SOUTH LYON, Mich. (WXYZ) — A group of high school students has turned their passion for information into a thriving social media news source, providing breaking news coverage to thousands of followers in Livingston and Oakland counties.
Watch the story from Demetrios Sanders in the video player below:
EnRoute Media, a Facebook page with nearly 3,000 followers, was created by South Lyon High School senior Conner Lipke after watching a show about freelance journalists known as nightcrawlers.
"It's like what they do, how they do it, what it looks like, stuff like that. So I thought that was really interesting and wanted to try it," Lipke said.
The inspiration turned into action in February when an emergency occurred in South Lyon. Lipke grabbed his camera and took photos of the scene.
"The chief came up to me and he gave me a statement, and then from there I was like wow I kind of like this. I want to write a narrative on it," Lipke said. "It was cool to be recognized, treated almost like a professional, like an adult at a scene like this."
Lipke serves as director of operations for EnRoute Media, which focuses primarily on breaking news in Livingston County and portions of Oakland County.
"Livingston County, which is relatively a small county compared to everything else around us has smaller towns. There's not as much information that goes out, so smaller towns getting this media coverage is something that we value," Lipke said.
To stay current on breaking news, Lipke uses apps like PulsePoint and the website Broadcastify. He coordinates with friends and other photographers who can quickly respond to scenes.
Nick Calandra, a junior at Howell High School, said after hearing about the idea he was excited to join.
"What pulled me in is actually the idea of helping the community and giving out clear visuals of what's happening around them," Calandra said.
The students also focus on maintaining respect for those affected by emergencies they cover.
"We try to stay respectful and stay out of the way and remember there are real people and families at the center of every call," Calandra said.
The team takes pride in challenging stereotypes about teenagers and news consumption.
"There's a lot of people that think teenagers aren't informed, that we don't follow the news, we don't watch it as much," Lipke said.
Emily Kane, a teacher at South Lyon High School, finds the operation inspiring.
"Kids that want to do something and learn more about this business and how they can sort of be successful in, is obviously not something I come around every day," Kane said.
Beyond breaking news, EnRoute Media covers community events and has helped raise money for GoFundMe campaigns.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
