{"id":42272,"date":"2024-10-03t13:51:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-03t13:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=42272"},"modified":"2024-10-03t15:18:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03t15:18:20","slug":"cd-davidson-hiers-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/cd-davidson-hiers-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"meet c.d. davidson-hiers, founder of the florida student news watch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201ci want them to understand what it’s like to work in this profession, even just pieces of it. (i want them to) realize that to be a journalist requires curiosity, bravery, and integrity,\u201d c.d. davidson-hiers, founder of the florida student news watch<\/em> says. \u201cbeing a journalist doesn’t require family money or pre-existing connections, or some kind of bravado. it’s just nerds being really brave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
(courtesy of c.d. davidson-hiers)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

davidson-hiers, a well-accomplished freelance journalist<\/a>, is on a mission to mentor students interested in journalism all across florida while fostering a deep respect for the natural world within them. she believes fostering such attitudes will prepare students for the increasing amount of eco-anxiety they will face in newsrooms amid the climate crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

the florida student news watch <\/em>began in 2020 while davidson-hiers was the education reporter for the tallahassee democrat<\/em>. she was inspired by her own journalistic beginnings to launch her program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ci’d reached out to the local newspaper with a pitch, and they partnered me with their sports reporter, and i went out for the weekend and covered the event that i wanted to cover, and he, just like, mentored the heck out of my writing, and then my stories got on the front page that weekend,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

though the program initially centered around students in tallahassee helping davidson-hiers report on the education beat, it evolved with her decision to become a freelance environmental journalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cand about two years ago, i realized that i respect education reporting, and i\u2019m a good education reporter, but it’s not what i want to do,\u201d she says. \u201ci wanted to turn more to the natural world, to be able to document and understand it better. i just find it to be a lot more peaceful and rewarding. i wondered if students would keep up with the change. i didn’t have any idea of who would be interested in that. i was like, well, it’s just what i want to do. so we’ll see who shows up. and lo and behold, students still kept showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

since then, the florida student news watch <\/em>has been reborn as an environmentally focused journalism mentorship. each student, about eight per semester, is paired with a current environmental journalist in the field and works one-on-one with them to bring multiple stories to completion.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

besides building skills and confidence in the profession, mentors also work toward tackling eco-anxiety in their students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cbut when i think about climate anxiety, i don’t think about climate. i think about anxiety. and you know, anxiety does not equal fear. but one of the things i think that anxiety very quickly turns into, without people noticing, is a sense of helplessness and i can work with helplessness,\u201d davidson-hiers says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

davidson-hiers believes a key strategy to combating such feelings is fostering a deep and grounding respect for the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

but in the moments where i have felt the most excited to be alive, have been the moments where i mattered so little, in the landscape where i was in. when i’m among the mountains, being able to look around me and be like, ‘wow, this is an entire landscape that does not depend on me, and that i am just a piece of the fabric’ is absolutely thrilling to me, because it takes so much weight off of my shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\nc.d. davidson-hiers<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

in addition to teaching this reverence to her students, she also believes their deep respect for nature will seep into their work and leave a similar effect on their readers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cyeah, there’s self-expression to it, but it is a connection with people that you’ll never meet. and what i love in stories is when i learn something new, especially about something that i take for granted. it just makes you feel grounded like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself in a collaborative way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to see work done by the florida student news watch<\/em> visit their website: https:\/\/www.studentnewswatch.org\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

editor’s note: des lewis is a staff writer for florida student news watch. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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