Anchors, writers and editors race to meet deadlines on the set of Madison News Network.The student-led broadcast journalism class produces a show that airs every black day Friday during Advisory. Each show covers a range of topics, including Madison related issues, local sports, current events and politics. With so much to cover, holidays can disrupt the school calendar. Consequently, staffers must write, film and edit the show in one week— for multiple consecutive weeks.

“No two days are the same, and there is always something fun and new to learn,” MNN teacher Maggie Foarde said.

Leading up to filming days, students learn how to conduct interviews and research. Other days they develop skills in filming, lighting and editing. Broadcast journalism is different from many other classes as Foarde does little direct instruction.

“It’s a more hands-on class, the purpose for everything we do is very tangible and for a real audience,” Foarde said.

Her hands-on style encourages collaboration. In the beginning of each cycle, staffers research ideas for segments. Then they share their ideas and get feedback from classmates. As they work on their segments, staffers learn skills from each other. 

“The collaborative nature is really helpful for achieving our goals, especially when we need help with something,” Mohamad Alhamad (’25) said.

It also helps staffers stay accountable for their work. They make suggestions on each other’s segments and ensure they’re ready to air. If a segment isn’t ready in time it’s cut from the broadcast.

“We try to plan pretty carefully and be realistic in our timing to avoid [missed deadlines],” Foarde said.

Although staffers are always looking towards the next due date, they can be creative. They can do different segments every week and when a topic is interesting, staffers are enthusiastic. 

“When I’m excited about something I could write and talk about it for hours,” Anna Panjawani (’27) said.

Staffers joined the class for different reasons, but they’re glad they did. After creating a video for a history project, Alhamad’s history teacher suggested he join Broadcast Journalism for his sophomore year. 

“I took it and I’ve [taken] it ever since. I just liked the class and couldn’t get enough of it,” Alhamad (’25) said.