Dozens of young New Yorkers gathered at City Hall Thursday calling for the city to expand support for journalism programs and student newspapers at its schools, the majority of which lack such initiatives.

Dozens of young New Yorkers gathered at City Hall Thursday calling on the city to expand support for journalism programs and student newspapers across its schools, the majority of which lack such initiatives.

The group is part of the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition, of which City Limits—which since 2014 has run a journalism training program for high school students called CLARIFY (the City Limits Accountability Reporting Initiative for Youth)—is also a member.

Nearly three-quarters of the city’s public high schools, or 73 percent, had no newspaper or student journalism program during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a Baruch College survey. And access to existing programming is unequal: schools with higher percentages of Black and Hispanic students were less likely to have such offerings, as were schools with high poverty rates, the study found.

“The access to journalism that I’ve had has been limited to out-of-school opportunities,” high school student Fredlove Deshommes said on the City Hall steps Thursday, alongside a crowd of other teenagers holding signs that read “journalism for all” and “we are the future of journalism.”

“I’ve had to fight to get these opportunities,” said Deshomme, who has previously reported for The Bell, which trains students in podcasting and audio journalism. “I’ve never been to a school that had a journalism program, or even one that really prioritized media literacy.”

The group spent the day meeting with members of the City Council to make their case for additional support for schools to start media programs—with a goal of 30 new ones in the next 18 months—especially in underserved neighborhoods.

Their “Journalism for All” campaign also includes the launch of a high school journalism curriculum and teacher trainings prepared by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, which will be available for city schools to use beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year.

“Being a student journalist has become a core part of my identity,” said Liza Greenberg, who attends the Bronx High School of Science and is managing editor of the newspaper there.

“It has made me an immeasurably better writer, a focused critical thinker, and a more active member of my school and local community,” Greenberg added. “Every student in New York deserves the opportunity to participate in a student publication.”

City Councilmember Rita Joseph, who chairs the Education Committee, is expected to introduce a resolution during Thursday’s stated Council meeting, “calling on the New York City Department of Education to provide support for a student newspaper at every high school.”

Other lawmakers also backed the students’ mission.

“Journalism education doesn’t just train students for a career in the media—it fosters curiosity, critical thinking and the ability to articulate one’s voice,” Brooklyn Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse told the gathered crowd. “It empowers students to become informed citizens.”

To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org