Law, Ethics & News Literacy
It's vital to understand and implement new laws and ethics in our newspaper. Keeping everything accurate is essential to having a trustworthy reputation as a publication and helps our paper build credibility. As Editor-in-Chief I make sure to constantly remind the staff of the importance of ethics in journalism and how to implement these news laws into every day reporting.
Fact checking
First, for all of our articles we make sure they all have three sources. Not only does it allow three perspectives of a story to be told, but it minimizes the chances of spreading misinformation and one-sided stories. One of the things we focus on in our newspaper is keeping everything accurate, from the name to the exact quote. As a leader, I make sure to tell our staff from the beginning to keep everything truthful, which means not altering any quotes or information used in articles.
Keeping our stories unbiased from the writer's opinions is also vital to our publication so we can tell the story in our subject's voice. If anyone on staff is unsure about a topic, we make sure to tell them to go straight back to the source in order to get the right answer. As a leader, that's something I emphasize when it comes to new laws and ethics. The best way to get the right answer is to go back to the source because this keeps everything accurate and prevents misinformation from being shared in our articles.
An example of this was when one of our freshman reporters was writing a feature on a senior waterpolo member. After her first interview, she still needed a lot more information on how she started her swimming career. Instead of just working with what she had, the newspaper staff and I made sure she went back to get all of the information she needed from her source. Eventually she was able to create a quality feature and win a Best of SNO award.
Recording all interviews
We record every single one of our interviews for all of our articles. It's vital that we keep everything word for word and no quotes are altered in the transcription process. The staff and I use the podcasting table in the back to hold the majority of our interviews, which is very helpful for getting higher sound quality. An example of this is when I interviewed Simone Mishuris. Not only did I use Adobe Audition to record the audio, but I also video recorded to get all of the sides I possibly could.
Opinion section
When it comes to the opinion section of our newspaper; clarification is vital to make sure our readers are not misinterpreting our articles. In order to keep everything clear, we include comments at the top of our opinion page, and we also add them in each of our opinion pieces whether that is an editorial, column, or a review. I created graphics for both our editorial pieces and our columns/reviews to make sure our readers know which is which. Not only does this keep us from any misunderstandings in our opinion pieces but it also keeps them all in order according to their classification.
Here is an example of the editorial graphic implemented in an article.
Staying unbiased
Staying unbiased and fair is essential in the reporting process, as it fosters trust and credibility. Whenever it comes to fact-checking and acknowledging personal biases, it's important to approach these situations with an open mind and respect. One of our struggles in our newspaper is sometimes our staff forgets we don't include opinionated words in our transitions whenever using the transition quote formula or for captions. Something I strive is to minimize this error through editing, and checking our facts.
Before publishing each article, we make sure we get an editorial board member to edit alongside two other staff members, and then get the thumbs up from me to publish. This prevents any mistakes to happen, and keep everything clear of opinion and staying unbiased in our stories.
Here is an example of an article where I made sure to stay unbiased but still tell the full story.
For this article I had to make sure to present it without any bias – especially in the headline to prevent conflict. I let my subjects quotes be the source of emotion and opinion, and I sticked with the facts to make sure I present a neutral side on my part. Keeping news laws and ethics in mind, I presented all of the facts and information on the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts to stay clear of my personal opinion, and I made sure to showcase the subjects experience through the quotes.
Throughout my transitions, I made sure to stick to the facts and stay clear of any opinion on my part that would affect the story.
I included links on essential topics so readers can refer to the information I presented in the article. Including links also builds trust between a reader and writer and increases the paper's credibility.
Copyright
For all of the reviews we publish, we make sure that our staff doesn't grab images straight from the internet. Making sure to always get permission from the source first and giving credit is our first priority when it comes to using photos not taken by anyone on staff. For example, if a staff member is writing a music review, they must create a digitally constructed image and give credit to the label for the album cover in the graphic. Not only do we need to get the right to use photos for our featured images, but we need to utilize copyright-free music for our podcasts as well as give credits in the article.
Below are examples on how we construct images for music reviews, movie reviews, and how we give credit for the copyright-free music we use in our podcasts as well.
Protecting 1st amendment rights
As student journalists, I believe that it's crucial we uphold the First Amendment, which guarantees freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. Our role in the student newspaper is to ensure these rights are protected, allowing us to express diverse opinions and report on important issues without fear of censorship.
Defending the First Amendment means standing up not only for our own right to speak but also for others at our school. By educating ourselves about these rights and using them responsibly, we can create a space where students can share their voices and free expression.
For Eagle Nation Online we prioritize in balancing our work with ethical journalism, ensuring that our words have a positive impact and support the principles of free speech for all.
Below are examples of work we've published on our newspaper that reflect the 1st amendment rights.
Here, one of our staff members wrote about the current literacy problem we were having at our school. Although some administrators did not agree, we still shared our voice, and voiced the opinions of those around our school.
For this article, I worked alongside the main writer, Kalyani Rao, to get the sources. She published this at the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict back in 2022. This is another example of how we shared not only our voice but also those in the community.
I wrote this article to inform students and the community at Prosper to learn about the ongoing news regarding cell phone bans in Texas public schools. We voiced different opinions some that are for the ban, and some that aren't – here we use our 1st amendment right while still keeping news laws and ethics in mind.