Seeking student media with open forum status
We’d love to hear from you if your student media are open forums for student expression by policy and/or practice.
For student media to be designated as a public/student forum, the school must either: • Have a school board- or administrator-enacted policy stating students make final content decisions of protected speech*, or
• Have a student media-generated policy declaring students make all final content decisions and also indicating/verifying that practice has been in effect at least two years, and there is no district or building policy that directly contradicts that practice. During that time, no adult, including the adviser, other faculty members, administrators or publication boards have dictated or changed content
In both situations, the advisers may, as part of the coaching process, offer advice and comment, but not make final content decisions
* The policy can still limit unprotected speech such as libel, obscenity and substantially disruptive material, but it must give other content control to the students
We are updating our Google Maps of forum schools and would like to include all that qualify. In several recent instances, people sought a more precise number of open forums to show administrators or others that such forums were viable.
You can submit your forum status by going here and completing the information. We will then get back to you with a few additional questions.
To see our Google Maps of schools with reported censorship or review issues, go here.
To report censorship or related issues, go here.
Read MoreA process for developing editorial policies that mean something
Editorial policies are among the most important documents advisers and their students will create. Done correctly, they will protect you and your students, your administrators and your school system against unwanted legal issues.
The first educational mission for all schools: To develop responsible citizens through enabling critical thinking and empowering student decision making.
Done incorrectly, policies will lead to such unwanted legal issues. Past experiences show sound policies are well worth the time and energy it takes to develop then.
Steps to develop policies include:
• Research
• Study
• Practice
Research
Search:
- The SPLC for policy models and articles about them
- The Internet for sample school policies
- The Internet for articles of the value of publications or editorial policies
- Provided links and articles from JEA’s Press Rights Commission, including JEA Model Policy and others
- Research data and academic studies for research into editorial policies
- Specific administration organization Web sites
- Search terms can include:
• Editorial policies
• Publications policies
• Staff policies
- Conduct interviews with those have are familiar with sound policies and those who have had issues with weaker ones. Some of the stronger policies can be found here .
Study
- Examine gathered material. What makes policies acceptable? Unacceptable?
- Based on readings or examination of a PowerPoint included on editorial policies, what topics or concepts need to be included in acceptable policies? Which ones should be avoided?
- Compile arguments for and against concepts and specific wording
- Evaluate selected points for strengths and weaknesses
- Outline acceptable policy sections and points. Reference models your work should be based on
- Evaluate your outline in separate groups and set up a process to complete the next steps
Practice
- Evaluate a draft policy for effectiveness and completeness
- Compare your draft policy with other student media policies
- Identify and communicate with scholastic media experts and legal experts about the effectiveness of the draft.
This process is a good start in the creation of or adaption of effective policies.
Journalism provides us with something unique to a culture – independent, reliable, accurate and comprehensive information that citizens require to be free. Anything else – from review to censorship – subverts democratic culture.
The Elements of Journalism
Kovach and Rosenstiel
Needed: Student media which are public forums
The Journalism Education Association and The Center for Scholastic Journalism are looking for more schools who are public forums for student expression.
Why? Because we have had several requests for numbers – and for schools in particular areas.
So, if your school’s student media are public forums for student expression, let us know by going here and completing the form.
For student media to be designated as a public/student forum, the school must either:
• Have a school board- or administrator-enacted policy stating students make final content decisions of protected speech*, or
• Have a student media-generated policy declaring students make all final content decisions and also indicating/verifying that practice has been in effect at least two years, and there is no district or building policy that directly contradicts that practice. During that time, no adult, including the adviser, other faculty members, administrators or publication boards have dictated or changed content.
In both situations, the advisers may, as part of the coaching process, offer advice and comment, but not make final content decisions.
* The policy can still limit unprotected speech such as libel, obscenity and substantially disruptive material, but it must give other content control to the students.
Help us show others that public forums in student media are not an endangered species.
John Bowen, MJE
Read More