Law, Ethics and News Literacy

A fair and robust newspaper requires a strict adherence to journalist ethics and standards of integrity plus the law. Both I and the other editors as a whole have worked to instill the importance of such values into our staff, so that we can proceed with our mission to both "inform and entertain with an honest and accurate approach."

Actions Taken

My junior year, we received word that a photo we had used prior was not properly attributed and that we in fact did not have permission to use it on our website. We treated the issue very seriously, taking a day during class to emphasize the importance of taking our own photos but also to explain how to find and attribute free-to-use photos. We have not had any similar issues since then.

The following year, as Editor-in-Chief, I helped implement a policy for our website's stories whereby all stories had to include the planned photo, caption and photo credit to ensure we could verify them ahead of time. We also created a checklist all students had to sign off on before submitting their stories to the editors, which included properly attributed photos, properly cited sources, interviews and quotes, etc.

Regardless, no one is perfect or impervious to error. In the event that we publish a major mistake, when possible, we quickly correct the error in accordance with journalistic ethics and the Student Press Law Center.

Lastly, as a general rule, we strongly emphasize the importance of ethics in journalism, particularly this year, whether it be as simple as asking for permission to quote or as complex as adhering to copyright law.

Beyond these actions during my time with the Statesman, I have long worked with First Amendment advocacy and information groups, and knowing firsthand the importance of (student) press freedom, I am very thankful that I was able to participate in the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, which bolstered my knowledge of and augmented my passion for freedom of the press, speech, et al.