Procedures outline mission, policy, ethics to build a forum that cements the package
Staff manual procedures
What is it/definition: A good staff manual provides pathways to help students to carry out their roles as journalists. Our model shares four suggested pathways for student media to study and adapt.
Mission statement, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual complement each other in a way to show student participants and community members what they can expect.
Important items of note Our models are just that. Study then modify them. Adapt them to reflect as well as illuminate best practices. Ideally, the staff manual and its sections will guide student media into being public forums for student expression without prior review where students make all content decisions.
Guideline: The mission statement, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual should each be in separate sections of the manual to avoid confusion, especially between law and ethics.
Procedure: Students can study other schools’ and teachers’ manuals, stressing the need for clarity and local relevance. Having editorial guidelines and staff manual, though, does not mean they are right or effective.
During the past several years, we have seen:
- Instances where having too much information in a policy can lead to unforeseen consequences, including censorship;
- Instances where wrong wording created inaccurate interpretation and potential intervention from outside the staff;
- Instances where items presented with policy can lead to procedures interpreted as policy.
Remember to keep mission brief and focused on principles and goals. Policy should be legally consistent. It can use must and will. Ethics is not absolute; it ought to use the should. Ethical guidelines are not absolutes, should not be used to spark school punishment if not followed and can be changeable. Policy is like laws and should not be often changed. Its focus can be will and must. Staff manual procedures and processes are not policy and should not be confused with policy. Manual language urges the daily decision-making process, focusing on why and how.
Quick Tip:
QT indexThis represents our collection of Quick Tips, where ethics and procedures work together to create guidelines for handling issues that face students daily. Links exist to many valuable sites on a wide variety of topics and journalistic approaches.
SPRC blogs
How to use this guide for ethical use of staff manualA good staff manual creates an atmosphere consistent with board-and media-level policies’ sound legal principles and uses ethical guidelines to shape procedure. Such a roadmap can help students justify content to administrators or introduce new staffers to common newsroom policies.
Mission statements outline values and role.
Policies – board-and media- levels– dictate what principles focus the student media.
Ethical guidelinesestablish guides to apply the principles.
Staff manual proceduresframe daily steps necessary to complete the beliefs, attitudes and standards of each of the previous points.
Policy sets standards and staff manuals ethically carry them out Having editorial guidelines and staff manual, though, does not mean they are right or effective.
In the last year, we have seen:
- Instances where having too much information in a policy can lead to unforeseen consequences, including censorship;
- Instances where wrong wording created inaccurate interpretation and potential intervention from outside the staff;
- Instances where items presented with policy can lead to procedures interpreted as policy.
From mission to manual: Fitting the pieces into a strong Foundation The four pieces of the journalistic puzzle – mission statement, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual – complement each other in a way to show student participants and community members what they can expect. Taken together, they lead journalists to carry out their key roles, information gathering, thorough interviewing, observing, researching and leadership.
Mission statements outline values and role.
Policies – board-and media- levels– dictate what principles focus the student media.
Ethical guidelinesestablish guides to apply the principles.
Staff manual proceduresframe daily steps necessary to complete the beliefs, attitudes and standards of each of the previous points.
http://jeasprc.org/curriculum-to-help-students-formulate-policies-guidelines-and-procedures/
SPRC adds six new ethics-staff manual models Models exist to help students and advisers determine what their legal and ethical handbook should look like. These models are not meant to just be copied but to be adapted to fit into your local needs.
Sitemap for developing policy and ethics in student mediaPick one model from policies and as many as you need from the ethics/staff manual sections and you are on your way to building your own Foundations package. We designed the ethics and staff manual sections into four main segments, from establishing the principles and ethical guidelines to evaluating them.
Editor-staff relationshipsEditors should be aware of potential challenges that may arise as a result of both positive and negative relationships with peers. While it may be unrealistic for editors to define absolute policies, they should use the staff manual as an opportunity to address ethical considerations of relationships with suggested model behavior. (Example of ethics-staff manual guideline)
Staff Conduct Students participating in scholastic media should hold themselves to high standards to earn and preserve trust and respect from the audiences they serve. Lapses in judgment affect the staff as well as the credibility of the media they produce. Students should realize that discipline problems or poor choices extend beyond individual consequences.
PowerPoint on Policies and manualsThe goal of a mission statement is to set the overarching purpose of student media briefly. Our model raises some new thinking for a Legal and Ethical Handbook.
Curriculum to help students formulate policies, guidelines and proceduresStudents will analyze current policies and write guidelines and procedures. Students will then analyze the others’ classwork and provide feedback. Students will be able to rewrite their contribution after the feedback is given. Students will also audit the publication’s diversity.
Podcast/RPM:
JEA law/ethics curriculum:
SPLC resources:
Other resources:
Related Content: Foundation/ Staff Guidelines | Mission | Policy | Ethical guidelines | Prior Review | Restraint | Censorship
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The process of deciding staff editorials QT41
Keys to effective editorials include focused positions, credible sources and meaningful topics. If the topic is focused on issues and problems, strong editorials include a call to action or possible solutions.
Ideas for topics should be discussed throughout the deadline cycle. The editorial board will select the topic, and a member of the editorial board will write it as an unsigned editorial.
In general, student reporters should consider reinforcing the importance of key stories with local impact and importance by preparing staff editorials that take a definitive stance.
Editorials are least effective and meaningful when they approach topics other than the 
mundane.
Key points/action:
Staff editorials, the position of the student media on topics of importance and interest, require thorough planning and credible sources and arguments for support.
Student media show leadership in many ways, and one of the most traditional is through concise, focused and authoritative statements of well argued and supported opinion that represents the institutional voice of the student media.
Stance:
In general, student reporters should consider reinforcing the importance of key stories with local impact and importance by preparing staff editorials that take a definitive stance. Editorials are least effective and meaningful when they approach topics other than the mundane.
Such leadership pieces should not be exclusively negative or positive. They can offer solutions, alternatives, commendation and/or points for compromise. They should make statements and not ask questions.
Reasoning/suggestions:
Keys to effective editorials include focused positions, credible sources and meaningful topics. If the topic is focused on issues and problems, strong editorials include a call to action.
Ideas for topics should be discussed throughout the deadline cycle. The editorial board will select the topic, and a member of the editorial board will write it as an unsigned editorial.
Staffs may set their own policies, but the staff editorial need not reflect the views of all editorial board members.
Editorials can still play an important role in today’s media.
Related: These points and other decisions about mission statement, forum status and editorial policy should be part of a Foundations Package that protects journalistically responsible student expression.
Resources:
Quick Hit: Picking a topic for staff editorials, JEA Scholastic Press Committee
Quick Hit: Importance of staff editorials, JEA Scholastic Press Committee
“Mirror, mirror on the wall,” JEA Scholastic Press Committee
“Where have the leaders gone?” JEA Scholastic Press Committee
Editorials under attack, Student Press Law Center
“They need the freedom to make mistakes, too,” Lindsay Coppens, JEA Press Rights Committee
Explained: why newspapers endorse presidential candidates, Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle
Reading newspapers: Editorial and opinion pieces, Learn NC
Video: How to write an editorial, New York Times
Writing an Editorial, Alan Weintraut
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Choosing topics for editorials QT37
The best and most effective staff editorials are those that tackle an important topic and then give audiences a reason and a way to address it.
Staff editorials should concern local or localized issues for the student body and/or school community. They may advocate, solve a problem or commend.
Guidelines
Staff editorials should concern local or localized issues for the student body and/or school community. They may advocate, solve a problem or commend.
Question: What are best practices in choosing staff editorial materials?
Key points/action: The best and most effective staff editorials are those that tackle an important topic and then give audiences a reason and a way to address it.
Stance: Develop criteria for choosing editorial topics that can include:
- A topic that can make a difference
- A topic for which there can be reliable and credible sources
- A topic audiences can address and create change
- A topic that has reported content to provide background
- A topic for which the reporter(s) can find first-hand information and sources
Reasoning/suggestions:
Remember, editorials are concise, supported and take a stand. Also to note: staff editorials are unsigned because they represent the entire publication or media.
Resources:
Quick Hit: Staff editorial process, JEA Scholastic Press Committee
Quick Hit: Importance of staff editorials, JEA Scholastic Press Committee
“Mirror, mirror on the wall,” JEA Scholastic Press Committee
“Where have the leaders gone?” JEA Scholastic Press Committee
Editorials under attack, Student Press Law Center
“They need the freedom to make mistakes, too,” Lindsay Coppens, JEA Press Rights Committee
Explained: why newspapers endorse presidential candidates, Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle
Reading newspapers: Editorial and opinion pieces, Learn NC
Video: How to write an editorial, New York Times
Writing an Editorial, Alan Weintraut
Related: These points and other decisions about mission statement, forum status and editorial policy should be part of a Foundations Package that protects journalistically responsible student expression.
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Who should be on student media editorial boards, make decisions? QT15
Because student media are productions of student work, only students should be on editorial boards of student media. That would include the general manager and producers of broadcast media.
Generally, student editors make up editorial boards. Some may have student staffers attend and vote if so desired. Editorial board meetings can normally be open to the whole staff. Others can be invited to sit in and observe by invitation.
The process of deciding editorials should be outlined in ethical guidelines and detailed in staff manual procedures. Having only student editors make decisions reinforces the open forum status for your student media.
Guidelines/Key points/action:
Because student media are productions of student work, only students should be on editorial boards of student media. That would include the general manager and producers of broadcast media.
Only students should have voting or decision-making roles for such media, although some programs have the adviser sit in on board discussions ex officio. It is not recommended to have administrators, other non-journalism faculty or community members on student media boards.
Stance:
Generally, student editors make up editorial boards. Some may have student staffers attend and vote if so desired. Editorial board meetings can normally be open to the whole staff. Others can be invited to sit in and observe by invitation.
Generally, board members vote on staff editorials, controversial approaches and other items as decided locally. On editorial board votes, the majority generally rules. It is not a typical practice for the editor to have veto power.
Reasoning/suggestions:
This process should be outlined in ethical guidelines and detailed in staff manual procedures. Having only student editors make decisions reinforces the open forum status for your student media.
Related:
These points and other decisions about mission statement, forum status and editorial policy should be part of a Foundations Package that protects journalistically responsible student expression.
Read MoreNew policy, ethics and staff manual elements posted
Just to give everyone a heads-up, the SPRC just published its Foundations of Journalism package to offer a new look at how editorial policies interact with ethical guidelines and staff manual procedures.