Students spend as much time with a book in their face as they do with Facebook these days. With that and other social media at their fingertips, it can be difficult to discern truth from fiction.

For Old Rochester Regional High School’s videographers, studying media and creating their own content has made them news savvy.

Deborah Stinson, the District Video Coordinator, said the skills her students learn will help them navigate college and beyond.

“We’re such a media focused society,” said Stinson. “This is to help them have some critical skills, to watch things and not necessarily believe everything you see on the air.”

Seniors Tim Gonsalves, Evan Martinez and Adam Costa work with Stinson to create unique content focused on the school.

The students film and edit sports stories, produce the principal’s program “The Devoll Show,” and also seek out stories of interest.

“We want them to learn the basics of video journalism and what it means to develop a story, the facts involved, and get them to watch the news,” said Stinson.

Gonsalves began taking video classes at ORR his freshman year. Although he’s interested in a career in film, he said the video journalism courses have changed how he interacts with the news.

“Since I started taking these classes, I really do pay attention to what the stories are and what’s really going on,” he said. “I’m really able to analyze the news program itself.”

Martinez said the news wasn’t something he watched before getting involved in video journalism his first year at ORR.

“Every year I’ve been in this class, I get more and more involved in it,” he said. “It’s helped with media literacy.”

Through the video journalism program, students are taught how to shoot a story, interview subjects and put the information into a cohesive, brief program.

As Stinson’s aide, Gonsalves said he shoots all kinds of events and segments. Both Martinez and Costa focus much of their time on sports programs.

“I just like being a part of the whole process of shooting film,” said Costa, who joined the video program this year. "For sports events, I like being with the crowd and being able to put that on for other people to watch.”

Most of the programs produced by Bulldog TV are aired ORCTV’s education channel.

Public programming doesn’t tend to be the must-see channel for high school students. But, like their professional counterparts, the guys work hard to create real content that will draw in viewers.

“It’s always tough to get people to watch local channels,” said Gonsalves. “Once they tune in, they keep watching it. It’s stuff they have a real connection with.”

Costa also sees the channel as a way to draw more people into the videographer club. “If we get the word out more, how important this club is, it will get more information out to people and more people will be interested.”