NORTHAMPTON — Cameras and stage lights face Jane Harrison-Millman as she sits in front of a live audience. Across from her sits Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro, responsible for leading the independent agency responsible for detecting fraud and abuse of public resources across the commonwealth. She takes a quick glance at her notes before posing another question to Shapiro.

“Earlier this year, you gave sharp criticism of the Cannabis Control Commission, calling it a ‘rudderless agency’ and going so far as to urge for receivership,” Harrison-Millman, 16, tells Shapiro. “What do you believe needs to happen for the commission, and how can other such entities run ethically and efficiently?”

It was one of several questions asked during an interview with Shapiro for The Transcript, Northampton High School’s weekly video news magazine. The Transcript is put together by students in Jeromie Whalen’s Communications in Media Production class, in collaboration with Northampton Open Media.

“Oftentimes when people are thinking about student news, they’re thinking about a green screen and talking about what’s for lunch,” Whalen said. “Our student journalists are much more about the impact of world events on their community at the school, but also the community of Northampton.”

With access to industry-grade software and equipment, students learn about various facets of digital production and management and have the ability to do go out into the city to do their own field reporting. Recent field reports by The Transcript include asking residents about Thanksgiving and rent prices in Northampton.

The segment with Shapiro came about after the news media program caught the attention of Carrie Kimball, the communications officer for the office of the inspector general, who reached out asking if they would be interested in speaking to Shapiro.

“He [Shapiro] does these trips all around the state,” Kimball said. “I was looking to see what is going on with the media out here, and I noticed they had a student program. So I thought it would be a little different, and interesting.”

Whalen’s students quickly went to work researching the role of the inspector general, looking into recent issues such as Shapiro’s previous statements about the Cannabis Control Commission, as well as looking at implications of the return of Donald Trump to the presidency, with Trump having dismissed several federal inspectors general during his first term in office.

“I think that journalism in general is something that is a bit under attack in our society,” Whalen said. “For the students to step out of not only the classroom, but out of their comfort zone and put themselves in a situation where they’re holding local and state officials accountable — that takes a lot of guts, and it takes a lot of skill, and I’m just really proud of how they go about doing it.”

Shapiro was in the area as part of a “listening tour” across the commonwealth, meeting with various municipal leaders to talk about fraud prevention and education, and how the office can help in its role. While in the Pioneer Valley, Shapiro also plans to meet with Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra and Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle.

“Our 351 cities and towns vary greatly in their size and scope and their capability,” Shapiro said. “I really do learn by talking with our local stakeholders in a way that’s different than when we have a case or an investigation or a client.”

For Harrison-Millman, who has been with The Transcript since her freshman year at NHS, the interview with Shapiro was the first she’s done on camera, although she’s no stranger to questioning people in political office. During her time with the program, she has interviewed the likes of state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and state Sen. Jo Comerford, both of whom represent Northampton in the State House.

“A lot of times people feel very removed from our government, so I think it’s valuable to be able to be engaged,” Harrison-Millman said. “This is going to be shown to classes in our school, so it helps to bring awareness.”

So what did Shapiro say to Harrison-Millman’s question regarding the Cannabis Control Commission, an agency mired in controversy, with resignations of the executive director and suspension of its chair, with no clear leadership strategy?

“There have been more hearings on the House side, the Senate side, thinking about what it may want to do, but I haven’t yet seen more action,” Shapiro told her. “I continue to have the same concerns about it that I did in the spring, and I think it’s my obligation to raise these kinds of things.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.