I have a great school. I love my school district. I used to do PR for the school so I was actually paid to say that, but I mean it, truly.
But advisers are in a unique situation: Kids will come and go but we are here (forever).
The relationships we build over years can be tarnished or ruined by one kid with an agenda or a story gone horribly wrong. And they get to graduate and we have to sit in staff meetings trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
My best approach to stories that make me uncomfortable is to do what we always do — require hard work, fact-checking, lots of interviews, balanced coverage. Basically I make sure we are doing the highest level of journalism possible. By covering all of our bases we are reinforcing our curriculum and also squelching critics.
Not all of the critics will be silenced but we at least have peace of mind that we did all we could do and we did all we should do.
If my students can't keep up the expectations for basic news or feature stories there's no way I would feel comfortable with them taking on hot topics. For those who have proven themselves to be trustworthy, dependable and accurate I will happily have their back.
Kelly Juntunen
Allen High School
Allen, Texas
I totally agree! I haven't let any of my students tackle hot issues because I'm afraid to have my reputation ruined. But I was afraid because I didn't know how to go about doing responsible journalism. I didn't know the process and now I am more confident in what the kids can or can't do. I know what to check for before publishing and I am so grateful for this week!
ReplyDeleteVictoria R Tijerina
Moises E Molina High School
Dallas, Texas
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ReplyDeleteAs Frank Lomonte said in his webinar, good journalism is what matters most. Seeing your post, Kelly, has reminded me of this.
ReplyDeleteI've struggled with the same problem as you: students who can't get the small stuff right, let alone the topics that require the highest attention to detail and the greatest maturity. I've had students who wanted to cover the sensitive stuff but who didn't want to put the real work into getting it right.
I'm glad you pointed out one of the major sticking points: our colleagues stay, and our students move on. WE, as advisers, do face long-term consequences, good or bad, for the journalism that comes from our programs, so it's important that we get it right. I wonder if the terrific adage we heard so much this week applies even to sensitive topics: "We're looking not for perfection, but for progress." It seems that when covering sensitive topics, we should be aiming closer to perfection, right?
David Gwizdala
James B. Conant High School
Hoffman Estates, Illinois