Local middle schooler following his father's lead in news reporting
VERMILLION COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A South Vermillion 8th grader is following in his father's footsteps, as he currently serves as a 'Junior Reporter' for a local Wabash Valley newspaper.
Vermillion-Parke On The Level (VPOTL) is a digital newspaper providing coverage in Vermillion and Parke counties daily. The newspaper was launched in June 2024, as a response to the discontinuation of The Clintonian, formerly known as the Daily Clintonian.
Eric Jones, served as an editor for the local papers since 2003. With more than 22 years of experience, he created VPOTL to continue to cover local events, town halls, athletics, and meetings for the two counties in west central Indiana.
'Having local news, people reporting and telling people what's going on is a necessary aspect of a functioning community,' said Jones. 'If you do not have that local news, have that coverage, and have people keeping the public in the loop of what's going on, there are a lot of things that just don't work the way they should.'
In recent years, Eric's son, Ethan has taken an interest in what his father does day in and day out.
'As a dad, it makes you really proud to see your kid stepping up, taking an interest in what you're doing, and wanting to be involved in things and involved in the community,' said Eric Jones.
The 13-year-old first sparked a passion for photography, which gradually evolved his love for writing and journalism. Rightfully so, Ethan's favorite subject in school is English, and writing class.
'I feel like anyone who wants to do journalism should just go for the opportunity because as the world becomes more tech-involved, journalism is becoming less and less of a thing. You don't see as many newspapers running anymore, and its mainly going online,' said Ethan Jones. '(VPOTL) covers everything that happens in Parke and Vermillion County. And it is helpful for the community for us to cover those and keep the community informed.'
When he's not busy with school, band practice, or theater performances, Ethan is out in the community covering stories, continuing to learn and grow his skills.
'I have a lot of things that happened during the school year. Over the summer, most of the stuff dies down, and so sometimes I don't get to cover things with dad. But, when I have the opportunity to, I go cover things with my dad mainly to get more experience with covering things, so that things go better with me writing,' said South Vermillion 8th grader.
With that, Ethan's father explains how independent his son has grown to be over the years. Ethan is not only growing to be a young man but has now grown to be a reliable 'junior reporter'.
'It's not him following along behind me anymore. He's off doing things and I'm off doing things, and he handles his own side of things very well,' said Eric Jones, Editor for VPOTL. 'The writing side of it take a little bit more time, a little more practice to learn and he is getting into that. I always talk about the importance of taking complicated stuff and make it make sense to people that don't know anything about it.'
With a few more years ahead, Ethan is focused on one day taking over Vermillion-Parke On The Level. The 13-year-old has aspirations to attend college and study Journalism, before returning to the newspaper his father launched and created.
'It's not always going to be me, I'm not going to be able to do this forever,' said Mr. Jones. 'I love the idea that he can learn from everything I've learned over the last 22 years. Somewhere along the way he would be able to pick up where I leave off. If not him, I hope that there will be someone willing to do that because I believe it is a necessity.'
Looking ahead, the reporting duo looks forward to covering the upcoming 2025 Vermillion County Fair together that kicks off Saturday, June 14th and runs through Saturday, June 21st.
'I love working with my dad even when we make each other frustrated,' Ethan said laughing. 'Only sometimes.'
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