Activities based on media coverage of high school of student working in adult industry
by John Bowen, MJE
In my last blog we discussed the importance of fighting prior review, and noted its use is growing, even in states with state legislation protecting student expression.
To emphasize the issue, we highlight recent review attempts with the Bruin Voice of Stockton, California, and related reporting about the student story.
You have a link to the story and multiple links to commercially reported information. To study the original story and reporting on it, we provide possible starting questions for discussion of the concept of review itself and how other reporters covered the original story.
By doing this, we hope not only to create critical thinking about prior review and about how such topics are reported.
The Bruin Voice
Media that reported the story
Writing about teenager who makes sex videos, school paper becomes the news
Bear Creek student newspaper’s controversial story will run as planned
Students express support for Bear Creek newspaper after controversial story publishes
Profile of student porn worker allowed to run in Stockton high school newspaper
Q&A: Teacher facing possible firing over student sex worker profile
Story on high school porn performer sparks censorship clash
District relents, allows Stockton school paper to run story about student in porn
Reporting and information gathering questions
• What are differences in the coverages?
• Are any questions unanswered? What, and who could be additional sources?
• What, if any, bias shows through in reporting, word usage, sources, approach?
• What information is missing? What sources could have provided it?
• Was the best lead used? If not, what alternatives might have been better?
• What background was used? What could have been used?
• What were coverage strengths? Weaknesses?
Legal and ethical questions
• What ethical issues did the reporter(s) have to address?
• What legal issues should be addressed? Were they? If addressed was the reporting accurate, robust and complete?
• Should topics like the Bruin Voice piece be reported by scholastic media? Discuss the legal and ethical issues and how you might handle them?
Our last blog: Prior review imposes ineffective educational limits on learning, citizenship