Illinois civics law reinforces
value of journalism education

Posted by John Bowen on Sep 18, 2015 in Blog, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

by Stan Zoller, MJE
The successful passage and subsequent signing by Illinois governor Bruce Rauner of legislation that mandates a one-semester civic education course for high school students provides more than ‘just another’ social science course.

It re-enforces the importance of journalism education.

Throughout the process, The Illinois Task Force on Civic Education cited the need for citizens to be civic literate. One way to achieve that? News literacy.

The task force noted that:

“Responsible citizens include individuals who are informed and thoughtful. They have a grasp and an appreciation of history and the fundamental processes of American democracy; have and understand the importance of news literacy; have an understanding and awareness of issues impacting their communities; have a capacity to think critically; and have a willingness to enter into dialogue with others about different points of view and to respect diverse perspectives.”

[pullquote]Quite simply, the skill that is paramount is the ability to critically think the contents of news reports no matter how they are delivered.[/pullquote]

The impact on journalism educators is simple: informed and engaged news consumers need to receive news reports that are independent, free of bias and provide information that is not only accurate, but also verifiable and transparent. The task force noted that a civics education course needs to offer students more than content; its needs to include skills, especially those related to news literacy.

Quite simply, the skill that is paramount is the ability to critically think the contents of news reports no matter how they are delivered.

Does this validate the need for a journalism course? Not solely, but it is a message that administrators need to hear. Ethically produced journalism that embellishes the basic fundamentals of news literacy has a new goal – at least in Illinois – to provide news consumers, as Tom Rosenstiel and Bill Kovach note in “The Elements of Journalism” information that people need to live their lives and to also understand the world. They also write that it needs to be “meaningful, relevant and engaging.”

To achieve this, the need for student reporting to be ethical and adhere to media laws is at a new high. That’s because students, like other news consumers, are no longer just looking to be entertained, but informed so they can become not only active at school, but also in the civic process as well.

Censorship and broadcasting video

Posted by John Bowen on Sep 3, 2015 in Blog, Legal issues, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Title

Censorship and broadcasting video

by Chris Waugaman

Primary Common Core state standards addressed

(see http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy )

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2a Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Brief goal/outcome statement:
This would be intended to be a lesson I would use with producers in my broadcasting class or even my online editors who often use video and stream events.

• Students will learn terms that familiarize them with censorship in video and radio.
• Students will use their skills at gathering information and using online sources to guide them in times of legal uncertainty.
• Students will learn how to make critical decisions regarding their press rights by applying the case outcomes they learn in this lesson.

Unit: Scholastic Press Rights

Lesson – Censorship and Broadcasting

Length of lesson: One 90 minute block (35 minutes instruction/45 minutes activity/10 minute reflection)

Resources/Equipment:

Handouts/Internet/Computer

1. Introduction & Instruction: The instruction aspect of this lesson includes instruction in what is the FCC and how is video normally regulated. Students will understand what most news broadcast organizations are required to consider when broadcasting.

There will also be a clear indication of what is required to be censored with video. It would be helpful if students are familiar with the Hazelwood court case and the Tinker court case before this lesson, but it is not a requirement.

Who governs free speech on radio and television? What is censorable on television?

https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/faqs-television-and-cable

https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/202731600-Obscene-Indecent-and-Profane-Broadcasts

For most high school programs, students publish videos online. The FCC does not govern such publication; however, students can still make decisions with this knowledge. 

With the following case students should consider a few factors in relating to the content and situation at hand: 

• Is the video part of a school sponsored publication or is it for an individual?
• What is the publication’s forum status?
• Is there a valid educational purpose for censoring? (Hazelwood)
• Can the administration predict a reasonable disruption of the school activities or will it present an invasion of privacy? (Tinker) 

In the following case, a student shot video of a post-fight activity in a school. That camera was confiscated along with the video. Read the following account or what happened, and the SPLC response to determine if the student’s rights were violated.

Seizing video of a fight
http://www.splc.org/article/2004/08/officials-seize-video-of-fight-from-student

Article about video of school fight and SPLC position:
http://www.splc.org/article/2004/04/n-y-high-school-principal-confiscates-tape-of-school-fight

• We will briefly explain what happened in this case from 2004.
• We will cover the Privacy Protection Act and how it might apply to this case. http://www.splc.org/article/2002/01/student-media-guide-to-the-privacy-protection-act
• Next I ask the students to identify what in the school handbook should protect this student journalist.
• As a final element to the 35-minute discussion I ask the students to conclude if this scenario impacts our publication and work.

Key pages such as the SPLC web page will be introduced as a primary source for research as it involves the law of the student press.

List of other helpful websites:

http://www.collegefreedom.org
http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/
http://teachfirstamendment.org/
http://www.freedomforum.org/
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/
http://www.nfoic.org/
http://jeapressrights.org/
http://www.splc.org

Sometimes this will take longer than 35 minutes.

1. Practice: Students will pick from one of the following cases chronicled on the SPLC site.
   • http://www.splc.org/blog/splc/2015/06/judge-rules-security-videos-subject-to-ferpa-protections
   http://www.splc.org/blog/splc/2014/11/connecticut-school-security-video-ruled-exempt-from-ferpa
   • http://www.splc.org/blog/splc/2014/02/students-lewd-video-about-teacher-provokes-errant-wisconsin-ruling-applying-online-harassment-law
   • http://www.splc.org/article/2004/04/ill-school-refuses-to-allow-students-to-air-video-tribute-of-deceased-student
   • http://www.splc.org/article/2004/06/calif-university-bars-student-from-airing-beheading-video-on-school-sponsored-tv
   • http://www.splc.org/article/2015/02/western-illinois-u-editor-reinstated-after-suspension-for-freelancing-video-of-campus-brawl
   • http://www.splc.org/article/2012/03/u-of-rhode-island-proposal-would-bar-photos-video-of-sensitive-material

They will read the article and answer the questions below to the best of their ability.

Students need to be prepared to briefly describe what happened in the case they have chosen to the class. They can brief the class by presenting their responses to the questions.
• Who does the case involve?
• What happened in the case? How does it involve video?
• Who has made the decision?
• Was this case similar to any other cases you have heard about? What was it?
• How does this situation relate to Hazelwood or Tinker?
• Does the video include anything that is obscene, indecent, or profane?
• How could this case set a precedent?
• Name and document any other sources from the web that pertain to this case.

III. Application: Have students decide together which case could most likely occur this school year.

Students should outline a policy in their staff manual that will inform students how to proceed should a similar scenario to the one that they have researched could develop.

The policy should be agreed upon by the entire staff and be introduced to the administration, along with any updates on the staff manual, for the year.

1. Reflection: Have students write in their logs details about what new considerations they have thought of after learning about video censorship. It can be as structured as you would like or as open as “what did you learn during the process of researching your topic that you did not realize would happen simply by following the examples I explained at the beginning of the lesson.”

1. Assessment: Credit for completing questions on case. Credit for hypothetical scenario. Credit for reflection in daily log. Each assignment is worth 33% of the total unit grade. See RUBRIC ON NEXT PAGE.
2. Assessment: Credit for completing questions on researching topic. Credit for hypothetical scenario. Credit for reflection in daily log. Each assignment is worth 33 percent of the total unit grade.

2015 Constitution Day lessons

Posted by John Bowen on Aug 31, 2015 in Blog, Ethical Issues, Legal issues, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Please contact me  if you have any questions or feedback about the lessons or how to implement them. For a video about the lessons, go to https://youtu.be/39c8sZVmT20.

The SPRC works to provide information and resources on legal and ethical issues to journalism students, teachers and administrators. SPRC members also work to promote the First Amendment rights of students across the nation.

The lessons
• Celebrating Constitution Day, by Lori Keekley.This activity encourages the English, social studies and journalism teachers to engage students in exploring the Constitution’s relevance to their daily lives, facts about the Constitution and understanding the amendments to the Constitution
• Crossword Puzzle, by Lori Keekley. For fun activities to celebrate Constitution Day in a number of curricular areas.
• Understanding the perils of prior review and restraint, by Jeff Kocur. Click here for the activity. For additional resources and model ethical guidelines and staff manual procedures for this, go here and here.
• Listening with a skeptical ear: checking source accuracy and credibility by John Bowen. With candidates jostling for positions in the 2016 presidential election and numerous state, local races taking shape and issues developing readers and viewers face an onslaught of information not limited to politics. Student journalists must able to separate valid from questionable information and know how to determine if sources and their messages are credible.
• Where should journalists draw the line? by John Bowen. By examining The Huffington Post’s announcement it would only report Donald Trump’s bid for the Republican nomination for president on the entertainment pages, students can further explore ethical issues pertaining to the decision while again examining the role of media.
• Should there be limits to taking a stance in front page design? by John Bowen. This lesson examines the ethical and philosophical issues as to whether it is OK for a student newspaper to Rainbow Filter its Twitter profile picture or show any unlabeled viewpoint.
• Censorship and broadcast video by Chris Waugaman. This lesson would be intended to be a lesson used with producers in a broadcasting class or even anonline editors who often use video and stream events. Students will learn terms that familiarize them with censorship in video and radio. Students will also learn how to make critical decisions regarding their press rights by applying the case outcomes they learn in this lesson.

To see past years’ lessons, go here.

Please send any feedback to keekley@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Lori Keekley
For JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee and the Constitution Day Committee

Constitution Day Committee
John Bowen, MJE, Kent State University (OH)
Lori Keekley, MJE, St. Louis Park High School (MN)
Jeff Kocur, CJE, Hopkins High School (MN)

Chris Waugaman, Prince George High School (VA)

Content list

Listening with a skeptical ear:
A lesson on how to check out
source accuracy and credibility

Posted by John Bowen on Aug 31, 2015 in Blog, Ethical Issues, Legal issues, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Title
Listening with a skeptical ear: A lesson on how to check out source accuracy
and credibility

Description
Tis the season.

With candidates jostling for positions in the 2016 presidential election and numerous state, local races taking shape and issues developing readers and viewers face an onslaught of information not limited to politics.

Student journalists must able to separate valid from questionable information and know how to determine if sources and their messages are credible.

Objectives
•  Students will be able to evaluate information they obtain and pass on
•  Students will be able to identify and find credible sources to verify information
• Students will apply approaches and skills from the exercise and create ethical guidelines and procedures for skeptical knowing.

Common Core State Standards

Length
150 minutes

Materials / resources
• Watching only Fox News makes you less informed than watching no news at all
• Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information (book review)
• Journalist Bill Kovach about the new book ‘Blur’
• Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information
• Missouri sheriff’s ‘In God We Trust’ patrol car decals spark church vs. state debate
• “Ask these 10 questions to make good ethical decisions”

Materials referenced/used
In addition to the materials linked, we would urge teachers to  check out these two books for a more detailed look at skeptical knowing and a new look at the mission of journalism.
• Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information overload, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, Bloomsbury, 2010
• The Elements of Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, Three Rivers Press, 2007.

Lesson step-by-step

Pre-Day 1

1. Assign students the “Watching only Fox News” study and tell them to plan to discuss it the next day. Focal points could include what helps them feel confident in what information they gather personally? How does that compare with information they gain from sources they interview or research?
2. Have students make a list of the sources/information they trust and why they trust it. Tell them you will ask them to talk about how they tell what information, as well as news sources, they consider reliable, credible and thorough.
3. Have students read and be ready to  discuss the three resources summarizing information from Blur, by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel.

• Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information (book review)

• Journalist Bill Kovach about the new book ‘Blur’

• Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information

Day 1

Introduce students to the idea of “skeptical knowing” by sharing the Blur links. Discuss the content of the Blur resources. Ask students  to talk about the questions they would use to verify issues they had with sources or stories. Then address their verification procedures. As the discussion continues, give them the Question Checklist to compare with their responses.

Review “skeptical knowing” points from Blur with students.

Give students the “Missouri sheriff’s ‘In God We Trust’ patrol car decals spark church vs. state debate” and ask them, for Day 2, to check out the information and be able to discuss the accuracy and believability of it. How through is the story? Is there enough information to judge completeness and context? What, if anything, do they feel is missing? What might they want to see added? They can also use the Question checklist.

Day 2

Discuss the story and student responses. As students discuss their choices, share with them the “10 questions” article from Poynter.

As a culminating group exercise, have students design ethical guideline(s) concerning “skeptical knowing” of information gathering and sharing as well as procedures students develop that they can apply.

Access instructions and how to use the ethical guidelines-staff manual approaches and a model of what the concept would look like.

Assessment
The guidelines and procedures will be compiled and added into the staff manual after discussion by student media staffs.

The Question checklist for Day 2 (see handout)
Once students have read the stories, urge them to consider the following questions:

• What sources are used in the stories? Why should I believe them? What additional sources might add depth, more information? How many sources are used?
• How would students check the credibility and reliability of sources and information?
• What level of sourcing are we dealing with: experts, authorities, knowledgables, reactors?
• Are the reporters asking these sources questions they are qualified to answer reliably? Are the sources speaking within their fields of expertise?
• Which information and which stories do they consider the most reliable?  Credible? Why?
• Which the least, and why?
• Is the information complete, or what information is missing?
• Is there a clear line between fact and speculation?
• Does the information in the story have a context? Can the reporter – and the audience – understand the impact of that context?
• What criteria do they use to determine credibility of information?  Of sources? Is there reputable verification of the information?
• How important is their understanding of what words used in the stories mean? Are words and facts used in a context that helps understanding?
• Am ‘I as a journalist’ learning what I need to, and is the audience?
• What have they learned from this activity they can use to improve their own reporting?
• How did the “skeptical knowing” process help them look at the stories and understand the newsgathering and sharing, process? Understand sourcing?
• Which of the stories helped you make sense of the situation? Why?

What questions can students add to the list?

Differentiation
The assignment can be expanded to three days by having students do readings and some work during class, leaving the second day for drafting ethics guidelines and staff manual procedures.

A second option could shorten processing time by giving them Day 1 materials and work to be done outside of class and doing Day 2 in class.

Understanding the perils of
prior review and restraint

Posted by John Bowen on Aug 31, 2015 in Blog, Legal issues, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Title
Understanding the perils of prior review and restraint

Description
This lesson asks the viewers to participate by providing the answers to several questions concerning prior review and restraint. Following each slide, the correct answer is provided as well as a description of the reasoning for the answer.

Objectives
• Students will learn the difference between prior review and restraint.
• Students will understand why prior review and restraint are not beneficial to any involved including students, teachers and administrators.
• Students will have understand the benefits of not having prior review.

Common Core State Standards

Length
40 minutes

Materials / resources
CD2015 Prior Review pdf

Lesson step-by-step
Step 1: partner work — 2-5 minutes

Students should work in pairs to define the terms prior review and prior restraint. Teacher should ask several pairs to report their definitions.

Step 2: slideshow — 25 minutes
Teacher and students should work through the slideshow.

Step 3: debrief — 10-13 minutes
Students should review why prior review and restraint can negatively affect student media.

Differentiation
Teacher could ask students to research how an administrator reviewing content is not like the publisher or editor of media. Students could access resources and report back to the group.

Additional Resources
Prior review button on menu bar, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
JEA Board Statement on Prior Review, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Building a Climate of Trust Can Ease Prior Review, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Seeking a Cure for the Hazelwood Blues: A call to Action, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Audio: Panic Button, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee, Press Rights Minute
Audio: Eliminating Prior Review, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee, Press Rights Minute