This whole week has seen the 33rd edition of Press and Media Week. The opportunity for students to better understand how information is produced and how the media work. For that, nothing better than making your own newspaper. Touraine magazine Fritz builds its off-series with CM2 classes of the city of Tours. This week, a class from the Raspail school took on the challenge.
Build a newspaper by responding to an editorial line
First step, the editorial conference. Each student offers his or her ideas for filling in the different sections of the diary. Culture, sport, citizenship or the environment, so many themes where you have to find subjects. “We can talk about the disasters caused by man in mines all over the world. It can be interesting”suggests a student. “But it’s not in Tours”retort others.
Because yes, small additional difficulty, it is necessary subjects which answer to some specific criteria. “Let it be in Touraine, in the news, for children and that it makes you want”, summarizes in front of the class Christelle Hélène-Kibleur, co-founder and director of publication of the magazine. This is called the editorial line, a concept that the students discover, like all the vocabulary of journalism.
– Chloe Martin
This conference is also an opportunity to argue and defend their ideas. “It’s a bit hard because we don’t really agree with each other sometimes. But sometimes we manage to get along”remarks Aïssa. “When we don’t defend our ideas enough, it doesn’t work”adds Alima.
“Sometimes they are frustrated because they want to talk about football. But precisely, having a framework is interesting and they manage to find good subjects”comments Christelle Hélène-Kibleur. “Often, we are amazed by the relevance of certain ideas. They are concerned by everything that surrounds them, especially at the local level. They see very well who the mayor is, all the major municipal issues. We feel that they are at the running”notes Matthieu Pays, the other co-founder and editorial director of Fritz.
A good way to do media education
Both also teach children to take a step back from the news and what they are reading. “It’s the age where they really have to learn to decipher information, know if it’s good news. That’s it, having this reflex is like learning to swim”they hope.
A media education also essential for the mistress of this class, Lésia Maestracci: “Screens and social networks have grown to such an extent that I found it really interesting to work around different types of media. Then also educate people on how to sort out information and be wary of everything you read. “ There, at least, his pupils will read what they write.
The writing workshop continues for a publication in two months, end of May beginning of April. The magazine will then be distributed in all schools in the city of Tours and to regular subscribers. In total over three school years, between 2021 and 2024, Fritz magazine should hold this type of workshop in 15 Touraine classes.