Getting your editorial policy the right way
by Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE
Part 1 of a 2-part blog on teacher plagiarism and copyright issues
Teachers can be the world’s worst thieves without ever meaning to be.
We’ve all done it — sometimes out of panicked need, sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes because we think our classroom is some sort of copyright-free zone.
So just what CAN teachers use that others have created? Just what is fair use in the classroom? What may be legal but not exactly ethical for us to use? This is the first of a two-part series concerning OUR use of others’ creative work.
Read MoreExposing the killing impact of Heroin
When Zach Anders wrote about the rise of heroin in his community, he faced prior review. However, the administrators did not kill the story and it later went on to earn several awards. He published this in his high school newspaper, Sitqayu at Henry M. Jackson High School, in Mill Creek, Wash.
According to his adviser, Torri McEntire, “Anders took on a cover story that had been percolating around school for two years – Heroin use was on the rise. Initially, the Asst. Principal and Principal were not completely positive about the idea. During prior review, they raised concerns about the school appearing to be drug-infused. They both believe in student voice and expression, however, and did not try to kill the story.
This piece went on to win a Best Investigative Reporter Award from the Scholastic Press Assn. and a 2nd Place for best feature from the Edward R. Murrow High School Journalism Awards given by Washington State University that includes entries from five states. It was the most-talked about story of the year for Stiqayu. Zach handled the subject matter and the subsequent buzz well as negative reaction and kudos rolled in.
The story raised awareness about a growing problem and provided resources to students, educators and other adults.
Click here to read Anders story: Heroin on the Rise
Read MoreMaking a Difference:
Freshman capstone project
localizes national issue of gay rights
by Jane Blystone
Ally O’ Reilly wanted her capstone journalism project for the year to make a difference. She knew that the national issue of gay rights needed localization in her school publication, Pine Whispers. Her adviser, Stephen Hanf, at R. J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was impressed that a freshman would take on such a challenge.
I love this story because one of my freshmen in Intro to Journalism came up with it and developed it on her own for an end-of-year project. She could have tackled a fluffy feel-good story, but instead tied in this story to the recent Supreme Court cases. It was so well written, timely and full of impact for this under-covered demographic that I had no choice but to publish it in our print paper — something normally reserved for upperclassmen taking newspaper class. It got people talking about an issue that impacts a lot of high school students.”
O’Reilly covered the struggle for students in her school to get an LGBTQ group going. She also interviewed a bisexual student and another student who has shared his life with his brother and two fathers as well as a senior writer might do.
Here is her story. National gay rights issues hit home for students
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Teacher Appreciation Week
recommendation for principals
Dear Sir or Madam:
Here’s a little suggestion for Teacher Appreciation Week gift-giving. It will make your journalism teacher happier. Besides it will make you and, most important, your students a lot happier.
My suggestion: An open forum, no-prior-review policy where students, under the guidance of a trained journalism teacher, make the content decisions.
All that freedom sounds scary, you say? Having a Main Office set of eyeballs look over student media before it goes out may sound like a good idea, but doing so has often been a whole lot scarier for some. Consider these lessons from the archives of the Student Press Law Center showing how some principals learned the hard way:
Read MoreGuns in America: From schools to shooting ranges
In light of recent discussions nationwide on arming teachers and Second Amendment rights, the Urban Legend staff at Urban School of San Francisco researched and reported on student opinions of gun regulations.
Read this PDF to see how they connected with a wide range of individuals to tell the story.
Adviser Beatrice Motamedi shared, “Written after the Sandy Hook shootings, “Guns in America: From Schools to Shooting Ranges” includes a reporter’s visit to a firing range to shoot assault weapons, a student poll on gun control, pro/con commentaries on gun rights and an editorial on mental illness and violence. Initially, administrators objected to the firing-range visit and warned against publishing photos of students firing guns. After consultation with the SPLC and numerous staff discussions, EICs met with school administration and the package was published without restriction. Urban’s culture is liberal, but students went beyond bias to examine the Second Amendment both pro and con.”
This strong content package includes personal stories, student surveys with well designed infographics, photo illustrations, a shooting rage app for an iPhone, an opinion page with an editorial and two opposing views, and a discussion about the NRA position that violent video games lead to inappropriate gun use.
This work demonstrates how students can approach such a volatile issue to develop strong content packages.
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