Hempfield students join national PBS NewsHour program

Hempfield High School announced its participation in PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL), a national journalism program to train middle and high school students to produce original, youth-focused news reports and connect them to opportunities to be mentored and supported by local PBS stations.

Led by Matt Binder and Mike Greer, Hempfield students will create video news stories based on current events and topics of the day, with the opportunity to have content published on PBS NewsHour, which reaches over 2 million viewers nightly. Binder will incorporate SRL curriculum to engage Hempfield’s Comm Tech students in news and public affairs, and ensure that young people are active in conversations about the critical issues facing the nation.

“Hempfield School District’s administration has supported an open forum program of broadcasting excellence since the early 1990s that is unique,” said Binder. “Our students and graduates should be proud of the media program they have built, and we are very excited that to begin a collaboration that will allow their excellent work to be exposed to potentially a national audience.”

“Youth voice is important, now more than ever, as our country enters a pivotal year and encounters issues that matter and affect youth everywhere,” said SRL founder and managing editor of education at the NewsHour, Leah Clapman. “Passionate educators are the glue that holds this program together. Every year we discover new ways to expand and improve SRL, with the most innovative and effective ideas coming straight from the teachers on the front lines.”