Mission Statement Bloomington High School North Publications Department Mission Statement: The mission of the Bloomington High School North Publications Department is to serve as accurate, fair, and unbiased newsgathering agents and provide a limited public forum for the students and faculty to facilitate the open exchange and discussion of all ideas and issues affecting the school community.
Code of Ethics Preamble The Bloomington High School North newspaper and yearbook are publications dedicated to accurately reporting all events that affect the school’s students, staff, and community. The goal of both publications is to present factual accounts of everything on and off of the North campus. The publications also serve their audiences by operating as limited public forums for the exchange of ideas from all constituents. In order to do this, the student staff members for each publication must operate without interference from those they cover. In order to do so, all staff must work within a solid code of ethics that adheres to the strictest values of responsible journalism. Those values dictate that all journalists must remain fair and accurate as they continue along the newsgathering process. Every member of the North publications department must ensure that all material be based in truth and independent from outside and biased influence as to be fair and avoid harm. These values must be adhered to in order to provide the greatest level of credibility to the staff members and the publications they produce. Seek Truth & Report It The cornerstone to all journalistic endeavors is truth, and all North publications staff members should ensure all work is based on it. •Plagiarism & Fabrication Plagiarism and information fabrication is inexcusable and grounds for immediate dismissal from a North publication, failure of the course, and further disciplinary action if it is found the staff member used malicious intent in the copying and/or fabricating of information for publication. •Confidential Sources All North publication staff members should avoid the use of confidential sources unless deemed by the publication’s editor in chief to be vital to the integrity of the story in question. The identity of unnamed sources should remain between the material’s author and his or her editor in chief. •Avoidance of Cultural Biases A person’s race, gender, sexual preference, and/or religion are personal aspects of one’s being. Therefore, such information shall not be noted in a story or cutline unless it is relevant to the material. • Content Distortion & Illustration In order to maintain the trust their audiences, all publications must present factual information. All content that is distorted or made an illustration by staff members must be noted in publication. • Finding sources Ensure that all sides of an issue are represented fairly, and diligently seek out those with expert knowledge and first-hand accounts of all material covered. Give voice to the voiceless. Ensure that all viewpoints of an issue are covered completely and fairly, regardless of popularity. Fellow staff members should not be covered or used as sources unless absolutely necessary. • Shed light Bring all injustices to the audience. Give readers the opportunity to correct the wrong-doings that occur within the school community. • News & Opinion
To avoid confusion between what is fact or opinion, all commentary must be labeled beside its publication. There shall be no editorializing within the context of any non-commentary material. •Names Staff members will work diligently to make sure all names published within their respective publication will be spelled correctly. Minimize Harm North staff members must understand that coverage of any topic may bring harm to those involved. Staff members must show care and compassion for all those the newsgathering process affects. •Social Consciousness Be conscious of social standards that are applied in the school setting. Be aware of how coverage of all topics affects those involved after public disclosure of information. •Rumor Avoid rumor or “gossip” at all costs. Use of such information damages a publication’s credibility with its constituents. •Victim/Suspect Identification Avoid victim identification when physical harm could result from it. Also be cautious of what is a matter of public record when deciding to identify those who have been listed as “suspects” or arrested for criminal activity. Understand those arrested are innocent until proven guilty. •Public/Private Individuals Understand that those considered “private individuals” should be given a greater sense of privacy than those labeled as “public figures.” Public figures are those who have chosen the spotlight through actions, position, or authority. Staff should also recognize that everyone is protected by the legal definition of invasion of privacy. •Those in Grief Show sensitivity to information and/or images of those faced with tragedy. Understand the publication of such material could have an adverse effect on those involved. •Disciplinary Matters Distinguish between news value and sensationalism when reporting on discipline matters of students and/or staff members. Weigh the social and professional impact of bringing such information to the public forum as well as the need of the audience to know. •Special Needs When covering matters that include students with special needs, publications staff members will maintain a working dialogue with their subject’s respective teachers and assistants so those covered are portrayed accurately. •Classroom Disruption To maintain the credibility of their respective publications, all staff members must receive prior approval to enter any teacher’s classroom in which the staff member wishes to conduct official publication’s business. Act Independently A conflict of interest can not only ruin a staff member’s journalistic credibility, it can also hamper a publication’s newsgathering efforts. Staff members should remain independent from those they cover even if it means sacrificing personal goals and/or social standing. •Conflicts of Interest Staff members should avoid all conflicts of interest whether they are actual or perceived by the publication’s audience. Journalist should never cover those events or topics in which they are involved. This includes all inschool and out-of-school sports, clubs, organizations, etc. •Prior Review Prior review is never acceptable for any publications material. While staff members may recheck pre-published information with sources, journalists must restrain from giving sources, friends, and even North faculty the right of prior review to ensure the journalistic integrity of the material and the department itself. •Gifts Staff members are not to receive free gifts, products, or anything that might be seen as some form of bribery for favorable coverage from the journalist. •Outside Journalistic Work Bloomington North student journalists are encouraged to get journalistic experience outside of the realm of school publications. However, all work produced for school publication is the property of Bloomington North. Therefore anyone wishing to have school material reproduced must wait until it is produced by a North publication before it can be given to outside publications. Material published outside of school cannot be reproduced in a North publication. •Non-Staff Member Assistance
It’s certainly acceptable for staff members to get constant confirmation of facts and events from those outside the publications room. However, staff should turn toward fellow publication’s members for assistance with material production rather than those not on staff. Photos, stories, and design produced by those not on staff will not be published in a school publication. Be Accountable All staff must be held accountable for all work produced in the publications course. Constructive criticism must not only be encouraged, it has to be used to raise the quality of the publication. •Errors & Corrections While perfection is unattainable, North publications must strive for complete accuracy. When that is not obtained, errors must be corrected in a public manner within the next publication or through other means of notification. •Notes & Recordings It is highly recommended that all staff members keep complete notes/recordings of all interviews, photo assignments, etc. to ease the fact-checking process and ensure all material is presented with the utmost accuracy. •Journalistic Privileges Student journalists are given certain privileges most students in the North community do not share. Any abuses of the press pass to leave class or enter events when a journalistic purpose is not apparent will result in the reduction or termination of staff member privileges until further notice. •Drug & Alcohol Use It is illegal for any staff member to use drugs or alcohol. Such uses while representing a publication will result in the immediate removal of the student from the staff. •Breaking the Law/School Rules All staff should remain persistent and vigilant in his or her newsgathering. However, students may not violate school rules or any law in the name of journalism. Such action will result in disciplinary action. •Public Grievances All staff will encourage anyone in the general public to air any complaints/criticism of their respective publication to editorial leadership or through letters to the editor in the North Star newspaper. Web Usage The Internet is a valuable source and has raised the level of journalistic quality that is expected from a publication. However, like all tools, it must be used with care. •Website Resources There are many websites that are dedicated to providing accurate, unbiased information to the general public, but there are even more that don’t. Be sure to check the accuracy of all information maintained on the web through secondary, non-web sources. Sites where users may post information as fact, such as Wikipedia, should not be used for newsgathering. •Web Material Just because literary and visual material is posted on the web for all to consume does not mean it isn’t copyrighted. Staff members must receive permission from the material’s owner to reproduce Internet content for publication. •Student-Produced Websites Staff members should refrain from using information and material from student-produced websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and blogs. Material should only be used for publication on a case-by-case basis with approval by the respective publication’s editor in chief and if the general public can access it. About the North Publications’ Code of Ethics This code was originally conceived in a project by the Bloomington North journalism classes in the fall of 2005. The code was written in the summer of 2006 and finalized by the newspaper and yearbook staffs at the start of the 2006-2007 school year. This ethical code relies on that class project as well as the codes of ethics from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Indiana Daily Student. In several instances whole sections or sentences from these codes have been adopted for use in the Bloomington High School North’s version.