Yearbook ethics guidelines

Posted by John Bowen on Jan 12, 2012 in Blog, Law and Ethics, News, Projects, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching, Yearbook | 0 comments

Yearbook staffs are responsible for creating an annual publication that becomes the permanent record of the school and the school population they serve.

The publication they create will serve as a record/history book, memory book, business venture, classroom laboratory and public relations tool for the district.

Because the functions of the publication are so far reaching, and the publication itself is an historical document, the ethical questions facing the yearbook staff are challenging and unique.

For that reason, members of JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission and representative winners in the Yearbook Adviser of the Year Competition have created ethical guidelines students and teachers might use in creating their own policies.

General Points

● The same ethical principles apply to yearbook journalism as to any other kind of media.
— Reporters should cover all sides of a story fairly and fully
— Reporters should identify themselves as representing the yearbook
— Reporters should verify source information with someone else or some other resource
— Reporters should avoid lurking on social media sites and should never use information gained from social media as their only resource. No information should be taken from a social media site without notification to the author of the site.
● Student yearbook staffs should also examine downloadable resources for additional ideas and approaches.
● In addition to the guidelines presented here, advisers should follow the tenets of JEA’s Adviser Code of Ethics, and students should continue to honor values expressed in existing resources.
● Although these guidelines may not apply to all staffs in every situation, it is recommended they be shared in discussions with adviser, staff members, administrators, school board members, members of the community and other stakeholders such as yearbook company representatives so all parties better understand the critical thinking, ethical and journalistic issues students experience as they make content decisions to summarize the year.
● Policies should be established to guide the staff in making fair, objective decisions regarding obits/memorials, ad sales, book sales and student classifications.
● Because the publication is created by students, for students, prior review by outside sources should be avoided and the staff should take precautions to report the story of the year fairly, fully and responsibly.

Ethics Guidelines for Yearbooks with Print and/or Digital Components
Section I: Policies
Before the staff begins work on the book (or as soon as possible), editorial policies should be established, placed in written form and followed exactly as the staff has created them. Policies should be included for general coverage, portrait pictures, advertising, obituaries, return of books and any others that may relate specifically to the school. As staffs determine specific policies, they should keep in mind these considerations:

[General]
• What is the purpose of the book, and what type of stories, photos and other coverage elements help meet that purpose? How will the staff handle sensitive or possibly controversial topics? Will all groups, topics and events receive equal space or attention? May readers, teachers, administrators or community members submit content?
[Portraits]
• Are students required to be photographed by a particular photographer in order to appear in the album/people section? Will the school dress code apply? May students submit their own portraits to be included, and if so, what requirements exist in terms of size, content and technical quality? Does the staff reserve the right to exclude any photo it considers inappropriate? Will the staff provide other options for students who are absent, not yet enrolled or otherwise missing during the initial photographing period? If a student enrolls in the school later in the year, what are the options, if any, for being included in the album/people section? When will these deadlines occur, and will they be the same each year?
[Advertising]
• What type of ads will the staff accept, and are there any conditions under which a staff might reject a potential advertiser or its submitted artwork? How will the available amount of advertising space be determined? Will the staff accept advertising after its published deadline? Does the staff have a policy for corrections or omissions? How will the staff remedy the situation if a printed advertisement has an error or receives a complaint from the purchaser?
[Obituaries]
• How will the staff handle the death of a student, faculty or staff member in the book? If the staff will include some type of memorial treatment, will all deaths be treated equally? How will the size and type be determined? What if this occurs at a time when no space is available? What if this occurs at a time past the deadline cycle? What if this occurs in the summer? Does the cause of death play a factor in how the death will be handled? What role will the deceased person’s family play, if any, in determining the content included?
[Returns]
• Under what circumstances, if any, will the staff accept books for return? What happens if a student does not appear in the book? What happens if a student’s name is misspelled? What happens if a student moves away and no longer wants the book? What happens if a person, group or team is unhappy with its coverage? Will a damaged book be replaced? Does the staff take action to recover a lost or stolen book? What happens to books not retrieved at the distribution event, and for what length of time will the staff keep them?

Section II: Covering the Year
Those who have signed on to be part of the yearbook staff have agreed to be the eyes and ears of the student body as they capture the unique aspects of this particular year at a specific high school. This commitment means —
● Coverage will reflect all aspects and voices of the student body and will not be limited to those who are on staff or their friends. The book will reflect the school’s diversity and will have balance in terms of age and gender, with emphasis on student involvement more than faculty and staff.
● The book will include scoreboards for all teams even if it has not been a winning year, group pictures with complete names of all teams and organizations, as part of the important record-keeping information.
● To keep the book as complete and accurate as possible, the staff will take extra care to work with the counselors, registrar and administrators to determine the correct grade level of each student enrolled to be classified as such. The staff will determine a policy for how to classify students who fall above or below the determined credit level and/ or students who plan to graduate early. The staff will include a “not pictured” list in the portrait section.
● Because this is an historical document, special care will be given to accuracy, including fact checking all information, correct quotes, correct spelling of names. Faculty names, classes taught and extracurricular activities sponsored should be included with faculty portrait pictures.
● The staff will tell all stories fairly and fully using resources representing all points of view.
● It is not recommended that the staff include superlatives in the book because they are not journalistic and do little to tell the story of the year, but because the book is a student publication and students should be empowered to make content decisions, advisers may want to help students organize a selection process, encourage reporting of the selection process as well as the action and reaction to the superlatives selected. In any case, award categories should be based on achievements, timely topics, service, performance and non-physical or popularity-based voting so all types of students have a chance to be represented. Low voter turnout is evidence that readers are not interested in superlatives, and is another clue that the staff should eliminate them.

Section III: Original Work
The story of the year should be as special as its characters (the students) and as creative and fresh as its authors (the yearbook staff). Because the story of your school this year can only be told once, the yearbook is a one-of-a-kind publication. The staff then —
● Will use previous years’ books only as a quick guide, and will avoid lifting material from previous books to include in the current book.
● Will use the books from other schools as inspiration only rather than copying their techniques for replication in the current book.
● Will refer to professional publications for inspiration and ideas but will use elements of what they find to create their own design, headline package or color usage. Credit should be given to professional inspirations in the colophon.
● Will not lift material (photos or text) from Internet resources without permission and will give proper attribution for that material as suggested by the resource provider.
● Will officially copyright their own work to protect it from use by those who have not requested permission.
● Will make clear when material not created by the staff is included in the publication. Because the yearbook is a student production, it is the ethical responsibility of staff members to notify the reader if pictures have been taken, copy written or designs created by someone other than a student staff member. Photo credits should be given individually to all photos and bylines should appear with all stories.

Section IV: Working with the Printer The yearbook staff is the publisher of the book and the yearbook company is the printer. The difference between the two is an important distinction. The publisher controls the content of the book while the printer works for the publisher to print the content as defined in a printing contract. The yearbook printer is an important part of the team but does not control content and is not the publisher. Because the relationship with the printer is a business as well as personal one, making ethical decisions is even more important.
● The printing contract outlines deadlines and number of pages due on each deadline. It is the ethical responsibility of the yearbook staff to meet all of those deadlines with pages that are complete and ready for the printer. Sending incomplete or dummy pages really does not hold up your end of the contract and results in extra time-consuming work for  the plant.
● The printer’s representative should notify the staff if additions being considered will add to the final invoice for the book. In an open, honest relationship there should be no surprises when the final bill arrives.
● The printer should not make corrections or remove questionable content unless directed to do so by the yearbook staff with advice from the adviser.
● It is not the responsibility of the printer to find errors or catch questionable content. All content is the responsibility of the staff.
● Staffs who choose to use company-generated templates, plug-ins and other materials should let the reader know in the colophon that those printer aids were used and not all design work is original.
● Advisers should take special care in working with yearbook company representatives during a bid process for the printing contract. All information should be distributed to every representative in an open, transparent manner. Should one representative request special information, it should be sent to everyone at the same time.
● A review of the final bill should be made as soon after delivery as possible. Any adjustments to the bill should be made on the current book rather than on future contracts.

Linked resources
• JEA’s Model Guidelines: http://jea.org/about/guidelines.html
• JEA Adviser Code of Ethics: http://www.jeasprc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/JEAadvisercodeof-ethics-2012
• NSPA Student Code of Ethics: http://studentpress.org/nspa/pdf/wheel_modelcodeofethics.pdf
• Student Press Law Center: http://splc.org , http://yearbooklaw.com.
Sample SPLC yearbook staff member license
http://www.splc.org/pdf/yearbook_license.pdf
• Handling obituaries, NSPA: http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/wheel.html
• Yearbook controversy a time for discussion
http://www.jeasprc.org/?cat=6

Bios for yearbook-ethics guidelines

Mary Kay Downes, MJE, has taught journalism and advised the Chantilly High School Odyssey yearbook for 23 years where she also teaches English and serves as the English Department Chair. She presents at national workshops and yearbook camps and writes articles for journalism magazines. She has been honored as the 2007 JEA National Yearbook Adviser of the Year and received the Columbia Scholastic  Press Association Gold Key, the National Scholastic Press Pioneer Award as well  as local and state honors. Odyssey is in the NSPA Hall of Fame and has received several CSPA Crown and NSPA Pacemaker awards. Downes is the past president of the Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association and is a member of the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Commission.

Sarah Nichols, MJE, advises student media at Whitney High School in Rocklin,  Calif. She was named National Yearbook Adviser of the Year in 2011 and received a Medal of Merit in 2010 from JEA as well as the NSPA Pioneer Award in 2008.  During her 13 years advising, her students have earned national recognition such as NSPA Pacemakers and CSPA Gold Crowns, among other honors. Nichols currently serves as JEA’s vice president and is a member of the Scholastic Press Rights Commission and Digital Media Committee as well as past-president for JEANC in  Northern California. She is a former JEA state director and Certification Commission member. Previously she advised in Indiana and was an officer for the Indiana High School Press Association.

Linda Puntney, MJE, is JEA’s former executive director. A professor emeritus of journalism at Kansas State University, she was director of Student Publications  and Royal Purple yearbook adviser. The Royal Purple staff received 20 Gold Crown and Pacemaker awards in her 21-year tenure — more than any college yearbook in the nation. Puntney’s honors include College Media Advisers Distinguished Yearbook Adviser and Distinguished Magazine Adviser, CMA Hall of Fame, NSPA Pioneer Award, CSPA Gold Key and Charles O’Malley Award, the JEA Carl Towley, Medal of Merit, Lifetime Achievement and Teacher Inspiration awards.

Nancy Y. Smith, MJE, advises the newspaper, yearbook, online paper and DVD at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, MO. She has been teaching and advising  publications for 26 years and frequently speaks at workshops and conferences  across the country. She has earned Master Journalism Educator status from the Journalism Education Association and is the JEA National Write-off Chair. She been recognized by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund as a Special Recognition Adviser  and was named a Distinguished Adviser in the National Yearbook Adviser of the  Year competition. She was also one of six finalists for the 2007-2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year.

Lynn Strause advised 30 yearbooks before she retired in 2007. The Ceniad, which she advised for 13 years, earned 13 consecutive Spartan Awards from Michigan Interscholastic Press Association, Gold and Silver Crowns and Pacemakers during her tenure. She was named JEA National Yearbook Adviser of the year in 2001. She is yearbook chair on the MIPA board, works with individual schools and teaches at a number of summer workshops, state and national conventions.

 

 

 

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Re-establishing our belief in the right forum

Posted by John Bowen on May 23, 2011 in Blog, Law and Ethics, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Just because the 2nd Circuit Federal Appeals Court recently handed down a decision in R.O. v. Ithaca City School District laden with shaky interpretations and references, it is not time to surrender or alter our beliefs.

“Drawings of stick figures in sexual positions clearly qualify as ‘lewd,’ that is, ‘inciting to sensual desire or imagination,'” Second Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes wrote in the decision about why the school could censor an independent student publication and the school’s student paper, which had attempted unsuccessfully to run the drawing in the first place.

The decision also said even though school’s paper, the Tattler, was a “limited public forum,” the cartoon could still be censored.

The Student Press Law Center reported in a May 18 article, “The Second  Circuit, however, distinguished between a ‘limited’ public forum and a ‘designated’ public forum, holding that a ‘limited’ forum newspaper remains subject to Hazelwood.”

If not reversed, that decision could damage student media forum status, but other courts could also ignore it as an aberration.

The First Amendment Center’s President, Ken Paulson,  said May 20 in a commentary (which also provides access to the student artwork), “the cartoon was censored because the school found it embarrassing, not because it would unleash the sexual imaginations of ninth graders. They can pretty much do that on their own.”

Paulson said images on the Internet and sexting expose students to far worse.

“In this environment,”Paulson wrote, “it seems a stretch to call anatomically vague stick figures ‘sexually explicit.'”

SPLC executive director Frank LoMonte said the decision was a misapplication of the law. “The court just fundamentally misunderstood what it means to be a limited public forum,” LoMonte said. “A forum where the government gets to pick and choose which cartoons it likes is meaningless.”

“All that this ruling really changes,” LoMonte said, “is that the term ‘limited public forum’ by itself apparently is going to be meaningless. And, as in Hazelwood itself, the court looked to the actual practice as well as what was on paper.”

If the adviser starts acting like the assignment editor, he said, it’s going to be held against the students, and a court is not going to recognize the paper as a true forum paper.

“You, the adviser, are ‘the state,'” LoMonte said, “and the more actively the state is involved in editorial decisions, the less likely the paper will be a forum regardless of what appears in the masthead and even in the policy manual.”

Simply calling student media “limited public forums” may no longer be enough, LoMonte said. In an email to the JEA listserv, LoMonte said any decent publications policy will have to go further than the “forum” buzzword and will have to enumerate with precision the exclusive grounds on which censorship is permissible. LoMonte has added additional information in a new post May 22.

For those who have “limited public forums” policies, or others concerned about maintaining their forum status, here are a couple suggestions:

• Look at your policy. If it just states you are a limited public forum, add or clarify language that explains what that means and how students make that the framework of professional standards. Look at model and state law language.
• Add or clarify language that shows how students will avoid unprotected speech and report accurately, thoroughly and in context.
• Add or clarify language that students make all final decisions of content and why that is important.

Although he warned JEA members the Ithaca decision could be the “worst legal setback” since Hazelwood, LoMonte also said it is such an outlandish overreach “it may become in New York, Vermont and Connecticut what Hosty v. Carter became for the college media in Illinois — the impetus for legislators to fix the law.”

 

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Stopping prior review one fight at a time

Posted by John Bowen on Feb 10, 2010 in Blog, Law and Ethics, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Marie Miller, publications adviser in Fauquier County, Virginia, posted this to the JEA listserv today. With censorship and prior review constantly in the news, we thought her points should be repeated to show prior review can be prevented short of court battles.

Information about Miller’s situation can be found on the SPLC site and earlier reporting here.

The post

In these days when so many disputes involve censorship and restriction of student media, I wanted to share some good news about working with administrators to develop a workable publications policy that allows student publications to continue to practice sound journalism.

As background, last summer the Fauquier Co School Board adopted a very restrictive publications policy that decreed that student publications were not forums for student expression and that the principal was the editor in chief of all publications with students serving as assistants. This policy was promulgated by the Virginia Association of School Boards (VASB), a group that develops policy positions for a wide variety of issues. Apparently, a nearly identical policy has been adopted in surrounding jurisdictions (Fredricksburg and Culpeper). I learned about the policy in mid Sept. from another adviser who questioned whether she could allow her students to publish opinion pieces and editorials under it.

As the policy appeared to require prior review and we were about a week from publishing, my first step was to ask my principal when he planned to review the issue and to notify him that I would finish the year as adviser, but that I would not continue after that. My principal has always supported student press rights, has had faith in my ability to advise the paper, and has never wanted to exercise prior review. He forwarded my concerns to the superintendent’s office and what ensued was an intense series of emails, meetings, and negotiations.

Ultimately, the School Board adopted a revised publications policy on Dec. 14 designating student publications as limited forums for student expression subject to restraints on speech under the Tinker standard. Student leadership of the publications was restored and an appeals process was put in place under which students can challenge censorship by either a principal or an adviser. There are still some areas to be addressed (namely, the implication in the policy that ethical guidelines could be a basis for censoring student speech), but our newspaper continues to operate much as it always has — as a public forum.

Things that helped:

• From the start, Frank LoMonte of the SPLC was proactive and extremely helpful with advice and guidance both to me and my editor in chief. I cannot say enough good things about him and the SPLC.

• The JEA listserv provided invaluable background and support. Because of the list, I knew how student publications should operate and what progressive policies looked like. (I have also been teaching the fundamentals of student press law for the past six years, although I did not expect to have to draw on that background in this way)

•The support of my principal and the open-mindedness of the superintendent. We would not have gotten far without both. My principal was put in the middle of a conflict he didn’t want, but he supported the independence of the student newspaper. The superintendent was truly concerned with what was good for the students. He was impressed with the idea that prior review would lead to self-censorship even under the best of circumstances. He also voluntarily read the Principal’s Guide to Scholastic Journalism published by Quill & Scroll. He was not concerned, however, that the county was assuming additional financial liability under the new policy, and this issue was a non-starter.

• The policy was not adopted in response to any recent controversy. The county simply did not have a policy and adopted the one recommended by professional organization.

• We are geographically close to Fairfax, that bastion of progressive education and top-notch publications. The revised policy is modeled on the Fairfax policy.

• The negotiations never got ugly. Everyone maintained a reasoned and reasonable approach, although the students were angry. The students started a petition and quickly gained over 200 signatures. They also formed a Facebook group. We wrote an article and published two editorials about the policy, and the local newspaper published an editorial about the low-key, silent way in which the initial policy was enacted. The SPLC contacted administrators who were reluctant to comment. Moderate pressure is probably a good thing, but it also could have hardened positions.

• Our paper has a good reputation in the community and has done fairly well in state and national evaluations, which makes administrators proud. One of our former editors, Caleb Fleming, was selected as the national collegiate reporter of the year this past fall. The program was developed under Peg Culley who was the adviser for 26 years and entrusted to me for the past six. Reputation and continuity of advisers were big pluses.

• Students are at a real disadvantage in these battles. Too often advisers are concerned for their own positions to challenge the decisions of the administration.

• Awards/recognition from outside groups are important. Groups like CSPA should continue to recognize good journalism from student publications that are not subject to prior review. Also, it would have been very helpful if the Virginia High School League (VHSL) had a policy discouraging prior review.

Miller indicated anyone wishing additional information could contact her at millermarie0227@GMAIL.COM

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Resources

Posted by John Bowen on Jan 10, 2010 in | 0 comments

Reporting censorship checklists

Resources for journalism educators and students to use when reporting censorship incidents.
• Censorship checklist for advisers
• Censorship checklist for students

Teaching resources for press rights and ethics

Summaries and resources for journalism educators and empowered journalism leaders. These resources are good starting points for those who need materials to supplement their programs.

 

Web sites about the use of anonymous sources

1. http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=1596 (This article from the American Journalism Review discusses the controversy surrounding the O.J. Simpson case. It presents individual viewpoints on the pros and cons of using anonymous sources.
2. http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=49&aid=64013 (Links to several sources related to the usage of anonymous sources, including a survey which showed that several professional publications never allow them, are part of this article.)
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/opinion/22pubed.html (Clark Hoyt, the public editor for the New York Times discusses how difficult it is to follow the paper’s anonymous quote policy.)
4. http://www.apme.com/committees/credibility/052705anonymous.shtml (The Associated Press presents three guidelines as to when anonymous quotes would be acceptable. The AP says reporters should always proceed with the assumption that all quotes will be on the record.)
5. http://www.usatoday.com/new/opinion/columnist/neuharth/2004-01-16-neuharth_x.htm (Three reasons why the Associated Press allows anonymous sources in this article might be guidelines for student publications. The site also defines “on the record, “off the record,” “background” and “deep background.”

Web sites about prior review and prior restraint

1. http://ncacblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/1845/ (The National Coalition Against Censorship created this blog about prior review. It has a link to another article entitled “Prior Review—A Student Press Nightmare.”
2. http://www.jea.org/about/statements.html (This site takes you to JEA’s home page and provides links to JEA Policies, including ones on prior review, the advisers code of ethics and a position statement on photo manipulation.)
3. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Prior+Restraint (The Free Dictionary defines prior restraint and presents a history of its usage since the NEAR V. MINNESOTA)

Web sites about libel

1. http://www.expertlaw.com/library/personal_injury/defamation.html (Aaron Larson from ExpertLaw defines defamation, libel and slander. He also goes into the defenses available for anyone accused of defamation, and he defines public figures.)
2. http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/libelfrm.htm (This source raises questions to help determine if someone has been libeled. It also includes possible defenses against claims of defamation.)
3. http://journalism.about.com/od/ethicsprofessionalism/a/libel.htm (The basics of libel and libel law are clear in this article. In addition, it clarifies the differences between public officials and private individuals, and it discusses the Times vs. Sullivan U.S. Supreme Court case.)
4. http://techdirt.com/articles/20090329/2229284297.html (The article on this site discusses copyright and libel questions as they relate to Twitter. The author discusses two cases and concludes that “we’re in for a long series of lawsuits and legal threats to do with Twitter messages.)
5. http://www.legaline.com/2009/02/think-you-know-libel-law-think-again.html (The Noonan v. Staples case in a federal appeals court in Boston ruled that truth is not always an absolute defense against libel. A true statement said with malice can still be libelous. Media Law discusses this case in a blog about freedom of the press.)

Web sites about photo manipulation

1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/ Photo tampering has occurred throughout history. This site shows tampering of photos from 1860-2009.)
2. http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/digitalphotoethics (Faked photos are becoming harder to detect, according to this site, which includes the National Press Photographer’s Code of Ethics Statement of Principle. There’s also a link to an article by Bonnie Meltzer, entitled “Digital Photography: A Question of Ethics.)
3. http://sree.net/teaching/photoethics.html (This site includes “famous” examples of digitally manipulated photos. It also has links to other articles about this topic.)
4. http://weburbanist.com/2010/01/02/mind-bending/ (Erik Johansson shows on this site how one can create surprising images by combining art with digital photos.)
5. http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2009/09/18/is-photo (This essay discusses the question “Is Photo Manipulation Bad for Photography?” He concludes by saying when someone asks if a photo is real, the answer should be “yes.”)
6. http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=47384
7. (Ken Irby from the Poynter Institute discusses the manipulation policy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in this article. The article also provides links to other policies, including ones by the Washington Post, the New York Times, the St. Petersburg Times, and the Kansas City Star.)

 

Web sites about Invasion of privacy

 

The First Amendment Handbook, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

http://www.rcfp.org/handbook/c02p01.html

This resource explains the five different kinds of  Invasion of Privacy as they relate to the practice of journalism: Intrusion, publication of private facts, false light, and misappropriation.

Libel & Privacy Invasion

http://www.splc.org/legalresearch.asp?maincat=4

This resource is thorough and specific to issues concerning the student press. Topics include:

1.  A Dozen Tips to Avoid Being Burned by a Hot Story

2.  SPLC Legal Brief on Invasion of Privacy Law

3.  Saying ‘Yes’ – What the law says about minors ability to consent without parent permission

4.  Special Delivery – A legal guide to handling and publishing material that has (possibly) been illegally obtained and provided by third parties

5.  Surveying the Law – A legal and practical guide for student media wanting to conduct and publish news and opinion surveys on campus

 

 

 

Web sites about invasion of privacy

1. http://www.rcft.org/photoguide/ninekeys.html (In this photographer’s guide to privacy article, the author suggests nine points to consider to help avoid invasion of privacy lawsuits.)
2. http://www.ehow.com/how_2124040_avoid-invasion-privacy-charge.html (By reading this article, readers will be able to distinguish the difference between journalism that creates liability for invasion of privacy and journalism that is protected by state law and the First Amendment.)

 

Copyright

1.  www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

10  Big Myths About Copyright

This essay clarifies 10 copyright myths facing anyone in publications. It assumes you know at least what copyright is— basically the legal exclusive right of the author of a creative work to control the copying of that work.

The site asks the question, provides the true/false answer and then offers a clear explanation of the reasoning behind the decision. It could be particularly useful as you begin a discussion of copyright.

2.  www.splc.org/legalresearch.asp?maincat=6

The definitive document on copyright as it relates to student media, the Student Media Guide to Copyright Law provides basic copyright information written in simple terms. Parody, fair use, trademark, patent laws and plagiarism are also discussed. The SPLC Copyright Duration Calendar allows students to determine if materials are still under copyright protection.

3.  www.jeadigitalmedia.org/law-and-ethics/online-law/85-copyright-plagiarismandaudiomaterial.org

This site provides specific information about copyright as it relates to music and audio. It offers several resources student may use to acquire public domain music.

Accuracy and fact checking

1.  www.kcnn.org/principles/accuracy

The Knight Citizen News Network hosts an extensive site on fact checking. A variety of presentations including a slide show of reporters discussing the fact-checking process, a screencast of how to make corrections, a tip sheet, confessions of mistakes made all round out the materials presented.

2.  www.FactcheckEd.org

Lesson plans, complete with objectives, activities and supportive materials provide quick access to fact checking projects.  A Guide to the Lesson Plans offers information on how to implement the plans. Materials include a dictionary, tools of the trade with five tips to avoid deception, a guide to fact checking and a guide to help determine accuracy of internet sources. Subject matter is taken from professional publications but is up to date and entertaining for students. Interactive activities include puzzles, mysteries critical thinking. Teachers may want to adapt some of the content for scholastic journalism.

3.  www.wikihow.com/fact-checik-a-wikihow-article

Offers tips for fact checking the accuracy of information found on Wiki.

4.  www.unc.edu/~ffee/teaching/accuracyhtm

Knight Professor of Editing at Ohio University Frank Fee offers 44 practical tips to guarantee greater accuracy in stories. It’s a good resource for teachers.

5.  www.newsu.org

For additional information a great source is Chip Scanlon’s NewsU course Get Me Rewrite: the Craft of Revision. Information about that course is available at www.NEWSU.org

6. Detroit Free Press Accuracy checklists
http://www.editteach.org/special/editingthefuture/07_Holt/handouts/DetFreePAccuracyChecklist.pdf
This list by John X. Miller is through and helpful.

 

 

Resources for First Amendment Rights for students

1.  http://www.splc.org/legalresearch.asp?maincat=1

This provides links on press rights for students at public and private junior high and high schools

It includes links for virtual lawyers and had the top ten questions students ask and their answers.

2.  http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?item=glossary

This glossary defines terms relevant to First Amendment issues.  It has a search site for more information.

3.http://www.highschooljournalism.org/teachers/lessonplans/detail.cfm?lessonplanid=295

This provides lesson plans for a unit on student press law and ethics.   It was prepared by Carolynne Knox, Ruidoso High School, Ruidoso, N.M.

4.  http://www.gallup.com/poll/17281/censorship-teens-bow-school-control.aspx

This poll gives statistics on student opinions about control of content of student publications.

Journalistic Ethics

1.  www.highschooljournalism.org

–Decisionmaking

“Journalistic Scenarios” by Jeff Nardone, Grosse Pointe South High School, Grosse Pointe, MI

Lesson plan that provides list of editor/editorial board decisions for students to answer

–Editorial Writing

“Editorials on Ethical Issues” by Mark Waldeland, Prior Lake HS, MN

Detailed unit plan (Scholastic Journalism text) includes references

–Journalism Ethics

“An Ethical Framework for Journalists” by  Karl Grubaugh, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, CA

•Lesson plan (three days plus) to help students practice making ethical decisions using real-life situations and how editors really handled the challenges

• “Lessons to be learned: The Importance of Attribution, Accuracy and Honesty”

by Jennifer Seavey, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA

•Lesson plan addresses importance of accuracy and honesty as related to ethical practices. Includes resources to Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, Mike Barnicle plagiarism case studies.

• “Defining a Code of Ethics” by Amanda Gentine, Learning Enterprise High School, Milwaukee, WI

From definition to values, this lesson plans details content and timeline for a relevant look at ethics complete with brainstorming ideas.

• “Ethics and Hazelwood: What Student Journalists Should and Could Write” by Lance Dillahunt, East Hampton High School, East Hampton, NY

Lesson plan directs students to consider relationship of code of ethics to Hazelwood and Tinker decisions.

2.  www.poynter.org

Ethics and Diversity

•Everyday Ethics by Kelly McBride

Articles/columns related to current situations involving the media. Resource for advisers and students

•Guiding Principles for the Journalist by Bob Steele

Concise coverage including commentary and analysis

•Covering Victims: Storytelling with Power and Respect by Bob Steele

Real-life case of ethical decision to run or not run a graphic photo of teenager shot to death. Steele discusses the dilemma, arguments and relationship to ethical decisions

•Online Journalism Ethics: Guidelines from the Conference

Discussion of online ethics following a conference at Poynter in 2006. Reference to Bob Steele’s article, “Helter Skelter no More: An Evolving Guidebook for Online Ethics”

•Ask These 10 Questions to Make Good Ethical Decisions

Bob Steele of Poynter Institute offers 10 questions to springboard critical thinking of journalism ethics.

•Tip Sheet Archive

Recently archived stories from ethics blogs and chats on topics ranging from photo manipulation to comparison/contrast of two suicides, two newsrooms and two decisions. (2004-2009)

•10 Steps to Better Decisions on Deadline

Jacky Hicks  addresses leadership skills and ethical practices to improve publications

3.  www.asne.org

•No Train, No Gain

A link to ethical resources

•The American Society of News Editors Collection of Ethics Resources

A link to codes of ethics at news organizations and professional journalistic associations

4. www.spj.org

At home page go to ethics link for countless teaching tools, resources and case  studies.

5.  www.newseum.org

•News Ethics in the Digital World

Article discusses updates in code of ethics to include online journalism including facebook and twitter

Websites for Malice

1. http://www.answers.com/topic/actual-malice

This site discusses the New York Times Co. v Sullivan Supreme Court case in 1964 and how it relates to malice. The court said that the term “actual malice” was confusing, so judges should use the phrases “knowledge of falsity” and “reckless disregard as to the truth.”

1. http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?item=glossary

This site is a complete glossary of terms related to malice—perhaps more terms than you would want to teach, but it’s all here.

Advertising

http://www.splc.org/report_detail.asp?id=1492&edition=49
This site gives legal advice on frequently asked questions about advertising and many other legal issues.

FERPA

http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/mndirectoryinfo.html

This shows that the U.S. Dept. of Education shows exclusion of FERPA information for use in yearbooks, production programs, honor lists and team listings unless parents have specifically asked their students be excluded.   It does not mention other student publications but a yearbook is definitely a students publication so a school newspaper might be included as well certainly as to information about sports teams and school productions.

http://splc.org/legalresearch.asp?id=77

This 2005 Student Media Guide to FERPA can help.   However, this law and its applications change often.   The Student Press Law has up to date information about cases, etc.  Go to http://splc.org and search FERPA from their site for the newest information.  Contact them for specific questions about a local situation.  The law is scheduled to be updated so you need to keep current.

http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/trends/~lawspring00hs.html

This site from 2000 gives some guidelines.  It says as follows:

Where the new policies directed at student media miss the mark is that FERPA only restricts the release of information by school officials. Outside parties – including student reporters, who are neither employees nor agents of the school – are not covered by the law.    As the U.S. Department of Education, the agency charged with enforcing FERPA, has said: “FERPA was not intended to apply to campus newspapers or records maintained by campus newspapers. Rather, FERPA applies to ‘education records’ maintained by an educational agency or institution, or by a person acting for such agency or institution.”

JEA Position Statements: Prior Review

The Journalism Education Association, as the nation’s largest association of scholastic journalism educators and secondary school media advisers, denounces the practice of administrative prior review as serving no legitimate educational purpose. Prior review leads only to censorship by school officials or to self-censorship by students with no improvement in journalistic quality or learning.

Better strategies exist that enhance student learning while protecting school safety and reducing school liability.

School administrators provide leadership for just about every dimension of schools. They set the tone and are crucial in a meaningful educational process. Undeniably, administrators want their schools’ graduates to be well-educated and effective citizens. Often, school or district missions statements state this goal explicitly. JEA supports them in that effort.

So, when the Journalism Education Association challenges the judgment of administrators who prior review student media, it does so believing better strategies more closely align with enhanced civic engagement, critical thinking and decision-making.

Prior review by administrators undermines critical thinking, encourages students to dismiss the role of a free press in society and provides no greater likelihood of increased quality of student media. Prior review inevitably leads to censorship. Prior review inherently creates serious conflicts of interest and compromises administrator neutrality, putting the school in potential legal jeopardy.

Without prior review, administrators retain better strategies that support journalism programs. Such approaches include:
• Working with students cooperatively to be good sources for stories
• Hiring qualified advisers and journalism teachers
• Building trust in the learning and communication process in a way that also lessens liability concerns of the school system
• Offering feedback after each publication
• Increasing dialogue among school staff and students, thus encouraging outlets of expression that strengthens school safety
• Expanding school and community understanding and appreciation of the value of free – and journalistically responsible – student media
• Providing necessary resources to support and maintain publication programs, including financial support, master schedule preferences, development opportunities and time

These strategies, and others listed below can enhance the influence of administrators without intruding on student control of their media as outlined by court decisions and the First Amendment.

Administrators can and should:
• Foster appreciation for America’s democratic ideals by inspiring students and their advisers to practice democratic principles through free student media
• Hire the most qualified educator to teach and advise or help one without solid journalism background become more knowledgeable. This allows the educator to provide training so students can better become self-sufficient as they make decisions and practice journalism within the scope of the school’s educational mission and the First Amendment
• Trust and respect their advisers, their student media editors and staff as the students make decisions
• Maintain dialogue and feedback to protect and enhance student expression, to afford students real input in the process, and to broaden their opportunities to excel

Teachers and advisers can and should:
• Model standards of professional journalistic conduct to students, administrators and others
• Emphasize the importance of accuracy, balance and clarity in all aspects of news gathering and reporting
• Advise, not act as censors or decision makers
• Empower students to make decisions of style, structure and content by creating a learning atmosphere where students will actively practice critical thinking and decision-making
• Encourage students to seek other points of view and to explore a variety of information sources in their decision-making
• Ensure students have a free, robust and active forum for expression without prior review or restraint
• Show trust in students as they carry out their responsibilities by encouraging and supporting them in a caring learning environment

Student journalists can and should:
• Apply critical thinking and decision-making skills as they practice journalistic standards and civic responsibility
• Follow established policies and adopt new ones to aid in thorough, truthful and complete reporting using a range of diverse and credible sources
• Seek the advice of professionally educated journalism advisers, teachers and other media resources
• Maintain open lines of communication with other students, teachers, administrators and community members
• Operate media that report in verbal and visual context, enhancing comprehension and diverse points of view
• Develop trust with all stakeholders – sources, adviser, administration and fellow staffers

JEA Board of Directors
Adopted April 16, 2009

 

 

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