Throwing journalism to the dogs – the watchdogs
by Stan Zoller, MJE
Watchdog reporting can make a difference.
When you think of watchdog reporting, chances are you’ll think of mainstream media – The Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, etc.
Don’t however, look past non-profit organizations dedicated to enhancing transparency in government.
The BGA staff includes a number of outstanding and award-winning journalists who do more than report and investigate.
They advocate.
One of the best is the Chicago-based Better Government Association. In addition to being an invaluable resource for information about open meetings, freedom of information issues, the BGA also aggressively addresses issues related to government actions, transparency and openness not just by blogging about them, but through outstanding and dogged reporting.
Student journalists, as the voice of their school’s student body, have an obligation to not only report on what’s happening at school, but to be the voice and advocates for the student body.
It’s not something district and building administrators are going to buy into, but as more and more school districts are required to teach civics, the bar of journalistic excellence and advocacy rises.
It’s easy for cynics to call investigative and watchdog journalism “fake news” because the reality is, to paraphrase Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan R. Jessep in the 1992 classic, “A Few Good Men,” they can’t handle the truth.
What student journalists can do is go above and beyond fundamental journalism to ensure they avoid allegations of fake news.
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 MoreMake time for the First Amendment
by Sarah Nichols, MJE
JEA President
December is a busy month, I know. And things still feel slower and more difficult than our pre-pandemic student media operations. But that’s all the more reason to invest the time to discuss and apply for the First Amendment Press Freedom Award before the Dec. 15 deadline.
Don’t underestimate your eligibility or feel like you “haven’t done enough” this year to deserve recognition. Applying to recognize your school doesn’t require a big fancy project or massive undertaking. You’re probably doing more than you realize to promote First Amendment awareness on your campus.
It may be outside your comfort zone to apply for an award. Instead of seeing it as seeking the spotlight, think of it this way: Your student media program is actively applying the First Amendment, and your school is supporting student press freedom. Sharing this acknowledgement not only makes you all look good, but it helps guarantee these policies and practices will continue for years to come. And what serves as positive reinforcement on your campus also adds to the list nationally. Journalism programs are worth fighting for – and recognizing.
If you’ve never thought about it, now’s the time.
Read MoreApply by Dec. 15 for national First Amendment recognition for student media and school
Schools, even if honored before with the First Amendment Press Freedom Award, must re-apply each year
If you feel your school actively supports and honors the First Amendment through its student media, consider submitting an entry for this year’s First Amendment Press Freedom Award. The two round award looks at the entire student media program and school support. Digital and print newspaper, yearbook and student broadcast are considered part of student media.
Information and Round One submission forms for the First Amendment Press Freedom Award (formerly the Let Freedom Ring Award) are available at the link below.
Read MoreA lesson from Tereza
Tereza is from the Czech Republic. Being somewhat unabashed, I quickly showed her the First Amendment printed on the back of the shirt. Her reaction? “That’s cool.” Imagine that, a young adult from a country with a history of political strife and dictatorships, thinks the First Amendment is cool. Moreso, she probably realized how important the five freedoms are and how lucky we are to have them guaranteed.
by Stan Zoller, MJE
My wife and I like to travel. It’s one of the joys of retirement. Earlier this year we decided set sail into the Caribbean to escape the cold and gloom of a Chicago winter.
Knowing I would not need sweatshirts, parkas and a plethora of other winter clothing, I made sure I backed plenty of shorts and T-shirts. And even though I am retired from active teaching and active reporting, I have not (nor will I) retired from advocating for press rights – whether scholastic, collegiate or professional.
So, I decided to combine my passion for press rights with the need for T-shirts by taking all of my press rights shirts with me – from JEA’s “45 Words” shirt to a shirt available from the Society of Professional Journalists’ “I Back the First” shirt, which, like the 45 Words shirt, includes the First Amendment.
It was a breath of fresh air to hear positive comments from people about the need for journalists and the importance of the First Amendment. There may have been some folks who took exception to a free press, but I didn’t hear from them.
One person, however, did have a question. A staff member at one of the beverage stations asked what it meant to “back the First.”
Her name was Tereza. She is from the Czech Republic. Being somewhat unabashed, I quickly showed her the First Amendment printed on the back of the shirt.
Her reaction? “That’s cool.”
Imagine that, a young adult from a country with a history of political strife and dictatorships, thinks the First Amendment is cool.
Moreso, she probably realized how important the five freedoms are and how lucky we are to have them guaranteed.
Two takeaways: 1. Perhaps she was envious. 2. Maybe we should be fortunate.
It shouldn’t take someone from an eastern European bloc country to reinforce the value of the five freedoms of the First Amendment. We also need to make sure that our student journalists don’t take the freedoms, especially Freedom of the Press, for granted.
A lot of people do.
In 2006, when the Robert R. McCormick Foundation operated the “Freedom Museum” in Chicago, it surveyed 1,000 people and found that, wait for it, fewer than one percent could identify all five First Amendment freedoms, but more than 20 percent could identify the entire Simpsons family. Reality, what a concept.
With Constitution Day just around the corner (Sept. 17), it’s a good time to revisit not only the First Amendment, but the entire constitution and goals the framers had in mind when they wrote, debated and ultimately ratified and signed it.
As American democracy comes under fire, so too does the Constitution and the freedoms it has provided Americans since its signing 235 years ago. Student journalists – whether scholastic or collegiate need to do more than memorize the First Amendment – they need to practice it and perhaps more importantly, defend it.
With Constitution Day just around the corner (Sept. 17), it’s a good time to revisit not only the First Amendment, but the entire constitution and goals the framers had in mind when they wrote, debated and ultimately ratified and signed it.
It’s hard to imagine where we would be without it and even harder to imagine where we will be in the future if its foundation crumbles.
We need to agree with Tereza that it’s “Cool.”
We also need to agree that we wouldn’t want to trade places with her.
Read MoreGauging Community Attitudes Towards First Amendment Rights
Description
The Knight Foundation surveys teens and teachers’ attitudes towards freedom of speech. Gauge your community’s attitudes towards first amendment rights as you prepare to advocate for the first ame
Objectives
- Students will assess the findings of the Knight Foundation’s Future of the First Amendment 2022 report.
- Students will interpret the findings to develop pertinent questions they would pose to their community.
- Students will survey their community, then synthesize and report results.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.6 | Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 | Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.5 | Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis. |
| CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.7 | Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text. |
Length
90 minutes
Materials / resources
Knight Foundation’s Future of the First Amendment 2022 report
Form Maker (ex, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, etc)
Markers
Poster Paper
Lesson step-by-step
Step 1 — Framing/Introduction (5 minutes)
Briefly ask students for anecdotal responses and first impressions to the following questions:
- Should Schools Punish Students for Social Media Posts?
- Does the First Amendment Protect You?
- How Comfortable are You Disagreeing with Teachers/Other Students in Class?
This could be a discussion, an independent “Do Now” activity, and/or a private writing assignment in a journal.
Step 2 — Reading/Share (25 minutes)
Teacher introduces the Knight Foundation’s Future of the First Amendment 2022 report. Students are broken up into three groups. Each group is assigned a section to read, discuss, and then briefly present back to the entire class.
Step 3 — Reflection (15 minutes)
Ask the class to consider their local context (i.e., what is going on around them recently) and to reflect on what the most important questions in the entire survey are, especially if we are looking to educate the school community about the first amendment and freedom of speech. Choose the five most important questions to pose to the school community. What would you like to know more about? What would help you understand the state and impacts of free speech at your school? Do you think your local findings will replicate the findings from the report or diverge from them?
Step 4 — Survey (15 minutes, plus HW or out-of-class time)
Build a survey to use with your class or your entire school community. Consider how you might achieve a representative sample. How many people would have to respond? Who might you need to ask to respond to make sure you are incorporating enough perspectives?
Execute the survey and record your results.
Step 5 — Report (30 minutes)
Interpret your results and develop infographics to help communicate the results. Consider the work in the Knight Foundation report as an example and think how you might visually represent your data to inform and engage your audience. Consider making posters to display around school.
Differentiation
This lesson could incorporate more digital tools to build the survey and create infographics. Teachers might choose to go more in depth to discuss the top-line findings of the report. Teachers might work with students to brainstorm strategies to educate the community about first amendment rights and social issues throughout the year.
Read More