The rules of the journalistic road
start with law and ethics
by Stan Zoller, MJE
Once a week I find myself at the local police station.
It’s a routine I have gotten into as part of the coverage I do for my local blog. Every week I check the police reports to see what sort of dastardly things local residents have called the police for.
It runs the gamut from attempted break-ins to settling a dispute over wedding photos.
Yes, there may be eight million stories in the naked city, but they’re not all riveting.
What is riveting in its own way to me is the number of reports where the responding officer notes that the offender was “not aware of the ordinance.” Some of the ordinances are mundane – like the hours you can put your garbage out, while others stipulate what constitutes a dangerous dog
It’s the heavy-weight stuff that rocks suburbia.
However, it seems to be commonplace for some folks to go about their daily business seemingly oblivious to rules and laws that are there for their own protection.
Can you imagine teaching and advising a scholastic journalism program without putting the rules of the road first?
While students are infatuated and seemingly obsessed with online and social media, the essential fundamentals of journalism – including laws and ethics – need to, as “boring” as they may be, need to a dominant part of any education curriculum.
This isn’t breaking news; nor is it to open to debate.
Teaching press laws and ethics is a no-brainer. If you are stuck on how to teach it, you need to go no further than JEA.ORG where you’ll find curricula for a variety of topics including, to no surprise, Law and Ethics. There are extensive three- five- and nine week instructional plans. There’s no stone left unturned.
Where a debate may emerge, however, is not which module to use, but when.
I know some teachers who start their J class with it while others do it later in the first quarter, other teachers who wait until later in the first semester and yes, some who wait until second semester.
The reasons run the gamut. But let’s face it, laws and ethics just don’t have the sex appeal as doing a great spread in the yearbook, posting videos on a web site or sending out tweets.
I have always equated teaching press law and ethics to teaching, of all things, driver’s education. You don’t get behind the wheel until you know the rules of the road.
I know. Boring.
[pullquote]I’d rather have students know press law and ethics at the start of the year so they know the expectations of ethical reporting within the parameters of the law, than start installing the smoke alarm after the fire has started.[/pullquote]
But I’d rather have students know press law and ethics at the start of the year so they know the expectations of ethical reporting within the parameters of the law, than start installing the smoke alarm after the fire has started.
The Scholastic Press Law Center and JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission offer a plethora of resources for educators and students to augment JEA’s curriculum. These include not only blogs, but Scholastic Press Rights minutes – one-minute audio tips about press law and ethics – but also sample policies, tips on public access and freedom of information to name a few.
Start your trip at JEASPRC.org and you’ll find the road will be a lot smoother.
And if you should find yourself in a bind, it won’t be because you “were not aware of the ordinance.”
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The foundations of journalism:
policies, ethics and staff manuals
Mouse over the visual and click on numbers 1-4 for content.
Read MorePractical application the best way
to learn civic involvement, not tests
And that involvement should include journalism
An April 21 Education Week article notes that a dozen state legislators want to require graduating students to take — and pass — a test similar to one given those who want to become U. S. citizens.
While the legislation might have some merit, it is not a solution for the best way prepare students to be contributors in a democracy.
That solution requires hands-on application of principles taught, practiced and learned in civics, history, and, we would argue, journalism classes.
“We need young citizens who are committed to helping make their communities better and who can assess policy proposals, not merely youths who know how many voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives there are,” Education Week author Joseph Kahne said in his article. ” Google provides the answer to any question on the naturalization test in seconds.”
We agree.
And, we would add, legislators need to look at successful journalism programs, free of review and restraint, where students make all final decisions of content. These represent real civic engagement and learning.
Such programs are models for civic engagement and citizenship.
Journalism, news literacy and civic literacy programs would do a far better job of preparing students for the rigors of an effective democracy than a multiple choice exam or almost any non-application test.
“Democracy,” Kahne says, “thrives when citizens think critically and deeply about civic and political issues, when they consider the needs and priorities of others, and when they engage in informed action—not when they memorize a few facts.”
Again, we agree. More testing of facts and figure about the government might not hurt, but it won’t really help, either.
Read MoreFighting censorship?
Here are ideas that can help
Because so many advisers have talked about prior review situations lately, and how to handle them, her is a link to an Student Press Law Center-Newspaper Association of America Foundation project that might offer some help.
Titled Press Freedom in Practice, besides reviewing basics of press law, it highlights adviser stories about how they overcame issues like prior review and other forms of censorship.
Sections of the pamphlet include strategies for success that include communication, setting high standards for students, letting students lead the fight against censorship and identifying allies in the fight.
We hope to update the project during the next year.
For additional materials, look here.
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Build on the state legislation
success of North Dakota
Based on the success of North Dakota’s John Wall New Voices Act, journalism groups across the country should seriously consider similar approaches to protecting student expression.
To do so, check out these resources:
• North Dakota site and resources
• Student Press Law Center resources
• Scholastic Press Rights resources
Submissions for Making a Difference, 2015
by Jane Blystone
Advisers, as you prepare for the end of year contest submissions, consider entering student work in the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Commission Making a Difference project. You can fill out this online form and upload documents for consideration for publication. Making a Difference Submissions
We published our first copy of Making a Difference in hard copy in 1988 because of the Hazelwood malaise. In that version, now downloadable, we highlighted scholastic reporting that demonstrated student journalism did not need the heavy hard of prior review and censorship. That tradition continues today and will continue so long as students continue to take their roles seriously and professionally.
In 2012, we committed ourselves to updating the project, hoping to show student journalism had not succumbed to Hazelwood.
We have seen some great work by student journalists across the country covering some intense topics. Let’s show the country what great work student journalists are doing that rivals work done by professional journalists.