student newspapers, supplemented with further student union and university records deposited in the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick. In the absence of substantial scholarship on the interaction between HIV/AIDS and university students, this original research is essential in reconstructing a picture of how students, presumed to be sexually liberated, responded to HIV/AIDS.