We Say #NeverAgain: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists; ed. by Melissa Falkowski (review)

"Today I have to ask you to do something incredibly difficult. There will be a candlelight vigil today and we need to cover it," said journalism teacher Falkowski to her Marjory Stoneman Douglas newspaper students after the February 14, 2018 shooting at the school that left seventeen people dead. This collection of over fifty entries offers a compelling take on tragedy, journalism, and activism as it relates in their own words the students' experience as being both the story and the reporters. Essays, often tinged by the speaker's experience during the shooting itself, include discussions of avoiding bias in journalism, acknowledgments of the many shooting deaths that don't make the papers and why, heartfelt tips for journalists interviewing tragedy survivors ("Don't ask 'How did you feel?' questions"), and somber practical explorations in entries such as "Balancing Guilt with Opportunities." It makes for an arresting account of capable young people drawn together by a journalistic mission even as they negotiate their own grief, fear, and anger. Perspectives and voices vary, and some display the inexperience of their age in their writing, but the result is simultaneously raw and poised. The overwhelming message is how much journalism and activism matter, and that young people's work matters—a message that almost no one else could deliver with such authority, but that's also delivered here with fire and commitment. End matter includes a pointer to the memorial issue of the newspaper and the student-produced documentary, a list of media awards received, and brief biographies of the contributors. DS