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WASHINGTON — The Virginian-Pilot’s 757: Teens Cover the Code section this week took home a World Association of Newspapers’ Young Reader Prize.
The prize was in the editorial category for a youth program that combines print, podcasts, online videos and a presence on www.myspace.com, the social networking site. The program also provides a youth editorial for the newspaper’s opionion page.
Teen Editor Toni Guagenti picked up the prize during an awards ceremony at the Capitol Hilton.
“Without teamwork, creativity and a belief in drawing in young readers in ways we haven’t before, 757 would just be a two-dimensional sheet of paper,†Guagenti told a group of international journalists at WAN’s seventh Annual World Young Reader Conference & Expo.
Other newspapers receiving prizes included The Times of India (World Young Reader Newspaper of the Year and Newspapers in Education program award) and La Prensa of Panama (branding prize for using clowns and storytelling in a multimedia show to promote the newspaper among children as young as 6).
The Pilot’s 757 section, written for teens by teens, started in 1991 as Teenology . It runs Fridays in The Daily Break.
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Check out the 757 PODCAST HERE!on tv
“Plugged In†on Cox Cable Channel 11 will air starting Tuesday at 4 p.m. Other dates are: next Thursday at 6 p.m., Feb. 16 at noon, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m., Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23 at noon, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m., Feb. 28 at 6 p.m., March 1 at noon and March 12 at 5 p.m.
By Justin Taylor
Teen correspondent
CHESAPEAKE
Teen opinions are often overlooked in the media. Locally, that’s about to change.
Cox Communications, with The Virginian-Pilot’s “757: Teens Cover the Code†and ACCESS College Foundation, is bringing to Hampton Roads cable viewers a news program that features middle and high school students talking about issues of the day.
“Plugged In†debuts Tuesday on Cox Channel 11 and commemorates Black History Month. Filmed last Thursday at Cox’s Chesapeake headquarters, the show is about how African Americans are depicted in the media. Gary McCollum, Cox’s vice president and region manager locally, hosted the show, which included retired Pilot public editor Marvin Lake, the newspaper’s first black newsroom editor; Paula C. Briggs of Norfolk State University; and Wayne Dawkins of Hampton University.
“Plugged In†is “absolutely important because we need to hear more of the views and the opinions of our young folks,†McCollum said .
The participants weren’t shy about voicing their opinions.
“I love public speaking, and this is a great opportunity for me to talk about a topic I am passionate about,†says Jovonda Williams, a senior at Norview High School in Norfolk.
Throughout the forum, the teens talked about prevalent negative African American stereotypes in today’s media, and ways to stop it, including to quit watching shows that degrade minorities.
“It’s not just how the community portrays us, but how we portray ourselves,†said William Mayes, a senior at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake.
PureNRG: Young Group is Keeping the Faith
MUSIC CAN HAVE a faith-based message nowadays, and still sell. Meet pureNRG – Jordan Yates, 15, Caroline Williams, 13, and Carolyne Myers, 12, – a rising contemporary Christian band from Nashville, Tenn. Caroline has a local connection – her aunt, Alice Williams, teaches seventh grade at Jolliff Middle School in Chesapeake. The group was in town Sunday at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University in Norfolk for Winter Jam 2008, where members sat down with 757 for a chat. How did you guys meet? Carolyne: We met through a dance studio in Nashville … we were 3 and 4 .
Where did the name pureNRG come from, and who thought of it?
Jordan: My mom actually thought of NRG times 3 and that didn’t work, so we decided on pureNRG. Our management company came up with the pureNRG.
Who are your musical influences?
Jordan: I like a lot of the old stuff like the Beatles, Bob Dylan and stuff like that.
Carolyne: I love Shania Twain. I also look up to my older sister; she’s in a group called CADIA.
Caroline: I look up to my older brother, he’s also a singer, and I love musicals a lot.
What is your favorite song to perform?
Caroline: “What If†because it’s real high energy and a real fun song to act out.
Jordan: I like “Footloose†because it’s the end of our set and it’s just so much fun and real pumped-up.
Caroline: We also like to perform “(This) Madness.â€
What is one thing you have to bring with you when you go on tour?
Caroline: As a memory from home, I have to bring a blanket and a doll I got for Christmas. It’s called a Mrs. Beasley doll. It’s from an old show called “Family Affair.†A lot of parents would know about it.
Carolyne: I also bring my blanket. It’s really soft and has these little things that hang off it. My mom said that it’s like my parents’ arms and also God’s arms wrapping around me.
Jordan: I don’t really bring anything real special. It’s just a phone and a pillow, a Bible, a notebook, schoolwork.
You recently got off the Hello & Goodbye tour with Jump5. What was it like performing with them?
Caroline: It was really fun because we’re kind of following in their footsteps and they’ve done it before us, so it’s kind of fun to be with them because we could ask them for advice and we could just look up to them for anything.
There have been many comparisons to Jump5. What do you think of them?
Carolyne: We love Jump5. Plus, Brandon and Brittany (Hargest) from the group, their mom is our rehearsal coach and we’ve been a group for about four years, and she was the one who kind of helped put us together. We’ve been over their house every week for the past four years, so we’ve gotten really close to them. They’re more like sisters and brothers rather than another band.
Caroline: Also, Brandon is our road manager.
How has life on the Winter Jam tour been so far?
Jordan: Wow, it’s been totally insane. It’s so much fun. We’ve gone from playing at churches and festivals to big arenas. That’s just so insane.
Caroline: It’s been a great experience.
What is your second album “Here We Go†going to be like?
Caroline: Really fun and high-energy and a bunch of new stuff to listen to.
Carolyne: We had so much fun recording this one because of the new stuff. It was kind of like the old album, but was different in some ways. We really like it because it’s pureNRG style, but it’s still something new to listen to.
How do you feel about all your success?
Jordan: I think we’re all really pumped right now. We just really don’t know what to think because it all kind of came up on us real quick. We got signed and then we recorded our album. Then from there, it just took off. It’s just been such a fun ride and we’re so excited to be where we are right now.
Carolyne: When we went into the auditions, I had just turned 8 and Caroline had been 8 for a few months and Jordan was 10. We didn’t really know what we were going into. We just thought it was an audition, because we had been to auditions before. We were just told that we were maybe going to be like Jump5 and we were all for it. We didn’t really know what the outcome of this was going to be. We just went in and auditioned and started practicing. Like Jordan said, we got signed and made the CD.
Contact pureNRG at www.purenrgonline.com or at www.MySpace.com/purenrgonline .
Emily Chen, an eighth-grader at Jolliff Middle School in Chesapeake, [email protected]