The Latest
We have the responsibility to ensure
administrators see journalism’s values
In the spirit of Constitution Day, help administrators. know what journalism means to the continuation of America’s democracy: School administrators can feel tremendous pressure to protect their schools’ reputations, so it’s understandable that they may be wary of supporting a scholastic press where students have final say over all content. Educating administrators about the value of…
Diversity is a journalistic must
Diversity in cultures , sources and ideas brings stronger coverage Guideline: Student media staffs should reflect the racial, economic, social issue and gender diversity of the schools they represent. Social media post/question: Diversity is important, but how do we accurately represent our school? Are we representing our school’s diversity in our student media? Stance:Coverage and…
Student journalism is not public relations
Scholastic reporters should not feel pressured to present relentless stream of utopia, glossing over problems to cover the ‘good stuff’ Imagine the American press was only allowed to report on good news. No mention of problems in society, no opportunity to speak out against injustice or corruption — just a relentless stream of positivity with…
Credibility strengthened with
use of sources in opinion pieces
Writers should show they have done research and interviews in opinion pieces just as they do in objective reporting. Doing this provides credibility and authority to their views. It also shows audiences the students are informed on the issue. Each opinion story should show sufficient research which has informed the writer’s viewpoint. Include sources in…
Censorship leads to fake news
Prior-review/censor guideline /policy Journalists often are considered mirrors on society. As such, journalism should reflect the community in which it is produced. In order to also maintain their watchdog function, journalists must also be able to act as candles that illuminate and challenge a community’s values and preconceptions. Monitoring the status quo and the powers that…
FOIA requests
Data your school district keeps for its own information or to report out to the state or federal government is an important resource for journalists. It can reveal patterns and statistics that belie the school’s reputation for better or for worse. It can help reveal positive or alarming trends in student discipline, achievement, attendance or…
Importance of news literacy
News literacy resources Stance: Informed citizens are a crucial part of a democracy. As both producers and consumers of news, student journalists must understand the principles of news literacy. Social Media Post/Topic: Your students produce news, but are they news literate? Here are some resources to teach them the basics. Reasoning/suggestions: Given the current controversy…
SPRC adds ‘one-stop shopping’
for law and ethics manual
Four concepts drive the creation of journalistic approaches: mission statement, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual procedure. Together, with forum material, the four comprise a package of complementary principles we call the Foundation of Journalism, often known as a staff manual. These principles represent the key pillars of standards-based journalism and are the products…
Procedures outline mission, policy, ethics to build a forum that cements the package
Staff manual procedures What is it/definition: A good staff manual provides pathways to help students to carry out their roles as journalists. Our model shares four suggested pathways for student media to study and adapt. Mission statement, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual complement each other in a way to show student participants…
Ethical guidelines suggest
best practices for your student media
Ethical guidelines What is it/definition: Ethical guidelines in journalism help guide students to make good decisions and the think critically. Because there is no right or wrong, students become ethically fit by making decisions without review, by examining possible decisions and projecting effects of their decisions. Being ethically fit also means preparing ethical decision making…
Editorial policy sets forum status,
decision-making standard and more
Editorial policy What is it/definition: Designed to provide legal framework for student media, editorial policies come in two forms, school-board level and media-level. In case of conflicts, a school-board policy usually will take precedence. Absent a policy, practice can help determine freedom of expression status. Typical content of an editorial policy can include: Level of…
Mission sets the path for content, decisions
Mission statement What is it/definition: A mission statement is a concise, philosophical statement of purpose and goals for student media. It establishes the ethical and practical concepts by which the student media should be expected to operate and why students do what they do. Important items of note: We strongly believe mission statements should be…