Journalism education as a site for civic reasoning

Journalism education can prompt young people to ask critical questions about their school and civic environments. The National Academy of Education (NAEd) recently released a report called Educating for Civic Reasoning and Discourse , in which they issue a call for educators to teach civic reasoning skills. This qualitative research study investigates an original multimedia journalism curriculum in a Grade 10 New Media course in British Columbia, Canada and explores students’ participation in civic reasoning practices. This curriculum was implemented three times between 2021 and 2022. Thirty-one students between 15 and 19 years old participated in the study. Three elements of civic reasoning are analyzed within students’ journalism stories: revising assumptions, moral resistance, and identifying the collective “we.” Participants’ journalism stories illuminate opportunities and tensions for civic reasoning pedagogy, including how to entertain multiple perspectives while still enacting moral resistance to harmful narratives.