Noteworthy information 7
If it looks and acts like a cheerleader, it shouldn’t end up being a student news outlet.
At least that’s the view presented in the Center for Scholastic Journalism’s latest post, one in a series of decision-making choices about possible roles for student media. Writing a mission statement using this process is something students should consider as they approach each new year.
“So, in developing the mission and applying it through the year,” the post states, “consider putting ‘building morale’ a ways down the list of media role priorities — not because you’re going to be the voice of gloom and doom and whining, but because you want to tell as many sides as you can of your stories and not just stress the positives.”
A morale builder also should not be how your news publication’s social media comes across.
This particular role seems to be growing with the use of Twitter and Facebook to advertise the student medium and its content.
As we examine our potential roles, in “legacy” as well as “new” media, we need to discuss with our students whether the PR and news roles need to be clearly separated in any use of social media.
I worry that scholastic media is becoming more and more PR-oriented. One, I have concerns that combining the roles makes it difficult for our audiences to tell the difference between promotion and news; and, two, not clearly separating the two roles works against scholastic media when coverage of controversial or sensitive subjects are reported.
For another take on the topic, see a Poynter Making Sense of News piece published Aug. 20 (scroll down one or two posts).
Read More45words
Go to the Student Partners blogsite.
12 students selected as Press Rights partners
The Scholastic Press Rights Commission will select and list students selected as Student Partners, serving to promote First Amendment awareness and help students fight censorship battles through the 45words initiative:
Download the Editor’s Emergency Toolkit as highlighted at the JEA/NSPA journalism convention. More information about the toolkit can be found here.
You can follow the group on Facebook and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/45words .
45 words. 5 freedoms. 1 amendment.
Check out our Quicktime movie on 45words.
STUDENT PARTNERS JOIN JEA PRESS RIGHTS COMMISSION
TO ENGAGE AMERICA’S YOUTH IN FIRST AMENDMENT DIALOGUE
Journalism Education Association’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission created Student Partners as a way to help students connect with their peers to support, protect and spread awareness about the First Amendment.
February 23, 2010 (Manhattan, Kan.) – Just in time for Scholastic Journalism Week, JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission (SPRC) introduces a new student group called Scholastic Press Student Partners. Students represent schools from Arizona, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Seoul, Korea.
The eight public and private high school students were selected from applicants nationwide (and some international schools) to promote First Amendment awareness by opening dialogue with other students around the country via Facebook and Twitter. In addition to planning and hosting press rights events at local, state and national conventions, the team is creating a scholastic press rights awareness campaign entitled 45words. They can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/45words and the Facebook group is 45words. Although the group has already held meetings over the web, it plans to launch nationally April 15 – 18 at the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association Convention in Portland, Ore.
Each of the students wrote essays that accompanied their applications, sharing their thoughts about the First Amendment. Some of them have experienced censorship, while others have enjoyed all of the freedoms guaranteed to the professional media. See their individual statements below:
Morgan Brewster (The Mustang Express, Multi-media Editor) of Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, Ariz. says the First Amendment means freedom, “Freedom to express myself anyway that I want, whether by speaking out in one of my classes, to writing about controversial topics in my articles, to practicing a religion which I believe in.”
Christopher Kim (The Tiger Times and Kaleidoscope, Copy Editor) Seoul International School, Seoul, Korea believes the public has a right to the truth though some truths are ugly. “The First Amendment guarantees our right to talk about these ugly truths; the court is there to expose those who misuse these rights and whereas there have been cases of libel and otherwise unethical practices, there are far more cases of important truths being revealed for all to know. The risk is one we have to take.”
Zachary Knudson (The Crier, Managing Editor) of St. Francis High School, St. Francis, Minn. wants to continue to fight to keep student press rights for students in his own community and to broaden the reach into other communities in the state and nation. “It is important that we have students fighting with a passion to keep and inform other students of our rights to free press,” he said, “So that we will not be shushed or written off as unqualified to report because of age.”
Meghan Morris (The Spoke, Assistant Managing Editor) of Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pa. quoted John Milton. “‘Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.’ This liberty is the essence of the First Amendment, and the core of journalism. Through freedom of the press and speech, journalists have the power to better our democracy, an influence that few Americans ever have, and an influence that too few high school students fully understand. As a Scholastic Press Student Partner, I will raise awareness of the First Amendment and its relevance to both high school journalists and high school students in general.”
Zoe Newcomb (The Broadview, News Editor) from Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco, Calif., has experienced censorship first-hand and said, “The job of a journalist is inform people about the events around them that are important, a job which cannot be done without the rights given to us by the First Amendment. I think a lot people take for granted the gift of freedom that we are given — so many people around the world do not have that luxury. I want to be involved in what goes on around me, and not just be a bystander.”
Ted Noelker (Central Focus, Managing Editor of Multimedia) of Francis Howell Central High School, St. Charles, Mo. wants to be a part of any effort against censorship, having seen the effects of censorship on others and within his own publication. “Censorship is an action which I believe occurs all too often unjustly. I know the hard work that goes into making a high school newspaper, and I know of the frustrations of having that work carelessly tossed aside under inadequate reasoning. I wish to offer my support in resisting acts of censorship in high school publications.”
Sara Rogers (The Hi-Lite, Cover Story Editor) of Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind. said the freedom of the press allows her to thoroughly fulfill her duties as a journalist every day without hesitance. “While I don’t seek out controversial topics, it is important to me that when those issues do arise I am able to cover them. As a journalist, it is my job to educate and inform students and other receivers of our 5,000-circulation publication. I’ve always considered my voice and pen my two most important tools. I am grateful every day to have the opportunity to speak my mind freely. Seeing the oppression and censorship of other countries really solidifies my drive to preserve the rights and freedoms stated in the United States Constitution.”
Joseph Weber (The Kirkwood Call, Features Writer) of Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Mo. said, “From the moment I wrote my first story for The Kirkwood Call, I knew where I belonged. Going out of my way to get an interview, staying up until 2:00 a.m. to finish a story, it has become my passion. Where most high school students have no idea what they are going to do when they leave school, I already see my future: A journalist. But the journalism world is changing more drastically than ever. It is up to my generation to lead it in the right direction. Some may see the newspaper as a dying industry, but I see an opportunity to reshape how everyone receives, uses and appreciates the world of journalism.”
Founded in 1924, Journalism Education Association (JEA) is a volunteer organization that supports free and responsible scholastic journalism by providing resources and educational opportunities, by promoting professionalism, by encouraging and rewarding student excellence and teacher achievement, and by fostering an atmosphere which encompasses diversity yet builds unity. For more information about JEA go to www.jea.org .
The Scholastic Press Rights Commission is a group of JEA members who help educate, advocate and empower student journalists to use their voices and find a role in their schools, their communities and their democratic society. In addition to student support, JEA SPRC also provides information and resources to teachers and administrators. For information on SPRC go to www.jeapressrights.org.
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Read MoreText of JEA letter to Stevenson admins, links to overall coverage
In response the ongoing prior review situation and restraint at Stevenson High in Lincolnshire, Illinois, JEA President Jack Kennedy recently sent school officials the following letter. Links to Chicago area coverage of the situation follow the letter:
Dr. Twadell,
I am a long-time admirer of Stevenson High School, having read numerous scholarly articles by faculty members on Professional Learning Communities and Advanced Placement courses, having followed “The Statesman” for over 20 years, and even having visited your campus just three years ago. I have always imagined Stevenson as a bastion of academic excellence, an example of the comprehensive American public high school at its very best.
Events involving “The Statesman” over the past year have certainly rattled that perception. I have no standing to get into particulars of how events have unfolded, but to have a second instance of the school administration and board leadership coming down on the side of squelching discussion and debate in a newspaper that has a long history of being an open forum for student expression is deeply troubling.
Garnering national attention is certainly not something new for Stevenson, but that this national attention is now so negative must also trouble you. I represent the national organization that supports scholastic journalism educators, and their students by extension, and I hope you will believe me when I say that your school is rapidly becoming the symbol of censorship in American schools. Instead of discussions about the progressive curriculum and fine instruction at the school, journalism educators from across the country are now discussing extraordinary pressure being applied to faculty advisers and administrative attempts to act as “super editors.” This micromanaging has no end. If someone outside the classroom has the power to approve or deny the mere coverage of certain issues, is there any doubt that we eventually find assistant principals correcting spelling, asking for more sources, and quibbling over how a photograph is presented?
Imagine applying the same sort of micromanaging to a football coach, with each play call being approved by some assistant athletic director sitting in the press box. That would be intolerable. Imagine threatening to simply cancel the next football game due to a poor performance by the team last week. In fact, imagine demanding absolute perfection from any sports team or course in the school. That sort of school climate would be equally intolerable.
I hope we can agree that our job, from board members to administration to classroom instructors, is to help our students improve each day, which presupposes that they are not perfect now. Will mistakes be made as we all work to produce valuable citizens? Of course. We will regret them. We will make adjustments. But we will not turn our backs on our young people, even when they disappoint.
The Journalism Education Association has consistently supported student free expression rights over its 85 years, but the association also advocates an adviser code of ethics, as well as distributing positions on photo manipulation, use of copyrighted materials, and Internet expression to our membership. In other words, the association advocates for responsible journalism in a broad array of areas. JEA stands ready to provide support and expertise to anyone involved in disputes over student expression. I sincerely hope you will not hesitate to contact John Bowen, JEA’s student press rights commission chair, Linda Puntney, our executive director, or me if we can be of any assistance.
I would like to think that, ultimately, we agree on the importance of student expression as part of the high school experience.
I ask that Stevenson High School return to its former status as a school where students come first, and where free, open, and responsible discussion of even the most sensitive issues is encouraged.
Coverage of the situation:
• Stevenson High officials halt publication of Statesman
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-stevenson-school-paper-20-nov20,0,1175320.story
• Students say district forced them to publish
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/chi-high-school-newspaper-25-nov
• Stevenson High orders students to publish
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/comments/?id=339605#storycomments
• Presses roll at Stevenson, without offending stories
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/11/presses-roll-at-stevenson-high—-without-offending-stories.html
• Student newspaper is a lot leaner, less controversial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-stevenson-censored-26nov26,0,5752444.story?obref=obnetwork
• Controversial Stevenson student newspaper released
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=339713
• Muzzling students
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-1126edit2nov26,0,6053750.story
• Stevenson High to students: publish or perish
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/dennis-byrne-barbershop/2009/11/stevenson-high-to-j-students-publish-or-perish.html
• SPJ blog by David Cuillier
http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/foi/
• Il high school students face censorship
http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/campus/
Stevenson High School
What’s happening at Stevenson High School reminds me a lot of what happened at Hazelwood East High School in the 1980s. Controversial stories like the ones in the most recent issue of the Statesman at Stevenson, including one on teen pregnancy, also appeared in the Spectrum at Hazelwood East in 1983.
Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, said in a quote in the Chicago Tribune today that the stories in the Statesman were “balanced, responsible and mild.” So were the stories in the Spectrum.
It’s frightening to think that almost 28 years after the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier decision that we have made little progress in educating administrators to realize there is nothing educationally sound about censoring “balanced, responsible and mild” content in scholastic publications.
School newspapers across the country in the 1970s and prior to the Hazelwood case in the 1980s covered sensitive and controversial issues in a responsible manner. The Kirkwood Call, the newspaper I advised, had reported on all the topics the Spectrum covered prior to 1983 without any censorship threat from the administration. I realized I was blessed to work with great administrators during my teaching career.
Now, however,there are advisers and students in a lot of states who shy away from covering anything controversial because of fear of administrators cracking down. At Stevenson High School, administrators decided to stop publication of today’s issue when the students on the newspaper staff decided to leave a blank space where a story on teenage drinking was supposed to go. The writer of the story had quoted two students anonymously. Administrators apparently wanted to know who the students were, but the paper’s staff decided to go with a blank space rather than reveal its sources.
We must, as JEA members, come up with ways to educate administrators on the rights of students. Even in states that have passed laws to override the Hazelwood decision, censorship is still happening.
Maybe it’s time we asked all former recipients of JEA’s Administrator of the Year award to band together and help us win the battle against censorship. When it’s happening with publications that have been by policy or practice operating as public forums, then it’s obvious we need to step up our efforts to educate administrators.
Most student publications I see are practicing responsible journalism. They’re not causing a disruption of the educational processes with what they print, and they’re not printing articles that would cause legal problems. It’s time to eliminate administrative censorship when articles are “balanced, responsible and mild.”
If you have ideas as to steps JEA might take to solve this problem, contact John Bowen, JEA’s Student Press Rights Commission chair. Let’s work together to win this battle.
Read MoreParents are the keys to saving J-programs
On Aug. 27th, I talked about the learning that is lost when J-programs are cancelled. But how do we save them or get them reinstated? Parents are the key. Administrators and school board members may not pay attention to teachers whose programs are threatened, but they certainly pay attention to parents. Parents of students in threatened programs and parents of former students need to emphasize to administrators and board members how much their students learned. They need to make it clear that the learning on a publications staff is unique and helps student succeed in college and beyond.
Even if a current program isn’t threatened for now, it still needs parental support. Administrators certainly get negative phone calls when some one in the community doesn’t like a topic covered in a school publication, so positive messages can offset the bad and create a positive image for the programs.
I realize it is too late to save programs cancelled for Fall Semester, but reinstatement of programs takes time so parents need to make their displeasure well known. If they don’t want to phone, every school district administrator has an e-mail address these days. How long does it take to send an e-mail to administrators and board members? If they all get 20 or 30 e-mails, they are bound to pay some attention. These parents are the voters in their district.
Some advisers have set up formal parent groups that not only support the program when it is threatened, but provide other support even down to goodies on layout nights. Even after their children graduate, parents in Vince DeMiero’s group stay active. He is adviser at Mt. Lake Terrace High School in Washington state and current president of WJEA. Think about organizing your parents. Their support could be crucial when your program is under fire either about an issue or even its existence.
Testimonials from former students are also great. They are voters as well and can tell administrators how working on a publication while they were in high school helped them in college and beyond no matter what career path they chose.
Teachers need to fight to keep J-programs alive, but they don’t have to do it alone. Work to alert your supporters and then keep the administration and school board informed about their support. Stress that learning is what schools should be about and J-programs provide unique learning opportunities.
Fern Valentine, MJE
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