Moorestown Students Win Award For 'Fake News' Documentary

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Two Moorestown High School students won Honorable Mention in C-SPAN’s national 2020 StudentCam competition, the news network announced on Wednesday.

Sarah Leuliette and Sarah Misselhorn will receive $250 for the documentary, "Truth Be Told," about the relationship between media and government officials. The video begins with a montage of politicians reciting the term “fake news.”

“The problem is the term ‘fake news is used so easily nowadays that it seems to constantly put the media under question of if they’re being truthful,” one of the video’s creators goes on to say. “It also puts the spotlight on the highest members of government and just as easily questions their motives.”

She goes on to say that if the government and the media are to co-exist, they have to be able to work together. The video includes a professor from Temple University and a Temple student speaking about freedom of the press, and why it is important.

KYW Crime Reporter Kristen Johanson talks about the media as a watchdog and a British journalist talks about the need for journalism. Johanson talks about her experience being barred from a recent press conference given by the Philadelphia District Attorney about a Tweet that had been sent out about him by President Donald Trump and an update to a murder investigation. Press that had been invited were told it was a “secret press conference.”

This video and the other winning videos can be seen at http://www.studentcam.org.

"Comcast congratulates, Sarah Leuliette and Sarah Misselhorn, our local winners of C-SPAN’s annual documentary contest, StudentCam,” Comcast Freedom Region Vice President of Government Affairs Stephanie L. Kosta said. “We are proud to partner with C-SPAN to offer this educational opportunity focused on strengthening our democracy and giving young leaders a forum for sharing their insights about issues that affect our country."

Comcast broadcasts C-SPAN in the region.

They are among 330 winners from across the country that will share in $100,000. C-SPAN is awarding one grand prize, 4 first prizes, 16 second prizes, 32 third prize winners and 97 honorable mention prizes. The winning videos will receive cash awards of $5,000, $3,000, $1,500, $750 and $250, respectively. This year marks the 16th year of the StudentCam competition, which has awarded over $1,000,000 in prizes.

Each year since 2006, C-SPAN has partnered with local cable television providers in communities nationwide to invite middle and high school students to produce short documentaries about a subject of national importance.

This year students addressed the theme, "What's Your Vision in 2020? Explore the issue you most want presidential candidates to address during the campaign." In response, nearly 5,400 students from 44 states and Washington, D.C., participated. C-SPAN received over 2,500 submissions on a variety of topics. The most popular topics addressed were:

• Environment (18%) – Climate Change, Green New Deal, Pollution and Plastics
• Equality/Discrimination (15%) – Prison Rights, Affirmative Action, Veterans' Rights, Human Rights
• Guns (13%) – Gun Control, Mass Shootings, Second Amendment, Gun Safety
• Health Care (12%) – Universal Health Care, Mental Health, Addictions, Vaping
• Immigration (9%) – Border Security, Undocumented Immigration, Separation of Families, DACA