Jackson Taylor is a home-schooled student who spends several hours each morning on his four classes.
That frees up his afternoons, evenings – and weekends – for online endeavors, but it has nothing to do with video games, online chats or TikTok videos. Taylor spends a lot of his time away from his studies focused on Henderson Newsline, an online local journalism project that is gaining momentum – and followers.
When he spoke with WIZS recently, he said he expected his 2.5K followers to tick up to 2.6K by day’s end. Taylor is thinking about expanding his reach beyond his current Facebook platform. He’s analyzing the demographics of the people who are following his stories, and said he’d like his work to springboard one day beyond the current social media outlet.
But Taylor isn’t some college Journalism student with aspirations of catapulting to the New York Times or Washington Post.
Taylor’s 14. He’s in middle school.
The teenager said it was toward the end of 5th grade when the idea popped into his head to start a student-led community outlet focused on delivering news.
He knew the “what,” but he didn’t know the “how,” so he did what a lot of people do – he turned to the Internet for help. He found instructional videos to help him work through some of the logistics of starting an online social media-based news outlet.
Henderson Newsline started in December 2025 and in the ensuing months, the site has gained followers.
“I didn’t expect it to go anywhere,” he said. “I was just kinda doing my own thing…
and it has gone through the roof. It’s grown faster than I expected.”
His “strong passion” for public safety – think law enforcement and the fire service – fuel his desire to share information on his social media feed.
He said Henderson Newsline is focused on public safety, providing a reliable source of information on a free platform.
Taylor is out and about in the community and attends local events just like other traditional journalists.
“I talk to people, gather information and try to put stories out,” he said. It’s the mix of “on-the-ground” reporting and digital engagement that help him to carve his own niche.
“I saw a gap and that gap is not enough news,” Taylor said. “Not enough positive news, not enough accurate news…someone needed to step in.”
He said he enjoys the work he’s doing, but admits that it does get tiring at times. Listening to the police scanner half the night – even on weekends – can get old.
“It gets tiring, but I also think it pays off,” he said.
Taylor doesn’t know what the future holds, but he said he envisions himself in a role that brings together his interests in public safety and journalism – perhaps a public information role in a police department, sheriff’s office or the State Highway Patrol.
In the meantime, he said he hopes Henderson Newsline grows into “a trusted well-known news source in the region.”
He plans to continue to serve the community and provide accurate and fact-checked information.
And one day, maybe one day, expand into broadcasting either on the radio or on television.
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