Political attacks on media
should concern student journalists

Posted by John Bowen on Apr 3, 2016 in Blog, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

by Stan Zoller, MJE
The cantankerous tone and rhetoric of the 2016 presidential primary races has raised more than a few eyebrows.

That’s not breaking news.

What may be of note for journalists, and not just student journalists, are the incessant and seemingly extreme attacks on the media by candidates.

And it’s not just Donald Trump, although he tends to precipitate many of them. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex) has launched his share of barbs at the fourth estate as well.

One things that raised my ire was Trump’s response to protestors during one his rallies. Feeling the need to acknowledge them, he retorted “Go home to mommy.”  Was this his way of saying that young people, as a disturbing old adage goes, “should be seen, but not heard?”  If it is, then student journalists need to be concerned because there should be serious concerns over how far this could go in a Trump administration in the White House.

Journalism educators should be concerned that continued assaults on mainstream media could filter down the collegiate and scholastic administrators, which could lead to further controls and restraint of First Amendment rights on student media outlets.

[pullquote]Journalism educators should be concerned that continued assaults on mainstream media could filter down the collegiate and scholastic administrators, which could lead to further controls and restraint of First Amendment rights on student media outlets.[/pullquote]

Trump has also chided reporters and blasted media organizations with little concern for their professionalism and expertise.  And we’re not just talking Fox News here.

During the Feb. 25 GOP debate, which included Telemundo anchor María Celeste Arrarás from as a moderator, Trump said he does not pay attention to what Telemundo says.  It wasn’t his first attack on Telemundo.  Trump has taken issue with the network for many other reports.

Trump’s campaign manager was charged with simple battery of former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, according to Jupiter, Florida police.  Trump sided with his campaign manager, saying Fields made the whole thing up.

Cruz has also entered into the media-bashing arena, saying it was the “liberal media” that has catapulted Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton into the limelight.

Has the use of social media led to a new wave of attacks on mainstream media by candidates?  Probably not.  Social media has, however, made it more convenient for politicos to rapid respond and post – often without thinking – to media reports.

Concern for the mainstream media by candidates is far from unique during the 2016 campaign.  Word was that the during the 2012 presidential race the Obama Campaign wanted to prior review stories about campaign appearances by Obama.  Needless to say, that didn’t, as the saying goes, play in Peoria – or anywhere else for that matter.

Journalism educators at all levels need to re-enforce with their student journalists the need for incessant and thorough fact checking.  With questions of media credibility tossed around like snow balls, the potential for a trickle-down effect to administrators’ offices is very really.

Fact-checking sites like politifact.org or factcheck.org are excellent resources for checking candidates’ statements.

[pullquote]Journalism educators at all levels need to re-enforce with their student journalists the need for incessant and thorough fact checking.  With questions of media credibility tossed around like snow balls, the potential for a trickle-down effect to administrators’ offices is very really.[/pullquote]

But fact checking should not be limited to political stories.  With the eyes on student media bigger than ever, student journalists and their advisers, need to be scrupulous in making sure every “t” is cross and every “i” is dotted.

Trump says he considers media coverage free advertising.  And as we’ve seen, if he doesn’t like “the ad” he goes ballistic.

When a paid ad goes awry, a media outlet can correct it and do a ‘make good’ – which is simply running the ad again.

If the ‘ad’ is a news story and it’s inaccurate, there is no change for a ‘make good.’

The result is a slam to the media outlet’s credibility.

As they used to say at the old Chicago City News Bureau: “If your mother says she loves you, check it.”

It’s an old adage; but one that is so important today.

Three ways to increase staff accountability

Posted by MFromm on Mar 14, 2016 in Blog | 1 comment

by Megan Fromm, CJE

This time of year, many advisers face a triple threat: looming final yearbook proofs, senior-itis from even the best staffers, and enough sunshine to drive the most dedicated students stir crazy.

While keeping students accountable for their work is an ongoing struggle, the chaos and pace of the spring semester can create new frustrations.

If your students are struggling to complete their work on time (if at all), and what they do produce lacks quality or focus, try one (or all) of these suggestions to shake things up:

1. Give credit where credit is due.

Create a byline on each page or section for the page designer and copy editors who handled the content on those pages. Often, this work goes unattributed except in the staff box, but giving credit for this background work can go a long way in holding students’ feet to the fire.

For students who thrive on acknowledgement and praise, seeing their name on a page might give them the same buzz photographers or reporters enjoy when their work is published. For students who are putting in lackluster effort, sometimes a simple but loving threat that their less-than-quality work will be attributed is enough to convince them to step up their game.

2. Have a Freaky Friday moment.

When tensions are high, and your staffers are at each other’s throats, sometimes walking a mile in each other’s shoes is a fitting remedy. Allow your most overworked and underworked staffers to switch places for the day (or week!). Seeing what other staffers do to keep the publication running is an eye opener for less engaged students and might help them find ways to contribute more effectively.

Similarly, it is healthy for even the top-dog editors to remember what it’s like in the trenches for a newbie reporter or photographer. The most important part of swapping roles is to be sure each staff member keeps track of lessons learned and brainstorms specific ways to apply their new perspective.

3. Create a “Problems & Solutions” board. 

Use a cork board with pins for staffers to post problems or roadblocks they are experiencing throughout an issue. Perhaps they can’t find get in touch with a source or don’t have a good photo for a story. As students experience “down time” or claim they have “nothing to do,” they must peruse the problems list and provide at least three solutions, tips, creative ideas, or offers of help to those who are struggling.

Any student’s solution must require active participation on the part of the “solver.” In other words, if a student recommends watching a YouTube tutorial on how to cut out a background in Photoshop, they should post the link (for the whole class to see) but also watch the tutorial themselves and offer to help cut out the photo, too. This is a great reminder to your staffers that they are all in this together.

Hopefully these three tips provide fuel for your creative fire this spring season. Do you have a tried and true method? Feel free to share other ideas for staff motivation and accountability in the comments.

Don’t let ‘funny things’ happen
on the way to your forum

Posted by John Bowen on Mar 2, 2016 in Blog, Legal issues, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

by Stan Zoller, MJE
I can’t help but wonder if Pseudolus and Marcus Lycus had been journalism educators if a funny thing would have happened on the way to the forum.

For you nonmovie buffs, Pseudolus, played by the late Zero Mostel and Marcus Lycus, played by the equally late Phil Silvers, were leads in the comedy play and movie, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” a slapstick comedy about Rome.

Had they been J teachers or advisers, it’s likely one of their daunting tasks would have been, aside from reserving hotel rooms for a JEA conference, determining what kind of forum they wanted to help students establish for their student media.

Sounds simple, yes?  Actually, no.

Many scholastic media outlets appear to come up short when developing and posting an editorial policy.  It appears that common practices are to:

• Just call a publication “a forum.”
• Call it an open forum.
• Call it a limited-open forum.

Or if all else fails,

• Not have a policy at all.

For the record, none are acceptable.   So what’s the solution?  Obviously, develop a policy that your readers can easily find and understand.  A media level editorial policy generally includes a mission statement, a letters to the editor policy, guidelines for submitting guest essay and, of course, a pronunciation as to what kind of forum your media is.

It’s not a good idea to have your media be an ‘open forum’ because, technically, that would mean you’ll accept any and everything, which could make your media a wild west show. Besides, your building is not an open forum, so you cannot be something that your school is not.

The trend about 15 years ago was for school media to be considered ‘limited open forums,’ but it wasn’t clear as to how limited the forum would be and who would establish those limits.

In the fourth edition of the Student Press Law Center’s “Law of the Student Press,” the discussion regarding limited public forum says the interpretation in “recent court rulings” is that the term ‘limited public forum’ “…has become practically meaningless.”

The book explains that “…in the middle tier of forums – a “designated” public forum – the government’s ability to regulate the content of speech is extremely limited.  The book further adds that “Only where a compelling justification exists, and the restriction is narrowly designed so as not to limit more speech than necessary, will a regulation is narrowly designed so not to limit more speech than necessary, will a regulation be upheld as constitutionality permissible.”  The entire discussion about limited open forums can be found on pages 52-53 of the fourth edition.

[pullquote]While legal eagles are likely to continue refining the guidelines for establishing a specific forum for student media, it is safe to say designated forums are the best options for student expression and generally (a key word) give student journalists the support they need to produce free and journalistically responsible student media.[/pullquote]

The compromise, so it seems, is to have scholastic media be “designated forums of student expression.” The intent is to clearly establish that the media, print or digital, is not only the source of information for a student community, but also the place where students can voice their opinions.

While legal eagles are likely to continue refining the guidelines for establishing a specific forum for student media, it is safe to say designated forums are the best options for student expression and generally (a key word) give student journalists the support they need to produce free and journalistically responsible student media.

Examples of editorial policies can be found at SPLC.org or at the JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission’s web site, JEASPRC.org.

It’s essential that you and your student media staff research, establish, write and include a comprehensive editorial policy in every issue and on every student digital media site.

Because the last thing you want to end up with is comedy tonight.

‘Law of the Student Press’ available at discount from JEA

Posted by John Bowen on Feb 25, 2016 in Blog, Legal issues, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Celebrate Scholastic Journalism Week by buying a class set

Here is your opportunity to save 50 percent on the Student Press Law Center’s book, “Law of the Student Press.” Recent court rulings, statutes and new media have drastically changed the legal landscape.

This book, by Frank D. LoMonte, Adam Goldstein and Michael Hiestand, explains what these changes mean and how they impact high school and college journalists, their advisers and others.

Useful in the classroom and as a practical reference guide for journalists who need quick answers to legal questions, this edition updates traditional issues such as libel, defamation, invasion of privacy and obscenity.

Sale price in the JEA Bookstore is $19.50. Regular retail price is $39. JEA members will save an additional 10 percent by using the member discount code at checkout. (Final price, before shipping, is $17.55.)

Buy a classroom set to give your students ready information about their legal rights. Just in time for Scholastic Journalism Week.

School purchase orders may be emailed to staff@jea.org or faxed to 785-532-5563.

Practice the First Amendment –
and join FAPFA winners who do

Posted by John Bowen on Feb 23, 2016 in Blog, News, Scholastic Journalism, Teaching | 0 comments

Earlier today, JEA, Quill and Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association announced this year’s 11 First Amendment Press Freedom Award schools.

The award recognizes public high schools that actively support, teach and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, with an emphasis on student-run media where students make all final decisions of content.

Roughly, here’s a sample of what the judging committee looks for in determining FAPFA recipients:

• No prior review or restraint by school faculty for all student media.
• Student staffers make all final decisions of content for all student media.
• Establish policies at all student media and school system levels or both as public forums for student expression.
• Remove Internet filters for student journalism use
• Students, advisers and administrators agree on First Amendment practices, philosophy and application across platforms.

As in previous years, schools competed for the title by first answering questionnaires submitted by an adviser and at least one editor; those who advanced to the next level were asked to provide responses from the principal and all media advisers and student editors, indicating their support of the First Amendment. In addition, semifinalists submitted samples of their school and media online or printed policies.

These schools will be honored April 14 at the opening ceremony of the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Los Angeles.

First round applications are due annually by Dec. 15. Downloadable applications for 2017 will be available on the JEA website in the fall.

Learn who the 11 FAPFA schools are here.

Save this link and apply next fall.

This is the 16th year for the award.