Editorial policies What you decide on does make a difference Consider, for example: “ XXXX is created by the XXXX City Schools and published under the auspices of the Board of Education. XXXX is a curriculum take for academic credit and has educational purposes as a regular classroom activity. No material shall be considered for publication that is libelous, obscene, profane, biased, prejudiced, unsuitable for its readers, or that defames character, encourages violation of laws or would cause disruption or material interference with the orderly operation and discipline of the school.”

What should policies include: Statement of mission and journalistic principles Statement of forum status/ prior review Role of the publication/media Role of the adviser/school system Rights and responsibilities of the student staff Who makes final decisions of all content Letters to the editor, advertisement policy, how to handle death reporting, use of others’ images, photo-manipulation Other as needed Create common ground Strong editorial policies are precisely worded documents that protect all parties yet guarantee and encourage student freedoms. So, to avoid such restrictive policies, we must

Once we have those items in mind we work on the wording and its meaning Mission: educate, inform, entertain? Accurate? Public relations? Limited public forum? Thorough? Maintain professional standards? Prior review? Speech: What is protected and what is unprotected? Forum status: Closed, limited, open? What are the educational benefits of each? Limited for student expression? Who are the publication’s audiences? Can a publication be a forum if it allows anyone but students to make decisions or to influence decisions? Would you adapt this language?

Examples Wording like publication is “ an open forum” but superintendent has final say, etc. “ When questions of good taste arise, or those which surpass social norms of good taste and decency, they shall be resolved in consultation with the involved reporter(s), the managing editor, the executive editor and the advisers. ” “ The XXXXXX adviser and/or editors have the right to deny publication of any editorial, column, review, or comment.” “ materials offensive to good taste” “material that endorses any candidate for public office or takes a political stand on any issue.” To promote and encourage school- sponsored activities; To serve as public relations media Develop acceptable methods for preserving the constitutional provision for free speech.” “To create a wholesome school spirit and to support the best traditions of the school; To promote cooperation among taxpayers, parents, the school and its students; “ associates the school with any position other than neutrality on matters of political controversy” “material not generally acceptable to this community” or “significant minority or the majority of the community.”

Sound like your cup of tea? Right!!!Only if you like Censors hip But there are alternatives : To empower students to be effective citizens To instill in students the values of democracy including how to express themselves in effective ways and be tolerant of views they disagree with To teach students that responsibility means responsibility to truth as best they can report it, accuracy, completeness and thoroughness To inform audiences so they can make educated decisions

Instead of wording like you saw, create a policy that: Establish accurate and thorough reporting practices Establish accurate and thorough reporting practices Establish accurate and thorough research and information gathering Establish accurate and thorough research and information gathering Establish diverse and balanced means of attribution Establish diverse and balanced means of attribution Establish policies and practices that demonstrate professional standards Establish policies and practices that demonstrate professional standards Know what is protected and unprotected speech Know what is protected and unprotected speech Know what thorough and professional reporting requires Know what thorough and professional reporting requires Challenge your reporters to be accurate, truthful and to know how and why to attribute information Challenge your reporters to be accurate, truthful and to know how and why to attribute information

Consider more precise wording: Mission: Accurate, thorough, fair (in terms of background and perspective) reporting accomplished while maintaining professional standards and integrity; Interviewing and researching using the best and most reliable sources available Status: open forum or limited forum for student expression Unprotected speech: libel, obscenity, material disruption of the school process, copyright infringement,unwarranted invasion of privacy Letters to the editor: Run all letters (based on staff and space decisions and constraints). If there are content, authorship or grammatical questions, return the letter to author for resubmission Obituary, advertising, Web and photo manipulation: Have policies in place to avoid confusion or decisions that result in “viewpoint discrimination.” Apply your policies consistently (print and Web should be the same).

Those who practice or desire want prior review (the first step to censorship) should have to answer these questions: What is the actual justification for prior review? What is the actual justification for prior review? What is the educational value of censorship? How does it fit within the educational mission of the school? What is the educational value of censorship? How does it fit within the educational mission of the school? Why can’t students practice what they are taught, not only in journalism but in government, history, English and business classes? Why can’t students practice what they are taught, not only in journalism but in government, history, English and business classes? Is journalism the only academic/group activity censored? Are other groups in the school (from athletics to drama, plus classroom teaching lessons) reviewed? If so, why? If not, why not? Is journalism the only academic/group activity censored? Are other groups in the school (from athletics to drama, plus classroom teaching lessons) reviewed? If so, why? If not, why not? Above all else, avoid prior review

It is the first tool in the arsenal of censorship It teaches students their ideas have no value It teaches students they don’t need to be critical thinkers It teaches students the First Amendment has no real real in our society It teaches students trained journalism teachers are not needed because administrators know what’s best for their schools It teaches students they need not be responsible, have values or ideas, dreams or hopes because they can expect someone else to always decide It restricts the public’s right to be informed and make informed decisions It limits student experience with decision making, critical thinking and analysis It creates a vacuum for free expression so if students do not see it work while they are learning, they will not expect it as adults It bestows on authority the ability to deem what is true, or at least to withhold information it thinks the public does not need It encourages viewpoint discrimination It displays a disregard for the intelligence of others. To mistrust the judgment of others is to question, ultimately society’s ability to think for itself prior review? Why oppose

What’s at stake? Whether citizens have access to independent information that makes it possible for them to take part in governing themselves. Citizens cannot verify, interpret or act successfully on information limited by control Whether citizens have access to independent information that makes it possible for them to take part in governing themselves. Citizens cannot verify, interpret or act successfully on information limited by control Whether schools develop in the young not only an awareness of this freedom but a will to exercise it and the intellectual power and perspective to do so effectively. Those who have been censored and not encouraged to think for themselves – or carry out research for themselves – will see no need to do so. Whether schools develop in the young not only an awareness of this freedom but a will to exercise it and the intellectual power and perspective to do so effectively. Those who have been censored and not encouraged to think for themselves – or carry out research for themselves – will see no need to do so. In creating sound policies,

They provide something unique to a culture: Independent, reliable, accurate and comprehensive information citizens require to be free They provide something unique to a culture: Independent, reliable, accurate and comprehensive information citizens require to be free Students lose belief in an educational system when they see they cannot practice what they are taught Students lose belief in an educational system when they see they cannot practice what they are taught We show that those who misinterpret Hazelwood teach the wrong civics lesson when they, as government, control ideas and actions for any reason they choose We show that those who misinterpret Hazelwood teach the wrong civics lesson when they, as government, control ideas and actions for any reason they choose We reinforce the belief in our Constitutional heritage, that citizens can and do make reasonable decisions We reinforce the belief in our Constitutional heritage, that citizens can and do make reasonable decisions What do strong policies advocating free and responsible journalism Do?

Questions that remain How can we, as educators, encourage school systems to respect and practice unfettered student media as a major building block of improving civic education? Should students have a voice in their school or should they not? Libel and safety are not the problems. Censorship by school officials is. Is a school better off with a complete defense against liability with a student-run newspaper or by being fully liable for contact because administrators with no journalism training make decisions? How can we convince administrators and teachers there is no valid educational value in the practice of prior review? Even with strong editorial policies there are

For more information about policies, as well as models Center for Scholastic Journalism html Journalism Education Association’s Scholastic Press Rights Association