2007年VOA标准英语-Youth Newspaper Gives Los Angeles Teens a Voice

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
24 July 2007

A student newspaper in Los Angeles called "L.A. Youth" is giving a voice to teenagers, free from censorship by school officials. Mike O'Sullivan reports, the paper deals with controversial issues from sexuality to violence, and such ordinary problems as getting a date in high school.

Donna Myrow

Donna Myrow was a teacher and community organizer when she heard about a ruling by the U.S. Supreme¹ Court that disturbed her.

The principal of a high school in suburban² St. Louis had censored³ stories in a student newspaper about teenage pregnancy⁴ and the effects of divorce on children. The ruling in 1988 restricted the rights of student-reporters throughout the United States. The case was complicated and required balancing the privacy rights of the subjects of the stories with the rights of the student writers and school administrators⁵.

Civil liberties groups and many journalists objected, saying the ruling wrongly restricted the rights of free speech and a free press guaranteed by the First Amendment⁶ to the U.S. Constitution. Myrow was not a journalist, but the ruling upset her and she decided⁷ to act.

"That day, when I heard the Supreme Court decision, I decided to go for broke, and gathered a group of teens that afternoon, brought them to my house around my kitchen table, and said 'we're going to publish a newspaper,'" she said. "We had no money. I had no distribution list, and we were using some very old upright typewriters."

L.A. Youth

Six weeks later, she and the students published the first edition of L.A. Youth, with a press run of 2,500 copies. Today, under Myrow's leadership, the paper publishes 120,000 copies six times a year, with printing help from the Los Angeles Times newspaper, gifts, foundation grants, and advertising⁸ income. L.A. Youth has become the largest U.S. newspaper written by and for teenagers. As students pass the paper to friends and log onto the Internet website, Myrow estimates it reaches half a million readers.

Over nearly 20 years of operation, L.A Youth has helped thousands of students learn to express themselves. They come from very different backgrounds. Some live in wealthy neighborhoods, while others are from the poorest parts of the city. They write stories on such ordinary topics as dating or finding a job, and do reviews of music and local restaurants. They also tackle such serious issues as cheating, racial tension and violence in schools.

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Amanda Riddle works with fellow editor Mike Fricano

The students work with editors as they revise their stories. Editor Amanda Riddle focuses on teenage writers from troubled homes who live apart from their families in the court-administered foster care system. She says the writing process helps them come to grips with their problems.

"It can be therapeutic¹⁰, yes," she said. "I sometimes feel like I'm part editor, part therapist. So it is both those things. We often-times just talk about what happened to them, and talk about what they learned from it, and how they feel about their past."

L.A. Youth gives students a chance to see how a publication is assembled and reaches its readers. Seventeen-year-old Mindy Gee¹¹ is working the phones and calling some of the 1,300 teachers who use the paper in their classrooms.

Mindy Gee

"You've been getting 40 copies so far," she said. "I was wondering if you wanted to continue receiving the 40 copies?"

She enjoys her work as a reporter, and especially likes the process of working with editors.

"They give you a lot of edits, and you have to keep revising your articles," she said. "And I think that's been very helpful with my writing, as well as preparing for a career in journalism¹², if I ever end up in journalism."

Editor Mike Fricano says most of the student reporters do not intend to pursue a career in the field.

"Ironically, I think the vast majority are not interested in becoming reporters," he said. "So, I often really try to push that this is a chance for them to get published as a writer in a publication that goes far beyond just their school."

Eighteen-year-old writer Victorino Martinez will soon head off to university, where he will study business, but he says his experience here is invaluable¹³.

Writer Victorino Martinez talks with Associate Editor Laura Lee

"I do this because it helps me improve my writing skills and communication skills, which in any field, I think is important," he said. "And it's really important to be able to not only do something, but communicate it."

Associate Editor Laura Lee worked as a staff reporter for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, but here she helps students hone their stories. She says most cannot express themselves the way they would like at school.

"So they come here and it's completely open for them to discuss whatever they want to discuss and write whatever they'd like to write about," she said. "And I think having that freedom and knowing that what they care about, we care about it too, it kind of gives them a sense of empowerment."

There are thousands of student publications in the United States, and many more in other countries.  L.A. Youth founder¹⁴ Donna Myrow says their student-writers are learning to participate in their community by expressing their viewpoints.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

3 censored   

受审查的，被删剪的

参考例句：

• The news reports had been heavily censored . 这些新闻报道已被大幅删剪。
• The military-backed government has heavily censored the news. 有军方撑腰的政府对新闻进行了严格审查。

4 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 riddle   

n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜

参考例句：

• The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
• Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。

10 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

11 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

12 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

13 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

14 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。