The Latest – Page 52

There’s a reason we need to
‘be bold and stand firm’

by Stan Zoller The 18-word Tweet said it all. “This attack on freedom of speech and freedom of press must not be tolerated. Be bold. Stand firm.” And so it is, another militant organization seeks to spew its venom on innocent people because of ideological differences. This one goes far beyond the offices of Charlie…

Working together can make a difference

by Stan Zoller, MJE Maybe we should take a cue from our brethren in sports. Let’s win one for the Gipper. All for one and one for all. “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi As…

Issues worth building lessons around

As we head into a break for the holidays, three issues and concepts stand out as worth some future consideration. • The First Amendment: In the land of the free, why are schools afraid of freedom by Charles Haynes. Written by this First Amendment advocate following the JEA/NSPA Washington, DC, convention, the column challenges us all…

Set a good example:
Credit others’ work

by Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE Part 2 of a 2-part blog on teacher plagiarism and copyright issues As the first part of this series noted, we teachers can sometimes be the most innocent thieves. That lesson plan we found online, the handout with another teacher’s name whited out, the great final project – when are…

December 15 deadline for FAFPA Award application

by John Bowen The deadline is approaching for application for this year’s First Amendment Press Freedom Award (FAPFA). If your staffs have received a Pacemaker or Gold Crown, FAPFA is the next logical step in recognizing journalistic excellence and practice of First Amendment guarantees. In its 15th year, the recognition is designed to identify and recognize high…

How to handle the gun story

by Jane Blystone Advisers who have asked how to localize stories about guns need look no further. The HiLite staff at Carmel High School (Ind.) show student journalists how to handle such a story package. Adviser Jim Streisel shared “My HiLite students wanted to localize the issue of guns for our student readers by discussing…

‘Broken Glass’ should serve as a solemn reminder

Lessons of Kristallnacht go beyond the history books by Stan Zoller Imagine if you will, that one day your administration comes in and without cause, dismantles your journalism classroom, publication office, and burns every copy of your newspaper and yearbook. Then, without provocation or notice, the administration corralls your student media staff and yourself and…

Apply now for national First Amendment award

by John Bowen Applications are now available for this year’s First Amendment Press Freedom Award (FAPFA). In its 15th year, the recognition is designed to identify and recognize high schools that actively support and protect First Amendment rights of their students and teachers. The honor focuses on press freedoms. The application can be completed by using…

The scary truth about our own confidence

By Megan Fromm, CJE With Halloween just days away, ghost hunters and spooky pranksters are out in full force. But for journalists, there’s still something scarier than a grim reaper or a bad Miley Cyrus costume: errors in fact. And while fact-checking is a common and methodical way to ensure accuracy in reporting, experts are…

Who has your back?

Practicing ethics can help make sense of coverage by Stan Zoller Prior restraint. Censorship. They are things all media advisers dread. Imagine what it would be like if your principal started telling you what your kids could and could not cover in their media. Many advisers don’t even think about it because their principal is “really…

Embattled editors tell
their powerful stories at SPLC dinner

Sometimes it’s the bad things in life that help a person find a cause, a passion or a pathway. From a Pulitzer Prize-winner who sued his principal in the ‘70s to two teens, still closely involved in censorship issues at their own schools, those at the Student Press Law Center’s 40th anniversary dinner Oct. 16…

19 journalism groups urge
administrator organizations to disavow
Neshaminy board punishment of paper, adviser and editor

Oct. 13, 1987 marked the U.S. Supreme Court’s hearing the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier arguments that ultimately granted administrators the right to control content of high school media in limited situations. Oct. 13, 2014 marks a time when 19 journalism organizations joined together to urge national groups of administrators and school boards to openly disavow actions of the Neshaminy…