Celebrating Student Press Freedom Day, 50 years of student rights

by Lori Keekley, MJE SPRC members have been working to amass several resources for you as we kick off our celebration of the Tinker anniversary with Student Press Freedom Day. The goal is to keep celebrating Student Press Freedom Day daily leading up to the 50th anniversary of the Tinker decision. What’s new Need a…

Proactivity can help face a challenge

by Stan Zoller,MJE Watch just about any team sporting event and at some point, there will be challenge to a call. Or challenge to the rules. It’s no different with some scholastic journalism programs. Despite New Voices laws in 14 states, and bills introduced in three others, challenges to the rules, or in this case…

Truthtelling vs Storytelling: Some of you aren’t going to like this

by Candace Bowen, MJE Yes, it’s true. I’m going to question a concept scholastic media latched onto and often treats like the solution to all media problems. We got it from commercial media and have adopted it passionately: It’s storytelling. And, yes, it certainly has some value, but it has some pitfalls we and our…

Bringing light to relevant issues, past and present, defines journalistic leadership

“I’d rather be a hammer than a nail” “Blowing in the Wind“ “Find the Cost of Freedom” “Ohio” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” How do these lyrics and titles relate to scholastic journalism? They all came at a time when people questioned the media, its role and its leadership. They all came at a…

A (written) step toward more faculty support

by Lindsay Coppens In good times and bad times, having faculty support can go a long way in ensuring student press rights. Towards the beginning of each year, but sometimes when we’re nearing the end of semester one,  I send an email to the faculty and staff to thank them for their support, to reinforce…

Arkansas student journalists lose publishing rights, regain them, support from other journalists

by Jackie Mink, JEA Emeritus member A recent challenge in Arkansas left a high school’s newspaper censored and prior review started. With support from other scholastic and professional journalism organizations, the school newspaper has now been allowed to publish. I thought of a line in my favorite book “To Kill a Mockingbird”recently. It was in…

Stop being afraid

by Cyndi Hyatt The media is under attack.  Although friction between the press and the President is nothing new (John Adams, Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon all had a cantankerous relationship with the press) this current labeling journalists as the “Enemy of the People” has far reaching effects that may even trickle down to student…

Trickling down hits the news room

by Stan Zoller, MJE The Ronald Reagan presidency, if nothing else, introduced the United State to “trickle-down economics,” which was described as a method by which “… benefits for the wealthy trickle down to everyone else. These benefits are tax cuts on businesses, high-income earners, capital gains and dividends.” It could be described that government…

Lack of media diversity creates problems for democracy

by Candace Bowen, MJE Columbia Journalism Review is focusing on diversity in this fall’s print issue and online site— not the diversity of inclusion or the diversity that just gives us more voices. In the intro to the Fall 2018 issue,author Jelani Cobb, director of Columbia University’s Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Human…

Student journalists should heal and transform the world

JEA Administrator of the Year, Rachel Simpson Thanks to the JEA for this award. It is an honor to be here and an extraordinary privilege — and a wonderful surprise, frankly — to be recognized in this way. Gratitude to everyone in this room for your work motivating student’ voice and student publication. Specifically, in…

Student journalists are the real deal

by Cyndi Hyatt A few weeks back a student reporter asked a school administrator if she could cover a school-related banquet at a local country club, an event much touted and advertised. Sure was the response, but she would have to buy a ticket.   She was not expecting that response, nor was I.  After…

The importance of linking to reporting

Links in online reporting provides context, credibility and transparency for coverage by Kristin Taylor You can’t click on a print newspaper, so why should we include links in digital stories? The Nieman Foundation provides four main purposes for adding links: Links are good for storytelling. Links keep the audience informed. Links are a currency of collaboration….