Ethics codes are important, should not enable punishments of students or advisers
Lindsay Coppens
The Harbinger adviser
Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, Mass.
Adopting a code of ethics can be an excellent way to promote ethical discussion and decision making in a scholastic publication.
There are many ethics codes such as the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and National Scholastic Press Association Model Code of Ethics for High School Journalists that can be great jumping off points for a publication’s own code of ethics.
Developing a code of ethics can, in itself, be a great way to foster ethical discussions and to reinvigorate a staff’s purpose. By studying, discussing and debating the relevance and applicability of aspects of various codes of ethics, high school journalists will inevitably reflect on their own practice and potential future concerns.
Read MoreIt’s not rocket science to proactively demonstrate strong quality, integrity, ethics
by Stan Zoller, MJE
As historic events surrounding President Donald Trump continue to unfold, it’s possible, if not likely, his ongoing disdain for and ensuing attacks on the media will reach a more feverish pitch than what has been seen so far during his first term.
While it’s likely, albeit hopeful, that student journalists will be immune from the seemingly venomous attacks, the possibility remains that there could be a trickle-down effect to the nation’s high schools.
That’s not because scholastic journalists are doing a bad job, but because in hostile times people do not delineate one soldier from another.
The unfortunate reality is while it’s a safe guess most high school journalists have not covered the White House and the Mueller hearings and reported on the Pentagon, to many people the media is the media whether it’s The Washington Post or the Washington Advocate at Washington (Missouri) High School.
The failure to differentiate student media from the pros is problematic because the focus, intensity and sheer nature of high school journalism is unlike that of professional journalism. After all, for many high school students, working on student media is little more than an activity.
If there is a bright spot, student journalists don’t have to shout to defend themselves over the din of a helicopter engine.
But what can they do to re-emphasize in the minds of their stakeholders that they are working as ethical, enterprising and passionate journalists?
While it may seem like a daunting challenge, media advisers and their students need to, obviously, work together to ensure that quality, integrity and ethics are job one.
Stan Zoller, MJE
While it may seem like a daunting challenge, media advisers and their students need to, obviously, work together to ensure that quality, integrity and ethics are job one.
This isn’t rocket science, but rather a needed new reality in the world of today’s media.
Job one is reiterating and re-emphasizing ethical practices. The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics should be front and center for student media. Make sure copies are posted in your classroom, and if you have one, “pub room.” Encourage students that if they have doubts about a story to raise them before they write it. Any ethical issues should be discussed with the EIC and, if need be, the adviser.
Sometimes student media outlets are their own worst enemy by not telling the world how they operate. Be transparent about your policies and procedures, especially those associated with fact checking. A little proactivity will lead to greater acceptability of the work your student reporters are doing.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. Make sure administrators at all levels know your media philosophy. Also, maintaining the proverbial “open-door” policy will go a long way easing anguish administrators may have about your yearbook, newspaper or website. Conversely, it’s a good idea to encourage the opposite – make sure your administration has an open-door policy so you can foster a dialogue to ensure free and responsible journalism.
Keeping an administration happy can be a challenge.
Just ask the scribes in Washington, D.C.
Read MoreSPRC adds ‘one-stop shopping’
for law and ethics manual
Four concepts drive the creation of journalistic approaches: mission statement, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual procedure. Together, with forum material, the four comprise a package of complementary principles we call the Foundation of Journalism, often known as a staff manual.
These principles represent the key pillars of standards-based journalism and are the products of perhaps the most important journalistic decisions the student staff can make. Together, the concepts enhance the strengthen the process and product, the decision-making and critical thinking that can characterize student media.
Click the Law-Ethics Manual nav bar link for our one-stop’ shopping.
More are on the way.
Read MoreProcedures 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
Read More
Law-ethics manual
Mission, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and public forum
strengthen the classic media staff manual
Four concepts drive the creation of journalistic approaches: mission statement, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual process. Together, the four comprise a package of complementary principles we call the Foundation of Journalism, often known as a staff manual. Through our discussions, lessons and models, we hope to demonstrate the rationale for adding comprehensive strength into staff manuals.
These principles represent the key pillars of standards-based journalism and are the products of perhaps the most important journalistic decisions the student staff can make. Together, the concepts enhance the strengthen the process and product, the decision-making and critical thinking that can characterize student media.
This first section provides information and resources on how and why the four parts of the manual, and is below. All five pieces, introduction, mission, editorial policy, ethical guidelines and staff manual, are designed to interact and show and why each develop and apply to your school’s student media.
Here’s where you find each section of the law-ethics manual (mouse over each headline go to resources):
• Introducing a staff manual package to build journalistic responsibility
The SPRC’s manual package contains information and resources that create a framework for a school’s journalism publication and learning program – Mission Statements, Editorial Policy, Ethical Guidelines and Staff Manual process. It also includes resources on forums for student expression.
• Mission sets the path for content, decisions
A mission statement is a concise, philosophical statement of purpose and goals for student media. It establishes the ethical and practical concepts by which the student media should be expected to operate and why students do what they do.
We strongly believe mission statements should be more than “to entertain and educate” as those points do not stress guiding the whys and whats of a mission.
• Editorial policy sets forum status, decision-making standard and more
Designed to provide legal framework for student media, editorial policies come in two forms, school-board level and media-level. In case of conflicts, a school-board policy usually will take precedence. Absent a policy, practice can help determine freedom of expression status. Typical content of an editorial policy can include:
- Level of freedom of expression
- Responsibility for student media content
- Forum status
- Prior review and restraint
- References to guiding legal decisions and theories
- Language about journalistic responsibility, civic engagement and future of democracy
• Choosing the right forum can be a make-or-break decision
Forums come in three types – closed, limited and public/open – and how they are interpreted can make the difference between being censored, reviewed and restrained or being a place of learning citizenship and free expression
• Ethical guidelines suggest best practices for your student media
Ethical guidelines in journalism help guide students to make good decisions and the think critically. Because there is no right or wrong, students become ethically fit by making decisions without review, by examining possible decisions and projecting effects of their decisions. Being ethically fit also means preparing ethical decision making that relies more on “green light” rather than ”red light” process and guidelines.
• Procedures outline mission, policy, ethics to build a forum to cement the package
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.
Legal and ethical cores for staff manuals offer specific examples of points above
by Lori Keekley, MJE
Now advisers and advisers have legal and ethical background, remember, adapt these guidelines and samples to fit your locality and needs, and:
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Give credit for ideas you adapt
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Don’t just copy someone else’s policy, ethical guidelines or statements. Think about what the models say, what they mean to you and your communities
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Clearly separate policy from ethical guidelines and procedures that carry out this process of building a foundation
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Words can mean different ideas to different people. To King George III of England the colonials were terrorists; to Americans, the British army were oppressors and Washington was a hero. Clarify your mission, policy, ethical guidelines and procedures so they have common and precise meanings
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Ask us questions about using the manual concept for all your media. Integrated, the mission, policy, ethical guidelines and procedures form the foundation of responsible journalism.
Sample mission statement:
_____________ (school name) student media provide complete and accurate coverage, journalistically responsible, ethically gathered, edited and reported. Student-determined expression promotes democratic citizenship through public engagement diverse in both ideas and representation.
Sample board policy statement (others are at link as well):
[NAME OF SCHOOL] student media are designated public forums in which students make all decisions of content without prior review by school officials.
Sample editorial policy:
“[NAME OF STUDENT MEDIA] are designated public forums for student expression in which students make all final content decisions without prior review from school officials.”
Role of student media:
The NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION has been established as a designated public forum for student editors to empower, educate and advocate for their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers may – and should – coach and discuss content during the writing process.
Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of the NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.
Electronic media (including online, broadcast and podcast media) produced by NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION students are entitled to the same protections – and subjected to the same freedoms and responsibilities – as media produced for print publication. As such they will not be subject to prior review or restraint. Student journalists use print and electronic media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to ask questions of and consult with experts and to gather material to meet their newsgathering and research needs.
NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION and its staff are protected by and bound to the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various laws and court decisions implementing those principles.
NAME OF PUBLICATIONPRODUCTION will not publish any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is, material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or a promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law. Definitions and examples for the above instances of unprotected speech can be found in Law of the Student Press published by the Student Press Law Center.
The staff of the NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION will strive to report all content in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner, according to the Canons of Professional Journalism developed by the Society for Professional Journalists. The Canons of Professional Journalism include a code of ethics concerning accuracy, responsibility, integrity, conflict of interest, impartiality, fair play, freedom of the press, independence, sensationalism, personal privacy, obstruction of justice, credibility and advertising.
The editorial board, which consists of the staff’s student editors, OR HOWEVER THE DECISION IS MADE will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. The views stated in editorials represent that of a majority of the editorial board. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author. NAME OF PUBLICATIONPRODUCTION may accept letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from students, faculty, administrators, community residents and the general public.
Content decisions:
Final content decisions and journalistic responsibility shall remain with the student editorial board. NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.
Role of the adviser:
The adviser will not act as a censor or determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction, following the Code of Ethics for Advisers established by the Journalism Education Association as well as the Canons of Professional Journalism. School officials shall not fire or otherwise discipline advisers for content in student media that is determined and published by the student staff. The student editor and staff who want appropriate outside legal advice regarding proposed content – should seek attorneys knowledgeable in media law such as those of the Student Press Law Center.
Ethical guidelines
Letters to the editor (if accepted by staff):
We ask that letters to the editor, guest columns or other submissions be 300 words or less and contain the author’s name, address and signature. All submissions will be verified.
The NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column or other submission and return it for revision if it contains unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning. Deadlines for letters and columns will be determined by each year’s student staff, allowing sufficient time for verification of authorship prior to publication.
Corrections:
Staff members will strive to correct errors prior to publication; however, if the editorial board determines a significant error is printed, the editorial board will determine the manner and timeliness of a correction.
Advertising:
The NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertising policy. Electronic manipulations changing the essential truth of the photo or illustration will be clearly labeled if used. The duly appointed editor or co-editors shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.
Ownership of student work:
Absent a written agreement indicating otherwise, student journalists own the copyright to the works they create. Each media outlet should ensure it has clear policies in place for staff members and the publication that spell out ownership and the right of the publication to use student work.
Controversial coverage:
Final content decisions and responsibility shall remain with the student editorial board. NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.
Prior Review:
Sources do not have the right to review materials prior to publication. Allowing sources to preview content at any stage of production raises serious ethical and journalistic practice questions. Reporters, following media guidelines or editor directions, may read back quotes that are either difficult to understand, unclear or may need further explanation.
Take down demands:
SCHOOL NAME student media is a digital news source, but it is still part of the historical record. STUDENT NEWS MEDIA NAME’S primary purpose is to publish the truth, as best we can determine it, and be an accurate record of events and issues from students’ perspectives. Writers and editors use the 11 “Put Up” steps before publication to ensure the validity, newsworthiness and ethics of each article. For these reasons, the editorial board will not take down or edit past articles except in extraordinary circumstances.
If someone requests a takedown, the board may consider the following resource for questions and actions.
Regardless of the outcome, the Editor-in-Chief will respond in writing to the request explaining the board’s action(s) and rationale for the final decision.
Unnamed sources:
Journalism is based on truth and accuracy. Using unnamed sources risks both of those standards. For that reason, students should seek sources willing to speak on the record. Unnamed sources should be used sparingly and only after students evaluate how the need for the information balances with the problems such sources create.
Occasionally, a source’s physical or mental health may be jeopardized by information on the record. In this instance, journalists should take every precaution to minimize harm to the source.
Obituaries:
In the event of the death of a student or staff member, a standard, obituary-type recognition will commemorate the deceased in the newspaper and online news site. A maximum one-fourth page feature, or similar length for each obituary, should be written by a student media staff member and placed on the website within 24 hours and in the newspaper at the bottom of page one.
For the yearbook, if the fatality happens prior to final deadline, the staff might include feature content as the editors deem appropriate. For those unofficially affiliated with the district, the editor(s)-in-chief should determine appropriate coverage, but should not include an official obituary.
For more information
Resources on other items you might want to include:
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Foundations package.
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Prior review-restraint.
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Quick Tips.
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JEA Adviser Code of Ethics.
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Choosing the right forum