ENO Editorial Policy guides publication decisons

Thanks for information, support and guidance must go to representatives from the Journalism Education Association, Quill & Scroll – The International Honor Society for High School Journalists, the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, Student Newspapers Online and The Kirkwood Call for sharing with us and for guiding us through the process of creating the Editorial Policy of Eagle Nation Online.

PROSPER HIGH SCHOOL EAGLE NATION ONLINE EDITORIAL POLICY

This Eagle Nation Online Editorial Policy pertains to the student news site of Prosper High School. The policy is maintained by the editorial board of the paper with the help of adviser Lisa Roskens.

Eagle Nation Online is the official student-produced news site of Prosper High School. The information found at this site is published and produced by Eagle Nation Online students. Eagle Nation Online and its related social media outlets have been established as a designated public forum for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers may – and should – coach and discuss content during the production process.

Because school officials do not engage in “prior review,” and the content of Eagle Nation Online is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editors and responsible student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

As it is essential to preserve the freedom of the press in order to preserve a free society, the students of ENO will publish with these guidelines in mind:

Student journalists will serve the best interest of the students and faculty of Prosper High School, keeping the publication free from any commercial obligations that would distract from the purpose of keeping the readers of the newspaper informed.
Any decisions affecting the publications on all levels will be made by the student editors. The adviser is allowed to give legal advice and his/her opinion, but the final decision rests in the hands of the student editors. Those ENO editors, though, are aware that the state of Texas does not have New Voices legislation enacted at this time. So, the student journalists intend to work closely with the school administration to continue reporting the truth about the school, the district and the community of Eagle Nation Online.
The goal is for only the student editors to prevent material it judges to be in violation of the media editorial policy from being published.
Student journalists will work with the administration to avoid and resist censorship, particularly pre-publication censorship.
Student journalists retain the right to publish any and all material obtained through an interview by a staff member of the publications staff, holding that the interviewee was made aware that the information could be published in any form at any time.
Eagle Nation Online and its social media platforms are designated public forums.
Student journalists may use print and electronic media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to ask questions of and consult with experts and to gather material to meet their newsgathering and research needs.
Eagle Nation Online and its staff are protected by and bound to the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various laws and court decisions implementing those principles.
Eagle Nation Online will not publish any material determined by student editors that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law.
Definitions and examples for the above instances of unprotected speech can be found in Law of the Student Press published by the Student Press Law Center.

THE STUDENT LEADERS/EDITORS

The student editors decide on all decisions that pertain directly to PHS media and their interests.
The student editor and staff who want appropriate outside legal advice regarding proposed content should seek attorneys knowledgeable in media law, such as those of the Student Press Law Center. Final content decisions and responsibilities shall remain with the student editors.
The duly appointed editor or co-editors shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.

THE ADVISER

The adviser is a professional teaching staff member and is in charge of the class just as in a conventional classroom situation;
Is a certified journalism teacher that serves as an educational resource, professional role model, motivator, and catalyst for ideas;
Provides a journalistic, professional learning atmosphere for students by allowing them to make the decision of content for the media and ensuring the media will remain an open forum;
Guides the media in accordance with approved editorial policy and aids the educational process related to producing the material found at this site;
May caution, act as legal consultant and educator of terms of unprotected speech, but has no power over censorship or veto except for constitutionally valid reasons;
Will keep abreast of the latest trends concerning journalism and share these with students;
Will submit student media produced by the students to rating services and contests in order for the school publications staff to receive feedback;
Will forward any received correspondence and/or information to the appropriate editors;
Will provide information to the staff about journalism scholarships and other financial aid, and make available information and contacts concerning journalism as a career;
Will work with the faculty and administration to help them understand the freedoms accorded to the students and the professional goals of the school publications;
The adviser will not act as a censor or determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction, following the Code of Ethics for Advisers established by the Journalism Education Association as well as the Canons of Professional Journalism.

THE BUILDING ADMINISTRATION

The Prosper High School administration will provide the students of PHS with a qualified journalism instructor to serve as a professional role model, adequate classroom equipment, and space for a sound journalism program.
PHS administration will offer equal opportunity to minority and/or marginalized students to participate in journalism programs.
PHS administration is not required to view and approve publication content before publishing.

CONTENT OF ENO

INTRODUCTION

All content decisions will be made in occurrence to the following provisions while keeping in mind that the overall purpose, role and goal of all Eagle Nation Online is to do the following:

Inform, interpret and entertain their readers through accurate and factual reports, where information has been thoroughly gathered and information has been completely verified;
Serve as an educational laboratory experience for those on staff;
Be accurate, fair and impartial in its coverage of issues that affect the school community;
Eagle Nation Online will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy;
Cover the total school population as effectively and accurately as possible;
The staff of Eagle Nation Online will strive to report all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner, according to the Canons of Professional Journalism, developed by the Society for Professional Journalists. The Canons of Professional Journalism include a code of ethics concerning accuracy, responsibility, integrity, conflict of interest, impartiality, fair play, freedom of the press, independence, sensationalism, personal privacy, obstruction of justice, credibility and advertising.

REGARDING PROFANITY

The media will not print unnecessary profanity.
The student editors will make the decision on whether the content is considered profane or whether it is a cultural or non-vulgar slang term.
The student editors reserve the right to edit quotes for unnecessary profanity or unnecessarily offensive words, quotes that have been edited will be noted accordingly when published.
Any edited quote will be read back to the source prior to publishing and sources will have a chance to make changes.
Staff interviewers have the right to ask a source when necessary to repeat a quote without the use of profane language.

REGARDING STAFF WRITING

All writing in the media, other than letters to the editor, will be written by students of the journalism program and will not be accepted otherwise.
PHS students outside of the media staff will have the opportunity to submit writing to the media.
Any writing submitted from an outside source for use will be accepted upon request of the student editors or when open opportunities arise, and will be viewed by the editor(s) in chief and adviser for verification.
Any material submitted from an outside source can be edited by the student editors and must comply with this policy.
Writing must be the original work of the writer and not previously published by any publication – unless otherwise specified by the adviser and/or editors-in-chief.

REGARDING EDITORIALS

All printed editorial subject matter will be determined by the student editors.
The media will not publish any material for which there is evidence that the author is using the paper for inappropriate personal gain.
The media will endeavor to provide a chance for comment on all sides of a critical issue in the same edition.
The student editors will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. The views stated in editorials represent those of a majority of the publication’s staff. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author.

REGARDING CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

All coverage of controversial issues will occur in a timely manner.
All sides of the issue will be presented and reviewed so as to refrain from any bias, with the exception of opinions.
In news, all sides of a school, community, city, state, national, or international political issue will be presented factually so as to inform rather than promote or endorse.
The media will not publish material that is unnecessarily obscene, libelous or an unwarranted invasion of privacy.
The media will not attack people and/or organizations;
If questions on the veracity of publication persist, the issue will be brought to the student editors who must consider the following questions before publication of the piece:
1. Why is it a concern?
2. What is its journalistic purpose?
3. Is the information accurate and complete?
4. Are any important points of view omitted?
5. How would we feel if the story was about ourselves or someone we know?
6. What are the consequences of the publication?
7. Is there a logical explanation for anyone who challenges the issue?
8. Is it worth risking our credibility?
9. What are the alternatives?

REGARDING BYLINES

All articles, graphics, photos, art, columns, pages, reviews and other material creatively conceived, with the exception of staff editorials, mug shots and cutouts will be bylined with the producer’s name.
All bylined writers will be held accountable for their work.
When more than one person has contributed creatively to a piece of work, any person who has contributed to the work must be bylined as a producer.

REGARDING NEWS AND FEATURES

The media will specialize in and emphasize informing readers of school news and unique students in the Prosper High School community.
The media will cover community, state, national and international news if it is directly relevant to the school community, and includes local angles.
The media will strive to provide coverage to all school organizations and functions.
When faced with undesirable news such as student or staff or faculty crimes, the publications will endeavor to publish the facts correctly, explain the issue and put a stop to any speculative stories that inevitably develop.
Major district issues and news may take priority over school news. (These major issues will be decided by the student editors.)

REGARDING DEATHS

Any current student, staff member, faculty member or building administrator that dies during the year will be recognized in the school media.
The media will publish factual information (date of birth, date of death, survivors, organizations, hobbies, interests) in a 300-400 word article, including one school portrait if possible in EagleNationOnline.com.
The school media will work to obtain permission from the deceased’s family before publishing any information regarding the cause of death. If permission is not granted, the student editors reserve the final say in the publication of the cause of death. Suicide will not be listed as a cause of death.
The school media will treat all deaths in a tasteful, respectful way.
An issue, or portion of an issue, should not be dedicated to or in memory of the deceased.

REGARDING ILLUSTRATIONS, PHOTOGRAPHS, GRAPHICS, ETC.

All captions will record the who and other necessary information in the photo.
All photographs must be captioned and bylined, with the exception of headshots and cutouts.
Bylines are required on all online photos and galleries.
Any photographs that contain any inappropriate attire or actions must be reshot.
Artwork represents the interpretations of the artist, not necessarily of the staff or PHS.
The publication and its social media outlets will not publish any photos, illustrations, etc. that ridicule, demean or misleadingly represent any individual or group.
Electronic manipulations, changing the essential truth of the photo or illustration will be clearly labeled if used.

REGARDING ERRORS

Concerns about errors in the school media may be submitted through the adviser, the phone number to the publication room is (469) 219-2180 ext. 80443, email is ljroskens@prosper-isd.net.
The student editors retain the right to determine whether, in fact, an error has been made.
Known and or found errors that are brought to the attention of the school media will be addressed, regardless if realized by author, audience or staff member.
Staff members will strive to correct errors prior to publication; however, if the student editors determine a significant error is printed, the student editors will determine the manner and timeliness of a correction.
Major corrections are determined by the editors and adviser(s).
If factual changes are made to a web story once a story has been posted, the change will be noted along with the date and time the change was made. Simple style, grammar and other edits that do not affect content also will be noted, but will not require a time stamp.

REGARDING ADVERTISING

The publications will not accept advertising for products that are illegal for minors to purchase and/or use.
Students not of legal age whose photographs appear in an advertisement of the publications are required to sign a model release form, as well as their legal guardian.
The publications will not run advertisements without a proper signature on the advertising contract that explains terms of payment, content, size, publishing dates and includes an attached layout.
The publications will not accept personal or classified advertising.
All advertisements need to be approved by the student editors, any advertisement not deemed appropriate by student editors will not run.
The publications will cease to publish the advertising of any advertiser that does not meet payment obligations specified in school contact.
All advertisers will be notified when their advertisement has run on ENO.
If a published advertisement is incorrect in substantive content, a reduced price or corrected run will be negotiated.
Web advertisements appear in a specified section of the website and randomly rotate through the area each time the page is refreshed.
Advertising that appears in the media is not necessarily endorsed by the media or its staff members, editorial board or adviser.

REGARDING DISTRIBUTION AND CIRCULATION

Daily updates will be made to the website throughout the week during the school year. While less frequent, updates will be made to the site during breaks.
Advertising revenues and fundraising are to be used to pay for the school media printing costs, supplies and other media expenses.
All budget surpluses are to be used for the future production of the school media.

REGARDING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ONLINE COMMENTS

Letters to the editor will be printed in the opinion section of the website.
Letters to the editor if available will be printed in every issue in the opinion section of the paper and available online at EagleNationOnline.com.
Letters to the editor may be submitted to Mrs. Roskens’ mailbox, given to a student journalist or sent to the link at EagleNationOnline.com.
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words, must be signed and must include the writer’s email or phone number for verification.
Letters to the editor will be verified by a member of the student editors to determine the authenticity of the writer.
No material will be printed where content is obscene, invasive of another’s privacy, encourages physical disruption of school activities and/or implies libel.
The Eagle Nation Online student editors reserve the right to withhold a letter or column or other submission and/OR return it for revision if it contains unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning. Deadlines for letters and columns will be determined by each year’s student staff, allowing sufficient time for verification of authorship prior to publication.
All letters to the editor become the property of the school newsmagazine upon receipt and will not be returned to the author.
Online comments will require a name and email address submitted that are verifiable.
Alerts will be sent to staff editors each time a comment is posted to the site.
Online comments that are found in violation of the editorial policy will be removed as quickly as possible.
Personal attacks are not allowed.

REGARDING REVIEWS

The reviewer must have experience in the area in which they are reviewing.
All reviews will be bylined, and all reviews will be the expressed opinions of the authors. The online student editors and the newsmagazine staff do not express opinions on the subject matter.
All reviews will be to evaluate and inform, not to promote.
Evaluative criteria used will be determined by student editors depending on whether the event or item being reviewed is professional or amateur in nature.
Review ideas may be submitted to the student editors by all members of the PHS media.
All reviews must first be reviewed by the opinions editor prior to publishing.
All reviews need to be reviewed and printed in a current and timely manner.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media will be used to promote PHS media, promote published content and engage the PHS community.
The student editors reserve the right to remove comments that violate any provisions hitherto outlined by this policy.
The information posted on social media platforms should be held to the same standard as all other reporting in terms of information gathering and fact-checking.
The official social media accounts should avoid the promotion of events and remain objective, reporting what is fact. Reporters using personal social media to cover events should do the same.
The information gained through social media channels should be verified through multiple channels before passing it along to others.
Audience engagement through social media should be done in a professional manner.
Staff members using applications to post updates to social media accounts should have separate applications for their personal accounts and for the school media accounts. This will limit the chance of a post being sent from the wrong account.
Transparency is important. Mistakes made on social media posts should be corrected as soon as possible and any deleted posts should be acknowledged in subsequent postings.

PUBLICITY

The goal of media marketing is to promote and expand the media viewing audience.
The publicity team will work with all aspects of the media.
The publicity team will work to attend all major events held by the district or school with the intent of promotion.
All events or important dates known by the adviser, staff members or student editors will be passed along to the staff.
Ad trade-outs are regulated by the Business Editor, ad trade-outs are given on a one-for-one basis.
The Social Media Editor will work with the web team to promote the publication through outside sources such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PRIOR REVIEW POLICY

Sources will be able to have quotes read back at the time of the interview or at the reporter’s initiative.
Sources will not be able to arbitrarily demand to read the reporter’s completed story and then perform editing tasks on that story.
The media reporters will endeavor to include the name and identity of all sources if the reporter believes that doing so will not result in endangerment, harassment or any other form of undue physical, mental, or emotional anguish for the source.
The media reporters will not, within all boundaries of the law, reveal a source who asks to remain nameless.
All media interviewers will respect the interviewees’ rights to have information remain “off the record” if the fact is known before giving the information to the interviewer.
The media will not be reviewed by anyone outside of the student editors aside from the adviser prior to its release to the public. The adviser is allowed to review the publication, but not required to, for the sole purpose of acting as consultant and educator in terms of unprotected speech. The adviser reading content is not considered prior review unless he/she makes changes or directs changes.

STUDENT & STAFF PUBLICATION POLICY

All students and staff of Prosper High School are eligible for publication in the PHS student media.
Any student or staff members wishing to ‘opt out’ of being published in the student media needs to fill out the appropriate ‘opt out’ form with the school office and alert the student media adviser of plans to ‘opt out.’
All efforts will be made to keep students and staff who have ‘opted out’ of coverage from publication in Eagle Nation Online and in its newsmagazine.

STAFF POLICY FOR SELECTION AND DISMISSAL

1. All individuals involved with ENO are considered a team, each member is expected to complete all assigned stories, pages, photos, etc. on or before the assigned deadline. Staff members, including editors, may be dismissed from their positions and/or the publications’ staff itself if any of the following violations occur:
  1. Continuously missed deadlines (dismissal procedures will take place by choice of adviser and editor(s)-in-chief)
  2. Plagiarism
  3. Quote falsification
  4. Vandalism or theft of publication equipment
  5. Continuous negative or pessimistic attitude toward staff member or adviser
  6. Submitting an advanced page design, story, photo or any publishable item to anyone outside the media staff without approval by the student editors
  7. Two suspensions in one academic year
  8. Failing to fulfill the job as outlined in the job description
1. Major infractions will result in immediate dismissal from staff duties and dismissal from class and staff at the end of the semester. (Major infractions include but are not limited to the following: plagiarism, vandalism and theft.)
2. Minor infractions will be given a written warning for the first one. The second one is immediate dismissal from staff duties and dismissal from class and staff at the end of the semester.
3. Warnings will be written and signed by the adviser and editor-in-chief(s), as well as the staff member in question.
4. An editor will face the possibility of being stripped of her or his title if suspended.
5. The first misdemeanor or arrest will result in the loss of the editor’s title, and the second will result in dismissal from staff.
6. Each member of the student editors and adviser will attend a meeting with the potentially dismissed student to discuss the issue. The adviser will make the final decision.
7. The academic nature of the school’s online publication and the newsmagazine class allows the removal of editors or staff members when school and or established media policy is violated.
8. The above list of infractions could all result in dismissal. But, staff dismissals are not limited to the listed infractions.
9. A dismissed staff member receiving academic credit may be given a grade of F and will not be allowed to register for any other journalism courses. (In addition, all guidelines and rules of the school district will be followed in enforcing this policy.)
10. Dismissal procedures are reviewed and approved by the student editors.
11. The dismissed staff member may appeal their dismissal in writing to the student editors within three school days following dismissal.
12. All dismissal appeals will be directed to the building principal and the student editors.

EDITOR AND STAFF SELECTION PROCESS

Editor-in-chief(s) and other editor-level positions are chosen by faculty adviser, possibly with input from the current and previous year’s student editors.
New and returning staffers are judged by application, previous work, potential and prerequisite classwork.
Applicants are not turned down because of age, race, sex, religion, or mental or physical challenges that do not impair editorial responsibilities.
Staff applications are due upon the deadline issued annually by the adviser.
The staff and editors are selected prior to the end of the previous school year. The adviser reserves the right to make changes to the list as he/she deems necessary.
Editor titles and positions are not named until after all media have finalized publication for the previous year.

REGARDING STAFF DISMISSAL

All individuals involved with PHS media are considered a team, each member is expected to complete all assigned stories, pages, photos, etc. on or before the assigned deadline. Staff members, including editors, may be dismissed from their positions and/or the publications staff itself if any of the following violations occur:

1. Continuously missed deadlines (dismissal procedures will take place by choice of adviser and EICs)
2. Plagiarism
3. Quote falsification
4. Vandalism or theft of publication equipment
5. Continuous negative or pessimistic attitude toward staff member or adviser
6. Submitting an advanced page design, story, photo or other publishable items to anyone outside the media staff without approval by the student editors.
7. Two suspensions in one academic year
8. Failing to fulfill the job as outlined in the job description.

Major infractions will result in immediate dismissal from staff duties and dismissal from class and staff at the end of the semester (major infractions include but are not limited to the following: plagiarism, vandalism, theft).
Minor infractions will be given a written warning for the first one. The second one is immediate dismissal from staff duties and dismissal from class and staff at end of the semester.
Warnings will be written and signed by the adviser and editor-in-chief(s), as well as the staff member(s) in question.
An editor will be stripped of his/her title if suspended.
The first misdemeanor or arrest will result in the loss of the editor’s title, and the second will result in dismissal from staff.
Each member of the student editors and adviser will attend a meeting with the potentially dismissed student to discuss the issue, the adviser will make the final decision.
The academic nature of the online newspaper class allows the removal of editors or staff members when school and or established media policy is violated.
The above list infractions could all result in dismissal however, staff dismissals are not limited to the listed infractions.
A dismissed staff member receiving academic credit may be given a grade of F and will not be allowed to register for any other journalism courses (will not preempt school policy).
Dismissal procedures are reviewed and approved by the student editors.
The dismissed staff member may appeal their dismissal in writing to the student editors within three school days following dismissal.
All dismissal appeals will be directed to the building principal and the student editors.

QUERIES

Questions or complaints concerning material published in the media should be made in writing to the editor-in-chief(s) who will present the concern at the next scheduled student editors meeting.

Resolutions will be made within the limits of deadlines.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION

The PHS online newspaper and newsmagazine should be a member of the state, national and/or international organizations.

“Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. …”
–The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

“The vigilant protection of constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American schools.”
–Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District

Last update made June 26, 2022.