FHC Publications Editorial Policy

September 17, 2014

FHC Publications Editorial Policy

 

FHC Publications is comprised of the official student newspaper, news website and yearbook of Francis Howell Central High School in St. Charles, Mo. The official student newspaper of Francis Howell Central H.S. is the Central Focus. The official student news website of Francis Howell Central H.S. is FHCtoday.com. The official student yearbook of Francis Howell Central H.S. is the Odyssey. The editorial policy governing these publications shall remain on file and available in the journalism room, Room 139, at Francis Howell Central H.S.

 

  1. Purposes

1)   Purpose of the School Newspaper

The purpose of the student newspaper is to inform, engage and entertain the members of the Francis Howell Central H.S. community about all issues relevant to the school, its diverse student body and surrounding community in as fair and accurate a manner as is possible by the staff. The Central Focus will strive to investigate its stories in depth and explore fresh angles to current topics.

2)   Purpose of the School News Website

The purpose of the student news website is to inform, engage and entertain the members of the Francis Howell Central H.S. community about all issues relevant to the school, its diverse student body and surrounding community in as fair and accurate a manner as is possible by the staff. FHCtoday.com will strive to deliver the most current and comprehensive coverage to the Francis Howell Central H.S. community as quickly and accurately as possible, employing the use of rich media to enhance coverage.

3)   Purpose of the School Yearbook

The purpose of the student yearbook to provide the Francis Howell Central community with a document of the school year that has just past. Content will document what has gone on in the school year in as fair and accurate manner as is possible by the staff. In addition to traditional yearbook content, the staff of the Odyssey will strive to create and investigate topics that are pertinent to teenagers and explore fresh, unique angles to traditional coverage.

 

  1. Statements

1)   On Freedom of the Press

  1. As stated in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ….” As such, the staffs of FHC Publications shall strive to create for publication a newspaper, news website and yearbook which serve the best interests of the students of Francis Howell Central H.S. and shall strenuously resist any attempt to censor material the staffs deem fit for publication, particularly attempts made to censor material before the it is published.
  2. All content that adheres to the parameters put forth in this editorial policy shall be published as long as the editorial staff deems it fit for publication. The only time content will be removed from the publication is if it is deemed libelous or in violation of the tenets of the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court decision.

2)   On Prior Review

  1. In agreement with the Journalism Education Association, the nation’s largest association of scholastic journalism educators and secondary school media advisers, the staffs of FHC Publications “denounces the practice of administrative prior review as serving no legitimate educational purpose. Prior review leads only to censorship by school officials or to self-censorship by students with no improvement in journalistic quality or learning. Better strategies exist that enhance student learning while protecting school safety and reducing school liability…. Prior review by administrators undermines critical thinking, encourages students to dismiss the role of a free press in society and provides no greater likelihood of increased quality of student media. Prior review inevitably leads to censorship. Prior review inherently creates serious conflicts of interest and compromises administrator neutrality, putting the school in potential legal jeopardy.”
  2. The staffs of FHC Publications believe in operating as responsible student-run publications, free from oppression by authority outside the production staffs. The staffs will accept guidance and advice from their adviser but will strive to make their own decisions about editorial content.
  3. As such, in turn for retaining editorial authority over their publications, the student staffs of FHC Publications accept complete responsibility for the content published in their respective publications. Questions, concerns, problems and other issues regarding the publications shall be directed to the publications’ editorial boards and dealt with if necessary by the respective publication(s). Neither the administration nor the publications’ adviser will be held legally responsible for the publications’ content.

 

III. Provisions

1)   From the School Administration

  1. The administration of Francis Howell Central H.S. will provide the school with a certified, qualified journalism instructor to serve as a professional role model, adequate equipment and space for a sound journalism program.
  2. The school publication staffs and/or adviser may seek advice from the administration on publication content or any other related material at any point in the production of the publications.
  3. The Francis Howell Central H.S. administration may caution, act as a legal consultant and educator but has no power of censorship or veto over content deemed to have a valid educational purpose.
  4. The building administration will allow the newspaper staff to distribute copies of the newspaper throughout the school during the school days the staff selects as its distribution days. All computers in the school will have access to the news website. The yearbook will be distributed from the journalism room, Room 139, during the hours of students’ schedule pick-up days during the summer.

 

2)   From the Adviser

  1. The adviser may act as an educator and consultant pertaining to legal matters about unprotected speech and serve as a facilitator between the publication staffs and the administration team at Francis Howell Central H.S., but not as the sole means of interaction between the two parties.
  2. The adviser shall guide the staffs of the Central Focus, FHCtoday.com and the Odyssey in accordance with the approved editorial policy and aid the educational process related to producing the publications.
  3. The adviser shall be a certified journalism teacher who serves as a professional mentor, role model and catalyst for ideas, as well as the primary educational resource.
  4. The adviser shall create an atmosphere where the staffs of FHC Publications feel free to make editorial decisions and ensure the publications remain open public forums for the school community.
  5. The adviser will act as a resource who provides information to students on current trends in the areas of writing, reporting, photography, broadcast, design, multimedia, business, advertising, networking, public relations and any other areas vital to the production of a high quality, student-run publication.
  6. The adviser shall seek to maintain contacts with members of the journalism profession and other scholastic journalism publications and make those contacts available for consultation to the staffs. The adviser shall provide information about journalism internships, journalism scholarships and other financial aid for those seeking to pursue journalism as a career.
  7. The adviser shall submit the newspaper, news website and yearbook to rating services, critiques and contests as well as the individual work of the student staff members so the staffs may receive feedback about their publications.
  8. The adviser shall work with members of the faculty and administration to make them aware of the newspaper, news website and yearbook production processes; the freedoms granted to students; and the goals of the student-run publications.

 

  1. Publication Content

1)   Regarding Content Production

  1. All writing, photography, design and artwork appearing in the newspaper, on the website and in the yearbook will be given the appropriate byline or credit and will be created by members of the FHC Publications staffs or students in the school’s journalism or photojournalism courses.
  2. The staffs of the publications will not accept material for publication, except letters to the editor, from anyone other than the school newspaper, website and yearbook staffs and the students in the school’s journalism and photojournalism courses.
  3. FHC Publications will accept formal suggestions for content from the student body and Francis Howell Central H.S. community at large via a feedback form available at <https://www.fhctoday.com/contact/send-feedback>.

2)   Regarding Content Decision

  1. Within the context of the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court decision, the staffs of FHC Publications shall make all decisions pertaining to content published in the newspaper, on the news website and in the yearbook. These decisions include, but are not limited to, content, priority and placement.
  2. The Central Focus, FHCtoday.com and the Odyssey will publish no material found to be libelous, untruthful, obscene or invasive of an individual’s privacy or that would incite physical disruption of school activities.
  3. Attacks regarding a person’s religion, gender, age, ethnicity, race, culture, lifestyle choices or mental or physical abilities will not be published. Additionally, school publications will not criticize district policy without suggesting solutions/alternatives.
  4. The staffs of FHC Publications shall reserve the right not to publish any material which does not live up to the standards of this editorial policy.

3)   Regarding Bylines

  1. All stories published in the newspaper, online or in the yearbook shall be given a byline unless the editorial board determines otherwise.
  2. All bylined writers will be held accountable for the veracity of their work.

4)   Regarding Anonymity

  1. The Central Focus, FHCtoday.com and the Odyssey will include the names/identities of all sources as long as doing so does not result in the endangerment, harassment or any type of anguish for the source.
  2. Anonymity will only be granted on rare occasions and upon such occasions, an agreement between the source, the reporter, an executive editor/editor-in-cheif and the adviser must be signed.
  3. Within the boundaries of current law, reporters will not reveal a source who has been granted anonymity.

5)   Regarding News Publication

  1. The Central Focus and FHCtoday.com will seek to provide any and all sides of an issue in the timeliest manner possible.
  2. The Central Focus and FHCtoday.com will focus on and emphasize coverage of news affecting the Francis Howell Central H.S. community.
  3. When covering community, state, national and/or international news, the staff of the Central Focus and FHCtoday.com will endeavor to cover it from an angle as it affects the Francis Howell Central H.S. community.
  4. The Central Focus and FHCtoday.com will endeavor to provide equitable coverage to all school organizations, sports teams and functions.
  5. When faced with difficult news stories—for instance, stories regarding student, staff or faculty crimes—the Central Focus and FHCtoday.com will seek to publish the facts correctly, explain the relevant issue(s) and put an end to any speculative stories that may have arisen as a result of the news event.

6)   Regarding Deaths

  1. The death, by any cause, of any current student, faculty, staff member or building administrator who dies during the school year will be recognized in the school newspaper and yearbook. In the newspaper, the accompanying story will publish factual information and a 1”x 2” mug shot if available.
  2. Any information regarding the deceased’s cause of death will be obtained and published with the consent of the deceased’s family before publication.
  3. The Central Focus and Odyssey will treat all deaths in a tasteful and respectful manner.
  4. All obituaries shall be run on the first page (not the front page) of the news section of the Central Focus.
  5. The Central Focus and Odyssey reserves the right to investigate any newsworthy elements of any student, faculty, staff member or building administrator’s death or other death that affects the Francis Howell Central H.S. community to provide information about topics relevant to the publications’ audiences.
  6. A newspaper issue or yearbook volume will not be dedicated to the memory of the deceased.

7)   Regarding Editorials

  1. All editorials appearing in the Central Focus and on FHCtoday.com shall appear with a byline, a mug shot of the author and will be written by members of its staff.
  2. All editorials represent the views of the bylined author and not the opinions of the staff or publication as a whole.
  3. Ideas for editorials may be submitted to any member of the newspaper or website staff, but submission will not necessarily result in publication.
  4. All standing columns will have the picture of the author accompanying.
  5. Sports columns shall appear in the sports section of the newspaper.

8)   Regarding the Staff Editorial

  1. The staff editorial shall be one editorial commissioned by the editorial board of the newspaper each issue to represent the editorial board’s opinion in regard to a topic or issue being addressed in the current issue of the Central Focus, usually the centerspread.
  2. The editorial board shall meet at least once before commissioning the staff editorial. This meeting must contain all members of the editorial board, where a discussion will be had about what the direction of the current issue is and what topics would be suitable for the staff editorial.
  3. Decisions about the staff editorial will be decided by majority vote, with each member’s vote counting equally.
  4. After deciding the topic, a member of the editorial board will be assigned to write the staff editorial.

9)   Regarding Online Blogs

  1. A blog is a collection of opinion pieces / personal narratives written on a central topic which updates at least once a week.
  2. A blog may be written by anyone on the newspaper/website staff and must be updating for at least one semester.
  3. The editorial board will approve all blog topics before the start of the semester.
  4. The purpose of blogs on the website is to teach students about the role of the blogger in present-day journalism and to further inform, engage and entertain readers.
  5. All blogs will represent the individual and not the staff or publications as a whole.

10) Regarding Reviews

  1. The purpose of all reviews will be to evaluate and inform, not to promote.
  2. All reviews will be bylined and will be the views of the bylined reporter and not the opinions of the staff or publication as a whole.
  3. All reviews will endeavor to obtain direct quotes and information relevant to the review and provide a balanced view of the reviewed material.
  4. Reviews will be rotated throughout the staff of the newspaper and website in order to maintain a variety of viewpoints and cover a wide range of topics.

11) Regarding Letters to the Editor

  1. Any Francis Howell Central H.S. community member wishing to express an opinion regarding the content of the Central Focus or FHCtoday.com formally may do so by submitting a letter to the editor.
  2. Letters to the editor may be submitted to Room 139, the adviser’s mailbox, online at FHCtoday.com or via e-mail to the editorial staff.
  3. Letters submitted for publishing must be typed and signed by the author, although he/she may request anonymity, and verified for publication by an executive editor.
  4. Letters to the editor will be printed in the opinion section of the Central Focus and/or posted in the corresponding section online at FHCtoday.com.
  5. All letters submitted to the staff of the Central Focus and FHCtoday.com become property of the staff and will not be returned under any circumstances.
  6. The staff of the Central Focus and FHCtoday.com reserves the right to edit any letter submitted for length, grammar, punctuation and clarity.
  7. The staff of the Central Focus and FHCtoday.com reserves the right to refuse to publish any letter.

12) Regarding Errors

  1. Concerns about errors in the Central Focus, on FHCtoday.com or in the Odyssey can be submitted to the adviser, via e-mail, his/her mailbox or by phone (636.851.5636).
  2. The staff of the publication in question reserves the right to investigate whether any error was made.
  3. Any verified errors made in the newspaper will be addressed accordingly in the next issue of the Central Focus.
  4. Any verified errors made on the website will be corrected and addressed accordingly as quickly as possible on FHCtoday.com.
  5. Any verified errors made in the yearbook…

13) Regarding Advertising

  1. The school newspaper and news website will not accept any advertising for products or services that are illegal for a minor to purchase, consume or use.
  2. The staffs of FHC Publications reserve the right to refuse advertising if the business’ content desires are inappropriate for the student body of Francis Howell Central H.S.
  3. Any attempts made by an advertiser to influence the news coverage of his/her business will be strenuously resisted by the staffs of the FHC Publications.
  4. FHC Publications will not run any advertisement before first obtaining the advertiser’s signature on an advertising contract which explains the terms of payment, advertisement content, size of advertisement, date(s) of publication and terms of the agreement.
  5. FHC Publications will not accept personal or classified advertisements.
  6. Advertisements will not run within video segments on the website.
  7. Failure to make payments (or arrangements) for advertising will result in the agreed upon ads not being published until payment has been received by FHC Publications.
  8. If a published advertisement is incorrect in regards to content at the fault of FHC Publications, an advertisement will be given free of cost in the subsequent issue.
  9. Advertisements appearing in the newspaper or on the website do not equal an endorsement by its staff members or adviser.
  10. FHC Publications reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason.

 

  1. Production

1)   Class and Supplementary Work

  1. Producing a student publication is an extremely time-consuming and laborious process. As such, production of the newspaper, news website and yearbook is incorporated into two different classes offered for academic credit at Francis Howell Central H.S. , newspaper/news website production and yearbook production.
  2. The purpose of these production classes is to teach students the fundamentals of news writing and photography combined with layout production and design as it applies to producing successful scholastic journalist publications. Students will befit from the student-run environment, learning first-hand and developing necessary life skills, such as teamwork, cooperation, problem-solving, conflict resolution and leadership.
  3. Staff members will be expected to commit time outside of the class period of their production classes to the production of their publications.
  4. The adviser will make the journalism room accessible to staff for work at least seven hours each week outside of the hours school is in session.

2)   Prior Review

  1. Sources will be able to review their quotes only at the time of the interview or at the reporter’s initiative.
  2. Sources will not be given the opportunity to read a reporter’s completed story before its official publication and request editing on said story.
  3. Photographs intended for publication will not be released for use elsewhere until the photographs are officially published in one of the publications.
  4. As they are both by policy and practice public forums, the student publications shall not submit to prior review by any member of the faculty or administration of Francis Howell Central H.S.

 

  1. Publishing

1)   Cost to Readers

  1. The Central Focus and FHCtoday.com will be free to all students, faculty, staff and building administration at Francis Howell Central H.S. as well the publications’ advertisers. Others may purchase a yearly mailed subscription to the newspaper at a cost of $10 per school year.
  2. The Odyssey will be available to all students at the beginning of the year at a cost of $50, with the ability to defer the cost by selling items through a fundraiser, and later in the year at a cost of $65.

2)   Distribution and Circulation

  1. The Central Focus will publish at least eight issues throughout the school year, or approximately one issue per month, and shall consist of at least 24 pages in a format decided upon by the newspaper staff before the start of the school year.
  2. The Central Focus will run at least 1,500 copies of each issue.
  3. FHCtoday.com will be available to everyone with internet access.
  4. FHCtoday.com shall remain updated and maintained from mid-August through May and remain accessible at all times, except for occasional maintenance periods.
  5. The Odyssey will be available for purchase by all students, faculty and staff at the beginning of the year. A limited number of extra copies will be purchased for sale on the dates of distribution at an increased price on a first come, first serve basis.
  6. In an effort to effectively cover all the events which take place at the end of the school year, the Odyssey will distribute on the dates of schedule pick-up of the following school year.
  7. Refunds will not be given for yearbook sales. All yearbook sales are final.
  8. Advertising and fundraising revenues will be used solely for the purpose of publishing the Central Focus, FHCtoday.com and the Odyssey. All budget surpluses will be used for future production of the school publications.

 

VII.   Staff

1)   The Editorial Board

  1. The editorial boards are tasked with managing the respective student publications of Francis Howell Central H.S.
  2. The editorial board of the newspaper and news website shall consist of three executive editors (print, multimedia and visuals), an editor of each section of the newspaper and website and other specialty management roles to be determined before the beginning of each school year.
  3. The editorial board of the yearbook shall consist of the editor-in-chief and an editor of each section of the yearbook.
  4. All final decisions regarding the publications are that of the respective editorial boards.

2)   Editor and Staff Selection

  1. Students wishing to serve on the staffs of FHC Publications must:

a.) Currently be enrolled at Francis Howell Central H.S.

b.) Have completed and passed Journalism, Photojournalism or AP Language and Composition at Francis Howell Central H.S.

c.) Submit an application to the adviser of FHC Publications for consideration by the deadline established.

  1. All applicants will be reviewed and considered by the adviser.
  2. Some students may be admitted to staff between semesters and the discretion of the adviser and respective editorial board. However, most will be admitted between school years; though, these admittance decisions will be made before the end of the current school year.
  3. Staff members seeking editorial positions should indicate interest to the adviser. When a position opens up, candidates will be interviewed and evaluated by the adviser with the aid of the current and/or out-going editor-in-chief / executive editor(s).
  4. The adviser with aid of the current and/or out-going editor-in-chief / executive editor(s) will make appointments to editorial positions.

3)   Reporter Notes

  1. All reporters are expected to keep notes on the information published in their stories, especially all conversations with sources in their stories. Sources will be asked to sign the information they have given to the reporter at the end of the interview, verifying the information listed is accurate and permissible for publishing.
  2. If a source does not sign the information he/she has given the reporter at the end of an interview, quotes from the source and the information gathered should not be attributed to the source in the story.
  3. All reporters’ notes will be kept on-hand by the reporters for a minimum of one semester and will be made available to the adviser, editor-in-chief or executive editor upon request.

4)   Equipment Use

  1. The equipment used to produce the student publications is often costly and purchased at the expense of FHC Publications. Staff are expected to handle all equipment with care. The adviser will outline protocols for proper use of publications’ equipment.
  2. Before handling an FHC Publications camera, a staff member and his/her parents must first sign a liability contract.

5)   Staff Dismissals

  1. The staffs of FHC Publications are a team. In recognition of this, each staff member is expected to complete the assignments (writing, photography, design, etc.) conferred to him/her on or before the deadline assigned and always act in the best interests and in a manner worthy of FHC Publications.
  2. Staff may be dismissed from FHC Publications for any of the following reasons:

a.) Plagiarism

b.) Falsifying quotes

c.) Continuously missing deadlines – defined as failing to have met 25% or more deadlines after the first month of admittance to the staff. A staff member will thereafter be assigned alterative journalist assignments by the adviser which may be completed to raise his/her deadline percentage. If the staff member is not able to raise his/her met deadline percentage to above 75% before the end of the semester, he/she may be dismissed.

d.) Vandalism, theft or repeated misuse of school publication equipment

e.) Failure to keep accurate notes and be able to produce said notes upon request

f.)  Any violation, in letter or in spirit, of the tenets outlined in this editorial policy

g.) Receiving a quarter grade of less than a 60%

h.) Two suspensions in one academic year

6)   Queries to the Staff

  1. Questions or complaints about material published in any of the student publications will be directed to the editor-in-chief/executive editors, who will present the material to the staffs for discussion and action, if necessary.