Starting Narratives

Category: Journalism

  • The Heartbeat of a Town – Why Local Journalism Still Matters

    The Heartbeat of a Town – Why Local Journalism Still Matters

    That’s what makes local journalism so important: it preserves the identity of a community. While national outlets report on what’s happening across the country, local journalism focuses on what’s happening across the street. It covers the food drives, small businesses, local elections, and personal stories that shape how people actually live. It reminds people that their voices matter, even if they’re not making national headlines.

    There’s also a deeper level of accountability. Local journalists don’t just report to a community; they report within it. They know the neighborhoods, the schools, and the people behind the issues. That kind of familiarity builds trust, and trust builds participation. When residents see their stories represented honestly, they’re more likely to get involved, speak up, and advocate for change.

    In a time when national media can sometimes feel distant or divisive, local journalism acts as a grounding force. It brings people together, reinforces shared values, and celebrates what makes each town unique. Without it, we risk losing not just information, but identity.

    For me, seeing this firsthand has changed how I approach storytelling. Whether I’m behind the camera or in front of it, I try to carry that same spirit, to listen to the voices around me, to tell stories that reflect real people, and to remember that sometimes the most meaningful news doesn’t come from a newsroom in New York, but from a conversation right here at home.

  • Breaking the Silence – Amplifying the Stories We Don’t Hear

    Breaking the Silence – Amplifying the Stories We Don’t Hear

    Another reason for silence is accessibility. Many stories go unheard because the people living them don’t have the means or language to reach major media outlets. Immigrant communities, low-income families, and non-English speakers are often underrepresented in national coverage. Their struggles and successes may be happening every day, but without translators, local reporters, or the right connections, their voices rarely break through.

    Social media has helped fill part of this gap by giving individuals a platform to share their own experiences. Still, not every story goes viral, and algorithms often favor outrage or entertainment over depth and nuance. The quiet, everyday realities, the ones that truly define how people live, don’t always fit into a viral trend.

    Media silence matters because it shapes public perception. When certain stories are missing, it creates an incomplete version of reality, one where some people are visible and others are invisible.

    That’s why diversifying voices in media is so important. Journalists, creators, and everyday people all play a role in bringing light to what’s ignored. Breaking the silence doesn’t always mean shouting louder; it can mean listening closer, asking different questions, and choosing to report on what others overlook.

    Because sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones that have yet to be told.

  • The Invisible Art – How Editing Shapes Emotion and Meaning

    The Invisible Art – How Editing Shapes Emotion and Meaning

    The pacing, music, color grading, and even the order of shots can alter how a viewer interprets a scene. A fast cut can create anxiety or excitement; a slow, lingering shot can make someone stop and think. A piece of dialogue moved two seconds earlier can change a character’s motivation. Even silence, especially silence, can be one of the most powerful editing tools in storytelling.

    Editing also shapes emotion. Music tells the audience how to feel, while timing tells them when. Lighting and tone give visual cues that reinforce what words sometimes can’t. Every frame is a decision, and every decision carries meaning.

    When I fixed the music in that act and replaced it with a more somber, reflective tone, everything changed. The message landed the way it was meant to. It reminded me that storytelling isn’t just about what you show, it’s about how you show it.

    Editing is where a story truly comes to life. It’s the invisible art behind emotion, rhythm, and impact. And sometimes, as I learned the hard way, one song can turn a serious warning into a feel-good montage.

  • From Pamphlets to Punchlines – How Politics Learned to Go Viral

    From Pamphlets to Punchlines – How Politics Learned to Go Viral

    When I first started studying history, the “primary sources” we looked at were things like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and famous speeches. But now, in my classes, we sometimes analyze political cartoons, and even memes. It sounds funny, but it actually says a lot about how communication has changed. What used to be written in long essays or formal documents is now being boiled down into a single image with bold text and a punchline.

    Memes aren’t just jokes anymore. They’ve become one of the fastest ways to spread political messages, especially to younger audiences who might not even realize they’re being influenced. A simple meme on Instagram or TikTok can turn into a viral opinion overnight. Kids as young as twelve are scrolling through their feeds and seeing political ideas disguised as humor or pop culture references. It’s subtle, but it’s powerful.

    The truth is, this isn’t entirely new. Politics have always found their way into entertainment. In my AP Gov class, we learned about the significance of The Wizard of Oz at the time of its release. As we all know, the Wizard of Oz is one of the most famous stories of all time, but it also acts as a political allegory about economic struggles in the late 1800s, the Yellow Brick Road representing the gold standard, the Scarecrow symbolizing farmers, and the Tin Man representing industrial workers. People have always used stories to reflect political realities.

    The only difference now is that our stories are shorter, faster, and scrollable.

  • Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings in Communication

    Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings in Communication

    I still remember my first real Chinese New Year family reunion. It was one of those moments that felt straight out of a movie, red decorations hanging from the ceiling, the smell of dumplings and soy sauce filling the air, and the sound of laughter echoing from every corner of the house. Twenty people, maybe more, sat around one big circular table that was covered with steaming dishes of fish, noodles, and vegetables.

    Everyone was speaking Chinese, fast.

    I sat there, chopsticks in hand, smiling and nodding along even though I had absolutely no idea what anyone was saying. The conversation moved so quickly that it felt like music I couldn’t quite follow, rhythmic, familiar, but just out of reach. I tried to catch a few words I’d heard before, but they slipped away before I could make sense of them. I felt out of place, like I was at the center of my own family but still somehow on the outside looking in.

    That’s when my popo, my grandmother, looked over at me. She must have noticed my confused expression because she smiled and, in her gentle voice, asked in English, “Are you hungry?”

    It was such a small thing, but in that moment, it meant everything. It reminded me that even when words don’t connect, love still does. Popo didn’t need to explain every joke or conversation, I could feel the warmth through her question, through the way she piled food onto my plate without asking, and through the laughter that surrounded the table.

    That dinner taught me something important about cross-cultural communication: sometimes misunderstanding isn’t failure—it’s part of being human. Different languages, customs, and traditions can create barriers, but they also create bridges. When we slow down and pay attention, we realize that connection doesn’t always come from perfect translation, it comes from care, patience, and effort.

    Cross-cultural misunderstandings happen everywhere. Maybe it’s using the wrong greeting, misinterpreting a gesture, or struggling to express something that doesn’t quite fit in another language. But those moments are also opportunities to learn and grow. They remind us that communication isn’t just about what we say, it’s about what we mean, and how we make others feel.

    That Chinese New Year, I didn’t understand most of the words spoken around the table, but I understood what mattered. The laughter, the food, the generosity, it all spoke louder than language ever could.

    Because sometimes, the most meaningful conversations don’t need words at all.

  • Beyond the Swipe – Why Long-Form Journalism Still Matters

    Beyond the Swipe – Why Long-Form Journalism Still Matters

    Long-form journalism gives space for truth to unfold. It lets you see the full picture: the interviews, the background, the human impact. It invites you to understand rather than just react. That’s what’s missing in today’s world of digital snippets: the room to think, question, and connect the dots.

    Don’t get me wrong, short videos and social posts can do amazing things. They can bring attention to issues that would otherwise go unnoticed, and they make information accessible to people who might never read a full newspaper article. But if that’s all we consume, we lose something valuable.

    Stories become simplified. People become stereotypes. And the “truth” becomes whatever fits into a caption.

    That’s why I think balance matters. There’s nothing wrong with scrolling through your feed, but it’s worth slowing down once in a while, watching the full interview, reading the whole article, or sitting through that two-hour documentary. Because sometimes the most important stories can’t be told in sixty seconds.

  • The Shift in Power – How Social Media Rewrote the News

    The Shift in Power – How Social Media Rewrote the News

    It’s crazy to think about how much the way we get our news has changed in such a short time. Just twenty years ago, the headlines that shaped public opinion came from big names: The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post. News anchors had the final word, and if a story wasn’t covered by a legacy network, it might as well not have existed. But now, it feels like that power has shifted to the palm of our hands—literally.

    At a news conference I attended last summer, the moderator asked a simple question: “Where do you get your news from?” Almost every teenager in the room raised their hand for TikTok, Reddit, or YouTube. Around 80 percent, easily. Only a handful mentioned newspapers or TV. It was shocking at first, but also kind of eye-opening. The world of news has changed, and it’s changing faster than anyone expected.

    There are a few reasons for this shift. For one, social media gives anyone a voice. You don’t need a press badge or a million-dollar newsroom to share what’s happening around you, you just need a phone and a story. Platforms like TikTok have made it possible for everyday people to become witnesses, reporters, and storytellers.

    As someone who built my own platform on YouTube, I’ve seen the upside of that firsthand. I’ve been able to share stories that probably wouldn’t have made it past traditional media filters and connect with audiences who might have never found them otherwise.

    The result? A more democratic, but also more chaotic, information world. The gatekeepers are gone, and in their place stand creators, algorithms, and audiences trying to figure out what’s real.

  • The Gaps in the Feed – Why Some Stories Never Make the News

    The Gaps in the Feed – Why Some Stories Never Make the News

    When we think about the news, we often assume it gives us a full picture of what’s happening in the world. But the truth is, media coverage only scratches the surface. What we see, hear, and read every day is carefully filtered, sometimes by time constraints, sometimes by audience interest, and sometimes by economic or political factors that decide which stories make the cut. The result? Whole communities, issues, and experiences are left in the dark.

    Media silence doesn’t always mean intentional censorship; it can be the product of priorities. Big networks tend to focus on what will attract the largest audiences: major political events, celebrity scandals, or breaking crises. These stories draw clicks, ratings, and ad revenue. Meanwhile, local stories about poverty, language access, or environmental issues often get overlooked because they don’t seem “marketable.”

    It’s not that they aren’t important, it’s that they don’t fit the fast-paced rhythm of mainstream media. And when the pace of news becomes the standard for what’s worth covering, anything quiet or complex risks being ignored.