Writing
Peers often tell me they don't care about the news, and as someone who has always been eager to learn more about the world around me, it took me a while to figure out why. Eventually, I realized that many people don’t understand how national and global news stories affect them or their communities.
This realization pushed me to emphasize local impact in my work, helping young readers connect the dots between their lives and larger political or global events. As Editor-in-Chief for the Southerner, I focus on the perspectives of Midtown students, alumni, teachers, administrators and community members, offering readers a tangible way to grasp the relevance of national news.
Check out my favorite stories below or view my staff profile to see all of my online coverage.
In Depth
PENELOPE KEENAN
Under the radar, over the limit: schools attempt to curb student vaping
In my pursuit of producing journalism that's actually compelling to young people, I turned to a topic that I knew high schoolers would be interested in, but many writers avoid. A local school district was implementing vape detectors in their bathrooms, and I compared this with my school's anti-vaping policies. Then, I interviewed health experts and students to show how vaping impacts students socially and medically and discuss some of the science behind addiction. This story was the front page and double truck of my first issue as editor-in-chief, and when it came out, I saw several students engrossed in the paper or asking me for copies, an uncommon phenomenon in our digital age.
Former President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100, leaves legacy of peace, progress
For this story, I talked to several sources who met President Jimmy Carter and aimed to showcase his direct involvement and impact in my community. While reporting for this story, I learned about Carter's character and heard several unique stories about his life and career, which I included to give readers a fresh take on the President's life.
AUDREY LYONS
Midtown community reflects on historic Syrian liberation
After the collapse of a 51-year long authoritarian regime in Syria, I knew I wanted to write a story, but I had no idea how personal the issue was to my community. After interviewing a teacher, two parents, a local journalist and a graduate from my school, my colleagues and I published this in-depth piece that unpacks the complicated reality of the Assad regime and Syria's future with a new government. This story educates the reader about Syria while highlighting the local connection to Midtown Atlanta.
COURTESY OF MAYAS DARB
News
Trump gains in Georgia election night polls, too close to call
I collaborated with other editors to compile interviews from the Democratic and GOP watch parties, data from our survey of Election Day voters and polling results from the first few hours to write an election night update. Our focus was to capture the feelings in Midtown on election night and showcase our city's part in the overall election.
FAIRLIE MERCER
Harris-Walz campaign hosts Election Eve party across from Midtown
The night before the election, the Harris campaign hosted a party for supporters to relax and come together after a week of hard work calling voters and knocking on doors. The atmosphere here was incredibly joyful as attendees celebrated Harris and the community they formed while campaigning, and I aimed to capture that energy in the story.
AUDREY LYONS
Metro Atlanta reacts to Trump’s historic presidential win
The day after the election, we interviewed students at our school to see their reactions to Trump's win. Our school has a high ratio of liberal students, so we also used quotes from the GOP watch party to show why people chose to support Trump. We released this story the evening of Nov. 6 to show our community's raw reactions to the verdict.
FAIRLIE MERCER
AUDREY LYONS
Proposed law threatens legal action against parents
As a journalist, it's important for me to cover legislation before it's passed, raising community awareness while there's still time for readers to advocate for or against the law. This proposed law could send parents to jail for their children's violence, and I aimed to not just explain the bill, but show the community reaction.
Comment
Cellphone ban provides students a much-needed break
This story was a head to head, where two students supported opposing angles on one topic. My school implemented a cellphone ban at the beginning of my junior year and originally, I was very frustrated by the policy, but through my research for this story, I learned about why it was implemented and realized that the ban was actually helping me. I explained the negative aspects of phone usage at school and highlighted the leniency of the controversial new phone punishments.
CONNIE ERDOZAIN
Harris interviews provide voters necessary information
I wrote this story a week before the election to highlight the positive effects of Vice President Harris's media blitz after she faced criticism early in her campaign for being too walled off. I saw that many students around me were uninformed about her policies and made sure to explain some in the article.
CALL HER DADDY
Partnership between Shein and Forever 21 damaging, harms environment
In this story, I aimed to shed light on the harmful environmental impacts and human rights violations of clothing brands that were very popular at my school. Shein and Forever 21 had announced a partnership that would increase their negative impacts, and I wrote this story to promote conscious consumerism.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
“Old news” still relevant in the world
When the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated in Oct. 2023, it dominated headlines and social media, but by January, I noticed that despite the worsening crisis, media coverage had declined. I researched the dangers of crisis fatigue and wrote this comment to highlight how modern media often prioritizes entertainment and clickbait over important news, contributing to our collective ignorance of ongoing conflicts.
