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Veda Thangudu can remember a time when she didn't like journalism all that much.
Veda, our guest on The Journalism Salute this week, will be a sophomore at Purdue this fall studying biology with the hope of becoming a research scientist. But journalism is an important part of who she is.
Veda is a member of YEPT, which stands for Youth Environmental Press Team. It's an organization founded by longtime journalist Jim Poyser. It brings students together to share stories about the environment and climate crisis. It pays writers for their work and student directors to run the program and has members in high schools and colleges in seven states.
You never know who your readers might be. In addition to writing and editing, YEPT members scout student newspapers across the country looking for writers who focus on environmental and climate issues. That's how Veda joined after an article she wrote was found by another YEPT member. And Veda told us that's one of the best parts of being in YEPT
"Seeing how many young people are still interested in uplifting other youth voices and who care about the environment. It's our future and no matter what, we're going to have to live with it."
As Veda has done more and more writing and editing, she's realized some of the big challenges in the field, particularly getting elected officials or people in power to speak about them. Another challenge has been being fair about what she writes about.
"When you're writing about something that you are very passionate about, it will be hard to stay unbiased and write in a way where you're covering both sides and are not biased. But you have to work through it and make sure all sides are represented."
Years after that time at her grandparents, Veda notes how much things have changed. Thouh she may not be a full-time journalist in the future, journalism has taught her important lessons.
"Before I started writing, I would fact check as much, which is something I do all the time now. I realize how important that is. I would also say sometimes I would stop after reading a headline, but now I realize the importance of reading through the story because you can't emphasize every detail in the headline."
In our interview, Veda shares examples of stories she wrote, how she mentors writers, and other lessons she learned.
If you're a high school or college student interested in becoming a part of YEPT, contact Jim Poyser at [email protected]