In September, the Hawaii Community Foundation won a Knight Community Information Challenge grant to launch Hiki No, a student news network in conjunction with PBS Hawaii that will broadcast throughout the islands. AJR.com recently reported on the project:

Honolulu lost one of its two newspapers in May, and the city’s three commercial television news operations merged into one last November. What’s more, most Hawaii news sources are based in Honolulu, the bulk of news stories are focused on its home island of Oahu, one of eight main islands that make up the state. “You’ll only see other stories if something huge happens,” which doesn’t allow people to “get a sense of those communities,” says Robert Pennybacker, PBS Hawaii’s vice president of creative services.

But starting in February, an initiative called Hiki Nō may just turn things around. The project, a joint venture by PBS Hawaii and the Hawaii Community Foundation, will establish the nation’s first statewide student newscast, inviting middle- and high-school students from all over the state to participate. Hiki Nō’s goal is to help bridge the information gap for the people of Hawaii, providing stories from many places that have long been ignored.

Read more and check out the project’s website.