Lori Keekley, in Dow Jones speech,
promotes SPRC services
by Lori Keekley
Thanks to all of you who were at Nov. 12’s Dow Jones Newsfund’s Journalism Teacher of the Year speech. Here are the links I promised. If you weren’t there, these are great reminders of several important items available from the SPRC:
• SPRC members are reintroducing the Making a Difference campaign. This monthly posting will highlight students who have made a difference through their coverage. When your students create content that has a positive impact on your school or community, please fill out the submission form and we’ll tell you how to send your content. JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee will post one or more packages a month on its website and promote them on social media.
• Also, for those of you who are interested in starting a conversation with administrators, we’ve provided some information from both SPRC and JEA: Teacher’s Kit for Curing Hazelwood, JEA Advisers Code of Ethics, Talking Points to use with Administrators. Another great resource (in addition to everything from SPLC) is the Principal’s Guide to Scholastic Journalism.
• And … applications are available for JEA’s First Amendment Press Freedom Award. In its 17th year, the award recognizes high schools that actively support, teach and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers. The recognition focuses on student-run media where students make all final decisions of content without prior review. The award comes in two steps, with Round 1 due before Dec. 1. The entry form and entry information can be obtained here.
• We’re happy to help via SPRC’s Panic Button if needed. We are here for you!
Thank you, and please let me know how I can further help you.
Lori
Read MoreWhat to do if school officials
threaten censorship after legislation
What to do if school officials threaten censorship
Even though state legislation can provide protection, sometimes others do not understand that and need further education. Use a friendly and informative approach and help them understand. Here are some steps we recommend.
- Share a copy of the law and explain the language and meanings in educational civic and legal terms and benefits to the various communities.
- Use your Talking Points, bill terminology and other supportive arguments to emphasize key points and arguments for student free expression.
- Ask challengers to state their specific arguments in writing so you can respond
- Contact SPLC, use the SPRC Panic Button for legal, ethical and educational advice and support.
- Contact the legislators who proposed the bill and seek their involvement.
- Respond to challengers’ arguments with logical and documented points and seek further time for discussion.
- Contact additional legal and educational sources for support and resources.
- Share print and online resources like New Voices Facebook pages.
- Keep the dialogue meaningful.
- Invite questioners to journalism meetings, including editorial board meetings, so they can see how student decision-making works.
If the educational approach does not seem to work, try other approaches.
- As necessary, share the story of the censorship and legislative background with local and state media. Ideally, you have already shared information and explanation about the legislation with media after it passed
- Enlist community and parental booster groups of your student media for their active intervention
Read More
Tips for reaching out to communities
for info on student free expression
Steps students and advisers can use to help others understand the importance and need for student and free student expression
With new legislation, or attempts to pass it, comes the need for ways to engage those who would support it. The ways can run from concept to concrete and can be delivered in many approaches with details determined locally.
- Convert or update your editorial policy so it reflects your public forum status and explain why that status is important
- Know the law in your state and have policy and practice correspond to it
- Know your school board policies and know how to bring them into line with changes in state law
- Hold a forum for your community/administrators/students to share information. Student media leaders could also invite questions and provide guidance
- Establish a strong network of alumni, parents and community members to help spread the value of free student expression and to assist you with problems
- Prepare an op-ed piece for your community media about the importance of free student media
- Maintain an active and informed voice opposing censorship wherever it occurs
- Blog what your students will do, as protected by a state free expression law, to prevent fear of irresponsible journalism. This could include discussion of media mission, policy, decisions, ethical guidelines and staff manual process
- Endorse the use of adult blogs and social media to show now that students have freedom of expression they will uphold standards of journalistic responsibility.
- Don’t self-censor. Know what to publish that is meaningful content, and how and why to do so effectively
- Empower your students, through their decision-making, to practice socially responsible journalism and to know the difference between sound and unsound journalism so they can better teach their communities
- Invite the various groups into your newsroom to see students at work
- Explain what terms like forum, etc., mean and how they will work with students making decisions
- Develop Talking Points on the educational and civic values of free student expression
- Create a press release based on a model release in this package
- Stress social responsibility across platforms in journalism: truth, accuracy , content and completeness
- Use the Panic Button to reach JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee if you need additional assistance
- Remember three additional points:
–Your credibility as student media rests not on Hazelwood and review, but on journalistically responsible, ethical and complete reporting
–Journalism is at the core of democracy. If students learn that control trumps freedom because of decisions like Hazelwood and its practices, then democracy crumbles, bit by bit
–Communities cannot be informed, or act upon the information they have if it is limited, controlled or distorted by prior review or censorship
Read MoreUnderstanding the perils of
prior review and restraint
Title
Understanding the perils of prior review and restraint
Description
This lesson asks the viewers to participate by providing the answers to several questions concerning prior review and restraint. Following each slide, the correct answer is provided as well as a description of the reasoning for the answer.
Objectives
• Students will learn the difference between prior review and restraint.
• Students will understand why prior review and restraint are not beneficial to any involved including students, teachers and administrators.
• Students will have understand the benefits of not having prior review.
Common Core State Standards
| CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4 | Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). |
| CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.8 | Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. |
Length
40 minutes
Materials / resources
CD2015 Prior Review pdf
Lesson step-by-step
Step 1: partner work — 2-5 minutes
Students should work in pairs to define the terms prior review and prior restraint. Teacher should ask several pairs to report their definitions.
Step 2: slideshow — 25 minutes
Teacher and students should work through the slideshow.
Step 3: debrief — 10-13 minutes
Students should review why prior review and restraint can negatively affect student media.
Differentiation
Teacher could ask students to research how an administrator reviewing content is not like the publisher or editor of media. Students could access resources and report back to the group.
Additional Resources
Prior review button on menu bar, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
JEA Board Statement on Prior Review, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Building a Climate of Trust Can Ease Prior Review, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Seeking a Cure for the Hazelwood Blues: A call to Action, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee
Audio: Panic Button, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee, Press Rights Minute
Audio: Eliminating Prior Review, JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee, Press Rights Minute
Read More
Finding pieces of the puzzle
that is scholastic media
Looking for the pieces to the journalistic puzzle a new year of student media will bring?
Here are some pieces that might help:
• Use of the Panic Button can help with legal or ethical issues.
• Constitution Day materials available around the first of September. Congress mandated schools must provide lessons and activities on Constitutional issues Sept. 17. Check out our past materials and be on the lookout for ones to come this year.
• Need a quick way to start your class each day or once a week? Listen to our Press Rights Minutes with information on a variety of legal and ethical points.
• Facing changes in what you report and how to do so? Our Foundations Project will provide extensive information, lessons and articles on building effective editorial policies, supporting them with strong ethical guidelines which in turn are strengthened by detailed staff manual procedures.
More, including links to SPRC lessons, will come soon.
Read More