Editorial Policy

No publication is complete without a solid editorial policy, so let’s put the whole thing here to be transparent about our publication. Make sure to edit this annually if your new staff makes any changes to the policy.

 

Below is the editorial policy we used at the newspaper I advised:

 

Editorial Policy

1. Purpose of the newspaper- The student newspaper will be a student run publication that reports on recent school news, sports, and student body activities. The paper will attempt to report on all subjects objectively and remain as impartial as possible. The ultimate goal of the paper is to provide its readers with accurate, unbiased accounts of the happenings at the school from one issue to the next. The student newspaper will also serve as an open forum for all readers of the paper in the form of letters to the editor, and will also give its reporters a chance to practice professional and responsible journalism at the high school level.
2. Profanity- Profanity will not be used in any of the objective material covered in the paper (news, sports, and features.) Editorials will also not use profanity. Any student column where the student feels profanity is necessary to convey their message must have the column approved by the editorial board. Quotations may be altered if Surveyor standards are not met; published material must be suitable for readers of all ages. Profanity is defined as any word not allowed in a PG films, which is based upon the community standards expected within high school classrooms.
3. Content- The content of the paper will be determined by its staff in a brainstorming session occurring the Monday (or most convenient day) following publication. The students will come up with ideas of what they deem of importance to cover in the school. The editorial board and adviser have the ability to override inappropriate or unfeasible ideas. Other than stopping a story for inappropriateness or infeasibility the adviser and other faculty of the school will have no sway in determining the priority of the stories as that would violate the idea of a student run publication.
4. Staff writing- All stories will be written by staff members. Staff members will be members of the student body who have completed the introductory course for journalism or AP Language and Composition. All stories and editorials will be written by the staff, non-staff members may contribute to the paper via guest columns and letters to the editor (and graphics). The only exception to this rule is in the event of a student or faculty death, in which case someone close to the departed may provide the paper with a firsthand account of their memories of the departed.
5. Editorials- The content of editorials will be determined during the brainstorming session of the staff. The editorial itself will be written by a staff member, but will not be signed. It will be voted on by the editorial board. The majority of the editorial board must agree with the editorial, and in the event that the majority vote against the editorial then it must be rewritten until the editorial board agrees with it. A simple majority will suffice; the vote need not be unanimous. The editorial will always appear on the first page of the opinion section of the newspaper.
6. Controversial issues- When controversial issues arise the newspaper will cover them professionally and objectively as it does with every other issue. All sides of an issue will have their voices heard during the coverage of a controversial issue. Whenever an issue is being covered that may offend a particular group within the school the newspaper staff will alert the group of the intended coverage in an attempt to avoid inciting anger towards the news staff or inciting any kind of violence within the school. While student publications are supported by taxpayer money the students are still given this one medium to have their voices heard on elections. As one of the primary roles of a public school is to encourage public participation in a democracy, it seems only fitting those students should be allowed to voice their political views in an editorial or column. 
7. Letters to the editor- Letters to the editor will be welcomed as a means for non-staff members to voice their opinions on the content of the paper or their opinions on any subject relevant to the school. The space given to letters will be determined by the number of letters received. This may range from a small section of the page in the columns area of the opinion section up to an entire page in the opinion section if necessary. All letters to the editor must be signed. Letters will have the author double checked by the opinions editor to insure that no individual is being misrepresented. Letters may not be any longer than 300 words and must be free of grammatical and spelling errors when submitted; if this is not the case the letter will be returned to the author. Letters will also be held to the same content standards as the paper itself, as set up by the Iowa Student Free Expression Law, which states that the paper may not: be obscene, libel anyone, cause a physical disruption to the school day, encourage illegal activities, or incite violence (fighting words.)
8. Trivia- Gossip and social-network coverage may not be covered on a regular basis. This may be explored periodically if it can be tied into a feature piece, but it should not be a regular occurrence. A column should not address gossip as it may invite an issue of libel in the event of an untruth. All trivial issues should be covered in a professional objective manner as all other material is handled in the paper. (I.e. a feature story about the prevalence and effect of gossip in the high school.)
9. Reviews- Movies, CDs, professional artist concerts, and books may be reviewed within the student publication. Student performances (orchestra concerts, school plays, etc.) should be presented as a news story rather than a review. It’s preferable, but not necessary, that reviewers have some level of knowledge in the field they are reviewing (i.e. a band member may review music, an AP Literature student may review books, etc.)
10. Bylines- All news, sports, and feature stories, as well as columns, will contain bylines. Bylines will all have a uniform font and will appear at the top of each story. Editorials will not contain a byline. Editors are responsible for insuring that bylines properly credit the stories that they have written for them. Bylines must look professional and may not contain nicknames. All graphics, photos, and other art will contain bylines within the box of the art. The page designer may take credit as the page designer at the top of their page with the exception of the front and back page of the newspaper.
11. News and features- The front page of the newspaper will normally be devoted to school news. If a major world news story overshadows any school event (i.e. terrorist attack) then there will be some sort of school tie-in to the story. There will be a second news page within the newspaper that can cover local, state, national, and world news (while making sure there is a relevant local angle). Criminal charges of students and faculty will not be reported upon unless it directly affects their status within the school. Student weddings and pregnancies may be covered as a feature piece if the student involved gives their consent for coverage. Student organizations that are not school sponsored may be covered as long as their activities are not illegal. This encourages increased coverage of the student body. Features will provide information, but are also meant to be entertaining for the reader.
12. Obituaries- In the unfortunate event of a student or faculty death the coverage will be determined on a case by case basis. Coverage will do the best to provide a recap of the person’s life. The cause of death will be covered as tactfully and briefly as possible. If a news story seems warranted it will be carefully written, otherwise a brief first person column may suffice. This first person account is the one time that a non-staff member may write an article for the paper. Any piece written by a non-staff member must be reviewed by the editorial board prior to publication.
13. Errors- If an error is discovered by the staff or by a reader it will be corrected in the following issue on the interior. Factual errors will be published here with an apology for the mistake. All errors throughout the entire paper will be dealt with in this section.
14. Illustrations- Photos and illustrations will also be held to the same standard of professionalism and objectivity that the writing is held to. In the event that a photo is captured of an individual in a compromising position it will not be run unless pertinent to the story and absolutely no other photo or art is available. Photos or cartoons published with malicious intent to an individual will not be published as this could invite legal action against the publication. Manipulated and staged photos must be labeled as photo illustrations to avoid confusion among the readers.
15. Advertising- Advertising will not be sold to any product that is not legally sold to the majority of the student body (tobacco, alcohol, and pornography.) Advertising will also not be sold to any business, agency, group, etc. that goes against the overall mission of the school and the paper. Advertisers will all pay in full prior to the ad being run. In the event that an ad is pixilated, contains an error, or is any other way unsatisfactory the newspaper will refund the advertisers price or provide them with a free advertisement later in the year. Contracts must be signed by all advertisers before publication occurs.
16. Staff dismissal- In the event that a staff member misses two deadlines or violates any of the above rules that have been laid down they will be subject to dismissal. After missing two deadlines the staff member will be dismissed. Violations of the rules will be determined on a case by case basis by the editorial board. The dismissed members of the staff may appeal their case to the editorial board, which must then vote for reinstatement and plead their case for reinstatement to the adviser. The adviser will have final say on reinstatement of any dismissed staff members.
17. Time, place, and manner of distribution- The paper will be distributed during the newspaper class meeting, with students counting out the correct number of papers for each classroom and delivering them near the end of seventh hour. Extra copies will be made available in the main foyer and library. Papers will also be distributed to the general population by having several bundles placed in high traffic areas around town (grocery stores, public libraries, etc.). Elementary and middle feeder schools into the high school will each receive one bundle in their main office to distribute on their own. The Surveyor is free of charge in these distribution areas. Subscriptions are available for a price to be determined at the beginning of each school year.