LAW, ETHICS, & NEWS LITERACY
By following historical standards of legal and ethical journalism, I work to uphold an unbiased, accurate, and fair publication. With five years of experience handling challenging sources and revisiting media policies, I approached major issues through the lens of legality and journalistic ethics.
PRESS FREEDOM
One of the first lessons we learned in sophomore-year media arts was the case of Tinker v. Des Moines, arguably the most significant court case establishing the students’ entitlement to First Amendment protection. Since hearing Mary Beth Tinker speak at the 2019 NSPA Journalism Convention, I have discovered how freedom of press terms function in a student newsmagazine. Each of our publications benefits from having no prior review or prior restraint practices, which allows students to write about issues they want without being censored by any teacher or administrator.
COPYRIGHT
Highlander generally avoids using any photos from the internet to uphold our integrity as a unique print publication. Since art is an important aspect of the grading rubric and the majority of topics covered are community-focused, staff writers often take their own photos and design their own art, or work with another individual to complete it. If elements from the internet are being used as an aspect of design, we ensure it is properly sourced from Creative Commons, Flickr, or other resources with copyright-free photographs.
For our online news site Scot Scoop, it was difficult to use photos I took myself for certain news and opinion articles. To the right is an example of how I sourced an image from Wiki Commons for my opinion piece on the electoral college.
ANONYMOUS SOURCING
CARLMONT MEDIA POLICY
Our anonymous sourcing policy was an integral aspect of protecting student identity, especially when a student reported on a sensitive matter that could potentially interfere with the student’s safety. When a source meets the standards for anonymity, I ensured that their writer and editor follow each step of our publications’ anonymous sourcing policy.
When covering sensitive, potentially dangerous topics, anonymous sourcing often comes into question.
When profiling a student in the foster care system, it was important to protect her identity as she spoke on her specific experiences in unsafe living environments. Since an ongoing legal battle regarding her living circumstance ensued, I changed her name to avoid any negative implications the feature could have on the court case. To read more about this article, explore Feature Writing.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES IN FOSTER CARE
An excerpt from of my “Overcoming obstacles in foster care” feature, which references our anonymous sourcing policy.
SENSITIVE TOPICS
Although I have reported on a multitude of serious topics myself, I oversaw countless more in every issue as Highlander’s former Editor-in-Chief. For the center spread of issue 3, two writers reported on “student taboo topics,” including drugs, sex, and alcohol. Due to the sensitivity of these topics, I emphasized that the writers should focus on student experiences while protecting their identities and added a trigger warning at the beginning of the spread.
NEWS LITERACY
REMAINING UNBIASED
Unbiased journalism is the pinnacle of informing citizens. In an age of media riddled with claims of fake news and bias, it is vital to report on news topics objectively and ethically.
As the 2020 election gathered national attention, I worked on a “Super Tuesday” Democratic Primaries package with my classmates. Our goal for this piece was to objectively report on what the candidates supported and provide information on the voting process. As we met to divide the workload, my teammates and I established clear guidelines for remaining unbiased in our coverage. Rather than taking a traditional approach to this package, we decided to format each section into digestible collections of information and data, including biographies of each candidate and “how to vote” charts. This layout helped ensure the package was purely informational.
RELIABLE SOURCES AND FACT-CHECKING
Over half of the time I spend writing my articles is taken up by the planning process. From covering large-scale features to brief editorials, the effectiveness of my reporting depends on establishing reliable sources and fact-checking their claims.
As I planned my feature on implicit bias in the education system, the first step was doing my research. Displayed to the right is my research document, where I outlined the main facts I needed to know before my writing process began.
For sources, I knew I needed to impact people in my community directly impacted by systemic racism and implicit bias. After getting a student interview, I researched professionals with first-hand insight on the issue. Although I spoke with a lawyer, it was vital to back up her claims with statistical evidence cited in my research.