The Latest – Page 46

Fighting censorship?
Here are ideas that can help

Because so many advisers have talked about prior review situations lately, and how to handle them, her is a link to an Student Press Law Center-Newspaper Association of America Foundation project that might offer some help. Titled Press Freedom in Practice, besides reviewing basics of press law, it highlights adviser stories about how they overcame issues like prior…

Build on the state legislation
success of North Dakota

Based on the success of North Dakota’s John Wall New Voices Act, journalism groups across the country should seriously consider similar approaches to protecting student expression. To do so, check out these resources: • North Dakota site and resources • Student Press Law Center resources • Scholastic Press Rights resources

Submissions for Making a Difference, 2015

by Jane Blystone Advisers, as you prepare for the end of year contest submissions, consider entering student work in the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Commission Making a Difference project. You can fill out this online form and upload documents for consideration for publication. Making a Difference Submissions We published our first copy of Making a Difference in hard…

Helping the John Wall New Voices Act
be a springboard for change, more legislation

North Dakota’s passage of the John Wall New Voices Act sets a good model for those of us in other states who want to protect free expression for students as they learn how that expression is the cornerstone of democracy. We should realize the importance of this passage, the first in eight years since Oregon’s passed….

New policy, ethics and staff manual elements posted

Just to give everyone a heads-up, the SPRC just published its Foundations of Journalism package to offer a new look at how editorial policies interact with ethical guidelines and staff manual procedures. The package is available at http://jeasprc.org/buildingfoundations/ and includes separate models for possible board- and media-level policies, including rationale for each. The ethics and staff manual examples…

Evaluating and critiquing content

Ethical guidelines Students should engage in a consistent and ongoing process to evaluate content of their student media. Open, constructive, robust and healthy newsroom dialogue plays a vital role in a publication’s ongoing development. Evaluating and critiquing content helps students to reflect on the process and outcome and allows them to identify areas for…

Media-level editorial policies

Ethics guidelines Media-level editorial policies aren’t as much legal protection as the board-level policies, but they could show how students operate “in practice” and thus might be viewed as some protection. Thus they are a must for student media. JEA’s Model Editorial Policy is a good example because it adds discussion points such as…

The role of student media

Ethical guidelines 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…

Prior review/restraint

Ethical guidelines Students learn more when they make all publication choices. Prior review and restraint do not teach students to produce higher quality journalism. The only way to teach students to take responsibility for their decisions is to give them the responsibility to make those decisions freely. No administrator has ever shown any educational value…

Editor-staff relationships

Ethical guidelines Editors should conduct all relationships with staff members in a fair and professional manner. By considering the program’s best interests above matters of personality, students will be able to work together in a positive and productive environment. Staff manual process Editors should be aware of potential challenges that may arise as a result…

Staff conduct

Ethical guidelines Students participating in scholastic media should hold themselves to high standards to earn and preserve trust and respect from the audiences they serve. Lapses in judgment affect the staff as well as the credibility of the media they produce. Students should realize that discipline problems or poor choices extend beyond individual consequences. Staff…

Balance and objectivity

Ethical guidelines Journalists should prioritize balance and objectivity as a staff philosophy and content standard. Staff members can help achieve this by increasing staff diversity and seeking multiple perspectives. Balance suggests a concern for issues surrounding the content of the story, types of sources and overall content student media covers in the span of a…