As a community radio station, WXPR Public Radio is committed to sharing all local voices, including youth voices. The Student Storytellers project was created to allow area students to share stories from their communities.
From January-June 2022, WXPR Reporter and Morning Edition host Erin Gottsacker taught a journalism course at Rhinelander High School. Students learned the full process of creating a news story, from research to interviews to writing and editing. Other WXPR news staff visited the class to discuss careers in journalism, photography and multimedia production, and the role of local journalism in the news landscape.
Later in the semester, several student stories were selected for broadcast on WXPR. The student journalists came to the WXPR studio to learn the recording and broadcast process. These stories were aired on WXPR, posted to the station’s website, and shared on WXPR’s social media pages. The project has continued over the summer with a student intern, who has written on topics such as the importance of local nutritional programs in the face of rising food costs.
Student Storytellers allowed WXPR to share the value of local journalism with area students, provided an opportunity for students to cover topics of interest both to them and to the community, and gave youth in our area a voice on their community radio station.