Freedom for the world’s press must include scholastic media, too
May 3. Washington, D. C.
World Press Freedom Day.
The first time since UNESCO started the event 18 years ago the United States will host it.
And the perfect time to call for its tenets to be extended to scholastic media in a country that promotes freedom – and responsibility – for every other nation’s media.
We join the SPLC and 38 other journalism and free-speech organizations in an “open letter” to President Obama and Secretary Clinton urging them to use this occasion to declare their support for freeing “the other half” of America’s press.
On the eve of the JEA/NSPA scholastic media convention, JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission urges you to do the same. Write an editorial. Create a community forum. Discuss the review and censorship of student media – if it occurs – in your school’s communities and show how it limits education and twarts critical thinking.
Step up and join these 38 organizations in fighting to extend press freedom to a significant group of Americans – you.
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#SJW11: Take the TAO pledge today
Today is the day to join other scholastic media across the nation as they take the TAO Pledge – a promise to your audience, your administrators and yourselves – that you will be transparent about who you are as student media, that you will be accountable for your mistakes and open to other points of view.
The Pledge, a service of the Washington News Council, aims to provide a symbol of media communities can trust. With the explosion of new media sources online, a TAO of Journalism FAQ explains, many citizens are even more confused about who they can trust in the mainstream media, independent media and the so-called blogosphere. Surveys also show that institutions and individuals that are transparent about who they are, accountable for their performance and open to citizen input are the most trusted.
Student media that take the Pledge register to have their school media included on the list of TAO Pledgers, receive downloadable art of the TAO of Journalism seal to use in their mastheads and temporary tattoos of the TAO Seal for each staff member.
The pledge takes three minutes, max, to fill out; student publications should use this form. And it takes just another two minutes to snap a picture of your staff signing it, then upload it to the SJW Flickr page, just like these California student journalists did.
When you sign the Pledge, you can also complete a Facebook comment form at the bottom of this page that will also appear on your Facebook page.
The Journalism Education Association has endorsed the TAO of Journalism Pledge as one way student media can instill trust in their programs.
Read MoreFollowing the TAO: Take the pledge as commitment to transparency, sound reporting
Whitney High journalists (Calif.) take the Tao of Journalism pledge Feb. 9, 2011.
Student journalists who practice ethical journalism and want assure readers, viewers and school administrators of their commitment to excellence, can now go public by taking the “TAO of Journalism” pledge .
The TAO Pledge asks journalists to promise that they will be “Transparent” about who they are and how the story was developed; “Accountable” for, and willing to correct any errors; and “Open” to other points of view. This idea, introduced by the Washington News Council, is gaining traction with media organizations around the world.
The Journalism Education Association has endorsed the TAO of Journalism Pledge as one way student media can instill trust in their programs.
JEA encourages schools and student media to sign the Pledge during Scholastic Journalism Week on Wednesday, Feb. 23 and to invite their school administrators to sign on, as well. Any student media group who “takes the TAO Pledge” will be listed on the TAO of Journalism website with a link to their website.
Students can then post the TAO Seal in their masthead and they will receive a poster of the TAO Pledge that can be displayed as a public reminder of their commitment.
Once students take the pledge, they need to be sure to follow the pledge to show their schools and their communities the importance of professional standards.
• BONUS for student media groups who take the TAO Pledge during Scholastic Journalism Week: Temporary tattoos of the TAO seal for all members of the staff.
Click on “Pledge” at the top of the home page.
Read MoreFirst Amendment Press Freedom Award
If you and your students attended the JEA/NSPA convention this past week in KC, you are aware of the courageous fight some teachers and advisers wage against censorship. In some cases they kept their student media operating as designated forums for student expression or as practicing forums for student expression.
Others still continue to fight the good fight. We would like to increase recognition of such programs.
To achieve this, JEA, NSPA, CSPA and Quill & Scroll sponsor the First Amendment Press Freedom Award. Deadline for applying is Dec. 1. To find out more about the award and download an application go here.
If your student media are open forums by policy or practice, please apply. We would love to recognize more of you.
And, if you are forums for student expression, please let us know so we can list your student media as such on Kent State’s Center for Scholastic Journalism website. Recognition forms can be downloaded there.
For other news on current censorship issues:
• The student paper Minnesota Catholic school administrators don’t want seen
• School pulls op-ed pieces (includes links to the student media website)
• Catholic school administrators delete editorials from student media
• Parents challenge school’s ban of “I heart boobies” bracelets
Read More45Words t-shirts and more
JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission’s Student Partners have been cooking up some great ideas for what they’re going to be doing at the national convention next week in Kansas City.
We hope you’ll help support their endeavors in a couple of different ways. They’ve got some amazing things planned:
• 45words t-shirts
Those at the Portland convention will remember these classy T-shirts with the 45 words of the First Amendment. The T-shirts will be for sale at the 45words booth in the trade show exhibit area. The shirts that were so popular in Portland will be for sale at our booth for only $10 per shirt. Check out the logo above or on the in-progress 45words.org student blogsite to see what the shirt looks like. We will only have 200 shirts for sale (add in more details on sizes here), so get yours as soon as you can. You an place an order ahead of time if you are going to pick up the shirts in KC.
If you will be at the convention and want to pre-order shirts, please contact John Bowen at jabowen@kent.edu before Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 3 pm.
• 45words booth
At their booth, the students will ask students to share their stories and experiences in dealing with the First Amendment. Video will be uploaded to their blog (45words.org) each evening. There will also be free First Amendment posters and buttons.
• Student Presentation
On Saturday at noon (Think F1rst), the group will present a session directed toward raising awareness of First Amendment issues designed to assist students undergoing some sort of First Amendment crisis. The session will also help students, advisers and administrators looking for solutions to vexing First Amendment problems. A question-and-answer session will follow. Check these amazing students out in Convention Center 2201.
• Applications
We are looking for our next group of Student Partners to replace those who will graduate at the end of the year. If you have students who are interested in being a part of this group, talk to one of the Student Partners at our booth or after their session. They’ll be wearing name badges that have a yellow ribbon identifying them as Student Partners.
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