Editorial: Applause for school reports

Citizen journalism comes from all directions in an age of mass media.
There is an unending stream of opinion and reports by almost anyone who cares to log on to the internet, Twitter or Facebook and share their views and experiences.
Television and news websites rush to screen amateur video of dramatic events such as the Christchurch earthquakes.
It all makes for a colourful tapestry of information, even if the bona fides of those putting up this information is not always apparent, meaning the media consumer must always be questioning what they are taking in.
Hawke's Bay Today is proud to today publish on pages four and five examples of citizen journalism of the highest calibre - reports we can vouch for the accuracy of.
These reports and pictures came from students at Waimarama School, who went out into their village and tracked down stories of escape, bravery, and community bonding in the face of a true natural disaster.
The torrential rain, flooding and slips that devastated parts of coastal Waimarama one month ago today had a profound effect on the children who live there.
Waimarama School asked Hawke's Bay Today if we could assist them to tell their stories in their words to the wider world and we were happy to oblige. The students excelled themselves, as you can see for yourself today.
Remember that this is a small country school without the resources enjoyed in our city schools and which had thick mud up to some of the classroom walls a few short weeks ago. It has a roll of just 15.
Read stories such as the one by 7-year-old Ahere Gillies about the vital work done by heavy machinery at Waimarama and how he now wants to be a digger driver (when he is 20), or the personal account by Annika Tissies, 9, of her family's escape in the middle of the night (and concern for their little kitten Coco) and it is hard not to be moved.