AP Health and Science reporter Lindsay Tanner and video journalist Angie Wang delivered a distinctive story about the struggles of teen girls, centering on their voices with audio recordings. In her final AP story before retirement Tanner sought to hear directly from girls why almost 60% of teen girls told a government survey that they had feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness.
The two worked connections across the country to find a diverse set of girls, going through community groups and other organizations to find a half-dozen girls in five states. And they hit on an innovative way of getting the teens to open up: audio diaries that the teens themselves would record.
Wang and Tanner worked with the teens to ensure the recordings would be of high enough quality to use. They also worked with AP photographers in three places to capture images of the girls that protected their identity.
AP sensitively tells stories of girls on their mental health struggles
Makena, a high school senior in Mississippi, pulls at her hair as she speaks during a visit to a community park, a place that brings back happy memories to the 18-year-old, April 4, 2023.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis