Kendall Staton cannot legally check into a hotel room or have a glass of wine, yet she runs three newspapers less than a year after graduating college. In the rural town of Cynthiana, Kentucky, 20-year-old Staton navigates the landscape of journalistic integrity that unfolds with editorship while challenging older generations in a time of shrinking.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw professional journalists worldwide trying to disseminate timely, consequential information to the public. This responsibility was just as weighty for student journalists. But despite the mounting pressure, Kentucky Kernel Media reigned triumphant over a trying year, raking in several state and national awards. Overall, the media organization and its staff won nearly 100 awards during the 2020-2021 school year.