Scholastic Journalists Covering Controversy in the COVID-19 Era: A Textual Analysis

Through a qualitative textual analysis using written work from 17 high school journalism publications over a six-semester span, this research explores the types of controversy scholastic journalists covered during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The analysis focuses on which controversial topics were covered, differences in coverage as related to school demographics, the genres and styles of writing used to cover the topics, concerns based on journalistic standards, and a summary of quality student journalism work. Framed within the context of the importance of exploring controversial issues and normative journalism roles in a functioning democracy, recommendations relevant to journalism education concerning students’ reporting on controversy follow analysis.