Choice: Commitment to Diversity.
Journalists have a responsibility to represent all segments of society. A diverse perspective enhances a journalist’s ability to understand the context behind stories—whether those are cultural, social, or economic. It broadens the range of stories told, highlighting issues that may be overlooked by mainstream media, and it allows for both the journalist and the reader to understand experiences outside of their own. Journalists must uphold their responsibility to promise social justice and ensure coverage is inclusive, fair, and reflective of society’s complex realities.
Click images to read articles.
COMMENTARY
The article I wrote covering abortion rights and how they have been affected by the overturn of Roe v. Wade is one that I have referenced often throughout my portfolio, and it is one that showcases my progress in diversity. I was challenged to make this an objective piece when I had originally wanted to write my own opinion on it. In order to write this article, I ventured into many different corners of the issue. I interviewed teachers and students, all with varying opinions on the subject. I also talked about the history of this issue as well as found statistics to back it up. This article was of monumental significance to my journey as a writer because it was the first article I had ever written about something that I felt this strongly about without inputting my own opinion. Looking back at the process of writing it, it turned out to be a pretty good article, but it also gave me a framework for other controversial topics that I would eventually tackle. I learned how to accept differing views while also finding sources that support my views.
COMMENTARY
A commitment to diversity ensures that the voices and experiences of marginalized, underrepresented, and diverse groups are heard and accurately portrayed. As my campus becomes increasingly more diverse with students of different sexual orientations and identities, I felt it was important to speak about an important controversy surrounding the Olympics at the time. Falsities were being spread about certain athletes being transgender during the 2024 Olympics which led to a larger conversation: trans-athletes in sports. I was proud that for this article, my research found sources that said the opposite of how I felt about it as well as views that more so agreed with me. I got the opinions of people that are apart of the LBGTQ+ community, including Kim Coco Iwamoto, the member-elect of the Hawaii House of Representatives. It was a very interesting subject to report on and I even got constructive criticism from one of my teachers, who asked me to add in a certain statistic.
COMMENTARY
This was a subject that I had not seen anyone writing about at the time. I thought that this topic would be unique to write about and very necessary to report on at the time. It is something that is often overlooked by our community. Public schools in Hawaii often see their students resort to violence in order to solve their issues with each other. I went to administration, teachers, and students in order to shed some light on why people think that is. It was an eye-opener for people at my school. Multiple students came up to me agreeing with my findings. This experience also showed me there was a lot I could have improved on. For example, I could have added more information about seeing these actions at other schools. I also could have interviewed more students on it, specifically students who feel the need to solve their problems in this way in order to get their perspective on it.
