Sample Publications Mission Statement and Editorial Policies

Editorial Policy by Sabrena Shah
J425 class participant Fall 2001

 

Mission:

The Viking Press, Valparaiso High School’s student newspaper, is dedicated to serving as a limited public forum for students, faculty and staff.  It is our goal and desire to present and investigate the most relevant and pertinent topics/issues pertaining to the livelihood of our school community as well as to the interests of our readers and reporters.  Although the dissemination of information to our readers is one of our top priorities, so too are the maintenance of journalistic integrity and standards.  We will not go about gathering information in inappropriate, deceitful or illegal ways.  We will strive to show all sides of a topic and seek out the most knowledgeable/resourceful sources.  As a limited public forum, The Viking Press, will do all that it can to serve the students and faculty as a means by which they can express feelings, ideas and other relevant information.  Collectively, the staff of The Viking Press is dedicated to maintaining journalistic integrity, serving the school as a limited public forum and presenting up-to-date information and coverage on issues affecting the school and community.

In striving to create and produce a comprehensive school newspaper, The Viking Press staff has agreed on how they will deal with certain issues pertaining to the newspaper.  In order to insure equality and consistency throughout the newspaper, the following categories/issues have been discussed and assessed in terms of appropriateness for a high school newspaper as well as in conjunction with the journalistic standards that the individual staff members hold individually and collectively.

Content:

            The topics and issues to be covered in The Viking Press, will stem mainly from staff generated ideas and suggestions.  The use of local beats will also be sources of information to be included in the school paper.  We will rely on these beats on a regular basis and this consistency will be evident throughout the issues of The Viking Press.  In serving as a limited public forum for the school, The Viking Press staff is also willing to listen to and consider ideas or suggestions made by students and faculty not directly participating in production/publication staffs of the school.  However, The Viking Press also holds the right to not investigate or run stories, suggested by these outside groups, when they (the staff and adviser) see them to be in a conflict of interest with the goals and/or integrity of the newspaper or of being significantly limited in terms of newsworthiness.

            News reporters and photographers will be responsible for gathering their information in professional and legal ways.  They will be held accountable for covering the most pertinent aspects of topics and issues as well as maintaining objectivity in their reporting and taking of photography. 

Profanity:

            As a limited public forum for the school, The Viking Press does not see it fit or necessary to include profanity in its publications.  Due to issues relating to age appropriateness and school standards, the use of profanity will be used only when absolutely imperative to the meaning of the story or when contained in a direct quote.

When issues dealing with the use of profanity surface, the staff agrees to meet and discuss the value of including the profanity as well as what its exclusion will do to the meaning or message of the story.  In either case, The Viking Press holds the right to refuse to print profanity as well as the right to merely allude to the profanity instead of explicitly stating it. The staff reserves the right to print the first letter of any profane word, which has been decided to be included, followed by asterisks or underscored dashes.

Letters to the Editor:

            The Viking Press staff views the inclusion of letters to the editor as being essential to the journalistic process.  The staff feels that these letters provide not only a means by which readers can voice their opinions or views but also a means by which future stories and reporting can be based on.  However, given the limited amount of space in the school newspaper, the staff reserves the right to set standards for the length and number of letters to be included.  The word length of any given letter to the editor should not exceed 250 words, only in very special circumstances will this rule be compromised.  Also, all letters must be signed in order to be published, so as to insure that we (the staff) can verify authorship.  Under no circumstances will anonymous letters be accepted or printed, unless circumstances exist in which the author contacts the staff and adviser and can prove to have a legitimate reason for having their letter be printed without their name. The staff will collectively decide on whether or not to do so.  If a letter is written by a group of students, one student-the one responsible for the letter’s creation or for bringing the group together- will need to be willing to take responsibility in representing the group as a whole, in terms of authorship of the letter.  

            Once a letter has been received and meets the above, required criterion, the staff still maintains the right to decide which letters will and will not be published.  Any letter containing libelous content or unnecessary profanity, fighting words or other age inappropriate violations will be subject to not being considered for inclusion in school publications.  However, when the message of the letter is deemed to be of great importance or reflects an interesting viewpoint, the staff will take it upon itself to contact the author and discuss potential rewrite procedures.  When only minimal grammatical/stylistic corrections are needed, which lead to no change in content or meaning, The Viking Press staff reserves the right to make the necessary corrections without direct approval from the author.  The author submits to the staff’s right to make minimal corrections upon sending their letter.

             In serving as a limited public forum for the school, top priority will generally be given to letters to the editor written by current students and staff members.  However, when letters surface from outside writers, alumnae, taxpayers and other community members and are considered by the staff to be newsworthy, their inclusion in the school’s publications is permissible.

Bylines and Credit lines:

            In order to maintain journalistic integrity and conform to “normal/established” journalistic standards, The Viking Press, has decided that the inclusion of bylines and credit lines is of the utmost importance.  Not only does their inclusion allow readers to know who wrote a story or who took a picture, but so too does their inclusion hold the student responsible for the information/photograph provided. The inclusion of bylines and credit lines will most likely, and justifiably so, encourage and require students to work hard when gathering information so as to have their name associated with a journalistically viable source of information.

Errors/Corrections:

            While the staffs of Valparaiso High School’s publication programs are dedicated to conforming to journalistic norms, which include attention to detail and verification of sources, we also realize that this is not always possible.  When situations arise involving the need for a correction, the newspaper will run an immediate correction and/or clarification in the next newspaper issue.  The error/correction process, while slightly more difficult to accomplish within a yearbook, is given no less importance than to those pertaining to the newspaper.  However, with no immediate outlet for correction, the yearbook staff has agreed to publish any and all necessary corrections in the following year’s yearbook.  For any corrections that the staffs appear to neglect or miss, readers are encouraged to contact the adviser and/or staff members-so as to bring the situation to their attention.

Controversial issues:

            The staffs of Valparaiso High School’s publications programs see an imminent and valuable need for the inclusion of controversial issues.  However, maintaining student integrity and school safety supersede the importance of any controversial story.  It is our goal through our publications to expose and reveal issues that students are dealing with, whether controversial or not.  When controversial issues surface, which we (the staffs) determine to be newsworthy, we will strive to cover the story from all pertinent/relevant angles.  Issues such as teen pregnancy, divorce, drug use, and sexual orientation…all carry the potential to not only inform but at the same time to cause serious repercussions for those individuals involved or named.  In order to prevent any unnecessary issues/problems from arising, the staff will take special care to talk with individuals before publication to insure their approval of the story.  Also, when the staff and adviser see it fit and necessary, parents of minor students will be contacted for further approval of topics/stories.  The goal of the newspaper is by no means to expose students in any inappropriate or harmful way; we do however find covering teen-related topics and issues to be very important.  In covering these topics, we will strive to remain objective, to be courteous to participants involved and to take special care in deciding when and when not to cover certain stories, based on the positive and negative aspects/situations that are likely to arise.

Gossip/Trivia:

            By having a mainly student-centered readership, the staffs of Valparaiso High School’s publications realize the need at times to include things of this nature (gossip and trivia).  However, in terms of gossip we are reluctant to allow this to become any sort of prominent part of our paper, which in our minds potentially jeopardizes our credibility.  However, in sections deemed-for whatever reason- to be blatant comedies or parodies, gossip will be allowed as long as those being mentioned or referred to are in agreement with the publication of this information.  It is important that we do not in any way facilitate the direct harm or embarrassment of a student.  This is why we hold the right to refuse any form of gossip that we deem inappropriate or that a student involved does not agree to have printed. 

            As a long-standing tradition of our school, senior wills will be allowed to be printed, however, they will not appear collectively in the newspaper or yearbook.  Instead, they will be compiled and printed in a packet form, which will then be distributed to seniors.  Students who choose to participate in senior wills, must be aware of taking responsibility for what they say and write.  No libelous or harmful/hurtful wills will be allowed.  However, we understand the potential there is for certain problematic “wills” to slip by the attention of those compiling them.  If this situation arises, the student who wrote the “will” will be directly held responsible and accountable for their actions.  Should matters such as the one described arise, school administrators will take the necessary actions in conjunction with school disciplinary rules.

Reviews:

            Reviews provide an interesting insight into one aspect or type of journalistic coverage.  In order to expose students to as many aspects of journalism as possible, reviews will be included in our publications.  However, at the same time the staff realizes the need to establish guidelines in order to insure objective and comprehensive reviews.  The main source of reviews will stem from school and or class productions.  However, when the staff feels that a community program/event is newsworthy, coverage and review of the event may take place.  Also, for those students who are interested in focusing on a certain aspect of news coverage, the arts, music, literature…they will also be given the opportunity to review certain products or exhibits.  They too will have guidelines to conform to, in that they must remain objective and seek out sources that can offer different insights and information pertaining to the topic at hand.  The goal of these reviews is not solely to criticize or support and event, product or performance but rather is to expose readers to events taking place and provide a summary of general happenings as well as possible high and low points of certain events.

            It is extremely important to note that the staffs have agreed that a certain amount of care needs to be included when reviewing school productions, especially in terms of criticism of individuals or groups.  At the same time, the staffs recognize the fact that by participating in a public event/program, an individual creates a situation for themselves in which criticism can potentially occur, a situation that all publication staff members subject themselves to with each new issue of the newspaper or yearbook.  It is our goal therefore to minimize unnecessary criticism while at the same time maintaining the publication’s integrity in being honest and describing the actual accounts of what happened to our readers. 

Illustrations:

            The staffs recognize the undeniable importance of illustrations in the production of both newspapers and yearbooks.  It is therefore our goal  to include illustrations which enhance or help describe a story and that are visually interesting. Many times a single illustration can illustrate an idea or happening more so than any number of words ever could.  At the same time, journalistic values need to be adhered to in terms of quality and authenticity of illustrations. 

            The staffs of the school’s publications programs will strive to include illustrations that recount certain, realistic and relevant aspects of events, in a way that is generally pleasing and appealing to all. It is however impossible to assure those photographed that their photograph will represent them in the way they wish to be represented.  In situations in which there is a discrepancy between an individual’s desired appearance and the overall context/quality of a photograph, the latter of the two will carry more weight in terms of whether or not to include it.

            In today’s day and age, the staffs recognize the potential for illustration alteration through the use of several computer design programs.  Alterations will not be tolerated or found to be acceptable, except under very specific circumstances.  When circumstances arise in which there are no alternatives but to alter an illustration to make it acceptable, the necessary alterations will be made.  However, a disclaimer will also be provided below the photograph or within the content of which the illustration is part of.  The use of altered illustrations is by no means an acceptable practice on a regular basis, and therefore it is the goal of the publications staffs to use them only when absolutely necessary and when the changes concur with ethical and journalistic values that the staff holds.  No one person will be in charge of deciding whether alterations are acceptable or not, instead the staffs will meet collectively to come to a decision.

            Other forms of illustrations, such as graphs, maps and charts will be used when they enhance or clarify a certain aspect of a story.  They will be used as visual sources that are deemed important in terms of helping explain or express something to the reader in a concrete manner.  Their use will be limited to times in which the staffs feel they are important to the meaning of the story or when the staffs feel that they will significantly clarify and/or explain the material being presented.  The amount of space devoted to these types of illustrations will vary depending on their importance and detail.  However, the staffs will try to use as little space as possible, so as to continue to focus more on actual journalistic writing than on illustrations.

Advertising:

            Advertising policies will vary between publication programs and the procedures by which advertisements are acquired will vary depending on the staff’s decisions and wants.  Rates for advertisements will be based upon the size of the advertisement and on the current costs of publication for both the newspaper and yearbook.  A pricing guide and size guide will be created upon the time when figures for cost are made available. However, there are certain advertisements that both publications are unwilling and will not accept.  Advertisements for any illegal product or service will not be permissible.  This includes advertisements for alcohol, cigarettes and any form of drug paraphernalia.  Advertisements for these products are not deemed by the staffs to be newsworthy or age appropriate for the targeted readership. 

            The decision to accept certain advertisements will be the collective decision of the staffs and/or those specifically responsible for the advertising aspect of the publications.  As a means for the transmission and presentation of diverse ideas and views, the publications are willing to look at advertisements on an individual basis, all the while maintaining the right to refuse any advertisement that does not fit/conform to the standards and mission of the publication.

Obituary policy:

            The staffs of both the newspaper and yearbook are dedicated to respectfully covering the deaths of any students and/or faculty that passes away during the school year.  In order to establish a consistency when dealing with obituaries, they (the obituaries) will contain the same information for the most part, with the possible exception of cause of death.  Obituaries will include a picture, the name of the student or faculty, their birth and death dates as well as a brief, concise and possibly standardized statement on the part of the school, which would state that the school is sad and mournful for the death of any student or faculty member.  Obituaries for the newspaper will be printed in the immediate issue following the death and for the yearbook, if time permits in that year’s issue, or the following year’s issue, if that is not possible.  Also, the individual who died will still be included in the individual class portrait section of the yearbook, with their birth and death dates printed below their name.

            As far as news coverage pertaining to the death of a student, several factors will be taken into consideration by the staff.  First and foremost are the feelings of the surviving family members.  Other issues to be taken into consideration will be manner/cause of death and overall newsworthiness.  These situations will be dealt with on an individual basis and in terms of how the staff feels the issue does or does not support the goals of the newspaper.

For any questions regarding further editorial policies please ask the publication’s adviser, who will be able to provide you with the given answer and/or direct you to where to find the information.

Bibliography

Hartman, Mary. “Official Guidelines & editorial Policies: Remedying the Confusion.”             Scholastic Editor.