Hold the agenda: Truth and Balanced Reporting
When information changes rapidly, give the public balance and verification to act on by Stan Zoller, MJE During the onslaught of media coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing reporters have been doing is meticulously checking the facts surrounding the outbreak, especially data emanating from the White House. Student journalists need to follow the same…
Read MoreFinding and using copyright-free artwork
by Susan McNulty, CJE, The Stampede and The Hoofbeat adviser, J.W. Mitchell High School, Trinity, Florida As scholastic journalism programs moved from classroom to homes this spring, students and advisers adjusted to a virtual newsroom. Just a few of the success stories of scholastic journalism across the country include Scarsdale High School’s Maroon, The Diamondback at the…
Read MoreBasic lessons for teachers to use during online learning
by Lori Keekley, MJE Several members of the Scholastic Press Rights Committee developed some lessons for advisers to use with their journalism students. The lessons are intended to be asynchronous basic introductions. The goal is to introduce students to the content and provide resources they then can examine further. The lessons include information on the…
Read MoreResources for building lessons and ethics guidelines
Use these short resources to build lessons, ethics guidelines Forum status of student mediaIf you’re developing a new policy, the Scholastic Press Rights Committee recommends using language something like this: [Name of publication] is a designated public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions without prior review from school officials. Prior review…
Read MoreAn activity for a dose of skepticism
by Lindsay Coppens, The Harbinger, Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, Mass. Scholastic journalists, like all journalists, need to be skeptical. Not only of news they read and of sources they interview, but of themselves. Journalists should question everything, including each other. If student journalists aren’t willing to take a hard look with a discerning eye…
Read MoreWhen students decide what is newsworthy
by Susan McNulty, CJE The Stampede and The Hoofbeat adviser J.W. Mitchell High School, Trinity, Florida Yesterday, my newspaper staff distributed the February issue of The Hoofbeat to the 2000+ students at our school. According to the staff, the issue was well received by the student body, based on the most reliable measure of teenage…
Read MoreSilently, heavily, even if optional, prior review and restraint contribute to a crumbling democracy
by Lindsay Coppens The Harbinger adviser, Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, Mass. A few weeks ago there was widespread reaction when news broke that the National Archives in Washington D.C. had blurred anti-Trump protest signs in a photograph from the 2017 Women’s March. Yesterday, The Washington Post reported a similar mural-sized image had been…
Read MoreBuilding on Student Press Freedom Day
A time for reflection on and commitment to journalistically responsible student media Jan. 29, Student Press Freedom Day, is a good time to reflect on the importance of a unfettered student media, especially given the country’s claimed mistrust of and attacks on the media. Commit to informing your various communities now, and throughout the next…
Read MoreUse real situations to teach law and ethics
by Candace Bowen, MJE Teaching student journalists about legal and ethical issues can be a challenge. Some of my pre-service teachers at Kent State always want student groups to research different law cases and then present their findings to the class, possibility re-enact the trial. Others want teacher lectures, a process that takes at…
Read MoreTeaching students to fact-check themselves and others, Facebook and fact checking
by Susan McNulty, CJE The Stampede and The Hoofbeat adviserJ.W. Mitchell High School, Trinity, Florida Thursday, Jan. 9, Facebook announced in a blog post found here their platform will soon allow users to opt out of certain political and social issue advertisements. This decision came in response to demands for Facebook to fact check ads before approving…
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