Canyon High School Students Share their Thoughts on 'Cancel Culture' in Politics

Way back in March, students from the Student Reporting Labs class at Canyon High School in Santa Clarita, California, started working on a story about how young people view “cancel culture” in politics. The story was in response to a local congressional special election in California’s 25th district, which was previously held by former Rep. Katie Hill.

Fast forward to the fall, when the world was a drastically different place. Although the same candidates were running in the general election for the 25th district, the coronavirus pandemic and the presidential election sparked a renewed conversation about media literacy and divisiveness online. As a result, the students’ story evolved into a look at how first-time voters processed the news and participated in the 2020 election.

This story was produced by Maya D., Katelynn G., and Patrick H., with the help of their teacher Ryanne Meschkat and Student Reporting Labs Youth Media Producer Marie Cusick.