The Rush 2013

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Volume XIX // 06.20.13

ncsma.unc.edu

Smartphone use by journalists exposes potential for controversy The easy-to-use devices help on breaking news.

By Hope Freeman

Northern Guilford High ‘15

When the Charles D. Owen High newspaper staff was looking for ways to add more video coverage to its website, they turned to smartphones.

The video footage became packages about ROTC field day and other big events on campus. Smartphones are available and convenient to use, said Max Alford, Charles D. Owen High (‘13), making them a good tool for student journalists with little visual training and equipment.

“We used video coverage of exciting events that we could share online with the other students,” he said.

Smartphone photography and videography offer greater

flexibility for student news staffs, and those student journalists can use the popular photo-sharing application Instagram to connect with their readers. But the use of smartphone images in the professional journalism world is more controversial.

This spring, the New York Times published an Instagramfiltered photo of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez by staff photographer Nick Laham, on its front page. And three weeks ago, the Chicago Sun-Times laid off its entire photo staff and announced plans to use more smartphone images.

Jose Valle, First Flight High (‘14), who was in the TV News division at the Institute, called the switch to more citizen photojournalism at The Sun-Times SEE INSTAGRAM, Page 7

taking a better phone photo Erik Perel, a freelance photojournalist, recommends using your phone as a last resort.

“The main thing is that the best camera is the one that you have,” he said.

1 Edit the photo. “...If it is an option, take photos from the phone and put them onto a computer, and use traditional photo editing software such as Photoshop.”

2 Get close to the action. “(Phone pictures) would be good for portraits and anything where you are close to the action... Definitely things where you can control the lighting and be up close to it.”

3 Don’t take photos with the Instagram app. “Most journalists do not use Instagram to actually take their photos. You can not adjust exposure.”

Clockwise from top left: @erinnnmurrayyy, @caniac36, @dymondalexis, @idkmia_, @pattersonwells, @wilsonbrad83, @kimmy91866, @erinnnmurrayyy, @hecallsheraddy, @erinnnmurrayyy, @wilsonbrad83, @viedfinder, @pattersonwells, @pattersonwells, @sarahhdeutchkii, @slbrinlkley, @wilsonbrad83, @ayeelizabeth_, @thetylerhardin, @uncjschool on Instagram.

Like NCSMA

4-5 RACE AGAINST TIME: Tips and tricks to help your staff avoid procrastination and get work done

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2013 JOY offers insight on portfolio prep

Hailey Johns plans to attend UNC in the fall.

elements of a winning portfolio

By Lauren Stepp

Cover Page

portfolios to have a clean look.

Portfolio

The North Carolina Journalist of the Year portfolio begins with the cover page and it is here that decisions concerning theme should be made.

Judges want to see consistency through the portfolio.

Resume

“It is important to incorporate all of your skills and all of your best work,” Cox said.

West Henderson High School

Gravel from the restaurant parking lot clung to the bottom of sneakers as former West Henderson High School student Hailey Johns sprinted to her adviser’s car after having discovered she was named the 2013 Rachel Rivers-Coffey North Carolina High School Journalist of the Year.

“I was on my way to the Southern Interscholastic Press Association convention when I found out that I had won,” said Johns (‘13). “We pulled over for dinner and when I ran over to my adviser, I remember feeling so excited that I had won and all of my hard work was finally being acknowledged.”

Johns served as editor-inchief of The Wingspan her senior year. She dedicated more than 3,000 hours to her staff and newspaper.

“When I began forming my portfolio, my assistant principal needed ideas for her recommendation letter. My adviser

“Choose a design that you are going to stick with through the whole thing,” Hailey Johns said.

Begin forming a resume early by collecting information concerning extracurricular activities.

Johns advises future applicants to start building a resume as soon as possible.

“You don’t want to look as if you blew the task off,” Johns said.

Choose what matters and what has been significant to your own personal journalism experience.

“Pick out what you think exemplifies your skills most,” said Resita Cox, former JOY winner.

Johns also suggests future applicants select suitable colors to complement graphics. White space should also be taken into consideration while designing. Johns advises for

suggested that I calculate how many hours I had spent in our journalism room, and give this number to our assistant principal,” Johns said.

West Henderson journalism

Scholarship details

adviser Brenda Gorsuch said Johns uses a different kind of leadership style.

“I think Hailey is a quiet, behind-the-scenes kind of leader,” Gorsuch said. “She would

Students must be much more than simply a writer. Rather, skills involving photography, design and layout should also be exemplified.

“The judges wanted more photos in my portfolio. I am a writer, but in order to please the judges, perfect your photography skills,” Johns said.

Portfolio Images Courtesy of Hailey Johns

sit down and work one-on-one with the students much more than she would place herself in front of the staff.”

Both John’s staff members and adviser inspired her to

Journalist of the Year winner Hailey Johns received a $2,000 scholarship.

Alternates Austin Bryan of J.H. Rose High and Jen Nelson of Northwest Guilford High were awarded $500.

The N.C. Press Foundation funds this annual scholarship opportunity.

apply for this opportunity.

“During my freshman year our editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Jessica Tobin, was applying to be journalist of the year. I got to see parts of her portfolio,” Johns said. “I knew that applying for this opportunity was something I wanted to do.”

Though Johns plans to major in biomedical engineering, she said she plans to take her innate passion for journalism to The Daily Tar Heel.

“I haven’t known Hailey for very long, but you can tell that she has a really strong drive in this particular area,” Rachel Raasch, West Henderson High, (‘16) said. “She is into journalism. It is her life.”

Meet your 2013-14 NCSMA student officers

By Dymond Mumford Kinston High

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

NEWSPAPER

VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

YEARBOOK

LITERARY MAGAZINE

ELECTRONICS

Erin Murray Clayton High TAzorBUG@gmail.com

Murphy Grant First Flight High grantmu1212@daretolearn.org

Tyler Hardin Weaver Academy TDHmedia@mail.com

Toni Milligan Fayetteville Christian tonimilligan01@gmail.com

Mimi Brown Providence High mimijay418@gmail.com

Marie Muir Riverside High mariefmuir@gmail.com

“I had only signed up to be vice president of newspaper, so I wasn’t really expecting to become president.”

“I hope to connect the groups together and also make the Institute enjoyable for students.”

“It is important that students are aware what goes on in their county.”

“I would like to learn more leadership skills, how to talk out loud more.”

“I’m excited to learn from the people who are from different publications.”

“I hope that I can help other kids become interested in journalism and steer their career path in journalism.”

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the rush 2013-14 NCSMA UPCOMING EVENTS Oct. 8 South-central Piedmont Regional Workshop The Charlotte Observer Oct. 10 Southwest Regional Workshop UNC-Asheville Oct. 17 Northeast Piedmont and Southeast Piedmont Regional Workshop UNC-Chapel Hill Oct. 22 Northeast and Southeast Regional Workshop East Carolina University Oct. 24 North-central Piedmont Regional Workshop N.C. A&T State University Oct. 31 Northwest Regional Workshop Appalachian State University June 16-19, 2014 North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute UNC-Chapel Hill

NCSMA honors 3 educators

By Connor Ferry Charles D. Owen High

Principal of the year When Buncombe County Schools tried to force the Charles D. Owen High’s newspaper to print a nondiscrimination policy, the school’s principal, Meg Turner, stood up for student press rights. “ We re fused, not because of the message, but because of the principle of it,” said Dalton Nickerson, a 2013 graduate of the school and the paper’s online editor. “And even though she didn’t really get Meg Turner it, she still supported Charles D. Owen High our decision.”

NCSMA named Meg Turner principal of the year for 2013.

“Meg truly understands the benefits of journalism for students and the importance of a student press that is free of censorship,” Adrienne Hollifield, Owen’s journalism adviser, wrote in the letter nominating Turner.

Hollifield said Turner has improved communication at the school.

KAY Phillips Distinguished Service Award

KAY Phillips Distinguished Service Award

Bill Allen saw an opportunity for student journalism when he learned the Democratic National Convention was coming to Charlotte.

He made connections between advisers and convention organizers so that high school journalists could attend and cover the convention last September. He also invited DNC officials to speak at his high school, Bill Allen East Mecklenburg.

Allen will receive East Mecklenburg t h e K a y P h i l l i p s High Distinguished Service Award from NCSMA for his service to the organization. He served as NCSMA president in 2010-11.

Adrienne Hollifield, adviser at Charles D. Owen High nominated Allen for the award.

“He tries to keep diversity in mind in his paper,” Hollifield said. “He was really proud he had an article about a young Muslim woman in his paper.”

The NCSMA Summer Institute has had close ties to The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s independent student newspaper, since the very first conference.

In the last 25 years, that relationship has been maintained and strengthened thanks to Kevin Schwartz, general manager of the DTH. Schwartz will receive the Kay Phillips Distinguished Kevin Schwartz Service Award.

The DTH sponsors The Daily Tar Heel printing and production of The Rush and has endowed a scholarship for two students to attend the Institute for free. Last year, Schwartz arranged for students and teachers at NCSMI to get a Media Law handbook, said Monica Hill, NCSMI director.“Kevin Schwartz has been completely supportive of scholastics in North Carolina,” Hill said.

“He is a fierce defender of student rights,” said Erica Perel, DTH newsroom adviser.

Spotlight: Jack(son) of all trades David Jackson started his career as a racecardriving police officer.

By Connor Ferry

Charles D. Owen High

And you thought your journalism teacher was cool.

David Jackson, an adviser from William A. Hough High, came to high school journalism advising after stints as a police officer and a mostly-amateur race car driver.

This year, he is chaperoning journalism students even though he’s not currently teaching journalism classes.

Jackson, 58, has a fascinating life story.

It starts when he began driving race cars at age 17. At first, Jackson was an amatuer, behind the wheel of his own

sports cars, he said.

Jackson’s skills impressed race car owners enough that he drove professionally offand-on, including at Daytona, Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, he said. He hasn’t been in a race car for seven years, he said.

But racing never paid the bills, and Jackson needed a job.

When Jackson graduated high school in 1973, he took a job as a police officer in Florida, benefitting from a recent change lowering the eligibility age to 18. Though he performed his duties proficiently, he said the challenges of being a police officer at 18 were not worth the benefits.

After three years, he decided to go to college.

He went to Western Carolina University where he was the

editor-in-chief of the student newspaper from 1977 to 1979.

He used the money he earned from his job as editor to pay for his education.

“He got paid not very much at all for his very first story, and that’s how he got interested in journalism,” said Susannah Brinkley, a former student of Jackson.

After college, he held several jobs before becoming a teacher in 1997.

He taught at Northwest School of Arts until 2010, when he transferred to William A. Hough.

Sam Sabin, a UNC sophomore who is one of Jackson’s former students, said students could always count on him.

“He was dedicated, passionate and always put his students first,” she said.

An adviser moves on

By Richard Ash

Clayton High

Michael Moon has advised The Viking Press at Kinston High School for the past five years. In the fall, he will return to school in pursuit of a masters degree in school administration.

When you become a principal, do you plan on helping newspapers?

I’m a huge advocate for the First Amendment. I think journalism is one of the most practical courses that a student can take. You talk about career readiness, and scholastic journalism

fits the bill 100 percent. It teaches What are you leaving behind real world skills, it teaches critiin the classroom? cal thinking, it teaches ethics, I’m leaving the teaching pro- decision-making, you name it. fession to go into administration, but journalism is still my What were your favorite memfirst passion. ... I was a profes- ories of NCSMI? sional journalist for two years It’s hard to pin down just one. out of college before I actually Watching Resita (Cox) win state became a teacher. ... When I high school journalist of the year got into teaching I asked the was really special, watching the first principal I worked for if kids year in and year out just do we could restart the newspareally well with the contest, (and) per, and that was my way to stay come back excited and passionate involved in journalism. about what they’ve learned.

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How to win the Race against time

Deadlines, accuracy clash in online news Should reporters lower standards for speed?

By Sarah Gilmour

Charles D. Owen

Political reporter John Frank faces his first deadline before most people have finished breakfast.

He is The (Raleigh) News & Observer’s contributor to the Under the Dome politics blog.

He has to post a round-up of the day’s top news each morning by 8 a.m., Frank said at the NCSMA Summer Institute opening panel Monday.

Online work isn’t always up to print edition standards, he said, but if he makes a mistake or gets new information, he corrects it as soon as he can.

Such is the nature of online journalism, where the deadlines are always now. Online news offers readers more news and information than ever before, but the race to be first with a story can create ethical dilemmas about fairness and accuracy.

For example, in April, in the rush to break news, CNN, the

Consumers: weigh news sources carefully

Students can learn to evaluate credibility of sources.

emphasizes the importance of solid reporting and fact-checking over the desire for a scoop.

“No one remembers who was first,” he told - Tyler Dukes, researcher and reporter for WRAL the opening panel, “but everyone Associated Press and the Boston record or a first-hand account,” remembers Globe reported incorrectly that a Waugaman said. “I’m a firm who was suspect in the Boston Marathon believer in giving yourself time wrong.” to get the facts.”

Bombings had been arrested.

Waugaman echoed Gorsuch’s Some Summer Institute attendees said social media is one belief that trust in the media is eroding due to an abundance of way misinformation spreads. “(Social media) breaks down misinformation.

“We aren’t even going to trust our level of trust (with the media),” said Brenda Gorsuch, that first report,” Waugaman Wingspan adviser at West said. “Consumers are becoming smarter or Henderson See therushonline. less trusting; High in Henderwordpress.com for there’s a fine sonville. “With video interviews line.” social media, But you have to constantly be skeptical of every- Waugaman said proper thing … constantly questioning preparation for stories will everything.” cut down on the errors that Fact-checking should be have become so common.

The abundance of online the same for print and online news, said Chris Waugaman, news sources puts pressure the Online News instructor at on reporters to get any news the Summer Institute. “Just out as fast as possible. But like in print media, you want Tyler Dukes, a researcher to have a credible source on the and reporter for WRAL, still

“ No one remembers who was first, but everyone remembers who was wrong.“

Beat the clock

By Dymond Mumford

Kinston High

Organization and avoiding procrastination are the top motivators for getting work done on time, no matter your publication’s deadline.

“You try to motivate them by giving students a good grade, but I don’t think that’s the best motivator,” said adviser Jeanette Neyman of West Johnston High. “I think having fun is one of the best ideas to motivate kids.”

Patterson Wells/First Flight

5

By Lauren Stepp West Henderson High

Consumers of news can easily feel overwhelmed.

There have never been more ways to acquire news and information. But that news is coming from a variety of sources: traditional news reporters, citizen journalists and partisans promoting an agenda.

Accuracy can be compromised, and it’s up to news consumers to sift through information and weigh each report’s credibility.

“If something is coming from an AP reporter in Raleigh, I am going to know that is solid because it is a verified media source. It is someone I trust, someone everyone trusts,” said John Frank, political reporter for the (Raleigh) News & Observer.

“But if it is coming from someone I don’ t know, who just sends something out, that is one of the things you have to check out first before

How do you verify your sources?

“If the source sounds illegitimate, I will Google it. Social media typically isn’t a good source, but it depends on what page you are getting it from.”

Tyler Newman, C.D. Owen High ‘14

“If it is on some small blog that looks kind of like someone does it out of their basement, I can’t trust that.”

Susan Alabi, Enloe High ‘14

“Social media is a good place to start for story ideas, but you need to go somewhere official to continue writing your story.”

Murphy Grant, First Flight High ‘14

you report and even before you re-tweet it.”

With this in mind, students must become increasingly cautious and capable consumers.

“I believe in fact-checking, and I have become even more

cautious in a time period when social media seems to be taking over,” said Ashley Bowles, Providence High, ‘13. “I am not being scammed by citizen journalists who are not qualified to be reporting news.”

Print news

Yearbook Prep

Tips for Lit Mag

tV Showtime

Online news

Develop sources and questions early, before interviews are due.

Have a plan B for when sources aren’t available.

No matter the deadline, start now.

Divide pages among the staff. Doing this equitably and early is key. And don’t slack off between deadlines.

Be flexible, especially if you publish once a year, said Marva Hutchinson, adviser at Providence Senior High. Teachers should encourage students to talk to them.

If they are having trouble obtaining art, make sure they are aware that teachers can help, she said. And use a variety of artists.

Create a schedule to abide by and have intermediate deadlines.

Work backwards from the final deadline. Don’t try to do too much before deadline. “We set limits before a deadline so we can have some ground, in case we make mistakes,” said Rose Jackson, William A. Hough (’15).

Remember accuracy is more important than speed when it comes to breaking news, said John Clark, director of reesenews Lab at UNC. “You have to go with your gut, and that comes over time,” Clark said. Meeting deadlines for online news simply comes with having trust in yourself, he said.

“Don’t let faculty intimidate you,” said adviser Janet Cooke of Clayton High. “Stand your ground.”

Patterson Wells/First Flight

“You have to stay positive,” said Erin Stewart, Kinston High ’14. “Any negative energy around deadline time makes situations a hundred times worse.”

Patterson Wells/First Flight

Patterson Wells/First Flight

Patterson Wells/First FLight

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Annual press conference instructs, inspires Newspaper division students use event to expand skills.

By Ian Pierno

Panther Creek High

The founder of Girls on the Run, a national fitness and education program, was the featured speaker at the annual newspaper division press conference held June 18 in Carroll Hall.

The press conference gave NCSMA Summer Institute participants an opportunity to apply the instruction they received earlier in the day.

Molly Barker, a four-time participant in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, started Girls on the Run in 1996.

With a focus on helping girls change their perception of beauty and power, Girls on the Run aims to promote self-esteem among girls through fitness. More than 150,000 girls and women take part in the program each year through 190 Girls on the Run councils.

Before the press conference, advanced newspaper instructor Brenda Gorsuch of West Henderson High walked students through a typical press conference. She also guided students through the process of writing questions for the interview that would lead to unique quotes.

Patterson Wells/First Flight

Founder of Girls on the Run, Molly Barker, speaks at a the press conference held for students in the newspaper division at Carroll Hall Tuesday.

Neha Betra, Enloe High (‘14) was one of the students preparing for her first press conference. “It is a little nervewracking because I don’t know what to expect,” she said before the conference.

The conference started a few hours later.

The student journalists were intense as they scribbled down notes, knowing they had an article due at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

This was the first press conference most of them had ever participated in.

Carlie Gillespie, West Henderson High (‘16), said she expected the questioning to be a more aggressive than it was. “It was way more relaxed than I thought, and everyone got the same quotes,” she said.

Rachel Raasch, West Henderson High (‘16) has participated in Girls on the Run,

so meeting Barker was memorable. “I thought it was very inspiring,” she said.

“I did Girls on the Run personally, but it was cool to meet with her, cool to hear her side of the story.”

Students pushed out of their comfort zones and interviewed someone they had never met, a rare opportunity for high school journalists.

With stories about the press conference due the next morning, students also got to feel the rush of meeting a quick deadline.

After the press conference, Betra said she learned things she will bring back to her staff at the Enloe High’s Eagle Eye: “I learned how to take all the information and pull what’s important … What I will use most in the upcoming year will be to use the new interview skills and help the staff learn how to ask better questions, and more questions, because we have a tendency to ask one question and say ‘hey give me a quote,’ so I will definitely want everyone to ask better questions and pull out the important information.”

Rachel Jones, Kingston High (‘15), said she will be able to do more interviews when she returns to the Viking Press, “I don’t normally do articles that involve interviews, I normally do book reviews and that sort of thing, so it was a new experience for me.”

Web offers alternative for publishing newspapers Costs, readership trends lead to changes in print.

By Ian Pierno Panther Creek High

As people gain the ability to receive breaking news every time they look down at their smartphones, the future of print newspapers has been in question.

According to a study conducted in 2010 at the University of California at Berkeley, the percentage of people who get their news online has increased from 24 percent to 34 percent since 2002, while the print newspaper reading population has dwindled from 56 percent to 34 percent since 2002.

Since the target audience

for high school papers is filled with tech-savvy students, many schools have turned to publishing their news online and using social media to drive traffic to those sites.

This year First Flight High changed from a traditional newspaper to a hybrid publication, printing three newsmagazines and publishing to the Web multiple times a week.

Kate Taliaferro, former social media editor of First F l i g h t Hi g h’s N i g h t h aw k NewsMagazine said Twitter has been helpful in releasing breaking news. “Twitter is developing rapidly and is instrumental in getting news to the public within seconds,” Taliaferro said. “While we don’t normally have breaking news in our school, Twitter

is helpful in getting information out there — especially to students who use the social media network.”

Another reason student newspapers are turning to the Web is costs. Since the main source of income for high school newspapers is advertising, when readership dips, so does income from advertising. With printing costs ranging from several hundred dollars an issue to more than $1,000, the price of operating an online newspaper is significantly lower.

Matt Wotus, former editorin-chief of Apex High’s The Legacy, said putting that publication online helped keep the newspaper alive.

“We were broke,” Wotus said.

So, in 2011 The Legacy decided

Online Options Beginners should check out Interscholastic News Network www.isonn.com.

Url, hosting and themes can be purchased through WordPress, Blogspot and Weebly.

As websites progress, themes and plug-ins can be added to make them more interactive.

to switch exclusively to online news. Since then, The Legacy has been publishing news on the popular blogging website, BlogSpot, while also tweeting their stories and breaking news on their Twitter page, @ AHS_Legacy.

“People are always on the Internet nowadays, so moving to

online journalism gives people easy access to what they want to read,” Wotus said. “Also, the Internet is available 24/7, so it gives people access to breaking news and updates much quicker than newspapers would.”

That quick access is beneficial for readers and journalists alike.

“I like having an online newspaper because you can get your news out really quickly and you always can receive feedback really fast,” said Kaitlin Butler of West Johnston High Cat Scratch Post.

Although online news has it advantages, Taliaferro said she prefers the feeling of holding a freshly-printed paper. “I love online journalism,” Taliaferro said. “But I wish newspapers and other forms of print journalism weren’t fading away.”

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the rush App(le) of their Eyes NCSMI instructors offer up their favorite apps for photo editing.

VSCOcam, free on the iTunes Store “You can do a lot of natural editing. Simple and easy to use.”

— Lauren Vied Allen, photography teacher at Northern Durham High AfterLight, $0.99 on the iTunes Store “Offers a plethora of editing options and settings.”

— Susannah Brinkley, freelance graphic designer and co-founder of Instagram blog RDU Baton PicTapGo, $1.99 on the iTunes Store “Builds recipes of your edits.”

— Lauren Vied Allen, photography teacher at Northern Durham High PicStitch, free on the iTunes Store “Puts pictures together.”

— Kaki Pope, summer photo editor at The Daily Tar Heel Adobe Photoshop Express, free for iPhone & Android “Puts Photoshop in the palm of your hand — literally.”

— Susannah Brinkley, freelance graphic designer and co-founder of Instagram blog RDU Baton

INSTAGRAM

from page 1

“cool.” He said, “(It’s a) more convenient and relatable way for people to connect. ” But several journalists and professors said there were bigger issues to consider.

“I think what The Sun Times did was pretty drastic, but they were struggling more than other newspapers,” said photojournalist Brian Cassella, who works for the competing Chicago Tribune.

Cassella said he was not afraid for his own job currently.

“I asked about this after what happened at The Sun-Times and they said that they were not considering anything like that at all,” he said. “ I think it was a surprising and sad move.”

Lois Boynton, professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC, said there are pros and cons to using Instagram or relying on citizen journalists.

“It’s hard to factor everything in,” said Boynton, who teaches ethics. “Citizens are there and may see it happen because they have first-hand access but sometimes what a journalist may portray is less biased than what a citizen may share.”

“Sometimes a citizen may not follow all of the ethical

at therushonline. wordpress.com, Read more about INstagram from Bradley Wilson

standards when reporting an event as would a trained journalist,” Boyton said.

Citizen journalists’ work is helpful for breaking news, but a trained journalists’ experience is necessary for complex and investigative stories, said Tyler Dukes, a long-term projects reporter for WRAL-TV. “I think it is time to be doubling down on good coverage and for photographers to be savvy in their news gathering tools,” Dukes said. “For example, at the plane crash on the Hudson, someone took a picture, and it was nationally famous. At the same time though, especially long-term investigative projects, there is a need for the trained quality of a journalist’s work.”

For news staffs, smartphones can be a good tool.

Instagram, with its filters, is popular for social sharing, but doesn’t reflect reality.

Tessa Cyback, Mars Hill High (‘14) said Instagram filters do not belong in journalism. “I think a professional photojournalist can do more than add a common filter that anyone could add.”

Legal hassles, solutions

By Austin Woodard West Henderson High

visit therushonline.wordpress.com, for more about media law

Journalism students and advisers frequently find themselves in need of legal advice. The Student Press Law Center is a resource.

Here are three common legal issues scholastic journalists face.

Problem: Dawn Curle, Problem: Adrienne Problem: Elizabeth 1 South View High yearbook 2 Hollifield, Charles D. Owen 3 DeOrnellas, Hillside High adviser said students have to High newspaper adviser said Newspaper adviser, said that be careful where they get pictures from and mindful of the copyright.

Solution: It is almost always necessary to get permission from the copyright owner to use an image you don’t own.

This applies to photos from Facebook, Instagram and other social networking sites.

If the owner of the copyright is the subject of the news article, it is considered fair use. “It is one thing to take a photo to share with your friend or for your scrapbook,” said Mark Goodman, former director of the Student Press Law Center. “It is different to take an image from Facebook and use it in a mass-produced publication.”

that her county tried to force her to publish a document in their publications even though their newspaper is a student forum.

Solution: Goodman said this is an example of forced speech, something deemed unlawful by a Massachusetts Federal Appeals Court. The courts said a student forum could not be forced to publish something by an outside organization. “It largely depends on whether the publication has a history as a student forum,” Goodman said. “That is the student editors have had the freedom to decide on what to publish in their publication.” If the paper isn’t a public forum, the rule doesn’t apply.

she is very concerned with avoiding innacuracies in reporting and avoiding libel.

Solution: Printing inaccurate information not only discredits a publication and the writer, but it can also be grounds for libel. Not all inaccurate information is libelous: The inaccurate information must be defamatory, which means it hurts the subject’s reputation.

Also, the journalist must be at fault: when dealing with a public official, it must be proven that the mistake was done with malice. When the subject is not a public official, negligence must be proven.

“The act of misquoting someone is not inherently libelous,” Goodman said.

A Common Core for journalism?

Measures of Student Learning exams, a new curriculum and a new method of evaluating teacher proficiency are among Common Core changes in N.C. schools. Geoff Belcher, Wake Forest-Rolesville High journalism teacher, is helping teachers address how the Common Core will affect journalism classes. Austin Woodard, West Henderson High, asked Belcher to explain these efforts.

How will the Common Core affect journalism classes?

To see what effects the Common Core Curriculum will have on high school journalism you only have to look at the changes to the English curriculum as a whole. The goal is to move student writing from

narrative and anecdotal toward persuasive writing that uses facts and research to back up claims. This is the nature of journalistic writing, especially editorials.

“I don’t see that there will be major changes to the program, since the journalism program has been doing Common Core Curriculum in a manner of speaking,” said Geoff Belcher, Wake Forest-Rolesville High journalism teacher.

What role might journalism teachers play in determining the Common Core?

In February, a group of journalism teachers met to work on aligning course goals to existing Common Core English

standards. During the Institute, Belcher made a presentation to advisers on the progress of this project and invited them to join the effort.

Belcher said ideally journalism teachers should be included in the creation of any future MSLs for journalism classes, as well as the standardization of goals.

“I think all MSLs could be a good measure of student learning, but so can any test,” Belcher said.

What is next for this issue?

Belcher invites teachers to join him July 15 in Chapel Hill to create rubrics similar to those that were used by English teachers to grade MSLs this past year.

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75th Anniversary plans begin

1936

The Daily Tar Heel sponsors the first North Carolina Scholastic Press Institute, which UNC student Stuart Rabb directed.

1941

1994

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Clyde Irwin brings in Professor Walter Spearman, who directed the association until 1972.

1938

David Stick directs the second North Carolina Scholastic Press Institute.

NCSPA receives a grant that allowed it to hire a full time director, Kay Phillips, who stayed on until 2002.

1979

Jan (Elliott) Yopp becomes director of the association until 1982.

2002

NCSMA director Monica Hill is hired to lead the association.

1994

The first issue of The Rush is published.

1988

The name of the association changes from North Carolina Scholastic Press Association to North Carolina Scholastic Media Association upon inclusion of the electronic and digital media sequences.

Graphic by Richard Ash & Suzanne English

1973 Richard Cole becomes director of NCSMA.

By Suzanne English

West Henderson High

Students:

NCSMA director Walter Spearman was ready to retire after working for 31 years for the institute. He had one man in mind for the job: Richard Cole.

Cole had recently joined the journalism faculty at UNC. Spearman soon approached Cole.

“He said, ‘Well, Richard would you be interested?’” Cole recounted Tuesday. “And then all of a sudden I was the director, and I ended up staying for several years.”

Cole, director from 1973 to 1976, went on to become dean of the School of Journalism and Mass

1982 Bill Cloud takes

Communication and is currently a distinguished professor.

“It has been a popular program,” Cole said. “We actually have a faculty member who was a s tudent who went to NCSMI, and now he is faculty.”

Cole made many memories during his years as director of the Summer Institute. Richard Cole H e r e c a l l e d Former Director Tuesday how the of NCSMA teachers were so dedicated and how much of an impact they had left.

“There was this one lady from Hickory, and she was the national high school teacher of the year,” Cole said. “I loved working with her.”

Richard Ash Clayton High

Sarah Gilmour Charles D. Owen High

Lauren Stepp West Henderson High

Suzanne English West Henderson High

Anna Hill Kinston High

Patterson Wells First Flight High

Connor Ferry Charles D. Owen High

Dymond Mumford Kinston High

Austin Woodard West Henderson High

Hope Freeman Northern Guilford High

Ian Pierno Panther Creek High

2016

75th anniversary of the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association.

1995

Rich Beckman takes the reigns of the association until 1993.

control of the association.

By Suzanne English

West Henderson High

When Bill Cloud was director of NCSMA, he didn’t want the attendees to spend all their time in a classroom.

So Cloud, director from 1982 to 1988, added more hands-on experiences for student journalists at the Summer Institute. He added TV radio news broadcasting to the existing courses.

“I tried to spread it out and get more opportunities for students to write and get evaluated and actually do things,” Cloud said.

Cloud is a longtime editing professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. He

Advisers:

A LOOK BACK AT NCSMA

Things have changed a lot since the first NCSMA Summer Institute.

One thing hasn’t: Student journalists from across North Carolina continue making an annual trek to Chapel Hill where they hone their skills in the summer before returning to their high schools ready to become grade-A journalists.

reminisced on Tuesday about his years with NCSMA. He increased the price of the trip for the students from $35 to $55, but students still came, he said.

“I’m happy people just realized that it was worth the money.”

Students coming to the In s t i t u t e a l s o experienced new Bill Cloud technology for Former Director of NCSMA the first time.

“I remember we had bought a bunch of floppy disks,” he said. “People had to have a $1 deposit on the disks, and at the end they could return them and get their money back, but I think some people just kept them.”

Lauren Vied Allen Northern Durham High

Korie Sawyer UNC Graduate Student

Susannah Brinkley Freelance Designer

Robin Sawyer First Flight High

Erica Beshears Perel The Daily Tar Heel

Kevin Schwartz The Daily Tar Heel

Samantha Sabin The Daily Tar Heel

Stacy Wynn The Daily Tar Heel

This edition of The Rush was published during three days from the offices of The Daily Tar Heel at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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