Students from all over Arizona write for Bear Essential News, and you can, too!

The Young Reporters Program is FREE and teaches you the basics of journalism, sharpens your writing and gives you real-world experience.

From classmates to Presidents, our Young Reporters have obtained some remarkable interviews. So if you’d like to meet some new, inspiring people, or if you feel you have something to say, now’s the perfect time to be a Young Reporter!

Your stories will appear in Bear Essential News, Arizona’s leading newspaper for children and families.

The program is for kids in grades 3 thru 8. Young Reporters have gotten the scoop from Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George Bush as well as astronauts aboard the International Space Station. In-depth interviews were conducted with journalism legend Walter Cronkite, a WWII veteran

and first responders who were on the scene during 9/11. There have been EXCLUSIVE interviews with chimpanzee expert Dr. Jane Goodall, authors Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid series) and R.L. Stine (Goosebumps), film celebrities Steven Spielberg, the cast from the movie “The Sandlot,” singing sensations Justin Timberlake and Arizona’s own Crystal Stark (American Idol) plus professional athletes and coaches.

You don’t need to be a super writer to write for us—all stories are brought up to the same quality before being published, and the program helps you develop into a strong writer!

Joining is easy, and Young Reporters also can attend monthly Young Reporter Zoom Nights, which include a guest speaker for them to interview.

Print out the YR sign-up form at Bear-EssentialNews.com (under the Young Reporters tab). Fill it out, have a parent sign the bottom, and mail it in. Bear will send you a Young Reporters Kit—a reporter notepad, Bear Stylebook and official press pass. We would like YR’s to send one story every month or at least every other month.