From as far south as Santa Barbara and as far north as Chico City, 700 student journalists, teacher advisers and guests are expected to attend NorCal Media Day this Saturday at the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Center.
The Journalism Education Association of Northern California’s annual NorCal Media Day will feature 80 different 45-minute presentations. From multimedia photo stories to political campaign coverage and team building, the sessions will be hosted by students, advisers and journalism professionals from the Stanford Daily, Palo Alto Weekly, JEANC, Axios, PBS News, CalMatters, the Spartan Daily, Calpress, De Anza College and many California high schools.
Rod Satterthwaite, JEANC board member and Paly journalism adviser, said the increased attendance from last year’s event represents increased enthusiasm for journalism and an awareness of its importance in our democracy.
“This year, there are 150 more people attending,” Satterthwaite said. “There’s going to be a lot more buzz here. … which is super exciting when you think about the national context of media and journalism. Newspapers are shutting down, people are calling out journalists as being fake news givers and there’s this whole sort of negative aura surrounding journalism. … So it’s amazing to see 700 [people] show up on a Saturday to learn about journalism.”
Myesha Phukan, editor-in-chief of the Mountain View High School Oracle, said she aims to educate her audience about what censorship is, how to identify it and share her personal experiences related to it.
“In March of 2023, I wrote an investigative article on sexual harassment at MVHS, consisting of survivor recounts, expert opinions and school policies,” Phukan said. “[Our principal] told us to cut out details and quotes, which if you’re a journalist, you know that both of those things are the core of journalism. We as student journalists do not exist to put out school propaganda, to paint it in a positive light. We exist to do our duty as members of the journalistic community: to tell the truth with fact, objective reporting, and in-depth research.”
Phukan said her experience dealing with censorship has fueled her desire to protect journalistic rights not just for Oracle — but all student journalists.
“Since then, I’ve been involved with organizations such as the Student Press Law Center, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and JEA to tell my story to students around the nation and advocate for stricter student press laws,” Phukan said. “Journalism is something that is at the very core of our country’s democracy, the thing that propels us forward to create a well-functioning and truthful society. I love journalism, and am grateful to have found my way into it. But the reality is that journalistic rights are under threat all around the country. I hope to be doing my part in protecting those rights for myself and other student journalists like me.”
Jami Lim, editor-in-chief of Monta Vista High School’s El Estoque, said she is looking forward to the event because it serves as a platform for student journalists to connect and learn from one another.
“I attended my first NorCal Media Day in 2022,” Lim said. “It’s not [just] informative, it’s a space for journalists to meet and be exposed to other student journalists and publications, and be inspired by what they see. Especially since it’s placed at the beginning of the year, it’s an opportunity for new and old staff alike to feel encouraged as they begin the school year.”
Lim will be presenting about advertising and said she is excited to share her experience with other students.
“I’m really looking forward to speaking at my session on publication sales which I’ve been prepping for for a couple of weeks,” Lim said. “In the past four months of coming into my role as an EIC, I gained a lot of knowledge on sales and marketing systems in scholastic publications and I feel like this session is a way for me to pass down the knowledge I’ve gained. It’s really gratifying because I’ve always been passionate about giving advice and sharing about my experience in journalism and building the presentation also allowed me to reflect on what I’ve learned.”
Satterthwaite said the event will offer attendees a unique chance to interact and learn from individuals from various backgrounds and expertise levels.
“There is a really good mix, maybe the best mix I’ve seen, of student presenters, professional presenters and teacher advisors.” Satterthwaite said. “There’s going to be such great opportunities to network with other students, to learn from teachers from other schools, and also to learn from people who are actually in the field. I don’t think you get that opportunity at any other workshop in the country.”
Satterthwaite said that he is also excited for the food at NorCal Media Day — 100 pizzas ferried from Costco to the MAC in two minivans driven by Paly journalism parents.
“I am also really looking forward to seeing someone unload 100 large Costco pizzas from a van and deliver them to the MAC,” Satterthwaite said. “I’ve never seen such a thing.”
