On the front page: Nyon students participate in School Media Week

Last month, schools across French-speaking Switzerland celebrated the 20^th edition of School Media Week. Our Nyon students in Years 7 and 8 put their journalism caps on and got to work on creating their very own newspaper. Journalism professionals also visited our school to talk with our pupils about journalism, media literacy and the phenomenon of fake news.

School Media Week is an educational initiative that aims to introduce children to the profession of journalism and to help them become astute readers of the media. Through various activities led by teachers and industry experts, students discover different aspects of media production and develop their critical thinking skills.

What makes a good news story? Separating fact from fiction

How long does it take to write a news article? How many people work at a newspaper? How does a journalist select a story? At Champittet, we were delighted to welcome two journalists and a photographer from Swiss news outlet “La Côte” who answered questions like the above for our students. Our guest speakers discussed their daily work and professional challenges, and also gave a workshop on fake news. Since fake news and misrepresented information are increasingly common, it is especially important for children to learn to become critical readers from a young age.

Our students then put their learning into practice by researching, writing and formatting articles for their own newspaper. These budding journalists covered a wide range of stories, including an interview with a local triathlete, the effects of global warming on Lake Geneva, the dangers of cyber-grooming, and the health hazards of e-cigarettes. Our Year 8 students also created a front page as part of a competition this week.

We are very proud of our young writers, whose work was even mentioned on RTS. Check out the student newspaper for yourself here!