Insights
Whose values? Social media algorithms and readership
Which shall shape journalism’s future? Values established by algorithms? Clickbait? Media revitalized by required journalism in schools? Democracy may hinge on which society values “Everyone is so friggin’ crazy! I’m going to quit reading the news and unsubscribe from everything,” a friend said to me. I asked what caused her despair. She is an intelligent…
It is time for student watchdogs to go to work: Racism, sexism and what is taught in schools
It’s happening in Ohio – and 26 other states. Even if it’s not in yours yet, chances are it will be. And chances are it may also impact the kinds of stories your student journalists can write. Under the guise of ensuring what’s taught in schools isn’t “divisive” or wouldn’t “sow unrest,” more than half…
Transparency helps keep air in the balloon
Al McGuire, the late basketball coach at Marquette University, used to remind folks that championship basketball wasn’t all “seashells and balloons.” I suppose you could apply that to just about anything – life, final exams, losing a close game or even journalism. No matter how many laws are passed, policies adopted and awards won, getting…
Active censorship or community protection? An LGBTQ friendly play
Two Ohio high schools have now canceled fall productions of the same LGBTQ-themed play Two points. Two Ohio public school systems. The first point is about two student performances of ‘She Kills Monsters’ killed this fall. Students at Hillsboro High School in southwestern Ohio faced the news of the play’s cancellation after rehearsals had begun,…
Free Speech Week
Which journalistic change can best enhance free expression, ensure essential information and restore trust? The past two years brought concepts previously unfamiliar to scholastic journalism: asynchronous, hybrid and Covid. Students and advisers practiced new techniques: Zoom, safe distance, remote interviews and more created individually in schools nationwide. For some journalism programs it was a time…
Keep fighting Censorship: Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week doesn’t need to be over yet Free speech is free speech, whether it’s an article students want to publish about unsanitary bathrooms or a book for an English class that delves into a sensitive – but vital — topic. We need to support everyone’s right to access or publish sometimes unpopular subjects. It’s…
Who made the cut? Start your school year with a voices audit
One of the highest callings of journalism is to “give voice to the voiceless.” Constitution Day is a great time for journalism staffs — digital, print or hybrid — to evaluate their coverage from the year before and see how fully they’ve met that goal. Before starting the process, I suggest having students make predictions,…
Celebrate roles student news media can bring to a democratic society; honor, envision and practice free speech
JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee hopes to help you and your students celebrate their free speech rights this year. Constitution Day, observed on Sept. 17 each year in commemoration of the signing of the United States Constitution, is an excellent time to do it. This year we provide lesson materials ranging from exploring impactful, recent…
The fight for First Amendment rights has escalated
Needless to say, a staple in any beginning journalism course is (or should be) understanding the First Amendment. Many educators go to great lengths, and rightfully so, to make sure their students know the five freedoms guaranteed (religion, speech, press, assembly, petition). The 45 words are engrained in our, and hopefully our student’s, heads from…
Avoiding copyright issues and staying safe when using photos and other content
Having problems getting appropriate photos to accompany stories? What about possible copyright issues that could arise from using these photos? Here’s some information that may be useful. A great guide about uncertainty in using photos: When in doubt, don’t. Get written permission before using. With that said, there are times when Fair Use applies. For questions about using…
Elections may be over, but not the responsibility
In many states, communities recently elected or re-elected candidates to a multitude of government bodies from city council to township trustees to school boards. Sadly, voter turnout in local elections is traditionally low – very low – as people are as about as interested in their local officials as a chocoholic is in vanilla. From…
After 234 years, Hamilton’s words remain spot on
When Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers in 1787, odds are more than pretty good that scholastic journalism wasn’t on their minds. Safe bet. In one of the 51 essays he wrote, Hamilton noted that “…A government continually at a distance and out of sight can hardly be expected to…