Back-to-School-Blues? Look for your “why”
by Kristin Taylor, Scholastic Press Rights Director
“I’m just a teacher, standing in front of August, asking it to be July 1.”
My friend and fellow press rights advocate Adriana Chavira posted that statement, which plays on the famous line from the rom-com “Notting Hill,” on social media last week, and I did the kind of laugh-sob so many teachers do this time of year.
I promptly stole it for my own feed.
Read MoreWhen the law becomes a ‘liabullyity’
by Stan Zoller, MJE
Victory is sweet.
Whether on the football field, baseball field, soccer field or in the legislature. It’s always great to win one for the ‘Gipper’ – or whomever.
When it comes to New Voices laws, the victors are student journalists. In those states where New Voices laws have been passed, scholastic journalism programs are experiencing a new breath of fresh air and the opportunity to practice journalism the way it should be practiced – without undue and unjust interference.
Districts are developing new policies for student activities, including student media. It appears some are cookie-cutter policies not drafted by a school board or district legal counsel. One example is a district with a policy for “High Schools.”
At least that’s what you would hope.
Read MoreStart 2022 with a scholastic press rights refresh
by Sarah Nichols, JEA president, MJE
The first few weeks of a new semester provide an important reset or blank slate. After a challenging fall for advisers, your goal may be to revisit scholastic press rights topics and do more with law and ethics training, especially if the past few months of reteaching and rebuilding called for massive shifts in your curriculum.*
Or maybe January marks the start of a new journalism course entirely, so you’re set to meet a new crop of students and want to begin on building awareness of First Amendment issues and support for student press freedom from the beginning.
In any case, it’s always a good time to include more law and ethics in your journalism program. Here are some ideas for how to start 2022 with attention toward scholastic press rights education.
- Follow the news. Begin with the wonderful news of New Jersey becoming the 15th state to enact specific press rights legislation. The passage of S108 hit right as many schools adjourned for winter break, so this is a great time to discuss it in class. If students haven’t learned about New Voices yet, now is the perfect time.
Key questions: Do students know what press rights protection they have based on where you live? Are you in a state working toward New Voices legislation? Are there ways your students can participate?
For balance, take a look next at this (possibly still-unfolding) not-wonderful news in Colorado.
Key questions: How do you feel after reading the student’s op-ed and the news article about what happened? Why? When it comes to student press freedom, do your students know the differences between public and private schools? If your program operates in a state with legal protection, do your students know what to do if they feel their rights have been violated? Do they know about the JEA’s Panic Button from the Scholastic Press Rights Committee? After reading about the situation at Regis Jesuit, do your students feel called to action somehow? Is this something to write about or explore further?
- Plan for remote learning. Make use of online resources, either to adjust as some schools return to virtual environments or to provide alternatives for students at home due to isolation, illness or other circumstances.
An easy way to provide choice and flexibility is to invite students to choose their own law and ethics session from this free online repository coordinated by Virginia High School League and Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers. Students can produce a slide, mini-lesson or other short debrief to share what they learned.
Seniors can work on Journalist of the Year entries and develop their law and ethics section with some extra help from this Portfolio Polish resource.
Prospective editors can build a plan for how they’ll teach important scholastic press rights issues to next year’s staff. Have you added a related question to your editor interview process?
Students of any experience level can also view and analyze these award-winning First Amendment PSAs and create their own.
All of these options work well for in-person scenarios, too, of course!
- Gear up for Scholastic Journalism Week. What gets scheduled gets done, so it’s time to help students plan for #SJW2022 (Feb. 21-25, 2022) and the #AmplifyingVoices theme.
Student Press Freedom Day is a signature aspect of the week-long celebration. The Student Press Law Center has developed a variety of activities and suggestions for how students can take part in advocacy, outreach and more for a day of action Feb. 24.
Look for more ideas — and share what you’re doing — on social media.
If you’re beginning a semester with new or transfer students, don’t forget to match them with a mentor from your staff to provide extra training on students’ rights and responsibilities as journalists.
As we embrace this fresh start, let’s show students how important these topics are by doing what we can to incorporate law and ethics activities on a regular basis in 2022.
* Don’t beat yourself up about what you didn’t get to last semester. Just start fresh!
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by John Bowen, MJE
While JEA condemns attack on the Capitol Jan. 6, it also urged journalism teachers and advisers to continue facilitating fact-based journalism, especially of locally-related issues.
To help students and advisers with that coverage, The SPRC highlights information and ideas that can assist in exploring current events or national issues.
JEA commended journalism educators, president Sarah Nichols, MJE, said, for finding ways to engage students in class and through coverage.
“Courageous journalism informs us all and serves as a historical record. The reporting during and after such events underscores the importance of the work journalists do based on shared values of truth and justice,” Nichols said …”Knowing these actions were largely related to deep-rooted beliefs of hate and intolerance makes the attack all the more critical for us to address.”
Students, Nichols said, students have the right to cover the news; doing so is also their responsibility.
“JEA stands behind journalists exercising their First Amendment right to report and inform the public,” Nichols said. “Journalists must be able to do their jobs without fear of retribution or harm.”
Activities | lessons | and more
• Legal issues covering protests
• If covering protests, note these points
• Riding out the storm should entail future planning
• Protest and the First Amendment
• Tools of truth/Sloppy reporting lessons
• Stories students can best tell: Reporting protests, walkouts and marches
• Covering insurrection: Covering Insurrection: News Frames, Word Choice, & Whose Story to Tell. (online, free workshop)
• State capitols brace for right-wing violence; D.C. locks down ahead of inauguration
• Pushed to the edge by the Capitol riot, people are reporting their family and friends to the FBI
• Texas insurrectionist asks Trump for pardon
One last point. Student media prevented from covering, or prior reviewed by anyone outside the student media staff, on Jan. 6 related issues, please let the Student Press Law Center and us (the SPRC) know. Use the SPLC link and the Panic Button.
Need assistance with censorship issues? Press the
Panic Button
JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission (SPRC) established a first line of confidential intervention for those who feel they face censorship or just want legal or ethical advice about journalism decisions.
The Panic Button is an online reporting tool where advisers, students, administrators or community members can confidentially share their journalism situations or questions.
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