America’s 250-year-old experiment is alive and well in my high school newsroom

PROVO — Every other day of the school week, dozens of other Provo teens and I — who hold different political, religious, and ideological beliefs — enter an English classroom and simply listen to each other.

We are journalists for our school newspaper, The Thunderbolt, and this is how we keep the foundational experiment of our country active.

While we handle the logistics of reporting on our school and community, our newspaper advisor hosts open-ended discussions with anyone who pulls up a chair. We discuss everything from Utah’s indie music scene and the homecoming dance, to the new legislative cellphone bans and the landmark No Kings protest that occurred at the end of last school year.

This classroom offers a community, one that proves that strength comes from being able to have and explore differing opinions; it has become a miniature sandbox of democracy. It shows me how freedom of expression isn’t just about the right to speak your mind; it is about the responsibility to listen and process, to learn from others, and to examine the “why” behind what you believe.

Since we are a digital newsroom and can upload articles to our website whenever one of us feels there’s a story to tell or an opinion to be shared, our advisor gives us the freedom to essentially write about whatever we want. Every perspective is valued but disrespect is not tolerated, requiring constant and deliberate effort.

We saw the power of this during the 2024 election when our two then editors-in-chief wrote dueling opinion articles respectfully arguing for the candidate they believed won the debate. It quickly became one of our most-read stories, highlighting the importance of having these thoughtful conversations. In response, we’ve begun a new column where students can present contrasting viewpoints on the real issues facing local youth.

True journalistic integrity requires the courage to maintain a fierce commitment to accuracy and fairness while pursuing complex truths, even when the information we are presented with causes us to rethink ideals we hold or challenges the status quo.

Whether I was on the ground covering student-led advocacy during an anti-ICE walkout or examining Utah’s unique socio-religious dynamics shaped by Latter-day Saint culture, I was forced to look past initial assumptions. I learned to balance respect for my peers’ lived experiences with critical observation and objective facts. Reporting on these diverse narratives showed me that a free press must serve as a platform for nuance. By protecting these open platforms, we ensure that the press remains a bridge for dialogue, rather than another weapon for polarization.

As our country approaches its 250th anniversary, the national landscape of public discourse feels contradictory to our newsroom. For a nation built on creating systemic dialogue across differing ideals, national conversation is often defined by hyper-polarized shouting. Lines are drawn in stone and disrespect is the norm. We seem to have forgotten how to listen to why something is being said rather than who is saying it.

This breakdown in communication clearly highlights why protecting a free and independent press is so vital, especially for students. Our advisor giving us free rein isn’t just a teaching method, it’s an exercise in civic responsibility. When young journalists are granted autonomy to investigate heavy social issues and publish the stories they’re passionate about, we are forced to develop our own ethical compasses.

If my high school’s newsroom is any indication of where the country is headed, I feel hopeful. The future of America isn’t just decided in government buildings; it is practiced, drafted, and published every single day in classrooms like ours.

As my generation prepares to inherit the responsibility of this 250-year-old experiment, we strive to prove that a community can handle freedom, complex truths, and differing opinions, as long as we protect the open spaces that allow us to explore, debate, and understand the “why” behind what we believe.

Note to readers • This contest was produced by The Salt Lake Tribune, Spy Hop and Amplify Utah. It was supported through a grant from the American Journalism Project.