“In 2020 we all got corona’d,” part of the front page reads. “Here is what us kids have to say about it and how we’re dealing with it.”
They recently finished the first edition, an eight-pager that included articles on a kid’s perspective on coronavirus, advice column, question-and-answer with a father and school administrator, Top 10 Restaurants, movie review of “Onward,” granola ball recipe, hobby column, craft suggestion on how to make jewelry and four comics.
Since no parent working from home had the capability to print the newspaper on 11-inch-by-17-inch paper, it’s available online. Plans are in the works for the second edition.
Tunney said she was “totally amazed” by the newspaper that she believes will become “a really special keepsake” for the kids and their parents.
“It’s hard to imagine what we are living through,” Tunney said.
Her son, Blake, 12, wrote a front-page article on COVD-19 and described working on the newspaper as “pretty fun.” He enjoyed reading the articles written by his friends and seeing how they’re following the order of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and staying home during the coronavirus.
“This is weird for all of us,” he said. “It’s pretty scary and a sad situation for a lot of people.”
Another parent, Christina Meder, said her two daughters — Rachel, 9, and Laura, 7 — pitched the idea of writing a newspaper. They asked all their friends, and soon the staff was complete.
Meder said it was interesting reading what was important in the kids’ lives and how they “gravitated” to certain topics.
“It was all them,” she said.
Now that the young reporters “got this itch” for journalism, Meder predicts the second edition will be “more hard-hitting.”
Rachel Meder served as the editor and chief of the newspaper. Rachel’s goal is to get an interview with DeWine, who has been applauded and criticized for how he has handled the coronavirus. If that interview falls through, she hopes to interview a relative who works in infectious control.
Rachel said the hardest part was fitting all the elements — the photos, stories, comics — into eight pages.
TELLING YOUR STORIES
We’re looking to profile people throughout our coverage area about how the coronavirus is impacting your daily life. If you’re interested in sharing your story about how you’re affected or adapting to the situation, call Journal-News reporter Rick McCrabb at 513-483-5216 or email rick.mccrabb@coxinc.com.
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