When NSW went into COVID-19 lockdown in April and children started home schooling Kahlan Bower, 8, decided to make use of any spare time she had to publish her own newspaper and deliver it to letter boxes in her street.
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While other children were getting bored at being stuck at home Kahlan was too busy being an enterprising newshound and doing stories on the Ruby Princess at Port Kembla and other important issues.
"When I delivered the news it had my email on it so people could send me story ideas," she said.
"Someone in my street send me an email thinking it was an assignment for school and telling me it was on their doorstep for her to pick up. I sent an email back telling them it was theirs and I was giving it to them for free.
"I started publishing my news every day but didn't want to get behind in my schooling so ended up doing it two or three times a week".
Other children in Keiraville who saw her newspaper were inspired to follow her lead.
But Kahlan's interest has never waned and for her ninth birthday she told her mother Tahla Bower all she wanted was an office to run her media enterprise from.
Mrs Bower spoke to Carmen Rudd at the Zig Zag Hub and this week that wish was granted.
She has been working from there for the first week of the school holidays
Kahlan has expanded her news concept into the digital space in recent months.
And Mrs Bower has created and is the administrator of a Facebook page called @kahlensnews News to post her daughter's stories and news reports recorded on video.
"I have even done a live report from the beach on Facebook Live when the Ruby Princess was leaving," she said.
"But mostly I video myself and then I AirDrop it to mum and she puts it on Facebook. It is her account because she is over 13."
Kahlan like reporting on issues she sees as important.
She recently reported on racism and hate on social media and how that has become an issue in the lead up to the US election.
And how many children under 13 have TikTok and other social media accounts because she wants the world to know that is happening.
Kahlan said having an office during the school holidays was great because she has her own space to be productive and focus without any distractions.
"I am trying to post news every day," she said.
"I only have this office for a week but I really want to do this forever. I want to be a journalist when I grow up so I can tell people what is happening in the world. I want to tell real news and report on important issues."
Working from any office is only fueling her interest to do more.
Kahlan hopes by the summer holidays she may be able to occupy more than one office and recruit others to report from different departments, each with their own space for telling different stories.
"I think if I had more people to help me in an office it would be easier to produce more news," she said.
Mrs Bower said when her daughter woke up one day during lockdown and said she was starting a newspaper and news channel and write her own news it came completely out of the blue.
"When she produced the first one she dressed up in her jeans and a leather jacket, hopped on her bike and hand delivered them all to every letter box in our street," she said.
"Now she is obsessed with the idea of being a reporter.
"I am really impressed with what she has done.
"She is a force unto herself and is highly motivated.
"She has created all this.
"She just knows what she wants and goes for it."
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