Ethics codes are important, should not enable punishments of students or advisers
Lindsay Coppens
The Harbinger adviser
Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, Mass.
Adopting a code of ethics can be an excellent way to promote ethical discussion and decision making in a scholastic publication.
There are many ethics codes such as the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and National Scholastic Press Association Model Code of Ethics for High School Journalists that can be great jumping off points for a publication’s own code of ethics.
Developing a code of ethics can, in itself, be a great way to foster ethical discussions and to reinvigorate a staff’s purpose. By studying, discussing and debating the relevance and applicability of aspects of various codes of ethics, high school journalists will inevitably reflect on their own practice and potential future concerns.
Read MoreCould $300 help show your community what student press freedom looks like?
by John Bowen, MJE
With Student Press Freedom Day coming Jan. 29, 2020, the Student Press Law Center created an incentive to help student media celebrate, inform or advocate the importance of free student media.
The incentive comes in the form of grant applications due to the SPLC by Jan. 9. Student media can use the grants, for up to $300 each, to act as a springboard toward New Voices passage, toward why America needs more scholastic journalists or local campaigns to educate communities.
Titled “This is What Student Press Freedom Looks Like,” events or activities would take place on or near Jan. 29.
For an SPLC list of possible ideas, events and activities, contact information and rules, click here. Check out coming blogs here for additional ideas.
Read MoreHelp administrators know what “N.V.” means
by Stan Zoller, MJE
When you see the letters “N.V.” in the context of scholastic journalism, you hopefully realize they refer to “New Voices” legislation that 14 states have passed so scholastic journalists can practice free and responsible journalism without concerns.
Or dare I say, fear of prior review, prior restraint or censorship.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a resistance by some school and district administrators toward this initiative who think “N.V.” should stand for “No Voices.”
Which, to say the very least, is unfortunate.
When administrators flex, or try to flex, their administrative muscles to seemingly bully student journalists and/or their advisers the reality is this.
It’s a lose-lose proposition.
It does, sadly, appear visions of control is becoming more commonplace as district and building administrators flock to school district attorneys as well as professional associations that serve school boards.
Read MoreInterviewing minors about sensitive topics proves controversial
by Susan McNulty, CJE The Stampede and The Hoofbeat adviser J.W. Mitchell High School, Trinity, Florida
In 2017, my journalism students included coverage in the yearbook about online harassment. They interviewed two students and quoted them by name.
The next year, editors wrote and included a story about anorexia, this time using anonymous sources. In 2019, the People section editors included feature stories, including photographs and direct quotes, about four seniors, each facing their own unique challenges: a transgender boy, an immigrant, a cancer patient and a mainstreamed student with Asperger’s Syndrome.
In none of these instances did student journalists contact parents for approval or consent.
This week in Round Rock, Texas, parents of a high school student brought a lawsuit against the Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD), accusing a journalism teacher of exploiting and contributing to their daughter’s anorexia.
RRISD issued a statement Tuesday, Dec. 3, stating, “our goal is to create a safe and supportive environment for all of our students, and when issues related to our students’ well-being present themselves, we take quick and appropriate action. When this allegation was brought to our attention and we investigated, we took prompt corrective action and the person is no longer employed by Round Rock ISD.”
Read more about this case here: https://www.statesman.com/news/20191203/parents-sue-round-rock-district-claiming-teacher-worsened-their-childs-eating-disorder
Are some topics off-limits to journalism students without securing parental consent before publication?
Are there ways to cover sensitive, relevant yet controversial topics of teen concern without causing harm?
Professional journalists also grapple with the same questions student journalists face. Sarah Carr of the Education Writers Association created a reporter guide which offers insight and advice when interviewing children: https://www.ewa.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ewa-reporter-guide-interviewing-children.pdf
Read MorePodcast: Importance of passing New Voices legislation
by Kristin Taylor, CJE
We hope you will check out and share the latest episode of the SPRC podcast Conversations at the Schoolhouse Gate. I’ve pasted the episode notes below.
Please subscribe, rate and review! It makes a huge difference to getting the podcast out there. In case you aren’t subscribed on iTunes/Apple podcasts or Spotify, here’s a direct link to episode on the podcast website.
Harrisonburg High School journalism adviser Emilee Hussack interviews fellow Virginian adviser Tiffany Kopcak about the second campaign to try to pass New Voices legislation in Virginia. Kopcak offers suggestions for students wanting to contact their own delegates or begin their own campaigns to create or support New Voices legislation in their own states.
If you are a student or a student media adviser with a story about scholastic press freedom, we want to hear from you. You can reach us at sprc@jea.org with the subject line “Podcast” or tweet us at @jeapressrights.
So you don’t miss out on future episodes, please subscribe to this podcast through any of the many podcast applications available for your computer or phone.
Go here for more podcasts.
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