Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ethics stressed for publications
Springdale staff developing protocol for student journalists.
SPRINGDALE — School District staff have developed a code of ethics for young journalists in the wake of a controversy stemming from articles published last fall by Har-Ber High School’s newspaper.
The 14-page Student Publications and/or Broadcasts Protocol is still in draft form. A committee of about 27 student media advisers worked on the document in December and January.
The committee submitted its work to Superintendent Jim Rollins and Deputy Superintendent Jared Cleveland and is waiting on input from some outside advisers, said Trent Jones, the district’s director of media and the head of the committee. The protocol would apply to student newspapers, yearbooks, literary magazines and video production.
The document is a combination of best practices from around the nation and conversation among staff members, Jones said.
“We just kind of mixed and matched to personalize national best practices so they would fit Springdale,” he said.
THE CONTROVERSY
Springdale drew national attention in December after administrators removed a news story and an editorial from the website of The Herald, Har-Ber High School’s student newspaper. Critics accused the district of censorship.
The articles, which appeared in The Herald’s Oct. 30 edition, had to do with the transfers of several football players from Har-Ber to Springdale High School last
year. The transfers were approved based on their stated desire to be in an academic program at Springdale High not offered at Har-Ber High, according to the story.
The article quoted two of the six students who implied football played at least a part in their decisions to transfer. One student said he could “showcase my talent more” at Springdale High, according to The Herald’s story.
“Specific curriculum or instructional opportunities” is listed as one of several acceptable reasons for students to seek transfers to another school within Springdale, according to district policy. Athletic or extracurricular opportunities are not listed.
Karla Sprague, a teacher and the newspaper’s adviser, was reprimanded for refusing to allow Principal Paul Griep to review the article or the rest of the content before it was published, according to Sprague’s attorney.
The district, following attention from national media outlets, allowed the articles to be reposted to the website Dec. 4. The protocol committee was organized soon after and held two meetings. Members held many more conversations via email, texts and phone calls, according to Jones.
Sprague was involved in the writing of the protocol. She did not return an email message seeking comment last week.
WRITING THE RULES
The district provided a copy of the proposed protocol to the Northwest Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette. It begins with a one-page introduction on the importance of students understanding and applying ethical standards when practicing journalism.
“Developing a sense of ethics is essential for student journalists, who learn to distinguish right from wrong and good from bad in their work,” the document states. “The power of news media can be used in good or bad ways, and young journalists must be nurtured to develop the self-discipline to choose what’s right and good — even when the right choice may cost something in the short run.”
The protocol goes on to explain seven main ideas journalism teachers and students should keep in mind: be responsible, be fair, be honest, be accurate, be independent, minimize harm and be accountable.
There also are guidelines for interviewing juveniles and a publication checklist that asks questions such as, “Is the publication well-researched and factually accurate?” and “Will the publication have a lasting negative impact on our students?”
The protocol brings up the subject of prior review, the concept of allowing administrators to review a student media production before it is released. Prior review “dilutes student responsibility and puts more responsibility in the hands of administrators,” the document states.
Instead, teachers should build and sustain a healthy relationship with administrators, and collaboration with the administration should be encouraged, the document
states.
Jared Cleveland, deputy superintendent, said collaboration should be encouraged so administrators aren’t caught off guard by any potentially controversial topic addressed by student media groups.
“Administrators don’t want to teach the class,” Cleveland said. “We want all of our staff members to be able to do their work. But if there is a tough issue, I think it’s common sense to give people a heads-up.”
Two student leaders of Har-Ber High School publications voiced their concerns about prior review at a school board meeting Dec. 11. Having to submit to administrators’ review would make their work more difficult because the student journalists would have to meet a stricter deadline to get their work approved, they said.
Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, said there are different ways of engaging in prior review, none of which is supported by advocates of student journalism.
“Every journalism education association has said it’s simply the wrong way to teach journalists,” Hiestand said. “It would be like a principal stepping in and telling the chemistry teacher how to teach chemistry or telling the football coach what plays to run.”
As for the protocol Springdale has developed, Hiestand said it contains a lot of good guidelines to which journalists should aspire. He urged caution, however, to administrators who would use the code of ethics to interfere with the students’ independence.
“A lot of the terms used in the code I saw were nice aspirational kinds of things, but they’re very vague,” he said. “There’s no legal definition of fairness, for example. There’s so much gray area in these codes. I think if [administrators] are planning to use these as actual enforceable regulations, they’re probably looking at a legal challenge.”
Most school districts have some form of policy on student media publications, often some version of one recommended by the Arkansas School Board Association.
The Journalism Education Association offers a code of ethics for advisers of student publications. It is much shorter than the one Springdale has compiled. Many student media programs work off the association’s code, Jones said.
Fayetteville High School does not have an ethics code for its journalism programs. It goes by the board’s policy on publications. If a controversial issue comes up, advisers meet with the principal about it, said district spokesman
Alan Wilbourn.
Cleveland, Springdale’s deputy superintendent, acknowledged the district went through a tough time last fall with the issue surrounding The Herald.
“There was a learning process we all had to go through,” he said. “You either move forward in a positive way, or you mess up again. The effort is not to mess up again.”
The rights of student journalists have to be weighed against the rights of all students to a safe environment at school. Certain things published about students could be considered bullying, so student media must be responsible about what they do — part of what the protocol emphasizes, he said.
Brittany Berry, a Tyson Middle School teacher, participated in the early stages of developing the protocol and provided feedback on what the committee created.
“For me, in my classroom, I view this work as a useful resource for helping to teach students the ethical and legal responsibilities of creating media,” Berry wrote in an email. “It is easier than ever to create digital and written media, as well as distribute it to multiple audiences. The protocols serve as a guideline on best practices and provide reference material for ensuring students and staff follow best practices.”
LEGISLATION IN THE WORKS
Meanwhile, an Arkansas legislator has filed a bill that would strengthen the protection provided to student publications.
A state law passed in 1995 provided student journalists an extra layer of protection beyond what the First Amendment offers. The law states each school board shall adopt a student publication policy that includes the recognition that “students may exercise their right of expression” in school-sponsored publications, regardless of whether those publications are supported financially by the school or by use of school facilities, or are produced by a class.
A school may censor a student publication only if the material is obscene to minors, if it is libelous or slanderous, if it constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy, or if it creates a “clear and present danger” of the commission of crimes on campus or disruption of the school’s operation.
House Bill 1432 of this legislative session, sponsored by state Rep. Julie Mayberry, R-Hensley, asserts expression by a student journalist in school-sponsored media does not reflect a school district’s policy, and that district and school board officials shall not be held legally responsible for any such expression.
The bill also makes clear student journalists may not be disciplined for exercising their right of expression, nor should a student media adviser be “terminated, transferred, removed, or otherwise disciplined” for refusing to suppress a student’s expression.
The bill has been referred to the House Education Committee.