In Her Own Words: Rockwood Summit Student Gains Rewarding Experience at Journalism Conference

Rising Rockwood Summit High senior Mary Corkery was selected as Missouri's representative to attend the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, which was held June 22-27 in Washington, D.C. Only one student from each state is chosen for the conference, and Corkery is the first Rockwood School District student chosen for the program, which started in 1999. The conference, designed to inspire and encourage students to pursue journalism, featured panels with top journalists and visits to the U.S. Capitol and other landmarks.

Here are some of Corkery’s reflections from her time at the conference. Photos are courtesy of the Freedom Forum.

By Mary Corkery, Rockwood Summit student

When you enter the Freedom Forum’s sleek waterfront building in Washington D.C., the First Amendment is everywhere you turn. Whether it was the words themselves or artifacts from landmark cases, the Freedom Forum organization, founded by Al Neuharth in 1991, makes its purpose of defending First Amendment freedoms extremely clear. 

This was a message that resonated with me and 49 other student journalists from across the country. My three years on The Talon newspaper staff and a semester with the KFTN radio station at Rockwood Summit High had helped me learn how powerful the First Amendment was, but my experience with journalism had also transformed into a stronger passion. The Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, which included an all-expenses paid trip to the nation’s capital to hear from industry professionals, hooked me the minute I heard about it. When I was ultimately selected as the Missouri representative, I was overjoyed, but I didn’t quite know what to expect. All I knew was that I loved journalism, and I hoped that would be enough. 

Every day, different speakers came to the Freedom Forum to talk about their work and answer questions. It was incredible to see professionals I recognized from TV, such as Chuck Todd of NBC and Brian Lamb of C-SPAN, and, as a writer, I loved being able to see the faces behind stories from massive publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today. I also got to hear about breaking massive scandals from investigative reporters, such as Nicole Markus, who broke the Northwestern University football hazing story, and David Fahrenthold, who won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2017. Many of the speakers had attended the program themselves and now worked in unique careers across the industry. Outside of the panels, we got tours of the Fox News and Wall Street Journal newsrooms to get a firsthand view of being a journalist.

As a group of aspiring journalists, we discussed the future of the profession and how the rise of AI, partisan news sources and the decrease of local news outlets affects it. While no one is sure what will happen, journalism has always been an industry that, by definition, defies stagnation. Through catching an insider glimpse into real-life media careers, we learned to accept change and embrace new opportunities when they present themselves. 

In this aspect, it became evident why “free spirit” had been included in the conference’s name. In journalism, you need to be willing to take risks and attempt the unorthodox to succeed. This lesson, however, was taught outside the Freedom Forum’s conference room. Between panels, during meals and as we visited different DC attractions, I was able to talk to the other students and get to know them. While they were all skilled in writing, photography and audiovisual production, all had character traits that helped them thrive as reporters as well. Whether it be their curiosity, outgoingness or motivation, the other student journalists’ strong personalities allowed them to bring their passion to life. Being able to share experiences and ideas with such a talented and intelligent group was as educational as any of the programs. 

Overall, I am very grateful to have attended this program, though I couldn’t have been able to attend without the constant support provided by Summit’s journalism department from both my peers and teachers. It was here in Rockwood where I discovered my passion for journalism, and I cannot wait to return to school in August to put what I learned at the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference into practice.