Most Recent Articles
Teaching students to fact-check themselves and others
by Susan McNulty, CJE
The Stampede and The Hoofbeat adviser
J.W. Mitchell High School, Trinity, Florida
Thursday, Jan. 9, Facebook announced in a blog post found here their platform will soon allow users to opt out of certain political and social issue advertisements.
This decision came in response to demands for Facebook to fact check ads before approving their inclusion on the social media feed.
After endorsing government regulation such as The Honest Ads Act, Rob Leathern, Director of Product Management, stated in the blog post, “In the absence of regulation, Facebook and other companies are left to design their own policies. We have based ours on the principle that people should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all, and that what they say should be scrutinized and debated in public.”
Fact checking, scrutinizing content and debating ideas in public should be celebrated by student journalists and educators. As journalists, our first and most important task is to seek truth and report it.
Read MoreDeadline extended for Student Press Freedom Day grant application
Deadline for the SPLC led Student Press Freedom Day grant applications of up to $300 is extended to Monday, Jan. 13, Hillary Davis, New Voices Advocacy and Campaign Organizer, said today.
“I still encourage you to have your applications in this week for priority consideration,” Davis wrote in an information release. “I’m seeing some great ideas.”
Davis pointed to the activity as a way expand your work and tell your state “This Is What Student Press Freedom Looks Like.”
For questions, contact Davis or check out https://splc.org/student-press-freedom-day/.
Read MoreEthics 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 MoreCould $300 help show your community what student press freedom looks like?
by John Bowen, MJE
With Student Press Freedom Day coming Jan. 29, 2020, the Student Press Law Center created an incentive to help student media celebrate, inform or advocate the importance of free student media.
The incentive comes in the form of grant applications due to the SPLC by Jan. 9. Student media can use the grants, for up to $300 each, to act as a springboard toward New Voices passage, toward why America needs more scholastic journalists or local campaigns to educate communities.
Titled “This is What Student Press Freedom Looks Like,” events or activities would take place on or near Jan. 29.
For an SPLC list of possible ideas, events and activities, contact information and rules, click here. Check out coming blogs here for additional ideas.
Read MoreHelp administrators know what “N.V.” means
by Stan Zoller, MJE
When you see the letters “N.V.” in the context of scholastic journalism, you hopefully realize they refer to “New Voices” legislation that 14 states have passed so scholastic journalists can practice free and responsible journalism without concerns.
Or dare I say, fear of prior review, prior restraint or censorship.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a resistance by some school and district administrators toward this initiative who think “N.V.” should stand for “No Voices.”
Which, to say the very least, is unfortunate.
When administrators flex, or try to flex, their administrative muscles to seemingly bully student journalists and/or their advisers the reality is this.
It’s a lose-lose proposition.
It does, sadly, appear visions of control is becoming more commonplace as district and building administrators flock to school district attorneys as well as professional associations that serve school boards.
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