The Delta Collegiate - Handbook

HANDBOOK

Job descriptions

1

Delta student handbook

7

Appointments and removals

11

AP Code of Ethics

12

Office management

17

General policies

18

Website and social media policies

19

Website and photography ethics

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News and editorial standards

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General newspaper policy

23

Afterword

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Job descriptions

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

The editor in chief is in charge of all editorial operations of The Delta Collegiate, and he or she is strongly encouraged to involve the editors in the day-to day management of the newspaper. However the editor-in-chief retains the ultimate authority to establish newspaper policy.

The managing editor’s job is to develop design elements to make the Collegiate more attractive to readers. This includes the creation of headers, selection of fonts and design of factoids, info graphs, etc. The managing editor must keep abreast of graphical trends and newspaper design and consult with the editor(s) in chief and section editors to improve the paper’s appearance. Also, the managing editor may be asked to work with the web editor in designing icons and other graphical elements for the Collegiate’s homepage, or the advertising manager to ensure ads conform to Collegiate style.

The Delta Collegiate editor in chief should have served on the newspaper staff at least one semester. The editor in chief should demonstrate sound editorial judgment in coverage and assignments. The editor in chief should be familiar with basic journalistic practices such as news gathering and reporting practices, news and feature writing, copy editing and proofreading, photojournalism, layout and design and media law and ethics. The editor in chief will be responsible for coordinating the editorial efforts of each edition.

General expectations of the editor in chief are as follows: • Meets established deadlines for all newspaper products • Maintains regular office hours.

• Assumes all responsibilities for the functioning of the newspaper.

• Determines the duties for the staff members and supervises their performance of assigned duties.

• Establishes policy.

• Bears final responsibility for all content of the newspaper.

• Responsible for all recruitment efforts, including general recruiting, class recruiting and open houses.

• Determines which news stories warrant page one coverage for each edition, together with the managing editor and news editor.

• Coordinates the work of copy editors prior to publication.

• Ensures that all ads have been transferred to the layout pages and a final printout has been made of each page.

• Proofreads the folio lines (dates and page numbers) placed on all pages of a given edition.

• Approves payroll with the business manager and adviser.

• Coordinates photo coverage with photo editor.

• Assists in choosing contest entries for local, state and national contests.

• Initiates disciplinary action according to established procedures when the editor in chief becomes dissatisfied with the performance of a staff member. Also mediates disputes when needed.

The Delta Collegiate managing editor is responsible for coordinating the layout and design of news and editorial pages as assigned. The managing editor should have served on staff at least one semester, and should demonstrate sound editorial judgment in coverage and assignments, strong abilities in newspaper design, and outstanding organizational skills. The managing editor is the chief liaison between the newspaper and the business department. The managing editor must be familiar with basic computer operations such as filing, editing, and layout.

Specifically, managing editor: • Meets established deadlines.

• Maintains regular office hours.

• Brings to the attention of the advertising manager any special requirements of the news department regarding the size of an edition.

• Assists with page layouts (independently or in consultation with departmental editors, as assigned).

• Coordinates the designs of the newspaper’s headers, logos and other typographical styles as warranted.

• Helps to ensure that the newspaper’s design style is consistently applied throughout all sections or departments • Proofreads headlines.

• Works on staff deadline nights to assist in the copy preparation process.

• Coordinates the layout of all pages of the paper.

• Assists in choosing contest entries for local, state and national contests.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the Delta Collegiate editor in chief.

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Job descriptions

NEWS EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR

The position of news editor is one of the most timedemanding of the section editorships. The news editor is responsible for finding newsworthy stories and assigning writers to cover them. To accomplish this, the editor must have the skills necessary to recruit a large staff, teach them the basics of reporting and maintain a good relationship with them. In addition, the news editor must be prepared for late-breaking stories, which the editor may be forced to cover himself/herself because writers usually cannot be found on such short notice.

The photography editor is responsible for working with the news, sports, arts and entertainment and opinion editors to ensure that the photography needs of these sections are met. The photo editor recruits and trains photographers and gives them photo assignments based on requests made by the section editors. Once the photos have been taken and downloaded for a section, the photo editor is responsible for consulting with the editor of that section before choosing which photo(s) to use, how they should be cropped and what their dimensions should be. The photo editor is then responsible for preparing the photos for print and the web, ensuring that they will print and/or display properly and providing the section editors with caption and cutline information. Other responsibilities of the photo editor include maintenance of the photo files and archives.

The news editor should have served on the newspaper staff at least one semester. The news editor should know basic news writing and should be familiar with news sources on campus and in the community. The news editor should demonstrate sound news judgment in the selection of coverage and copy.

The news editor will be responsible for all news gathering and reporting operations of the newspaper, including recruiting reporters, writers, and photographers, providing training in the basics of news gathering and writing, and working in cooperation with the managing editors on staffing the news, sports, photography and related departments.

Specifically, the news editor: • Meets established deadlines.

• Maintains regular office hours.

• Works with other editors to assign all news stories and related photo assignments, and coordinates these assignments with departmental editors and the photo editor.

• Prepares the layout of inside general news page(s) in conjunction with a news designer.

• Maintains a list of active news beats and contacts.

• Helps recruit potential reporters and writers with the editor in chief.

• Provides feedback to reporters and writers, as well as scheduling periodic news writing and reporting workshops.

• Coordinates original and repurposed content for the website.

• Assists in choosing contest entries for local, state and national contests.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the editor in chief.

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The photo editor should demonstrate performance skills at a high level of quality in both photojournalistic and photo imaging operations. The photo editor coordinates all photographic assignments for The Delta Collegiate.

Specifically, the photo editor: • Meets established deadlines • Evaluates, in consultation with the managing editor and online editor daily photo assignment requests made by the various editors.

• Schedules as many of the assignments as practicable with staff photographers.

• Furnishes his or her own camera equipment.

• Ensures that all photos are downloaded in a timely fashion for use by section editors and page designers.

• Selects, in consultation with various editors, the pictures to be used for publication and prepares them for print and online publication.

• Takes pictures for advertisements as warranted.

• Maintains a checkout list for the paper’s digital cameras.

• Coordinates original and repurposed content for the website.

• Assists in choosing contest entries for local, state and national contests.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the editor in chief. *** Photographers are recruited by the photo editor. The photo editor will give photographers photo assignments each week, keeping in mind the specific strengths of each photographer. Photographers are also responsible for taking feature photos throughout the week that capture student life events and do not fall into a specific photo assignment. Some cameras and accessory photo equipment are available for photographers as well as training in the proper techniques for taking pictures and filing and editing them digitally.

Job descriptions

SPORTS EDITOR

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

The sports editor is responsible for ensuring that the sports section gives proper coverage for Delta athletic events.

To accomplish this, the editor must not only recruit and train writers but must also establish a strong professional relationship with members of the Athletic Department. The editor needs to keep track of the schedules of the various athletic teams at Delta so that a photographer and writer are present at games.

The arts and entertainment editor covers most forms of entertainment, with sports being the main exception. The editor recruits and trains writers to review plays, literary works, music, art exhibits, restaurants and other A&E events.

Delta-related events such as college plays are given first priority, and the editor has a responsibility to actively seek information about upcoming Delta events. This requires that the editor establish and maintain lines of communications with such groups as the Delta Theater Department. The A&E editor is responsible for all entertainment coverage in the A&E section of the newspaper.

The sports editor is responsible for the total coverage of athletics in the sports section of the newspaper. The sports editor should have served on staff at least one semester and should be familiar with various aspects of Delta’s athletic programs, including news sources and standard athletic procedures. The sports editor should demonstrate sound editorial judgment in coverage and assignments. The sports editor is responsible for recruiting sports assistants and preparing written assignments for the photographers and sports writers. The sports editor supervises the content for a sports page in each edition.

Specifically, the sports editor: • Meets established deadlines.

• Maintains regular office hours.

• Recruits and maintains a staff of sports writers.

• Assigns stories to sports writers and keeps a record of those assignments.

• Ensures accuracy of assignments and rewrites and corrects them as necessary.

• Makes photo assignments for the stories, and coordinates assignments with photo editor.

• Assists with the layout of sports page(s) by the sports designer.

• Coordinates original and repurposed content for the website.

• Assists in choosing contest entries for local, state and national contests.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the editor in chief.

The A&E editor should have served on staff at least one semester and should be familiar with various aspects of the Delta community, and the arts and entertainment community within the Tri-Cities. The A&E editor should demonstrate sound editorial judgment in coverage and assignments. The A&E editor is responsible for recruiting A&E writers and preparing written assignments for writers and photographers.

The A&E editor is responsible for preparing the A&E section for each edition.

Specifically, the A&E editor: • Meets established deadlines.

• Maintains regular office hours.

• Makes all A&E assignments on a weekly basis.

• Recruits and maintains an A&E staff.

• Keeps a record of the A&E assignments.

• Corrects or rewrites A&E materials as warranted.

• Makes A&E photo assignments as warranted, and coordinates those assignments with the photo editor.

• Prepares the layout of a A&E page(s) with the A&E designer.

• Coordinates original and repurposed content for the website.

• Assists in choosing contest entries for local, state and national contests.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the editor in chief.

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Job descriptions

WEB EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

The web editor is responsible for maintaining and updating the website. The web editor is expected to put articles, photos, artwork, submission policy guidelines, staff information and other literature online and to ensure that the homepage is properly maintained. The web editor works with the editor in chief and section editors to develop web-only content and to decide the best way to present content online. The web editor also monitors article comments, reader accounts and staff accounts online. Additionally, the web editor deals with technical problems that arise with the website. The web editor must have knowledge of CMS and have the ability to create attractive graphical presentations.

The copy editor must oversee the written content and help keep the overall progress of the newspaper on track. The copy editor also serves as one step in the proofing process.

Each page must be read by either the copy editor or the assistant copy editor before it can move on in the proofing process. The copy editor and the assistant copy editors must be knowledgeable in Associated Press. The copy editor is responsible for reading and editing all news, editorial, sports, and feature copy before it is printed or published online.

The web editor should have served on The Delta Collegiate staff at least one semester. The web editor should display capabilities required for the position, including demonstrable knowledge of basic journalistic and business practices, an understanding of media law and ethics, and extensive knowledge of web operations and programs. The web editor is responsible for the maintenance of deltacollegiate.com website.

Specifically, the online editor: • Meets established deadlines.

• Maintains regular office hours.

• Serves as chief webmaster for deltacollegiate.com.

• Works with the various section editors to facilitate the needs of the various sections on the web.

• Helps to establish online-only content, including contests, multimedia presentations, surveys and other appropriatecomponents.

• Spearheads all website endeavors.

• Assists in choosing contest entries for local, state and national contests.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the editor in chief.

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The copy editor should demonstrate sound editorial judgment in coverage and assignments, strong abilities with spelling, grammar, and basic news writing and editing. The copy editor should be familiar with state and federal laws governing libel and should demonstrate ethical conduct with regard to news and news sources. The copy editor must be familiar with basic computer operations such as filing, editing, and backing-up copy.

Specifically, the copy editor: • Meets established deadlines.

• Maintains regular office hours.

• Edits and proofreads copy weekly, as it is filed.

• Corrects all copy for errors of fact, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so on.

• Rewrites copy as warranted; however, the copy editor should perform this task in consultation with the departmental editor and/or the writer.

• Conducts periodic workshops, together with the news editor, for staff writers on how to improve their writing.

• Proofreads copy to make certain new errors were not introduced while correcting existing ones.

• Works on staff deadline nights to assist in the copy preparation process.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the editor in chief.

Job descriptions

BUSINESS/PROMOTIONS MANAGER

SENIOR REPORTER

The business manager is in charge of the economic wellbeing of the newspaper. The manager is in charge of keeping the finances of the organization in good order, maintains billings and payments and helps the editor(s) in chief to make long term policy decisions that affect the finances of the organization. The responsibilities usually include the preparation of subscriptions, invoices and tearsheets for mailing. The business/promotions manager should demonstrate sound business judgment, high ethical standards and the ability to supervise and participate in advertising sales and layouts for the newspaper. The business/promotions manager will gather and organize information to plan advertising campaigns to promote the Delta Collegiate and features within the paper.

The senior reporter should have completed at least one semester on the newspaper staff. In addition to demonstrating all the skills of a reporter, the senior reporter must demonstrate initiative in covering assignments, enterprise in creating new assignments, the ability to utilize investigative techniques in covering a story, the ability to employ research to establish a proper historical setting for a story, competence in producing a follow up story to an original report, and a willingness to learn or competence in other editorial processes. A senior reporter should demonstrate the ability to have two stories published a week.

Specifically, the business manager: • Meets established deadlines.

• Maintains office hours.

• Helps to collect all advertising revenue owed to The Delta Collegiate.

• Sends invoices to advertisers.

• Work with department heads or staff to discuss topics such as budgets and contracts, marketing plans, and the selection of advertising media • Plan advertising and promotional campaigns • Makes all deposits for The Delta Collegiate.

• Schedules, coordinates and provides customer service with all advertising agencies and accounts for both newspaper and online.

• Ensures all accounts payable are paid in a timely manner • Performs other duties as warranted.

Specifically, the senior reporter: • Meets established deadlines • Demonstrates competence in advanced reporting techniques.

• Demonstrates consistency in the ability to produce on deadline at least two stories per week.

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Job descriptions

STAFF REPORTER

PHOTOGRAPHER

The staff reporter must demonstrate basic skills at journalistic writing, must demonstrate thoroughness and accuracy in reporting, attention to detail, high ethical standards, and sound news judgment. The staff reporter must demonstrate computer skills, and must demonstrate the ability to meet deadlines. A rookie reporter should demonstrate the ability to have at least one story published every two weeks.

The photographer must demonstrate basic skills at taking quality photographs which demonstrate solid technique in the area of photo composition, an understanding of photojournalism, and ability to meet deadlines.

Specifically, the staff reporter: • Meets established deadlines • Demonstrates competence in elementary reporting techniques.

• Demonstrates consistency in the ability to produce on deadline at least one story every two weeks.

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Specifically, the photographer: • Meets established deadlines • Demonstrates competence in the techniques of elementary photography.

• Demonstrates a willingness to learn the techniques of photojournalism.

• Demonstrates consistency the ability to produce on deadline at least one publishable news or feature photograph, or more, per edition.

• Performs other duties as warranted.

Delta College Student Handbook Excerpts only. For complete information, consult a current copy of the Delta College Student Handbook.

Student Rights and Responsibilities I. General Responsibility: Delta College has the responsibility to adopt and enforce rules which are consistent with Delta College goals and operations and to establish due process procedures in disciplinary cases.

II. Authority to Establish Standards of Conduct: Standards of conduct are established by rules of the College, as adopted by the Board of Trustees, and made known through College publications or by notices distributed or prominently posted on College bulletin boards and by law of the United States, State of Michigan, and County of Bay (public laws).

Except in the case of interim or emergency-type rules as granted

by Michigan Public Act No. 26 of 1970, such regulations will be established and amended with the advice of the College Senate, but final authority is through either the Delta College Board of Trustees or the laws of the United States, State of Michigan, or County of Bay. III. Individual Responsibility: An individual having an institutional relationship to Delta College (member of College Community) is automatically placed under the rules of the College. “Institutional relationship to the College� means any connection of employment, enrollment, or service existing between any person and Delta College. As used herein, this phraseology is intended to prevent the application of these rules to purely personal or social relationships between or among students, Faculty members, Administration, or staff members outside of the College proper. Therefore, it is important for all members of the College Community to familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations affecting them.

IV. Effect of Violating Rules: A member of the College Community violating any of the rules of the College, or a public law, on campus or off campus at a Delta College sponsored activity is subject to disciplinary action by Delta College that is appropriate to the nature of the offense. Disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with applicable law, regulation, policies and procedures governing cases of violation.

V. Reports of Violations: Reporting of violations will be within the province of all members of the College Community because they have a common responsibility to maintain an orderly and efficient community for their mutual benefit. Violations may fall in

one of several categories: (1) Minor offenses which are dealt with by reprimand; (2) Violations by students which are to be reported to the Vice President of Student and Educational Services; (3) Violations by Faculty or staff members which are to be reported to the President; (4) Civil or criminal violations which are to be reported to the Campus Police Department.

VI. Severance Provision: If any of the foregoing rules or any part of any such rule will be adjudged invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, then such adjudication will not affect the validity of these rules as a whole or any provision or part of any such rule not so adjudged invalid.

Source: Senate Policy 2.075

Regulations and Rules of Conduct 1. Physical Force: No member of the College community shall use physical force, threaten physical force, or use intimidation against any person engaged in an activity properly undertaken as part of an institutional relationship of the College except as permitted under normal law enforcement procedures.

2. Disruption: No member of the College community shall interfere with a College function by depriving any person of needed safety, quiet, or other physical conditions of work or study.

3. Interference: No member of the College community shall interfere with the free movement of any person engaged in an activity properly undertaken as part of the College.

4. Compliance: In keeping with the system of voluntary compliance, no member of the College community shall fail to follow the reasonable instructions given by a College official to stop specified conduct, if such conduct threatens disruption or interference with the rights of others, College discipline, College functions, and/or the College community.

5. Identification: No member of the College community shall refuse to provide identification when requested to do so by an identified employee of the College.

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Delta College Student Handbook Excerpts only. For complete information, consult a current copy of the Delta College Student Handbook.

6. Forbidden Occupation: No member of the College community shall, once given reasonable notice to leave by authorized designee, continue occupation of any College facility or property which is under the direct control or responsibility of the College, especially if such occupation interferes with a College function or risks injury to a person or property.

7. Facility Entry and Usage: No member of the College community shall gain or attempt to gain unauthorized entry to or make unauthorized use of the College facilities or property.

8. Property: No member of the College community shall damage, deface, destroy, steal, or misappropriate the property of the College, any member of the College community, or any visitor to the College Campus.

9. Unauthorized use of College Credit, Property, Etc.: No unauthorized member of the College community shall use the College telephones, postal machines and meters, duplicating machines, motorized vehicles, or other equipment. This provision shall be deemed to also include College billing, charging, and credit card numbers utilized for communications or transportation purposes. Further it shall be a violation for any member of the College Community who has not been issued a key by the College to possess or use College keys for any purpose whatsoever.

10. Counterfeiting, Altering, and Copying: No member of the College community, shall falsely make, forge, manufacture, print, reproduce, copy, tamper with, or alter any writing, document, record, or identification used or maintained by the College or by members of the College community.

No member of the College community shall knowingly possess, display, or cause or permit to be displayed any writing, record, document, or identification form used or maintained by the College or by members of the College community, knowing the same to be fictitious, altered, forged, counterfeited, or made without proper authority.

11. Confidentiality of College Records: No person shall inspect, investigate, or use College files (i.e., counseling, financial aid, placement, records, registration) without proper College authorization.

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12. Firearms and other Dangerous Materials: The possession or use of firearms, firecrackers, explosives, toxic or dangerous chemicals, or other lethal weapons, equipment, or material is not permitted on College property at any time except when specifically authorized by the College for educational purposes or when firearms used for recreational purposes and transported through the Campus meet the regulations of the Department of Public Safety.

13. Alcoholic Beverages: No member of the College community shall sell, be under the influence of, possess or consume alcoholic beverages on College property, or any property which is under the direct control or responsibility of the College. This regulation shall not apply to the President’s home. This rule may be suspended from time to time by authorization of the President.

14. Drugs: No member of the College community shall possess, sell, distribute, be under the influence of or use any controlled substance in either the refined or crude form, except: (1) controlled substances under a current prescription of a licensed physician, or (2) those specifically authorized to Delta College by Federal or State authorizing agencies for educational purposes. Nor shall any member of the College Community possess property which is used, or intended for use, as a container for any controlled substance, except where prescribed or authorized as described in this paragraph.

15. Tobacco Free Policy: Effective August 1, 2007, Delta College became a tobacco free campus. Smoking and use of tobacco products will not be permitted anywhere on the campus; including centers, campus buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, building entrances and common areas, and in College-owned vehicles. The Administration shall fully implement this policy and all applicable laws, regulations, and local ordinances related to smoking and tobacco use.

16. Selling, Soliciting, and Distributing: Any person who wishes to distribute, solicit, or sell information, materials, goods, or services not within the normal College activities and routine, must have the written permission of the Vice President of Student & Educational Services or the Vice President of Business and Finance or their designee.

Delta College Student Handbook Excerpts only. For complete information, consult a current copy of the Delta College Student Handbook.

17. Private Business Ventures: Delta College facilities such as offices, computers, copiers, etc. are not to be used for private business ventures. Also, Delta College’s name is not to be associated in any way (such as use of letterhead, e-mail or return address) with private business ventures.

18. Animals: People may not bring animals on Campus or into College buildings. Leader dogs and animals used for educational purposes are exceptions; however, all animals must remain under the control of their owners and be properly licensed and medically treated as required by law.

19. Federal, State, and Local Laws: Violations of Federal, State, or local laws, and violations of College policies, procedures, rules and regulations, including rules of governing bodies such as the Higher Learning Commission or the National Junior College Athletic Association, and including rules published in the College Catalog and student handbooks and manuals, shall constitute violations of College rules. Such violations apply both on-Campus, and off-Campus in connection with Collegesponsored activities.

Source: Delta College Senate Policy 2.075; Delta College Policies and Procedures

Electronic Resources Access and Use Guidelines Delta College electronic resources are provided to support the college mission.

1. By accessing College electronic information systems you assume personal responsibility for their appropriate use and agree to comply with all applicable College policies and procedures as well as external networks’ policies and procedures, local, state and federal laws and regulations.

2. You are solely responsible for your access and use, and may not transfer or share your passwords or account except as expressly authorized in writing by the Executive Director of the Office of Information Technology (OIT).

3. Delta College electronic resources are provided to support the college mission. Uses such as private business use or use for personal gain, non-profit activities, advertising and fundraising not related to the college are prohibited. Excessive

personal use for activities such as game playing, financial transactions or communicating with family and friends is also prohibited.

4. Uses that threaten the integrity of any system or its contents, the function of resources accessed through the system, the privacy or safety of anyone, or that are illegal are forbidden.

5. Misuse can lead to penalties up to and including loss of system access, employment termination or expulsion from classes or from the college. In addition, some activities may lead to risk of personal legal liability, both civil and criminal.

Use common sense: the same rules of courtesy, ethics, morality and law apply here as elsewhere.

6. All persons accessing the College’s electronic resources are covered by these guidelines, whether faculty, staff, students, trustees, volunteers, emeritus or retired persons, trustees, guests, or any other user.

7. All electronic resources of the College are covered by these guidelines, including without limitation all networks, supporting backbones and links, stand-alone computers, output devices including printers, shared computers, and connecting resources of any kind, including any external networks.

8. You should not assume that anything received, sent or stored on any of these systems is private. The College generally, and system administrators specifically, will respect the privacy of users. However, these systems are not provided or intended for sending or receiving private or confidential communications. If material is stored electronically rather than in paper files, it must be just as accessible to others who need access to those files as any paper file would be. In addition, system administrators have access to all mail and user access requests and will monitor them as necessary to assure efficient performance and appropriate use. If access discloses improper or illegal use, it may be reported and penalized. Legal process, including requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act, may also compel disclosure.

9. Each user must respect the privacy of every other user.

You may not attempt to access, copy, modify or otherwise view or use the passwords, data, or electronic resources of any other user, except as expressly authorized in writing by the Executive Director of the Office of Information Technology (OIT).

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Delta College Student Handbook Excerpts only. For complete information, consult a current copy of the Delta College Student Handbook.

10. You may not represent yourself as someone else, or send messages that appear to originate from someone else (“spoofing”).

11. You have free speech and academic freedom rights in electronic forms of communication as you do in other forms of communication. However, your responsibilities may be somewhat different because of the nature of the medium.

Electronic messages may be accessible to unintended audiences. The College will not impose restraints or monitor content of communications except as required by applicable law and system administration requirements. Your communications are subject to such laws, including those regarding others’ rights to privacy, licensing or copyright, prohibition of defamation, or prohibition of harassment or stalking, and the consequences of violations can be severe.

12. Your access to resources of the College, including access to electronic resources, is a privilege and not a right.

13. You must observe classroom and computer lab policies and procedures, and comply with instructions of support staff in the computer labs and OIT staff. In particular, you will vacate workstations or the facility and will surrender other resources (such as printers and software) promptly when asked to do so both at closing times and when necessary to permit access by others.

• • • • • • • • • •

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Harassment, such as repeated unwanted communication or communication that threatens; Violation of others’ privacy; Destruction or damage to equipment, software or data of the College or others; Violation of computer system security; Use of computer accounts or access codes without permission, or permitting another unauthorized person to use accounts or access codes; Violation of copyright or software license agreements; Negligent or deliberate inappropriate use of the resource in ways that degrades service for other users, including viruses, Trojan Horses, worms and the like; Academic dishonesty; Violation of College policy or local, state or federal law; Using computer resources for any purpose which is criminal, unethical, dishonest, damaging to the reputation of the College, or likely to subject the College to liability; “Spamming” or the non-commercial equivalent, defined as sending a large volume of unsolicited e-mail which is irrelevant to most if not all recipients.

15. You have full responsibility for statements made via the electronic resources of the College, including statements on any personal Web pages. Such statements do not represent the opinions of the College or any other member of the College community. Your personal Web page should include the following disclaimer at the bottom of the first page: “This space is provided as a service by Delta College. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the College.”

17. Consequences and process will depend on the violation.

When required to protect others or system integrity, immediate termination, removal of pages or other materials, or suspension of user privileges may occur. Otherwise, the user will normally be notified of the alleged infraction and will have an opportunity to respond to a person or body separate from system administration, and will have an opportunity to appeal. The process used will depend on the nature of the alleged infraction, and could be heard under the Student Violation of College Rules and Regulations, Senate Policy 8.045; Disciplinary Action, Support Staff Policies and Procedures 1.12; Affirmative Action or Sexual Harassment complaint procedures, or other appropriate college procedures, or could be referred to outside legal authorities where violations of local, state or federal law are involved. Penalties imposed may range from warnings to suspension of privileges for a temporary, definite, or indefinite period, to termination of employment or expulsion from classes or from the College, to civil suit or criminal prosecution and the penalties resulting from those actions.

16. The following list is provided as an illustration, but not an exhaustive list, of the kinds of uses that could subject you to penalties by the College or by outside authority:

18. Delta College reserves the right to monitor, manage, and control the usage of these resources and to make changes in these guidelines without prior notice.

14. You should assume that anything you access may be copyrighted. Absence of a © notice does not mean that the material is not copyrighted. That means that, for example, before you download a document, an image, or any other media to your web page, you should ask the author’s permission.

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APPOINTMENTS &and REMOVALS

Recruitment of personnel The editors are responsible for recruiting new staff members and training them for their duties. The editors are expected to make periodic visits to appropriate classes, as well as other recruitment events, as part of their ongoing recruitment effort.

These events include, but are not limited to, welcome week events, club and organization days, Coffee with the Collegiate, etc.

Disciplinary action by student editors If at any time an editor should become dissatisfied with the conduct of any staff member, the student editor may initiate disciplinary action.

The student editors have the authority to issue reprimands in the form of warnings, suspensions, or expulsions to staffers whose conduct is in conflict with the objectives of The Delta Collegiate. In all cases, the questionable action of a staffer should be measured against performance of job-related duties, and not on the basis of personalities. It is recommended that student managers discuss disciplinary actions with the adviser prior to action.

Disciplinary remedies In all cases, the editor is required to document in writing the reason and the rationale for the disciplinary action taken. The disciplinary remedies available to the manager are as follows: 1. WARNING NOTICE — A written document from the student editor that notifies the staffer of the job related infractions and lists resulting consequences for additional infractions. The following infractions may result in a formal warning notice and may affect a staffer’s pay: • Failure to meet an established deadline.

• Failure to maintain office hours as established.

• Failure to attend mandatory staff meetings without a proper excuse.

• Failure to uphold duties of the office.

• Failure to comply with Collegiate policies.

• Ineligibility for academic or other reasons.

2. NOTICE OF SUSPENSION FROM STAFF — A written document from the editor, usually issued only after one or more written warnings have been issued, which notifies the staffer of suspension from the staff for a specific

period of time not to exceed two weeks. During this time, the staffer will not be awarded any assignments, nor will the staffer be paid, unless other arrangements are discussed and agreed upon by the editor-in-chief. During the term of the suspension, the staffer and the section editor or editorin-chief are encouraged to meet and to discuss the reasons and rationale for the suspension. Once a suspension has been lifted, the staffer may again resume normal staff duties.

3. EXPULSION FROM STAFF — A written document from the section editor, issued as a last resort only after the staffer has been given written warnings and suspension(s) notices, which terminates a staff member from affiliation with The Delta Collegiate, unless other arrangements are discussed and agreed upon by the editorial board.

4. CONFIDENTIALITY — A disciplinary action is considered a personnel action and, thus, is confidential.

When the editor issues a written reprimand, the editor must retain a file copy of the reprimand and is advised to have the reprimanded staffer sign the file copy of the reprimand as acknowledgment of its receipt and give a copy to the adviser.

5. EXTRAORDINARY SUSPENSION — In a few, exceptional cases, the section editor has the authority to immediately suspend a staff member without issuing a formal warning. These instances include, but are not limited to, the following infractions: • Plagiarism.

• Maliciously falsifying a news report.

• Maliciously misrepresenting the newspaper.

• Malicious destruction of newspaper property.

• Acceptance of money or other special considerations in exchange for favorable news coverage or a promise of news coverage.

• Using student media equipment to view sexually explicit materials.

Disciplinary action appeal A staffer may file an appeal with the editor-in-chief, unless the editor-in-chief issued the punishment. In that case the student may file an appeal with the adviser about the student editor’s decision regarding suspension or expulsion from the staff. The adviser will work with editors to review the appeal.

The adviser or editor-in-chief will arrange a meeting between the section editor and the reprimanded staffer to discuss the section editor’s actions, and seek to adjudicate any

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ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS CODE OF ETHICS

disagreement. Subsequently, the adviser or editor-in-chief will issue a written opinion regarding the suspension or expulsion.

Resignation from staff The Delta Collegiate staffers have a right to resign their position at any time. Written notice of a resignation is requested.

Code of ethics To seek truth and to publish it is the two-step goal of a journalist. Despite the complexities of today’s college media world, truth-seeking remains paramount. To help journalists be true to this goal, newspapers, magazines and yearbooks adopt rules and guidelines, which are often called a code of ethics, for their members to follow. The code contains specific standards of conduct and moral judgments. Some points are specific and inflexible; others may be imprecise due to extenuating circumstances. Some are based on law. Once a code is adopted, it brings desirable uniformity to some degree in the group’s search for truth. The code answers questions and reminds those who operate under it that standards of honesty and performance exist. A code of ethics is not a burden; rather, a code is a useful license to practice news gathering and publishing free of much uncertainty. The code can be used individually by men and women to measure their work.

The code can also be used to evaluate the integrity of the publication as a consumer product. Readers should expect nothing less than the truth; adoption of a code of ethics by those who publish helps safeguard the public trust given to journalists.

A model ethics policy statement may be adopted without changes, but it is more likely that a staff will want to individualize the code to fit any unique characteristics of the campus and the publication. Ideally, this model will be suitable for newspapers, yearbooks and magazines published by students. However, some of the points may be more appropriate for one type of publication than another. Finally, the realities of budgets and staff numbers may make some points impractical or impossible to follow completely. If the complete model is unattainable, a staff will want to adopt those points which are important and attainable regardless of limitations caused by budgets and other factors.

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A staff should view a code of ethics as a living document.

All staff members should have a copy; it should be discussed at a staff meeting at the start of a publishing term; all new recruits, including volunteers and paid staff, should be introduced to the code as a part of their orientation. It should be revised as needs change and it should be compared to other codes for completeness. Collegiate journalists who follow a code of ethics will find the transition to commercial or nonstudent media easier.

1. Free Travel To remain free of influence or obligation to report a story, the journalist, in pursuit of a story, should not accept free travel, accommodations or meals related to travel. For convenience, sports reporters may travel on team charters, but the publication should pay the cost of the transportation and related expenses. The same pay-as-you-go policy should apply to non-sports reporting as well, including businesses and governments. Free travel and accommodations that are noncoverage related and provided by a vendor may be accepted if the primary purpose is for education or training and is related to the fulfillment of an agreement or contract.

2. Gifts Gifts should not be accepted. Any gift should be returned to the sender or sent to charity. If the gift is of no significant value, such as a desk trinket, small food item, or pen, the staff may retain the gift. As a guideline, if the value is under $10, the gift may be kept. More than one gift in one year, even if under $10, from the same giver may not be accepted.

3. Free Tickets, Passes, Discounts If money is available, staffers assigned to cover a sporting event, lecture, play, concert, movie, or other entertainment event should pay for admission. Free tickets or passes may be accepted by staff members assigned to cover an event or by those attending for legitimate news purposes. Press facilities at these events may only be used by the staff members who are assigned to cover the event. Free tickets or passes may be accepted by staff members for personal use only if tickets are available on the same basis to non-journalists.

4. Ownership of Books, Records, Other Products Given for Review Any materials given to the publication for review become the property of the publication and not of any individual staff member. The editor reserves the right to disperse the property in an equitable way.

ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS CODE OF ETHICS

5. Other Employment Other employment should not conflict with the staffer’s first responsibilities to the publication. The staffer must report any other employment to the editor to avoid any conflicts of interest with assignments or other staff editorial or business responsibilities or influences.

6. Other Campus Media Work To avoid a conflict of interest, the staffer should not hold similar positions on two or more campus news, public information, or public relations media or organizations.

7. Other Off-Campus or Free Lance Media Work Approval of work for an off-campus news medium and free lance media work should be sought in advance of the commitment. It is permissible only in a noncompetitive medium, on staffer’s own time and should not conflict with the staffer’s obligations to the publication.

8. Membership in Campus Organizations Staffers may not cover a campus organization they belong to, or participate in any editorial or business decisions regarding that organization. Staffers may provide story leads about the organizations to which they belong to other staffers. Staffers should report their memberships to their supervising editor.

To maintain the role of the press as an independent watchdog of the government, a staffer should not be an elected or appointed member of student government.

9. Outside Activities, Including Political Political involvement, holding off-campus public office and service in community organizations should be considered carefully to avoid compromising professional integrity and that of the publication. The notion of the journalist as an independent observer and fact-finder is important to preserve.

A staffer involved in specific political action, especially in a leadership role, should not be assigned to cover that involvement.

10. Relationships and Coverage Staffers must declare conflicts and avoid involvement in stories dealing with members of their families. Staff members should not cover — in words, photographs, or artwork — or make news judgments about family members or persons with whom they have a financial, adversarial, or close sexual or platonic relationship. Intrastaff dating is not recommended if one person assigns or evaluates the work of the other person or if one is in a position to promote the other to a higher staff position.

11. Use of Alcoholic Beverages While on Assignment Even though a staffer may be able to drink legally, no or only light drinking in a social setting such as dinner or reception is recommended to avoid any suspicion by a source or the public that the staffer’s judgment, credibility or objectivity is impaired by alcohol. When covering an event where alcohol is served, staffers should not accept free drinks unless all drinks are free to everyone in attendance. Staffers should avoid the appearance that they are being “wined and dined” by any source or group.

12. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is: (verbal) suggestive comments, sexual innuendo, threats insults, jokes about sex-specific traits, sexual propositions; (non-verbal) vulgar gestures, whistling, leering, suggestive or insulting noises; (physical) touching, pinching, brushing of the body, coercing sexual intercourse, assault. This conduct can be called job related harassment when submission is made implicitly or explicitly a condition of employment, a condition of work related assignments, compensation and other factors, or if such conduct interferes with the staffer’s performance or creates a hostile, intimidating or offensive work environment.

Sexual harassment is prohibited. A staff should establish a procedure to report any harassment claim. That procedure should include at least two alternate methods of reporting, information on how the claim will be investigated, and what will be done to correct the situation if it is real harassment. A staff meeting that includes a discussion of sexual harassment and working conditions is recommended at the start of each publishing term.

13.Plagiarism of Words, Art, Other Plagiarism is prohibited and is illegal if the material is copyright protected. For the purposes of this code, plagiarism is defined as the word-for-word duplication of another person’s writing and shall be limited to passages that contain distinctively personal thoughts, uniquely stylized phraseology or exclusive facts. A comparable prohibition applies to the use of graphics. Information obtained from a published work must be independently verified before it can be reported as a new, original story. This policy also forbids lifting verbatim paragraphs from a wire service without attribution or pointing out that wire stories were used in compiling the story.

Material that is published online, on the internet, should be treated in the same way as if it were published in more traditional broadcast media.

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ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS CODE OF ETHICS

14. Fabrication of Any Kind The use of composite characters or imaginary situations or characters will not be allowed in news or feature stories.

A columnist may, occasionally, use such an approach in developing a piece, but it must be clear to the reader that the person or situation is fictional and the column is commentary and not reporting. The growth of narrative story development (storytelling devices) means that reporters and editors should be especially careful not to mix fact with fiction, and not to embellish fact with fictional details, regardless of their significance.

15. Electronically Altered Photos Electronically altering the content of photos for news and general feature stories or as stand-alone news and feature photos is not allowed. Exceptions to this would be adjustments to contrast and similar technical enhancements that don’t affect the truthfulness of the subject and context of the subject or scene. Content may be altered for creative purposes as a special effect for a feature story if the caption or credit line includes that fact and if an average reader would not mistake the photo for reality. These photos are usually tagged as photo illustrations. In a news medium, readers expect photos and stories to be truthful.

16. Photo Illustration and Re-enactments Set-ups or posed scenes may be used if the average reader will not be misled or if the caption or credit line tells readers that it is a photo illustration or a re-enactment or re-staging of an event, including award presentations. Recording the original action is always preferred.

17. Use of Photographs of Victims of Accidents, Fires, Natural Disasters Photos have a tremendous impact on readers. The question of privacy versus the public’s right to know should be considered. The line between good and bad taste and reality and sensationalism is not always easy to draw. Care should be taken to maintain the dignity of the subject as much as possible without undermining the truth of the event. In making a final decision on a photo of this type, an editor should consider: Do the readers need information from this photo that helps explain the event better than words or another photo? Who is hurt by the publication of this photo?

18. Reporting Names, Addresses of Crime Victims Staffers need to know the state laws that govern the publication of the names of crime victims. Customarily the names of rape victims are not published; however some news mediums have asked rape victims to identify themselves for publication. This may be negotiated between the victim

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and the publication. Victims of nonsexual crimes may be identified, but the publication has a responsibility to give some protection to the victims such as giving imprecise addresses. With the exception of major crimes, predetermined by the editor, an arrested person is not named until charges are filed. However, to avoid a subjective list of exceptions, it is acceptable to withhold all names, regardless of the crime, until charges are filed.

19. Cooperation with Law Enforcement, Government, College Administration To be an effective watchdog on other agencies, a publication must remain independent. The publication should not take over any duties of any outside agency; cooperation or involvement in the work of these agencies should be restricted to what is required by law. Staffers should know any freedom of information, open meetings, and shield laws that apply to their work. If a staffer thinks any public authority is interfering with the staffer’s functions as a journalist, the incident should be reported to the editor. The editor should then seek advice from groups such as the Student Press Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union or an editor or media attorney for a nearby, non-student publication.

20. Scrutiny of a Public Person’s Life Conflicts exist between a person’s desire for privacy and the public good or the public’s right to know about a public person’s life. Persons who freely choose to become public celebrities or public servants should expect a greater level of scrutiny in their life than a private person — even a private person who suddenly is involved in a public situation. Staffers should make judgments based on the real news value of the situation, common sense, and decency. Reporters and photographers should make it clear that he or she does not want to be interviewed or photographed. One exception is those who are involved in criminal activity or in court.

Publishing intimate details of a person’s life, such as their health or sexual activities, should be done with extreme care and only if the facts are important for the completeness of a story and reflect a significant way upon the person’s public life.

21. Profane, Vulgar Words, Explicit Sexual Language The primary audience of a student publication is adults.

Profane and vulgar words are a part of everyday conversation, but not generally used for scholarly or general audience writing. During the interview stage of news gathering, staffers will encounter interviewees who use words viewed as vulgar or profane. The staff may decide to limit references to prevent the vulgar or profane language from overshadowing the other, more important facts of the story. Profane and

ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS CODE OF ETHICS

vulgar words are not acceptable for opinion writing – columns, editorials, and other commentary. Though they may be vulgar or profane, individual words are not obscene.

Explicit language — but not vulgar; street language — describing sexual activities and human body parts and functions should be used for accurate reporting of health stories and, in more limited way, for sexual crime stories.

22. Sexist Language Staffers should avoid sexist labels and descriptive language.

Replace such language with neutral terms and descriptions.

23. Negative Stereotyping Staffers should take care in writing to avoid applying commonly thought but usually erroneous group stereotypes to individuals who are a member of a particular group.

Generalizations, often based upon stereotypes, can be misleading and inaccurate. In a broader sense, writers, photographers and artists should avoid more subtle stereotyping in their selection of interviewees and subjects of photographs or illustrations. Some examples of negative stereotypes: unmarried, black teen welfare mothers; unemployed alcohol-using Native Americans; overweight, longhaired white biker outlaws; effeminate gays; inarticulate, “dumb” blonde women. It is also advisable to avoid sexual stereotyping in choice of subjects for stories, photographs, and illustrations on sports, political or social issues such as equal rights.

24. Use of Racial, Ethnic, Religious, Sexual Orientation, Other Group Identifiers Identification of a person as a member of any population group should be limited to those cases when that membership is essential for the reader’s complete understanding of the story; it should be done with great care so as not to perpetuate negative or positive group stereotyping. When identifiers are used, it is important that the correct one be used. Some examples of identifiers: Hispanic, Jew, lesbian, Italian, person with AIDS (PWA), physically challenged, hearing impaired.

25. False Identity, Stolen Documents, Concealed Recording, Eavesdropping In the ordinary course of reporting, no staffers shall misrepresent themselves as anything other than representatives of the publication. In extraordinary circumstances, when an editor judges that the information cannot be gotten in any other way and the value of that information to the readers is important, the editor may authorize a misrepresentation. Staffers may not steal or knowingly receive stolen materials regardless of their importance to a story. Except in situations judged by an editor

as extraordinary, a staffer shall not record an interview or meeting without the interviewees permission or the obvious placement of a recording device (not hidden) at the start of the interview or meeting in which case the interview or meeting in which the case the interviewee or newsmakers do not object and are aware of the presence of a recording device.

Committing an illegal act to eavesdrop on a source is not allowed. State laws on the use of recording devices should be checked.

26. Granting and Preserving Confidentiality to Sources A reporter should not promise confidentiality to a source without permission of the editor. Confidentiality should only be given if there is a real danger that physical, emotional or financial harm will come to the source if his or her name were revealed. The editor should have all the facts and the source’s name before the decision is made. The editor should know of any laws pertaining to confidentiality and disclosure before a decision is made. A reporter should make every attempt to get the same information from another source who agrees to be named since the goal is to attribute all information to a specific source for all stories.

27. Anonymous Sources Generally, anonymous sources are not used in stories.

Information that comes from an unnamed source or unknown source should not be used unless it can be verified through another, known source. If two independent sources verify the information and both are unnamed, an editor may decide to publish the information with careful consideration of the need of immediacy and the news value of the information. The source may be identified generally as one associated with an agency to give some degree of credibility to the information.

(See 26: Confidentiality) The danger exists that the reader might not believe the information if sources are not given; the publication’s credibility might suffer; information obtained later from a named source and verified might disprove the information given by the unnamed or unknown sources.

28. No response from Subject If the subject of a story does not respond to a reporter’s inquiry, the reporter may use the failure to respond in the story. However, use the verb “refused” to respond cautiously because of its connotation. It is often better to use “declined” or “would not respond.” If the subject cannot be reached, it is acceptable to say that the subject was not available for comment. The difference for comment should be clear to the reader.

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ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS CODE OF ETHICS

29. Sources on the internet Reporters who use the internet and e-mail to interview sources should identify themselves as a reporter immediately, and should verify the source’s identity with a follow-up telephone call. The source should be told that the information given is for a story. Information from internet chat rooms and bulletin boards should not be used except as background or if used, it should be attributed as “from the internet.”

Since some information on the Internet may not be accurate, verification of facts through another source is especially important.

30. Corrections An inaccuracy is never knowingly published. If any error is found, the publication is obligated to correct the error as soon as possible, regardless of the source of the error. A consistent location for the publication of corrections is recommended.

Such a location could be on the editorial or op-ed page of a newspaper. It should be clearly and prominently labeled as a correction. Clarifications may also be labeled and published in the same manner. For online publications, a corrections and clarifications link could be on the home page.

31. Ownership of Work Regardless of whether a staffer is paid or a volunteer, the publication “owns” the published and unpublished work done by staffers if the work was done as a staff assignment.

Ownership of unpublished work may revert to the staffer at a certain time if the editor agrees with this arrangement.

The publication has unlimited use of the work. The act of voluntarily joining a staff indicated approval of this policy.

32. Contests, Honors The publication has a proprietary interest in the material it publishes. Thus, the publication as a voting group or top editors are entitled to determine which entries will represent its contests. This will avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest that might occur if staffers were to win or accept awards from organizations they are assigned to cover. Awards presented to the staff as a whole or to the publication generally become the property of the publication. Individuals who win awards for work published in the staff publication may accept the award and retain ownership of it.

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33. Separation of Reporting from Commentary To help the reader separate fact-based reporting from commentary, in the form of personal columns, editorials, analysis and similar opinion writing, all commentary should be labeled or somehow clearly and consistently identified as opinion, especially when it is outside the editorial or op-ed pages and mixed with fact-based reporting.

34. Influence of Advertisers Editors should guard against attempts made by advertisers and others in the publication’s business office to influence the editorial content of the print or online publication.

The editorial staff reserves the right to make all decisions about any editorial coverage an advertiser may get in the publication, including advertising supplements. Readers should not perceive that an advertiser is getting favorable editorial mention simply because the advertiser has bought space in the publication.

35. Acceptance of Reader Feedback Editors and reporters should invite reader feedback and participation in the publication. Reaction by readers to what has been published should be invited through all methods of communication: paper, e-mail, phone, fax, and in person visits. The publication should hold periodic open forums or open houses for readers. Reader opinions and suggestions on a range of issues can be solicited at these forums and can form the basis for future reporting or commentary.

36. Reporter’s Checklist Through all the steps in the reporting process, from conceptualizing the story assignment, through information gathering and prewriting, to writing, editing and final publication, a reporter must answer these questions: 1. Why am I reporting the story?

2. Is the story fair?

3. Have I attempted to report all angles?

4. Who will the story affect?

5. Can I defend my decision to report the story?

Often, a reporter consults with an editor regarding these questions, especially if the answers are troublesome.

office management

Personal Items

Office keys

The Office of Student Media does not ensure the security of personal equipment, such as textbooks, library books, stereos, purses, book bags, or other personal belongings.

All staff is allowed to access the newsroom and use the computers and other equipment for conducting newspaper business. The following procedures apply: • The editor-in-chief will forward a list of staffers eligible to receive a key to Public Safety.

• Staff can visit Public Safety at N-102 to check out a newsroom key.

• Issued keys are the responsibility of the student to whom they are issued.

• After unlocking the newsroom it is best to return the key back to Public Safety immediately. This prevents students forgetting to return the key or losing it.

Cleanliness & Professionalism It is the individual staff member’s responsibility to keep their work area clean. Because the offices are visited frequently by students, faculty and advertising clients, it is essential that work areas present a clean and professional image. This professionalism should be extended to use of the telephone, the greeting of visitors, appearance of the office, as well as the treatment of a fellow staff member.

If a staffer fails to keep their work area or any other part of the office neat, other staffers will do the cleaning-and perhaps dump important items in the process.

Please do not eat or drink near the computers. Smoking is not permitted in any Delta buildings.

Appliances The newsroom has a microwave and coffee machine available for student use. If you eat in the office, please clean up afterward. Remember not to eat or drink near any of the machines.

Security & Safety For security reasons, staff members are discouraged from working in the offices after midnight, even on production nights. No one should leave the offices unescorted at night or when working on weekends or holidays. If no other students are available, call Public Safety for an escort.

Also, the last person to leave the office should turn off the lights and equipment as directed. Check the door to make sure it is locked.

If a fire alarm is sounded or a fire is evident evacuate the area immediately. Exit to the nearest prescribed exit.

Staff meetings Staff are required to attend all general staff meetings unless excused by the editor-in-chief.

Telephones, local calls There is no secretary, so everyone has to answer phones.

If you are next to the phone, be prepared to answer it. At particularly busy times, the editor-in-chief may choose to ask a member of the staff to be especially prepared to answer phones. Pick up the phone and answer with something polite like “Delta Collegiate, may I help you?” If the staffer is available, or if you have to leave the phone, politely put the caller on hold and press the “hold” button. If the sought after person is not available, take a message, including the caller’s name, number, time of call, any message and your name. You should then e-mail the staff member with the message.

Always be polite on the phone and be sensitive to noise when others are on the phone.

Computer Usage Computers are to stay in the office at all times. They are to be used for official Collegiate business, and very limited personal reasons. The computers are exclusively reserved for the production of the paper all week. All computers will be available for layout on these days.

Only Collegiate staff members can use the computers for personal use. However, personal use of the computers comes only after official Collegiate business.

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GENERAL POLICIES

The Delta Collegiate staff members are reminded that they have been entrusted as stewards of the facilities, equipment, and supplies furnished for their use through Delta College.

Printer Usage The printer is to be used for official Collegiate business only.

The staff are not required to keep track of their prints, but they should keep in mind that toner is expensive and should not be wasted. Only print when absolutely necessary.

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Personal use of the printer is not allowed. Staff may print personal or school work in the library.

Corrections policy The Collegiate never knowingly publishes inaccuracies. If any error is found, the Collegiate is obligated to correct the error as soon as possible, regardless of the source of the error. The Collegiate does not remove any editorial content from its web site. However, if there is a factual inaccuracy in a story, the editors will run a correction or an update as needed. When a person calls in question of a fact published, they should never be guaranteed a correction will run. A section editor must first confirm that the fact in question is an inaccuracy.

As a general rule, the Collegiate does not run any piece of information that we are not 100 percent sure is correct. That being said, mistakes are inevitable. Reporters and editors must be responsive and forthright in dealing with accuracy issues. The news organization serves as a historical record and any blemishes must be corrected.

As such, the Collegiate has implemented the following policy with respect to running corrections: • Anytime a member of the Collegiate staff becomes aware of a potential error, they should immediately refer it to the Editor-in-Chief, and the relevant section editor.

It shouldn’t take a complaint from a source to run a correction.

• Upon notification, editors will immediately examine the error. Is it a mistake? Why did it happen? How can it be corrected?

• A call about a correction should not be treated as a headache but as an opportunity to make amends and ensure that our credibility does not suffer. Showing sources that we care about being accurate is essential to our success and often the best way to avoid legal troubles.

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Calls from sources or readers about potential mistakes should be returned or handled promptly by the relevant section editor. If a correction is warranted, the relevant section editor and reporter will issue a sincere apology to the caller.

Corrections will be printed in the next week’s paper and will run prominently on the same page. Corrections to the print and online product will also be noted on our website with the date and time of the change and a note referring to the nature of the change.

If it is warranted, the reporter or editor will also call the sources involved and apologize directly. During the call they should provide an explanation to the source.

Mistakes can happen during the course of news flow, and most sources understand this and will be willing to forgive them. Calling gives them an opportunity to do so and shows that we take errors seriously.

The Editor-in-Chief will be the final arbiter as to what constitutes a correction or clarification.

Interviews via email When conversing with a source, the preference is to speak with them in person. If that is not possible, phone/skype interviews are acceptable. Email interviews are less desirable, and any info obtained in an email should be acknowledged (for example, “Smith said in an email”).

Suicide Coverage Policy Suicides that occur outside the public’s view are not generally reported. Those that occur in public, cause public disruption or involve public figures are reported. The overriding reason the Collegiate does not cover most suicides is consideration for the victim’s family and many suicide prevention experts argue that suicide stories, particularly those involving children and teens, may generate more suicides. Coverage is handled by the editor in chief on a case-by-case basis.

Prior Reading of Copy/Prior Review Policy A reporter should never agree to let a subject read a story before publication, regardless of the arguments that a subject makes. A reporter should refer all such requests to the editor who has the ultimate authority to allow reading, but who is discouraged from doing so. Reporters are encouraged to read back quotes to subjects, however.

website and social media POLICIES

If there are any questions about the story or any facts, then the reporter should check back with the subject prior to publication to confirm the material. Audio recorders are recommended for all interviews, but should not replace good note taking.

The student publications adviser supports the Collegiatel as an open forum and will not engage in censorship, prior restraint, or even prior review. Writers and editors are encouraged to seek out the adviser as a writing coach or to advise on ethical, legal, or controversial matters. In these cases, the adviser will advise and in no way dictate.

Article Comments The Collegiate website allows reader comments on its articles and other content. Readers must register with the site to leave comments. Comments may be edited for brevity and clarity but will never be removed or edited because of the commenter’s ideology or viewpoint. However, comments with excessive profanity, that steer too far off topic, that are libelous or that resort to personal attacks are subject to removal. Comments made on the Collegiate website or social media sites may be republished in the Collegiate’s print edition. In the interest of remaining objective, staff members are not allowed to post comments on stories on the Collegiate website. On the rare occasion, the Editor-in-Chief may post comments to stories. If a staff member feels that a staff comment is needed on a story, they should discuss this with the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief is the final decision maker regarding the removal of article comments.

Online Archives The Collegiate policy is that we do not remove articles or portions thereof or letters to the editor or portions thereof once they’ve been published online. This applies retroactively to all archival materials found on the Collegiate website. The Collegiate also does not remove author’s names from said articles or letters. Articles may be corrected or amended if it is determined that the material is libelous or inaccurate.

In extreme cases where the Collegiate Editor-in-Chief determines that follow-up material should be reported, such as in coverage of criminal cases, the Collegiate will amend the article. If a correction or amendment has been made, the change will be noted in an editor’s note placed at the top of the article, along with the date and time of the alteration.

Personal Blogs and Websites The Collegiate respects staff members’ rights to free expression and does not explicitly prohibit staff members from maintaining blogs and other websites. However, the Collegiate also expects staff members to adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, including that journalists should “act independently.” According to the SPJ Code of Ethics, “journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know. Journalists should: avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived, and remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.” Hence, it is expected that staff members will avoid discussing topics on their personal blogs and websites that could affect their ability to maintain integrity, objectivity and credibility as Collegiate staff members. It is up to each staff member to determine, based on their individual beat, section or assignment, what content is appropriate for their personal blog or website.

Staff members who are unsure where to draw the line should discuss it with the section editor and/or the Editor-in-Chief.

Additionally, some specific guidelines have been established regarding the Collegiate in general, regardless of a staff member’s specific assignment. These guidelines are for the protection of the Collegiate and all staff members. On personal blogs and Websites: • Staff members should not write about the internal workings of the Collegiate and the content of personal blogs or Websites should not be based upon internal conversations, discussions and/or decisions; • A staff member’s affiliation with the Collegiate should not be the focus of his/ her personal blog or Website; • Staff members may not post material on personal blogs or Websites intended for publication in the Collegiate or on the Collegiate Website. Postings after from the Collegiate and include a hyperlink to the original posting.

Other Article Tools Staff bios: Online staff bios will contain, at minimum, the staff member’s full name and position. Additionally, staff bios may contain information about the staff member’s college, graduation year, major and experience.

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website and social media POLICIES

Social media policy The Delta Collegiate encourages its reporters to be involved with social media. We offer the following guidelines to our staff members: • Understand that your profile and presence on social networks represents yourself and the Collegiate. Be thoughtful with what you say.

• If you using your account for Collegiate reporting, such as a Twitter account, identify yourself as a Collegiate reporter in your profile.

• Tell your editor if you plan to tweet as a Collegiate reporter. Likewise, let your editor know if you plan to livetweet something.

• In general, do not post something online that would not be appropriate to run in the paper or on DeltaCollegiate. com.

• You must disclose yourself as a Collegiate reporter to potential sources the same way you would if you were meeting face-to-face.

• Do not disclose political affiliation on profiles and do not write about your political preferences in updates.

• Do not criticize a colleague’s work.

• Promoting your work via social media is encouraged.

• In the interest of transparency, staff meetings are considered open unless otherwise stated.

• It is acceptable to “friend” sources, but do it evenly.

• Respond to people who contact you via social media.

If you aren’t the appropriate person to answer their questions, refer them to whoever is.

Manipulation of archives The Delta Collegiate and its website, DeltaCollegiate.com, strive to report the truth as accurately as possible on news events of the day. Online archives are a part of the institutional memory of the newspaper and a historical record of our community. As such, we will not remove nor attempt to hide from commercial search engines any material in our online archives – news stories, story comments, editorials, opinion columns, photographs or graphic illustrations. If an error in our archived content is brought to our attention and documented to our satisfaction, we will append the original article with an editor’s note acknowledging the change made to the original archive, as well as the date and time any changes were made.

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To make a complaint that archived content is inaccurate, contact the Editor-in-Chief in writing by letter or email with the following information: • Name, telephone number and e-mail address • The URL address of the content in question, and • The specific content that is inaccurate and an explanation of how the information is inaccurate.

In the case of content published more than one year ago, the complainant must provide reasonable proof to the Editor-inChief that the content in question is no longer accurate. For example, a copy of expungement papers should be provided in case any criminal charges are dropped. If published more than a year ago, contested quotes are highly unlikely to be amended without written or audio documentation.

If the contested content was published less than a year ago, normal internal procedures for checking the material’s accuracy will apply, and you may be asked to provide written documentation. Updates or corrections may be added if the material is factually inaccurate, but nothing will be removed.

In the event of a correction, a note detailing the date and time of the change will be included. The request will be reviewed and checked by the editor and if the editor determines it to be valid, an update or correction will be posted.

Community guidelines for DeltaCollegiate.com The comments you read should engage you, not turn you off. These guidelines are designed to preserve a level of discussion that is welcoming of all views while allowing for disagreement.

• • • • • •

Be nice. We won’t tolerate posts that insult others by using gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual preference or disabilities.

Be yourself. Users who pretend to be other individuals will be banned from the site. Use one identity on the site.

Be honest. We remove comments if we know them to be false.

Be appropriate. We won’t tolerate posts that are obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit.

Be thoughtful. This is a space for conversation, not attacks. Don’t undermine the debate.

Be discreet. We won’t tolerate posts that violate the privacy of others.

website management and Photography Ethics / Policies

We don’t edit comments, but we reserve the right to remove them if they violate these guidelines. And we reserve the right to remove comments that violate the spirit of these guidelines as well. We regularly patrol comments, but sometimes we’ll miss something. If you think a comment violates our guidelines, contact our Web Editor.

By posting a comment, you accept these guidelines. We’ll try to give you one warning before removing your commenting privileges. We also reserve the right to remove those privileges without warning. If you have a question or want to discuss why we removed a comment, the Web Editor is more than happy to do so.

Access Levels The Editor in Chief, managing/executive editor, Web Editor and director of student publications will have full access to the Website and its content. Section editors will have “editor” level access to the website. Other staff members will be granted access based on their position, access need and web duties (such as maintaining blogs or advertising). The Collegiate will err on the side of caution in the granting of web access.

Posting of Content The Web Editor, and section editors when needed, are responsible for uploading all content, including any photos and graphics, from each issue to the website. The Editorin-Chief will determine story priorities and give this information, along with any additional information (such as the week’s poll or message to readers), to the section editors.

Section editors are also responsible for editing online exclusive and breaking content throughout the week. News and sports editors should encourage writers to finish timely articles as quickly as possible so that they may be published online first. A&E, CollegiateLife, and photographers are also responsible for developing online exclusive content for their respective sections.

Web Voice of the Collegiate

regarding the editorial content of the Collegiate on the website.

Photography code of ethics In this day of digital photography, it is essential for newspapers to have a set of ethics governing the manipulation of photos. With such tools as Photoshop, it is very easy to alter a photo without leaving any hint that it has been changed.

Digital Alteration of Photos Because readers expect photographs to show a scene exactly as it was, the staff has a responsibility to use only photos that are truthful. In other words, photos should not be altered in ways that change the impression that they convey to readers.

Items should never be digitally inserted into photos. In rare cases, objects may be cut or blurred out of focus provided that the changes do not result in a photo that is misleading.

Major alterations, such as placing the head of one person on someone else’s body, is permissible only when the section editor makes it obvious to the reader that the photo has been changed.

A general rule of thumb governing alterations of digital photos is this: if the alteration is something that can be done to a negative in a darkroom (such as dodging, burning, or fogging in certain areas), then it is permissible to make that alteration to a digital photo.

Ownership of Photos For the purpose of determining if a photo is the property of the Collegiate, the photographer must have taken the photo in question at the request of a member of the Collegiate staff.

If the photographer does not wish to give up ownership of the photo, he or she should inform the Collegiate at the time he or she is asked to photograph a particular event for the newspaper.

The Editor-in-Chief is the editorial voice and face of the Collegiate online. Only the Editor-in-Chief, or their designee, will post corrections, comments or other items

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News and Editorial Standards

Crediting Photos Photos that appear in the Collegiate should be properly credited. A section editor does a great disservice to the photographer by failing to do so. In most cases, the only photos that do not have credits are “mug shots.”

Photos that are taken by Collegiate photographers should be credited with the photographer’s name (e.g. “Josephine Norris/Delta Collegiate”). If the photo was taken over a year ago and belongs to the Collegiate, “Collegiate FILE PHOTO” should be used for the photo credit. Photos for which the Collegiate has not purchased the rights should have the word “COURTESY” in the credit (e.g. “COURTESY JOE SMITH”). “COURTESY” is not necessary if the source is an organization (e.g.

“Delta NEWS”). For photos provided by companies but taken by individuals, use the name and company (e.g. “BILLY BOB / SONY MUSIC”).

Photo Captions A good photo caption is one that tells everything that a reader needs to know in order to understand what is happening in the photo and where it is from. All individuals in a photo should be identified unless more than five individual faces are pictured. Mug shots need just the name of the person (e.g.

“Zenaido Camacho”). Other photos need captions that are complete sentences.

editors, and the publication serves as designated public forums for the college community.

The publication’s editorial content is generally classified in five categories as follows: • GENERAL SUBMISSIONS from various members of the college community or other interested parties, including news releases, letters to the editor, guest commentary, and other material.

• NEWS REPORTING submissions, typically objective journalism or interpretative/investigative journalism based on objective reporting, from newspaper staff members and/or news service agencies which chronicle spontaneous news and other events and actions.

• OPINION JOURNALISM submissions, typically subjective journalism, from newspaper staff members and others, including reviews, opinion columns, and other commentary.

• VISUAL JOURNALISM submissions which include photography (objective journalism) and graphic art (subjective journalism).

• SPECIAL SUBMISSIONS which require special handling and treatment, such as corrections and obituaries.

Editorial acceptance guides

If an individual requests a copy of a photo that appears in the Collegiate, we generally do our best to provide a digital file. If the Collegiate does not own the rights to the photo, the photographer’s permission must be obtained first. Send a digital file to avoid printing costs. Those who wish to obtain a print of a Collegiate photo should address inquiries to the photography editor.

The following guidelines apply to all news and editorial submissions to The Delta Collegiate.

• A submission should focus on information, ideas, issues and/or concepts, and should not engage in a personal attack against any individual(s).

• Each submission to the newspaper or magazine, solicited or unsolicited, is subject to standard editing practices regarding matters of journalistic style, the publication’s standard for good journalistic taste, legal considerations (including libel), and other standards as determined by the publication.

• The editor-in-chief reserves the right to reject any submission. The editor-in-chief, on written request, will provide a written explanation why such action was taken.

News & Editorial

News & Editorial Guidelines

A cornerstone of The Delta Collegiate’s purpose and philosophy is that it provides a forum for the exchange and dissemination of news and information of general interest to the college community. The editorial content of the newspaper and website is determined solely by its student

The Delta Collegiate welcomes and will consider all news and editorial submissions for publication in the form of news releases, letters to the editor or guest commentary from anyone. Members of the publications’ staffs will evaluate all submissions quickly to determine whether or not the submission meets the publication’s criteria for publication.

Requests for Published Photos

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General Newspaper Policy

• •

All submissions should be signed by their author, and include address, email address or phone number for verification.

The criteria for evaluating a submission includes, but is not limited to, the following questions: Does it have news value? Is it timely? Is it accurate? Is it important to most, or even some, of our readers? How reliable is the source?

And so on…

Letters to the Editor The Collegiate accepts letters to the editor via e-mail, postal mail or through the website. The Collegiate reserves the right to place letters in both the print and web editions of the publication. Letters to the editor are a valuable asset to the newspaper. These “guest” writers provide editors with feedback, present divergent viewpoints, and offer a good measure of readership.

• Letters must be signed, with address and phone number provided for verification.

• Letters should be no longer than 400 words in length, and the Collegiate reserves the right to edit letters for both content and length.

• Letters to the editor must be original letters directed to the newspaper. Facsimile, photocopies of letters, copies of letters to other organizations, or mass emails will not be considered for publication.

• The authenticity of each letter to the editor must be verified prior to publication.

• In cases where letters are signed by more than one individual, the newspaper will print the names of the first two signers and provide an editor’s note for the reader listing how many additional names there were.

• Letters which include lengthy lists (of people, business, and so on) will be edited severely.

• A letter writer can request anonymity, and should explain why anonymity is requested; however, it will be the editor-in-chief ’s decision alone whether or not to print the author’s name.

• The newspaper, by publishing a letter, assumes responsibility for its content.

Advertisements Full information is published in the publication schedule and rate dates sheet available from the editor-in-chief or business manager. The newspaper reserves the right to change its rates with proper notice. The newspaper reserves the right to refuse any advertisement.

Deadlines, internal Reporters are responsible to their section editor for meeting the deadline established by that department.

Solicitation of materials When the newspaper solicits editorial materials, such as the use of a photograph, newspaper staffers will exercise very reasonable effort to protect the loaned material and return it in good condition to its owner.

• The newspaper, at its expense, will endeavor to return such material.

• The newspaper assumes no responsibility for the damage beyond its control of the material or the loss of such material in the mail.

• Reporters and editors should limit this practice, should issue a written receipt for the borrowed material, and should explain this policy in detail.

Restrictions The Collegiate reserves the right to refuse any advertisement for any reason, to restrict any illustrations or copy and to verify the legitimacy of any statements made. Advertisements which discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, creed or national origin will not be printed.

Advertisements for any product or service which is illegal under the laws of the State of Michigan or the United States will likewise be refused.

Advertisements with the appearance of editorial material will be labeled with the words “Paid Advertisement.” The Collegiate also reserves the right to add the name of the advertiser to any advertisement that does not contain this information.

Ad design and fees If an ad is not camera-ready, the Collegiate will design the ad for a small fee, if necessary. An ad that is run for more than one insertion will be subject only to the initial design fee unless additional design work is desired after the first insertion.

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Afterword

Positions requests The Collegiate will make every effort to honor position requests when possible. However, advertisers must understand that late-breaking news and layout guidelines make it difficult and in some cases impossible to place ads on desired pages and in requested positions. We will notify the advertiser in advance if we cannot honor a page or position request.

Student Travel All travel funds designated for student travel are to be used for the purpose of conducting the official business of the organization or related professional conferences. Travel funds are a privilege and should be treated as such. Funding will only be available for students who are official members of the organization. Travel plans should be discussed by the editor/ adviser with the student staff in advance so that all staff members may have an opportunity to apply. Priority should be given to returning students, students who are slated to take on leadership roles, and students who have not already attended similar or identical conferences.

Afterword Nobody could possibly memorize all these rules, policies and guidelines. Nobody does. But they will help you accomplish your real task: To publish a product that is open, fair, honest and fully reflective of the Macon State College community.

You are never very far from help from editors/managers, faculty advisers, and the Student Media Coordinator. If you don’t know how to handle a situation, if the rules sometimes seem fuzzy and unworkable, do what any professional journalist tends to do: ask and ask again. Strong people look for help and advice.

Rulebooks such as this try to cover every conceivable circumstance (and a few inconceivable ones). They never do.

The toughest calls in journalism, just as in life, are the ones for which there are no rules.

Putting out a media product (newspaper, TV show, literary journal) is collaborative group work that brings together inquisitive, individualistic people. That’s what makes journalism so tough. It is also its strength. Journalism combines the strength of the individual with the collective strength of the group. Use those strengths to the fullest. Use the rules. Use your own good sense.

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Paraphrased from Arnold Rosenfeld, Editor in Chief, Cox Newspapers (1994)