Visit from Sandra Stevenson from the New York Times!

On Friday, Sandra Stevenson, an Assistant Editor at the New York Times, spoke to our Middle School students.   She began with an overview of her career path that included work in areas of tv news, movies and film, photography and for the past 13 years, at the New York Times.  Raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Sandra has a degree in English language and literature from Syracuse University and an advanced degree in Multimedia from L’Universite Toulouse.  

During her talk, Sandra showed the students a story by a freelance photojournalist on Muslim-American gun ownership.   He went to a gun range to practice target shooting and his life was threatened.  They didn’t want Muslims at their gun shop.   

“…….the group of people I met had different reasons and motivations for owning guns, but they all shared pride in being Americans defending their Second Amendment rights. For most of them, guns emphasize their American identity and give them a sense of liberty.”

The article cites various reasons for those who own guns- some for protection, some like to have them for hunting and sport shooting, and some are collectors.  The students discussed why this story was meaningful and newsworthy.   She also pointed out the interactive features of the article including video clips and links, differing from exclusively plain text on newsprint from not long ago.  She also showed students that news is featured in a variety of ways around the world and she showed the front pages of newspapers in various locations.  She encouraged students to source news from a variety of outlets to get different perspectives.

In Kenya, at the hotel shooting several weeks ago, a hotel employee was gunned down at his desk, and the bullet-ridden body of the victim was released and shown in the New York Times web edition.  There were immediate outcries, especially from the Kenyan government, and the photo was removed.   Sandra asked the students why there was protest and students came forward with many answers related to respect for the family, the gruesome graphic details.  She asked them if victims of mass shootings in this country are ever shown with bullet holes.  Is race a factor?  Why do we not show our own victims of gun violence?  Would it be gratuitous to show dead bodies?  Would it help people to understand the reality of gun violence if people really saw the victims?  These are all questions we all grapple with, and our students do as well.

She also noted that social media gives instant feedback to reporters and editors, and they do read comments and perspectives, sometimes changing or correcting stories or headlines.   

One of her most recent projects is  #ThisIs18,  a photo project of what it looks like to be 18 from the perspective of 18-year-olds around the world.  Our WHMS middle school students will be doing a similar project as part of their work in English.  

Sandra and I at the New York Times

We are fortunate to have a thoughtful and engaged school community.   I am certain that our students will be helping to make this world a better place.  Their awareness, conscientiousness, and advocacy will benefit our world.