Following a link from Cyberjournalist.net I came across an interesting story that I can't help writing about. At my HS I was an assistant editor for the school newspaper and the editor of the school yearbook. I remember how hard it was to juggle the school schedule and find time for writing, editing, and laying out articles on the computer. Students at a local GA high school are about to feel this pressure and are in the middle of a battle to save their journalism class and the integrity of their newspaper.
Apparently the school administration/principal didn't like the "tone" of the newspaper and thought it to be glorifying the negative aspects of student life at the high school. From reading the letters exchanged between advisors, students, and principle (that have been recorded in a weblog set up by the newspaper staff named Speaking Underground) it is clear that there's no love loss between the two sides and an undercurrent of mistrust and annoyance. I understand the position of the school wanting the paper to embrace the more positive side of the news, but also sympathize with the students who want the newspaper to stand for something and inform the students of all happenings that affect them directly.
While I feel bad for the students who will lose a fun and useful class (that will be replaced by cosmotology, which is a puzzling choice), I don't think they should get too down. They have every right to fight the cancellation of the class and voice their displeasure, but I see this as an opportunity to really do something big. When it all comes down to it, the students are losing an hour of dedicated class time during the day. Interviews with story sources can still be scheduled during luchtime or after-school, and the paper can be written during study hall breaks or at home. My HS never dedicated any time to allow students to write articles, and we were still able to churn out all of our issues without any big problems.
With the rising popularity of weblogs I see this as an even bigger opportunity for this school newspaper to expand it's readership. They have certainly received a lot of attention and linking to the temporary weblog that they have set up. Why not turn it into a supplement to the newspaper that can hold the day-to-day happenings of the school or the articles that require the least prep time (sports scores, funny op-eds, etc.). Let the editors work on the bigger stories during their own time and publish fewer issues of the printed paper that will then be packed with highly informative and well-researched stories. Turn the weblog into a portal for the student body and provide useful links to local entertainment, study guides, and other worthwhile material. There's a world of opportunity here for the students, and if they used their own time and resources they would also have a lot more freedom in what they could write (though I would encourage them to use this responsibly and set an example).
What do all of you think? Any former editors or reporters around who have any input? Did your HS have a student paper as part of the curriculum, or did you have to work on a school paper after school? Is the weblog supplement a good idea?
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