Highlighting some SPRC key and most-used posts
Press Rights Minute is one of several of our services buried in the SPRC vault. Press Rights Minute has a wealth of 60-second audio support on substantive, key journalistic, issues for advisers, students and administrators.
The Panic Button is a way to reach out for SPRC and JEA legal and/or ethical advice. We are not lawyers, but we can help while students or advisers contact the Student Press Law Center. It’s also an informative place for administrators and others to learn more about the dangers of not supporting journalism designated as a forum for student expression.
Tinker: A Pillar of Strength is a compilation of lessons, activities and background of the importance of Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court decision and what followed it. It is varied; it is in depth and a provides at least a year’s worth of materials.
Having background like this year as we Handle(ing) Protests, Walkouts and Marches is essential. Although this was prepared for events and issues several years ago, it is relevant and offers solid advice for reporting in the charged atmosphere of pandemic, election and a divided nation.
Read MoreEssential to find accurate information is … context
by John Bowen, MJE
The 2020 election looms less than two months away, and conflicting, sensational and hateful information force themselves into the news, the rallies and, sadly, people’s fears. Looking for information to help protect your reporters and audience alike from mis- and dis- information? We have some suggestions:
First, lessons and activities that already reside on SPRC’s site but for whatever reason have slipped off the top levels of our site. They offer a myriad of ways to offer some clarity to this whole year of political obfuscation and outrageous claims:
Read MoreRiding out the storm:
Find your way past roadblocks to save stories only YOU can do best
by Candace Bowen, MJE
Unfortunately, the pandemic is the perfect storm for high school media. Students have important stories only they can tell, but administrators really don’t want all these stories out there. On top of that, some admins are already finding ways to hamper reporting – or stop it altogether.
Being aware of these tactics and knowing how to combat them is vital as student journalists and their advisers start back to school this fall. Whether remote, face-to-face or some hybrid, the basic plan is to be sure student media coverage is thorough and professional, able to stand the scrutiny it might have to face.
So far, we’ve seen the usual – students threatened with suspension and punishment, even in states with New Voices legislation. But we’ve also seen more than usual budget-cutting and financial excuses for eliminating student publications. Then, too, FERPA – NOT an act that applies to student media – may again be an excuse to try to limit coverage, and HIPAA, also not applied properly, may become another excuse.
Read on to see how to react and what you may be able to do to stay safe and counter some of these strategies.
Read MoreDespite state legislation protecting student media, students face constraints, including required changes in content
by Stan Zoller, MJE
Imagine this scenario.
You’re at an airport when you are approached by a security guard who, after noticing your press credentials, staff T-shirt or other items that identifies you as a journalist, says, “You write propaganda, right?” And you are allowed to pass only after you agree.
Farfetched?
It may seem that way, but it’s sad reality because last month, Ben Watson, a news editor for Defense One, an Atlantic Media site, found himself the subject of an uncomfortable interview. He was held up at passport control in Dulles International Airport by a Customs and Border Protection officer, who repeatedly asked him, “You write propaganda, right?”
The chiding and abusive comments toward the media seem to be, sadly, more commonplace these days. And, sadly enough, student journalists are not immune to this kind of behavior.
Imagine if in addition to “admitting” you wrote propaganda, officials kept your media from being distributed.
Again, farfetched? Not really.
Just ask the staff of the Central Times, the student newspaper at Naperville (Illinois) Central High School.
Read MoreWhen ‘trickle down’ goes beyond economics
by Stan Zoller, MJE
In recent history, the idea of “trickledown economics” is something attributed to the late Ronald Reagan, who occupied the White House from 1981 to 1989.
However, the roots of a “trickle down” policy allegedly had its roots planted by the late humorist Will Rogers who reportedly referred to the theory that cutting taxes for higher earners and businesses was a “trickle down” policy.
While “trickle down” has seemingly been, as noted, associated with economics, recent actions by the White House press office, specifically White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, should be a concern to journalism educators.
Read More