PEARL Youth News (PEARL)

Daniel Pearl, whose life and work have inspired this program, united people from diverse cultures by uncovering the human face behind the story. His skills as a foreign correspondent were apparent not only in the entertaining pieces that shed light on other cultures, but also in investigative reporting that uncovered the truth from the rubble of war and devastation.

PEARL encourages student journalists to write news stories in the spirit of Daniel Pearl with emphasis on integrity, ethics and truth in reporting while continuing his legacy of building cross-cultural understanding.

PEARL is a unique international news service adhering to the highest journalistic standards. Secondary school students from around the world select the issues to be reported, then write, edit and publish their articles on the web-based news service. PEARL articles can be reprinted by any school or youth publications; News media and other commercial organizations can reprint with special permission.

This program aims to take students beyond media literacy into becoming international correspondents for student publications, allowing them to engage with global communities while shaping public discourse. Any high school/ secondary school student can join the news service as a PEARL reporter after successfully completing an online certification course. Students are expected to sign in, take the course and pass the quizzes on their own.

The Certification Course is divided typically into four segments to be completed in four weeks. The students are asked to read the course material, watch some videos and take a quiz on each of the first three segments. Upon successful completion of the three quizzes, they may go on to write an article and submit it for publication on the PEARL Youth News Website.

The Editors/Mentors will work with the students via e-mails in crafting the story, organizing it to present a cohesive narrative to the readers, suggesting changes, providing online resources, such as contacts to interview experts for a quote to substantiate their articles, etc. Certified Reporters may go on publishing articles and will continue to have access to mentors, who will edit their articles and certify them for publication. The Mentors are expected to continue to work with the PEARL Reporters on subsequent articles, until they gain confidence and competence to be on their own and become first level Editors themselves.

PEARL Certification Program

PEARL Youth News Reporter Certification Program is aimed to help secondary school students get started as international correspondents for a global youth news service. From writing leads to finding sources and conducting interviews, this program discusses reporting techniques and the ethics of journalism, which are the cornerstones of a reporter's credibility.

Upon successfully completing this program, a high school student gets the opportunity to:

• Become a certified PEARL Reporter and be able to write on a regular basis for the PEARL Youth News.

• Meet PEARL Reporters from different countries on the internet and work together to write news stories.

• Have news articles from PEARL published in school newspapers around the world!

Like any professional news organization, PEARL features objective and balanced news stories covered by a worldwide team of student journalists. It is not a web log or blog, which is based on personal observations and opinions. Using online forums, students work together to decide the issues to be reported, conduct research and interviews, and edit articles.

PEARL reporters come from many different social and cultural backgrounds. The news service reflects this diversity by covering a variety of issues and views. Its online structure enables participating students to exchange questions and information and write about issues with balance and fairness.

Daniel Pearl Bio

Selection of Daniel Pearl's front-page stories from the Wall Street Journal

Please contact us for more information.