J1 News

""(Journalism) kids have rights. They have the right to be right. They have the right to make mistakes and the right to learn from those mistakes." So are the words of this year's JEA Administrator of the Year-and my principal-Evans Branigan III. If only more folks in administrative jobs would get behind this philosophy. Just like any students participating in any other activities, mistakes are made. Some mistakes are small, some not-so-small, but it is important educators provide an experience that is real to their students, and a safety net to catch them should they err."

The Student Press Law Center voiced concern Monday that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling denying the First Amendment claims of a high school blogger is a setback for the rights of student journalists everywhere. The New York appeals court ruled 3-0 that school administrators did not violate "clearly established" First Amendment precedent, either when they disciplined Avery Doninger for her off-campus blog or when they punished her and her classmates for wearing "Team Avery" T-shirts at a school "The ruling is worrisome in several respects. What Avery Doninger was doing was not terribly different from what an editorial commentator might do - trying to arouse the public to call and email the school to express an opinion about a disputed policy decision. It's troubling that the Second Circuit is willing to entertain the possibility that inciting citizens to contact their public officials is unprotected by the First Amendment if the issue is so controversial that people feel strongly about it, which is the takeaway from this decision," LoMonte said. "The circuit has indicated, in essence, that it's safe for students to engage in discussion about issues that nobody cares about, but if the issues raise strong emotions, then the students' involvement might be considered 'disruptive.'"  "It's clear that the federal courts have abdicated their responsibility to protect the basic human rights of vulnerable young people, and so young people are going to have to organize and mobilize like never before to petition their legislators and members of Congress for better statutory protection," LoMonte said. "This ruling is a wake-up call to every student in America that their rights are in peril and that they cannot depend on the federal courts to police even the clearest disciplinary overreactions."

"Even in New York, the media capital, only 1 in 8 public high schools have a student newspaper, The New York Times reported in May, and many publish only a few times a year. Nationally, about two-thirds of public high schools have newspapers, according to a 2011 media study by the Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University. But whether on paper or online, student newspapers tend to be absent from lower-income schools and lower-income students. That's sad because, as Robert Fulghum titled his best-seller, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," I often feel as though I learned all I really needed to know about journalism in high school. Newspapers of all sorts have been battered for decades by television and widespread illiteracy. With the explosion of Internet traffic, too few youngsters are learning good news literacy. As Mrs. Kindell taught, you need to be a good reporter before you start giving your opinion. Today's world of blogging and tweeting encourages the opposite. Too bad we don't have more Mrs. Kindells to go around."

"Whether teaching magazine production or other types of journalism, educators sometimes want to create magazine-like collections of students' work, sometimes with added multimedia."

" First: a questioning of existing principles such as impartiality - or, at least a demand for clarification of their meanings. Second: a stress on new values, such as transparency over objectivity; or, a preference for the unfiltered sharing of information over a filtered verification of "the facts." Responsible media practitioners remain committed to general principles, such as seeking the truth and reporting independently. But beyond this general level, the media revolution has undermined a previous professional consensus on the best forms of practice, and the norms that guide them. Our media revolution creates multiple and conflicting interpretations of journalism. Media ethics, like media, is in turmoil."

"School dress codes are nothing new, but from school to school, district to district, state to state, the guidelines are different, and changing. As students head back to school this fall, there will be the latest crop of students -- and parents -- challenging the rulebook."

"I've personally traveled to more than 10 cities in the past few weeks, meeting one on one with journalists to help them determine how to create the best possible videos in the shortest amount of time. I, and other members of the team at Videolicious, have been able to help them quickly create compelling videos-complete with B-roll, logo graphics, transitions and music-leveraging their existing access and editorial expertise.  As a result of that experience, we want to share some of the best tips that have come out of the newsroom sessions we've held at newspapers across the country. "

"The Princeton Review released its ranking of the best U.S. college newspapers, and Dan Reimold of College Media Matters gives a quick rundown of the winners-and points out notable papers that didn't make it on the list:"

"his long introduction leads me to a page one story in Poynter's Tampa Bay Times by one of my favorite writers Stephanie Hayes, known for her edgy versatility. It's newspaper title was "Teen Bieber fever…and those who wait." (The online title was "Outside Justin Bieber concert, parents find their own groove.") An editor approached Hayes two days before the Justin Bieber concert with news there would be a waiting room for parents. "Did I want to check it out?," she writes in an email, "Duh, of course I did. If there's a chance to find a black truffle in a bin of carrots, you must try." The story, which we're honoring as part of Poynter's Excellence Project, is quite short, but s"

"Ten tips on the art of the interview: The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas this week posted suggestions ranging from defining your objectives to controlling the rhythm of a conversation. Good stuff for young journalists and a refresher for those who've been at work for a while. The piece cites tips from a 2002 issue of our sister pub, Nieman Reports, by Pulitzer winner and Storyboard contributor Isabel Wilkerson, so make sure to click through to her seven steps of interviewing. Here's the correlating Knight excerpt:"

"The longtime This American Life host on the best way to get interview subjects to open up."

"Even for a society comfortable with blood and gore in its movies and video games, the bombings at the Boston Marathon have sparked a new debate among news organizations about when images are too gruesome to display."

"CYPRESS, Texas (AP) - A student went on a building-to-building stabbing attack at a Texas community college Tuesday, wounding at least 14 people - many in the face and neck - before being subdued and arrested, authorities and witnesses said."