Quill and Scroll
The Magazine
The International Honor Society for High School Journalists Since 1926
Fall 2017
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2017
APPLY NOW FOR THE 2017 TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Dow Jones News Fund, the Poynter Institute and The Wall Street Journal will select one National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year based on their work during the 20162017 academic year. CSPA has created an online application to collect the information needed to select the National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year.
http://bit.ly/NHSJTOY
HOW TO APPLY Deadline October 20, 2017
We are seeking high school journalism teachers and media advisers with at least three years’ experience who have been honored as lifetime achievement, state or regional winners by local, state and regional groups. Professional media and press associations are invited to forward candidates from their competitions. Applications must be submitted online. For forms and additional information, visit: http://bit.ly/NHSJTOY
Along with the Teacher of the Year, an additional eight (8) high school journalism teachers and media advisers will be named Distinguished Advisers and Special Recognition Advisers. TEACHER OF THE YEAR BENEFITS: • a plaque commemorating their achievement; • a laptop computer for their newsroom; • a district substitute teacher per diem; • a $1,000 scholarship for a graduating senior from the Teacher of the Year’s school; • a year of free webinars from the Poynter Institute; and • a digital subscription to The Wall Street Journal. DISTINGUISHED ADVISERS WILL WIN: • a plaque commemorating their achievement; • a $500 scholarship for a senior in their school; • a free webinar from the Poynter Institute; and • a digital subscription to The Wall Street Journal. Each Special Recognition Adviser receives a plaque and a digital subscription to The Wall Street Journal.
The 2016 Dow Jones News Fund Teacher of the Year award recipients at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Indianapolis. From left: Teresa Scribner, Cleveland High School, Seattle; Jami Williams, Mexico (Missouri) High School; Lori Keekley, St. Louis Park (Minnesota) High School; Leslie Shipp, Johnston (Iowa) High School; Cherié Burgett, Staley High School, Kansas City, Missouri and Dave Riggs, Wenatchee (Washington) High School. Photo: Bradley Wilson
IN THIS ISSUE Fall 2017
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Welcome to the new Q&S Global Student Square: Q&A with Beatrice Motamedi
Jeff Browne
Marni Wax
2017 Quill & Scroll Scholars
Words that Hurt, Words that Heal
Erinn Aulfinger
Fiery Journalism: Q&A with Michael Kodas An Inspiring Journalist
Editor
Jeff Browne
Executive Director, Quill & Scroll Society
Assistant Editor Emily LaGrange
Jeff Browne
Freshman, University of Iowa
Barbara Irvin
Staff Contributors Marni Wax
14
Refuting the Misconceptions
Senior, University of Iowa
15
One Journalist's Story
Junior, University of Iowa
Zeb Carabello Javon Harris
16
Passing on an Important Role
17
Human rights attorney Harris to write SPLC's next chapter
18
Frank LoMonte
Allison Wunder
Cameron Cooper
Senior, University of Iowa
Judy Hauge
Administrative Assistant, Quill & Scroll Society
Diana Mitsu-Klos
Journalism veterans gain new and applicable skills for their classrooms
Candace Perkins Bowen
20
Curating Journalists of the Future
STAY UPDATED
21
The Ever-Evolving World of Journalism
quillandscroll.org
Sarah Nichols
Kelly Glasscock
Volume 92 - Issue 1
@quillandscroll
Magazine of Quill and Scroll International Honor Society for High School Journalists
quillandscrollsociety
Welcome to the new Q&S Organization will honor past while looking to the future
Dear Friends: It is my distinct honor to humbly address you for the first time as the executive director of Quill and Scroll. I come to this role after 27 years spent as a journalism educator and adviser, from Smoky Hill High School to Colorado State University, the University of Kansas and the University of Colorado. I look forward to serving you and building on the legacies of Quill and Scroll’s five previous executive directors: founder George Gallup (1926-1932), Edward Nell (1932-1957), Lester Benz (1957-1972), Dick Johns (1972-2007) and, most recently, Vanessa Shelton (2007-2017). To my delight, Judy Hauge remains as Quill and Scroll’s administrative assistant and office manager. In addition, the University of Iowa continues to graciously host our organization and provide us with able journalism students who work as office assistants and content producers for our communications initiatives. However, as with any organizational change, re-evaluation and, in some cases, re-booting programs is called for. And while we have nearly chapters in nearly 14,000 schools around the world, we love to hear individually from committed members and advisers about how our programs and services can be made even better.
Here’s a quick glance at what we’ve working been on since August: 1. A cleaner logo, already in use for our publications and on social media, that incorporates the pithy “It’s an Honor” tagline. 2. Our news aggregation initiative, "The Weekly Scroll." In it, we provide Quill and Scroll members and their advisers with news about the journalism profession, scholastic journalism and Quill and Scroll. It will be released every Thursday evening and ready for you for classes on Friday. 3. A re-built website (ready in October), one that has a more modern and useful template, making it easier for advisers and potential members to find our services. 4. A monthly email newsletter for advisers that serves as an adjunct to — and possibly a replacement for — the printed Quill & Scroll magazine. We will gauge the response to both the magazine and to the newsletter as we move through the 20172018 school year to determine how best to communicate with you. 5. A move to online submission for our contests, beginning with the International Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest and Blogging Competition in January 2018. Our hope is to move all contests online, including the Yearbook Excellence Contest in September 2018. 6. A collaboration with the Journalism Education Association, the National Scholastic Press Association, the Student Television Network and state scholastic press associations to provide training for advisers and others who serve as critique judges. Attend one of our joint sessions at the JEA/NSPA convention in Dallas. Here are some initiatives that will begin in the very near future and that you can be a part of: 1. A capital campaign to fully fund Quill and Scroll scholarships. The Century Campaign will have a goal to raise $500,000
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by the time the organization celebrates its 100th anniversary in April 2026. 2. Partnerships with associations that promote diversity in the journalism profession. 3. A retooling of our publications, especially the Quill and Scroll Stylebook. 4. A celebration of Quill and Scroll alumni and their successes, not just in journalism but in other professions. After all, decades of research have shown us that journalism students do better at every thing. 5. A partnership with a investigative journalism source that would allow stu dents to contribute to a nationwide crowdsourcing project on public school foundations. Our mission statement reads: “Quill and Scroll seeks to encourage individual initiative in high school journalism . . . and recognize and reward the individual achievements of students engaged in journalistic activity.” I welcome any and all feedback that helps us better adhere to that mission. And if you’d like to be a part of any of our initiatives — and even to serve on our Board of Directors in the near future — please don’t hesitate to reach me at jeffrey-browne@ uiowa.edu or 319-335-3321. Thank you.
Jeff Browne Quill and Scroll Executive Director
Entries are now being accepted for the 2017 Quill and Scroll Yearbook Excellence Contest! For a list of categories, see page 22. See page 23 for a mail-in entry form or go to quillandscroll.org to apply online by Nov. 1. Sponsored by Jostens, Herff Jones, Balfour, and Walsworth.
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Global Student Square Bringing youth voices into global news Marni Wax
Senior, University of Iowa
Beatrice Motamedi is the Executive Director of Global Student Square, an organization founded with the aim to connect student journalists from all over the world in order to provide them with the opportunity to participate and collaborate in global journalism.
Quill and Scroll: How did Global Student Square (GSS) begin? Beatrice Motamedi: I started GSS in 2015 during a John S. Knight fellowship in journalism at Stanford. But the seed of GSS was planted a couple years earlier when I was working for a nonprofit that was trying to push journalism in low-income schools. I was meeting with a student in a school in south-central Los Angeles, and we were talking about the then-upcoming summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was an immigrant originally from Brazil, and he remarked that the stadiums that were being built for the Olympics were in out-of-the-way, rural places where nobody would ever go. And millions of dollars were going into this instead of things like housing and education, which people in cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo desperately need. I told the student that sounded like a great story and he should write it. “But who would publish something like that?” he asked. For me, that was the beginning of GSS. I’m an immigrant myself so I know what it’s like to know about another country or culture or language but not really have that be part of your life. On GSS, if you know something about the world, you can tell that story.
Q&S: What is the GSS mission? BM: Our tagline is “connect, collaborate and create” and we really mean that. We’ve just finished our second full school year so it’s still early, but we’re building our team and creating workflows, for example, on how to have global chats that work in various time zones. Our goal is more collaborative projects that bring students from
"We get stories from schools and students we work with around the world, 20 schools and 200 correspondents so far." different places to work together on one issue. One good example is “45 for 45,” our series of videos by teens with a message for Donald Trump (America’s 45th president). Those videos have been coming in from around the world as well as the U.S. and really showed that pretty much every problem from climate change to immigration is a global problem. Either we solve them together, or we won’t solve them at all. Q&S: Where do your stories come from? BM: We get stories from schools and students we work with around the world, 20 schools and 200 correspondents so
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far. That includes breaking news, such as the Paris climate accords, the London terror attacks and vandalism at Jewish cemeteries in the U.S., but it also includes news, features and op-eds from any of our correspondents. Currently we have a Muslim teen columnist and a Jewish teen columnist; we have a school in Bali where students report regularly on things like marine pollution and endangered orangutans; our Korean correspondents have gone to the DMZ and covered Korean pop; and our China correspondents are doing a video a story on students stressed out by the SAT. If a story could interest a student in San Francisco and Shanghai, it’s probably a GSS story. Q&S: What do students do? BM: We’re student-run, so they do a lot! Our correspondents and columnists write regularly and are on call for breaking news. Editors assign, edit, fact-check, hyperlink and publish stories and visuals. Our webmasters design things, fix things and watch analytics. Social media editors share what we do and help host global videochats (typically one per month). We have some amazing editors, including Meghan Bobrowsky, the 2017 JEA/NSPA national high school journalist of the year; and Xavi Boluna, our webmaster, who is heading to UC Santa Cruz next fall. Our assistant webmaster, J.J. Hennessy, gave a presentation on GSS to the National Association of Media Literacy Association
conference in Chicago this summer. He blew some minds — nobody could believe that a 10th grader could webmaster. But of course 10th graders can. Q&S: How do I get started? BM: First: Look through our site. Read and watch what we’ve done so far. See how we roll — our focus is on global issues, common problems, stories that happened where you live but could be much more. Unless your story has that dimension, it won’t be for us. This year we’ll have a special emphasis on cities — the shift from rural to urban life, the push for environmental sustainability, the need for community and equity, the way immigration, law enforcement and education shape where and how we live. If you have that kind of story, we’d love to hear from you. Second: Subscribe to our mailing list (bottom of homepage) or email your story pitch to submissions@globalstudentsquare. org. An editor will respond.
A refugee named Olaf, 26, from Somalia (far left), talks with GSS students (left to right) Louis Serra, Sloane Valen, Allegra Knox and Tailor Liedtke for a story on a refugee camp in central Paris. Photo by Andy Wiener for GSS.
Third: If you’re a student editor with at least one year of online experience, consider joining our team — apply for one of our 2017-18 internships (follow us @GSSVoices and like us on FB so you catch it). Currently we’re looking for story editors, webmasters/web designers, social media editors and a graphics editor/illustrator. We’d love to find a cartoonist! Successful applicants will have at least one-two years of experience on an online school publication, be familiar with digital media story conventions (e.g., hyperlinking, embedding video) and also use social media frequently and responsibly. For more, email Beatrice at beatrice@ globalstudentsquare.org.
globalstudentsquare.org @GSSVoices Global Student Square @globalstudentsquare
GSS correspondent Kiran Dwivedi takes a photo of North Korea from the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for a story on a new train station on a line built with hopes of reunification for the two countries. Photo by Beatrice Motamedi for GSS.
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2017 Quill & Scroll Scholars Katelyn Pinkley
Samantha Nork
Cierra Wall
Edward J. Nell Scholarship Richland R-1 High School Essex, Missouri Ball State University
George and Ophelia Gallup Scholarship Fraser High School Fraser, Michigan Macomb Community College
Richard P. Johns Scholarship Nation Ford High School Fort Mill, South Carolina Hawaii Pacific University
Erinn Aulfinger
Caroline Cooney
George and Ophelia Gallup Scholarship Lakota East High School Liberty Township, Ohio Ohio State University
Edward J. Nell Scholarship The John Carroll School Bel Air, Maryland Hartford Community College
FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN APPLY AND MORE AT QUILLANDSCROLL.ORG
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Words that Hurt, Words that Heal The power of words spurs self-acceptance in young girls Erinn Aulfinger
George and Ophelia Gallup Scholarship Winner
I’ve had great leadership opportunities in organized the problem. I wondered how I could harness the power of activities and clubs in high school, including as Chief Editor words in a more positive light, curing the disease of poor of Lakota East’s award-winning news magazine, The Spark, self-esteem by stopping the spread before girls were infectthis past year. But I believe the true proof of the skills we ed. Perhaps by giving younger girls a “vaccine” to prevent learn is how we apply them. the development of negative thoughts, I could prevent the The true proof of our personal values is whether we put spread of a weakening sense of “girl power.” them to the test. For me, leadership goes beyond serving My solution was to create, fund, and publish a book in a structured capacity. Service goes beyond school-mandesigned for sixth-grade girls about to face new pressures dated volunteer hours. Both come down to a choice: Step from peers, teachers, parents, and puberty. My book, out of the safety of organized activities and make your own “Rewriting Your Story,” includes inspirational stories from mark on the world, or let others be the pioneers to set the older girls and women who’ve overcome self-esteem issues, vision and brave the unchartered along with exercises and tips to give path as you follow safely behind. girls tools to help avoid that self-esThat philosophy was put to the drop. “I wondered how I could teem test these past two years when I unI developed a detailed year-long harness the power of covered an issue in my southwestern action plan, contacted more than Ohio community. 1,000 organizations for research, words in a more positive There’s a sickness running ramraised $5,000 in printing costs, perlight, curing the disease pant through the hallways of our suaded women to share their stories, of poor self-esteem by schools, infiltrating households, and taught myself design software to and raging, unchecked, throughout stopping the spread before do my own layout. With permission public places across America. It’s from 10 elementary school princigirls were infected." plaguing our children, yet there’s no pals, I distributed a free book to the outcry of outrage or fear. No hot 700 sixth-grade girls in my school debates on national TV citing numdistrict this past fall, and posted a bers of people won or lost. No white-coated CDC experts free online copy for girls globally. highlighting the problem. The book is achieving my goal of changing lives and Industry reports say girls see a significant drop in helping girls learn to treat themselves and each other better. self-esteem around age 9 that’s both deeper and longer-last“I realized I was treating another girl … in a way I ing than that of boys. This drop is driven in part by body wouldn’t want to be treated, so I changed,” one girl said. image issues, bullying, and societal gender bias. Girls with “I decided that if all those women could see themselves low self-esteem are more likely to suffer from depression, as pretty, so could I,” said another. self-harm, and premature sexual activity, yet only a few A parent told me “I have an older daughter who’s strugorganizations are offering solutions. Words have unmistakgled with much of the subject matter… so thanks for changable power, and the halls of middle or high school have the ing the world one page at a time!” uncanny ability to bring out the worst of them. This project taught me new skills like project manageWalking the school halls since I turned 9 years old, I’ve ment and fundraising, introduced me to strong female seen friends succumb to the pitfalls of low self-esteem, leaders globally, and raised my own confidence as I tackled including cutting, eating disorders, and drug usage. I’ve a project others initially told me “couldn’t be done”. watched the rise of “mean girls” bullying others, and of Words can cause a sickness in heart and spirit. I hope my adults treating girls differently than boys, both worsening book can be one small part of the cure.
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Fiery Journalism The most effective approaches to environmental reporting Jeff Browne
Executive Director, Quill & Scroll Society Michael Kodas is the deputy director of the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he also teaches journalism classes. His book “Megafire: The Race to Extinguish an Epidemic of Flame” was released in August 2017. He is also the author of “High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed.”
Quill and Scroll: Tell us about “Megafire.” What is the goal of the book? What can student journalists learn? Michael Kodas: My goal is to get the general public to recognize their role and their relationship to wildfire and how we’ve contributed to the problem. We kind of have a vision of a huge fire or a really hot fire or a really fast fire, but a very small fire can also be very mega. The Yarnell Hill disaster in Arizona, which killed 19 hotshots, was actually a pretty small fire. So I end up measuring “mega” more by impact than by size or speed or heat generated. Student journalists can think in those terms as well — who is affected and how they’re affected. Q&S: One of the things you did in preparing the report and write about wildfires was to train as a firefighter. Why did you do that? MK: Working for the Forest Service gave me access and insights into that job that I wouldn’t have gotten had I just been a journalist showing up. I bonded with this crew, who then taught me how to use the tools and the proper terminology and the various challenges. It helped me tell a different story. Q&S: What are the dangers inherent in participatory journalism?
MK: You must make sure that your loyalty remains with your reader. Our obligation is to the truth, and our loyalty is to our readers. At the end of my time as a forest firefighter, I got a tip and discovered that we were fighting a wildfire in an area where Dick Cheney had a fishing trip. The commander was saying, “Yeah, the only reason we’re on this fire is that the Vice President has a fishing trip planned in this area.” I had a number of firefighters corner me very angrily saying, “You can’t report that because they’ll know you are part of our crew and we may not get as good a job the next time.” And you know, obviously I’m concerned. I don’t want to hurt their ability to have a livelihood and make a living fighting wildfires. On the other hand, what was going on was putting other firefighters at risk. So in that case my obligation to tell the truth to my readers and to inform them about how the system works won out. Q&S: You noted that our first duty is always to our readers, but what else do students need to keep in mind as they’re reporting on communities they’re a part of? MK: We’re not doing journalism because we want people to like us. And in an academic or high school environment, you’re reporting on people that you might consider your friends or acquaintances. You can’t hold back just because you got that information about somebody you might be friendly with. And that’s a real challenge. So, you know, to kind of be able to
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step back and say, “Hey, I know you’re my buddy,” but you’re working as a reporter now, so you know you have an obligation to share what you would about people you know just like you would about people you don’t know. Q&S: What environmental stories can students report? MK: Wildfire is a great example. If you study the scientific literature, one of the areas that’s anticipated to have a huge increase in unwanted fires is actually the Great Plains states, where we don’t really think about wildfire. But we’ve seen a big increase in wildfires in Texas and in Oklahoma and in Kansas. So, just because it’s not happening in the big mountain forest and doesn’t produce those gigantic plains doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be a story for high school students. Half of the time fires are more beneficial to the landscape than they are detrimental to it. And so you know when we talk about fire on the landscape it doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative story. We can talk about how important fire is to agricultural communities because of its ability to nourish the soil or to help cattle gain more weight because the grass is so much more nutritious after a fire, which is the case in Kansas. In the bigger picture, the first thing that I think students should do is consider who their audience is. Is it students at your high school? Is it young people about your age but not necessarily just at your high school? Is it the public at large? Is it
administrators at your high school with the parents? And think about who you’re writing for and then you can use that to kind of narrow your scope as to issues that you might look at. For instance, if you’re a high school student and you’re writing for your high school paper, are there environmental hazards in your high school that you might want to look into. Does the football team play on artificial turf, and are there issues with the type of turf that’s used there? Is there asbestos in your school? Those are all pretty basic environmental stories. One thing that was incredibly under-reported until the last two years, and now suddenly everybody is doing stories on it, is lead in water supplies. The Flint, Michigan, situation was proved to be not only an environmental toxin story but a very significant environmental justice story. Stories like that are right for high school journalists to look into. If you really want to do something fun and exciting, get a sample of your water and have it tested and see what — lead, arsenic and other elements — are in it and then you can, go to the administration and ask, “Hey why is our water not as good as it could be?” You can also think in terms of environmental justice stories. Are there students at your high school who are more impacted by environmental situations, say, a chemical plant or a landfill in the neighborhood? Other students may be involved in activist activities to try to change something in their community. Q&S: Where do students find credible sources to tell environmental stories? MK: Well, you know finding some experts to interview can be really helpful if you find the right experts who can really explain it to you in simple terminology. I’ve read, you know, by my last count well over 400 scientific papers on wildfire. I don’t necessarily recommend that to anybody, but some of the people who wrote those papers are actually really great communicators. And I realized after having read their paper and then calling them that boy, if I had just called you right off the bat, you would’ve explained it to me with a couple
of really great quotes, and I wouldn’t have had to spend so much time in the weeds of all of this scientific jargon. One thing to recognize in reporting on environmental stories is that you’re going to have a range of sources who are more neutral than others. So you know you may have a scientific expert from a federal laboratory or a university. They can talk to you about asbestos in schools or wildfire or lead in water. And you also have people working for organizations like Greenpeace or the World Wildlife Fund or the Nature Conservancy. People from those organizations aren’t necessarily bad sources but they’re often not what we would call honest brokers. And that’s not to say that they’re liars. It’s to say that they’ve got a dog in the fight and they have a particular point of view that they are promoting. Q&S: How can students report on climate change in their own school districts, in their own communities? MK: There are a variety of approaches that would be the same for high school students as they would be for anybody covering another community. For instance, what is the school doing to deal with climate change? Are they promoting carpooling? Are they installing solar panels on their roofs so that they have less of a carbon footprint, maybe re-insulating the school, or doing other things to conserve energy which is definitely a positive thing to do? Then you can start looking at your student population. What is the sense among the student population? Are there students there who are really active as far as say climate change or another environmental issue? Is there a debate within the school communities that is worth looking into? Do the student’s attitudes match the attitudes at large in the school district, the county, the state? Another way of looking at it kind of gets back to what I talked to you about before, looking for impacts on the student body. So, do you have students in your school who come from an agricultural family who were
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being impacted by drought? Do you have students in your school who come from agricultural families who don’t think it’s affecting them? Q&S: Is there anything else you want to say to several thousand high school journalists and their advisors? MK: We’ve seen young reporters working at high schools and universities break some really significant stories from the last few years. And with high school journalists they might think, well, environmental reporting, it’s science based and there’s numbers and there’s all this stuff that, you know, I’m just not educated enough yet to understand. I would encourage them not to think that way. You can always find an expert to guide you through the topic with a phone call to a university or to a researcher or to a laboratory. The policymakers and corporate interests who are dealing with environmental issues owe a high school student an answer as much as they owe a reporter from the New York Times an answer. And very often they’re more willing to talk to high school students than a big-time reporter because they may underestimate you, and being underestimated as a reporter is very often to your advantage.
An Inspiring Journalist Contemplating a career in journalism can be intimidating, but one budding reporter found inspiration by learning about award-winning journalist Empish Thomas Barbara Irvin
Freelance Journalist All journalists have experienced the emotional pain of having an idea, or worse, a completed article rejected. For professionals who dream of writing on a regular basis for a huge paper such as The New York Times or The Washington Post, this can seem like the most agonizing thing in the world. And yet they keep going, churning out one story after another, hoping the editor of the local paper will find something special in the prose aspiring reporters produce. But as time passes, many writers manage only to get published brief items about community events or maybe short opinion pieces that reads more like letters. Once-passionate journalists no longer think they can have promising futures. This scenario is all too familiar. Recently, I found myself dealing with it. Then a friend suggested I read about a totally blind journalist named Empish Thomas. My friend felt learning about Empish would give me the extra push I needed to build and maintain a lasting career as a journalist. My friend was right. Once I took the time to learn about Empish’s accomplishments, I developed enough courage to continue pursuing my editorial endeavors. Now I want to share with you the inspiration I gained from Empish Thomas. Because the world of news writing is so competitive, we often feel that our stories don’t measure up to what other reporters may be covering. However, we must remember that the way we write is as important as the content itself. Style cannot be taught. It is what sets one writer apart from another, making him or her unique, that matters. I learned this and a whole lot more through Empish’s writing. She isn’t afraid to go after subjects she is passionate about.
Anyone can clearly see this by reading her blog posts. She uses her writing to inform others about products and services. And when Empish doesn’t know something, she takes the time to investigate every detail, which allows her to report a story as effectively as possible. A recent example of this is her post “Five Reasons Why I Still Use a Landline Phone,” published July 19. Although Empish writes candidly of her experience with phones, it is obvious she interviewed people to get their perspective as well. Reporters cannot write effectively about anything without exploring a variety of angles. Technology has helped Empish accomplish many tasks. She relies on a tape recorder when interviewing someone. Because travel is a challenge, Empish uses email and her phone to conduct long-distance interviews. Her journey as a writer has not been easy, but Empish’s optimism prevails. Around the same time she lost her sight, she decided to write in her spare time. This choice helped Empish immensely. Instead of dwelling on her vision loss, she accepted the changes her life was going through and concentrated on the opportunities that came her way. With an education in journalism and a few clips to her credit, she began her writing career in 2004. Empish started out by writing for free. She contributed to a newsletter for an organization for the blind. However, once editors saw the stack of published items she acquired over the years, they began paying her. Finally, Empish felt like a true professional. In a sighted world, those who have disabilities are often discriminated against. Writers such as Empish help prove that disabilities and other factors — including race and gender — are not be issues.
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Currently, she works as a mentor, helping other blind people find employment. She also writes a column for Dialogue, a magazine for the blind. The valuable lessons I learned from Empish will stay with me forever. She has taught me that it’s okay to write about my visual impairment if I choose. Sometimes it is necessary to disclose the issue, especially when certain accommodations need to be made or when one is trying to earn money (as in my case). She has also helped me realize there is hope of one day finally hitting the journalism jackpot and getting that dream assignment I need so much. I would really like to have a column in a newspaper. I have taken some time away from nonfiction to write a fiction book that I hope will teach others that equality is important in this world. Once it is done, I plan to get back to finding the columnist or reporting job I want so badly as I continue with my other writing plans. Perhaps someday I will meet or at least correspond with Empish. If I ever do have that chance, I will thank her for the many contributions she has given to the world. It is what we do that gets noticed, and the happenings we report on are certainly a huge part of the legacy we leave behind. Without those of us who cover the news on a daily or weekly basis, millions of people would be uninformed about the things that matter to them. I hope my words motivate others who are working toward a career in the media. If I can inspire others the way Empish has inspired me, then I will have achieved something as great as writing itself. The joy of sharing one’s knowledge with other people is a special gift, and there is much to pass along in the realm of reporting. Who will be your inspiration?
Don't Miss the Deadline! Yearbook Excellence Contest
·Entries must be mailed first class and postmarked no later than Nov. 1, 2017 ·More information on page 22 or quillandscroll.org ·Application on page 23
International Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest & Blogging Competition
·Entries must be mailed first class and postmarked no later than Feb. 5, 2018. ·$5 entry fee, $10 Blogging Competition entry fee (includes judge's evaluation) ·There is no limit on entries to a division per school. A single student can enter up to four entries into one division. ·Each entry must have been published in a high school or professional newspaper, news magazine or online between Feb. 1, 2017 and Feb. 1, 2018 and must be the work a high school student enrolled at the time of publication. Each entry must be the work of one student only, except in the In-Depth Reporting/Team Division. ·Submit the complete page or print of the Web page on which the entry appears. Clearly identify the entry to be judged on the Student Entry Form. DO NOT mark on the publication page. If two entries are on the same page, submit a complete tear sheet for each entry. We encourage photography entrants to also submit original photographic prints. ·More information on quillandscroll.org
QUILL & SCROLL It’s an Honor
Yearbook Excellence Contest Sponsors 2017
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Refuting the Misconceptions Journalism’s impact on students from low socio-economic backgrounds Zeb Carabello
Adviser, Rangeview (Colorado) High School When Heather Bryant recently published an article on Medium about the contemporary media’s shortage of journalists coming from low-income backgrounds, compromising the media’s ability to cover low-income populations, I immediately came up with a list in my head of at least 30 teenagers raised in poverty who have graduated from our high school journalism program in Aurora, Colorado, who could help fill this shortage. Upon further reflection, however, I concluded that only seven or eight of the 30 talented recent graduates are actually pursuing careers in the media, even though many were extremely accomplished high school journalists. Without getting too deep into the obvious reasons why those from low-income backgrounds do not often go into the traditional media, the dominant reason comes down to simple Carvillian logic: It’s the money, stupid. Accepting that money is an ever-so-real factor in determining who does and does not become journalists in America today, I will follow my own rule, which I give to my student journalists when writing opinion pieces – I will not complain about a problem without offering a reasonable solution. I am optimistic that new technology and the ever-changing media landscape in 2017 and beyond are leading and will continue to lead more young people from poverty to pursue careers in journalism. For the last 13 years, I have been an educator at Rangeview High School near Denver – a Title I School where the vast majority of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, and about a third of students are black, a third are Latinx, a third are white. In addition, great deal are immigrants from all over Latin America, Africa and Asia. Students from poor
backgrounds can indeed be turned on to journalism careers, giving several long-underrepresented demographic groups a desperately needed mouthpiece on current and future local, national and international issues. Below, I’d like to share some common phrases I hear from my students and some I hear and read from those in the journalism industry and from journalism educators. They all address why so few from poverty seek careers in journalism; after each point, I will try to offer a possible solution. -“Generally, news literacy is low among poorer populations, so learning to become a journalist is even more difficult for those students; plus, standardized testing has gotten in the way of teaching journalism, especially in those schools that fear for their funding based on those test results, which are nearly always schools full of poor kids.” I taught American Literature to high school juniors for 11 years, and there is no doubt journalism does more and with much more natural ease to engage students from poverty in not only reading, writing, speaking and digital communications, but also in social awareness, in political activism and engagement, and in challenging authority on issues that directly affect these kids’ everyday lives. -“Poor kids can’t afford an unpaid internship.” This is why it is more important than ever to create meaningful, high-level, high school and college student-run publications – working and publishing at a well-run student media publication cannot totally supplant the experience of a professional internship, but it can come close. Partnering with a local media outlet to help produce content for things like prep
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sports and education coverage is another great way to build strong student portfolios. Reaching out to local black, women’s and Latino journalist organizations with offers of providing some free writers for things like quarterly newsletter features can also lead to professional experience and networking opportunities without students having to provide 40 hours a week of unpaid labor. -“Poor kids can’t afford a liberal arts degree. Starting salaries for journalists are too low to pay back their student loans.” They can afford to be experts in 21st Century communications, and that is what a journalism degree has – or at least should – become. I urge my students to think about journalism, public relations and marketing as having basically synergized, leading to overlapping skill sets. I urge them to name new businesses, startups, nonprofits, etc., that do not need to hire young people with those same skills sets. -Back to James Carville: “Photo and video equipment and editing software are way too expensive, and the money to hire qualified teachers and provide extracurricular journalism learning activities (like national and state conferences) just isn’t there, especially in poor schools.” At Rangeview, we do not have the greatest or newest video and photo technology, but we are upgrading often, and soon we will have many significant updates thanks to funding from federal Perkins grants now that I have completed my Career and Technical Education (CTE) program approval. All journalism educators should look into CTE and creating a journalism “pathway” because it offers up to tens of thousands of dollars a year in “wish list” grants, and it gives their school and district administrators many good, pragmatic
reasons to invest in journalism education in the same way schools are investing in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pathways. Beyond all of this, however, is what I believe to be the great irony of journalism today – while traditional media has for so long struggled with adapting to the Internet and in many cases the Internet has been the death of long-revered publications, that same cyberspace is by far the greatest tool ever invented in democratizing journalism and making it more a more accessible profession for all. The vast majority of teens today – regardless of poverty level or country of origin – have smartphones on them at all times. They can audio record interviews, compose stories, share and edit writing, shoot video, mic up sources, use tripods, edit video, take photos, edit photos, use photo lenses, access social media, update website widgets, and post to the world via these phones. While the quality is surely not top shelf, it is becoming better with each frequent software and hardware update, and it is making the traditional and expensive tools of journalism much more accessible to today’s budding multimedia journalists, regardless of their parents’ income. Like the afternoon daily on our front doorsteps after work, the time for excuses as to why we cannot create great journalists out of young people from poverty is expired. Now is the time to let these “poor” young women and men bring their richness of experience, richness of thinking and richness of 21st Century communication skills to our eyes, ears and consciousness.
One Journalist’s Story Javon Harris
Class of 2016, Rangeview (Colorado) High School
Where I am from, the normal thing to do is play sports. If you aren’t a basketball player, then you must be a football kind of kid. But what about if you aren’t very good at sports? That’s the exact situation I faced once I was cut from the high school basketball team my junior year, and I was lost. Despite all the expectations I put upon myself back then, I overcame a lot of hurdles— financial hardship and my own self-doubts among them — my senior year because I was introduced to journalism, the world I hope to inhabit for the rest of my career. It all started once my English teacher, Zeb Carabello, made me the sports editor for The Raider Review student newspaper my senior year. At first the thought of being behind the story rather than being the story was not very intriguing; however, once that first day of school came, it was love at first sight. I have always known I was a pretty good writer, but I never knew I was capable of writing about sports and using all of my sports background knowledge until I enrolled in journalism class. It also it helped expand my skills and thinking. I now use those skills every day as a photojournalism student at Colorado State University (CSU). The journalism program at Rangeview helped make the school newspaper fun again for so many students, and we produced award-winning coverage of breaking news stories, from statewide walkouts in protest of police shootings to the firing of a popular coach at our school. It felt like we were an official newspaper outlet, and it made me really care about my work once I realized people were reading and Colorado State University student Javon Harris stands viewing it. Popularity soared within the before his wall of pictures taken this past year that have been published in the Rocky Mountain Collegian. first couple months that we launched our first website for the newspaper Photo by Javon Harris.
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that year, and so did my interest in the journalism world. I grew to love journalism so much that I decided to major in it at CSU, and that has my made my college experience much more focused than if I came in not knowing what I wanted to study. During my freshman year at CSU, the only concern I had was the cost of tuition. Coming from a family in which a single mother raised three kids by herself, college in my mind for most of my life wasn’t in the future, and it definitely wasn’t affordable, but being introduced to journalism my senior year really did change all that. I knew that if I wanted to succeed, I would have to love my major and love what I’m doing. I knew that would be true with mixing my love of sports and journalism. The student media at CSU is huge, and my experience at The Rocky Mountain Collegian newspaper and website has been invaluable. Once I saw how big an audience the newspaper reaches every day, and how intrigued students on campus are by the writing and pictures, I knew I had to become a part of the team. Photography is now my specialty, and I am now the senior sports photographer at the Collegian. I hope to be photo editor my senior year. Photography has opened many doors for me. I have networked with some amazing photographers and now also work for CSU’s athletic department. I have taken pictures at Denver-area sports venues such as the Pepsi Center, Coors Event Center, and Sports Authority Field. This past year I had 17 front cover photos for the Collegian. I have an entire wall filled with of my published photos. Hopefully, I’ll add another wall this year.
Passing on an Important Role Frank LoMonte
Director, Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida The first person ever to call the Student Press Law Center’s legal hotline for help was a high-school newspaper editor from Pecos, Texas, whose principal spiked a news story that he considered too controversial. And over its 43 years, tens of thousands of students (and an occasional teacher) have called the SPLC for free legal help when school administrators censor their work – almost always for image-control reasons. The SPLC was founded to give students like that Texas editor, Stephen Bates, a powerful ally to speak up to authority figures who, acting out of fear and insecurity, silence young voices. But there is a different type of silencing taking place today in America’s schools and colleges, and the services offered by the SPLC have changed over the years to keep up with the new frustrations journalists face. Over my nine years leading the SPLC’s legal staff, I developed a name for this new method of squelching unfavorable news: “Censorship by starvation.” Instead of directly ordering students not to cover certain topics – though far too much of that censorship still goes on – authorities simply deny journalists access to vital information. Do you want to know how many times students brought guns into the school last year? How many students got concussions playing football? Or might be deported because they’re in the U.S. without paperwork? Well, good luck getting those answers, because in recent years, journalists have been told all of that information – even without any private details about any individual student – is off-limits to the public. State open-records laws give the public – including minors – the legal right to demand access to just about any record kept by a government agency. That includes a public school (including a charter school) or school district. Getting schools to actually comply with the law can be a
challenge. In most states, when you make a request to see a record and you get rejected, your only recourse is to get a lawyer and go to court. That’s hard enough for professional journalists whose companies have lawyers on staff. It can be especially intimidating for students to find themselves on the other side of a courtroom from the person writing their college recommendation letter. Still, student journalists are a persistent bunch. Students in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, are enforcing their right to know by suing their school under the Minnesota open-records law for the chance to see a hallway security video that shows a potential assault on a Muslim student. The student reported that a classmate ripped the hijab off her head, but the classmate – a popular athlete – denied the accusation and went unpunished. The video is the public’s only way of knowing whether the school covered up wrongdoing. But the school insists the footage is confidential. As I write this column, SPLC attorney volunteers are helping two editors in Santa Rosa County, California, go to court to enforce their right to inspect the court files of a lawsuit against their high school. The judge in the case sealed the entire file – even his own order explaining why the file is sealed – so the public has no idea how the lawsuit turned out. To respond to the growing demand for help getting access to information about schools and colleges, the SPLC launched a service in July to help non-experts take cases to court more easily. Volunteers from major law firms are working with SPLC attorneys to come up with step-by-step instructions for enforcing state public-records laws. Find them online at http://www.splc.org/page/templates. The project is only about half done, with 26 states and the District of Columbia covered, but by 2018, guides should be finished for every state. I know just how important public
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records can be for journalists – I was one of them. Before becoming a lawyer, I chased stories about corrupt and incompetent government officials with the help of freedom-of-information laws. Those laws helped me prove that a candidate for governor cheated on his income taxes and paid nothing. They helped me prove that hospitals were misusing money meant to provide free healthcare for poor people, spending it on unnecessary luxury items like bonuses for doctors. I believe so strongly in the public’s right to information that, starting in August, I have devoted myself full time to improving the laws that allow Americans (especially journalists) to keep watch over government agencies. I’ll be working directly with lawyers, journalists and legislators across the country on making public-access laws actually work better as director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, which is based at the University of Florida. That doesn’t mean I’m “checking out” of the student-rights movement. I’ll stay on as volunteer co-chair of New Voices USA, a nationwide campaign to pass state laws to guarantee student journalists and their advisers that they can safely bring news and opinions to their communities without fear of being silenced or punished. And it doesn’t mean students will be left without a full-time advocate protecting their rights. The SPLC has hired an internationally known legal expert and educator, Hadar Harris (see story on page 17), to take over as executive director. Professional news organizations are having a difficult time. But student journalism has never been better – and now students have the best human-rights lawyer in the country on their side. I’m honestly a bit envious that Hadar Harris will be the leader of the SPLC as legalized censorship in schools becomes a thing of the past – and no one will cheer louder than me on the day she finally makes it official.
Human rights attorney Harris to write SPLC's next chapter Diana Mitsu-Klos
Director of Engagement, Student Press Law Center
It is my great pleasure to announce that Hadar Harris, a human rights attorney and non-profit leader with a passion for working with and on behalf of students, became the next executive director of the Student Press Law Center, effective Sept. 6, 2017. Harris succeeds Frank D. LoMonte, who served the SPLC with distinction for nine years and is now head of the Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida. “We searched the country to find a leader who could build on the strong foundation that Frank left us, and I am thrilled that someone of Hadar’s intellect, experience and strategic vision will lead the SPLC,” said Jane Eisner, chair of the SPLC board. “SPLC’s work has never been more important,” Harris said. “Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are core to democratic society and student journalists play a fundamental role in promoting and protecting both. We, at SPLC, will help them do just that.” Harris started her career as a student leader, speaking truth to power and asking hard questions. She worked on the student
newspaper and yearbook staffs in high school, and was a student activist, engaged in advocacy around core rights-based issues in the U.S. and around the world. She brings a wealth of experience as a non-profit leader to this position. Prior to joining SPLC, Harris served as the executive director of the Northern California Innocence Project, which works to exonerate the innocent and to reform the criminal justice system. She previously served for 13 years as the executive director of the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law. Harris grew the AU Center into a vibrant hub of activity, raising over $5 million in new funding and creating multiple new core programmatic initiatives, working with students and external partners. Harris has worked on freedom of expression and assembly issues through the broad lens of civil and political rights. As an international human rights attorney, she brings a comparative perspective of work in over 25 countries, with NGOs, governments, academics and intergovernmental organizations. Earlier in her
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career, she served as executive director of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, a bipartisan legislative service organization of the US House of Representatives, under the leadership of the late Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA). Following her graduation from law school, she worked in private practice at the law firm Littler Mendelson. Harris holds a B.A. in Political Science from Brown University and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the recipient of the Rafael Lemkin Human Rights Award and currently serves on the national Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA. “I am excited and humbled to build on Frank LoMonte’s legacy and to join SPLC’s highly experienced team of journalists, educators and lawyers. I look forward to working with Diana Mitsu Klos, Mike Hiestand and the many volunteer attorneys, SPLC staff and Board members who work together to support and defend student First Amendment rights and civic engagement,” Harris said. “As we encounter new challenges on campus, we will work together to ensure that SPLC provides the crucial support, training and legal defense necessary to protect good student reporting, access to information and censorship-free media.” For more than 40 years, the SPLC has worked to defend the rights of student journalists, their advisers and publications, to obtain information, publish articles and opinion pieces, and exercise their First Amendment rights as important members of civil society. Among its signature programs are Active Voice, which mentors young women journalists, and New Voices, to promote fortified legal protection for students and educators.
Journalism veterans gain new and applicable skills for their classrooms Candace Perkins Bowen
Director, Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University Sometimes, in the middle of class, teachers stop and wonder, “Why hasn’t anyone ever made a ______?” Fill in the blank with a lesson plan, a list of resources, a new approach to a problem, anything that might be useful. Student editors, too, often wish for something that SEEMS like it should be out there somewhere and would help them manage staffs or create publications, but not even Google can find it. That was part of the motivation when designing the capstone course in the Center for Scholastic Journalism’s online master’s degree for journalism educators. Most of the students in this program are high school journalism teachers from across the country, who want to gain more skills in media, especially if their training was in English or another area. Or they want to go up the salary scale. A few others are professional media practitioners who want to transition into a teaching career – maybe even at the community college level – but they need that master’s degree. “Professional projects are a way for master’s students to apply the theory and skills they’ve learned in courses to a real-life problem. Almost all of our students are able to take the project they’ve completed and use it to improve their program in a meaningful way and share it with others confronting the same problem,” said Mark Goodman, professor and Knight Chair in Scholastic Journalism and Graduate Studies Coordinator for Admissions and Administration for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State. The professional project includes a research report that brings together the most relevant scholarly work on their topic as well as a “deliverable” – a website, a handbook, a guide, a packet of lesson plans, a video or something similar that provides a
“how-to” for others, Goodman said. “The deliverable is specifically intended to allow our students to pass their knowledge along to their peer advisers around the country.” Their first step is to identify a question, challenge or problem in the field and offer some response or solution to it. Students need to research it and expand on existing knowledge, not just compile the work of others. Chris Waugaman, Prince George (Virginia) High School, created a broadcast staff manual with instructional materials, lesson plans, handouts and many other resources for the journalism teacher and students. He said he saw more new schools “venturing into the area of video storytelling and reporting” about the time he was ready to start a project. “In the past, you needed a big budget, big studio, and lots of resources. Today you can literally create top notch videos from using just a phone,” he said. His materials help the newbies and also more experienced advisers. Dr. Marina Hendricks, instructor at South Dakota State University, had a similar motivation for her “Social Media Toolbox” website when the use of such digital platforms by high school journalism programs was starting to gain momentum. “I saw concerns expressed on the JEA listserv about how to ‘do’ social media,” Hendricks said. “As the founding editor of my hometown newspaper’s program for high school journalists, I knew teens could handle the responsibilities of journalism practice.” She said she thought using social media was a logical extension of that. “I created my ‘toolbox’ to assist high school journalists and their advisers with the transition to a new form of journalism,” she said. Although she apologizes for not updating
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the site lately – while she completed a doctoral program – the content is still timely for those who need some guidance. When Maggie Cogar entered the master’s program she said it was to enhance her teaching but help others be stronger teachers, too. So, for her project website, she compiled more than 20 lesson plans on journalism ethics, complete with handouts and answer keys. Now, almost five years later, the site has had almost 16,000 views from 5,900 different visitors. “I never imagined the reach the site would have, and my new goal this school year is to update it with more timely lesson plans for journalism educators to use,” she said. “I'm still using the handouts and resources I created for the project in the journalism courses I teach at Ashland University. It's a project with a purpose, fueled by my passion for scholastic journalism.” Mary Sanchez-Mitton, Big Walnut High School, Sunbury, Ohio, created a project to “help students be exposed to and master skills that are media-based, but relevant for life in today’s society.” Her website has materials to show how journalism and media skills can work in English/Language Arts classes to fulfill Common Core State Standards while helping teachers and students who are “yearning for a real-world learning experience,” Mitton-Sanchez said. Access to these and others projects is available on the Center for Scholastic Journalism website under Projects. https:// www.kent.edu/csj/projects
Amy Beare, Mountain View (California) High School English and journalism teacher and media adviser, saw a way to use storytelling from cave drawings to modern times to illustrate how today's digital media can improve its technique (left). https://ancientartofstorytelling. wordpress.com/
While the partnership between her Sentinel High School, Missoula, Montana, with PBS that spawned Jenn Keintz's project may not apply to many schools, her resulting website with blog and videos have tips that can help all broadcasters covering STEM issues (right). http://stemjournalism.weebly. com/
Mary Mitton-Sanchez wanted something to tie journalism skills to her English class that would fulfill Common Core State Standards. Now she uses what she created in her classes at Big Walnut High School, Sunbury, Ohio (left). https://marymitton.wordpress. com/media-lessons-for-theelacommon-core-classroom/
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Curating Journalists of the Future Sarah Nichols
President, Journalism Education Association As 28 teenagers in matching shirts huddled outside Room 20, I peered in the classroom windows. I couldn’t tell who was more excited — the student media staffers I advise or the fourth graders hosting them. The visit was part of a mentor program we developed last year at a feeder elementary school in attempt to make connections and expose younger students to the power of journalism. Our staff hoped to help this group of mostly 9-year olds create their own student publication. When I pitched the idea last September, I could not have predicted how the unfolding of national events would not just validate the need for our monthly lessons but make them essential. We knew our buddy class would benefit from student-led lessons on topics like interviewing and basic design while developing digital media skills such as publishing online and using Google Drive. We knew maintaining excellent communication with their teacher was essential. We knew we should bring snacks (nut-free!) and plan simple ice-breakers or silly games so students would feel comfortable and develop positive, trusting relationships with their big buddies. Those parts were easy. The first few visits were exhilarating, a win-win and welcome break from the stress in our own newsroom. What we didn’t expect was the whole “fake-news-attack-on-the-media-alternative-facts” thing that soon followed. The presidential election in general, and the early months of the new administration in particular, created the perfect storm for problem solving and critical thinking as editors had to develop new lessons, addressing topics they were navigating themselves for the first time. How would they teach these concepts to such a young audience? For their next visit, they started with a
game of “Two Truths and a Lie.” Then they introduced the saying “If your mother says she loves you, check it out” as a connection to fact-checking and verification. The combined group competed in a news quiz, evaluated headlines, studied a variety of websites and outlined qualities of trustworthy sources. A few days later, a parent stopped me at the gym to mention what her son had shared about the recent buddy lessons. A neighbor asked if we could come into her daughter’s class, too, and did we have any more of those First Amendment T-shirts? On our next classroom visit, the principal stopped by. It was working. While the President of the United States called journalists liars, dubbing them “the enemy of the American people,” we made sure our buddies saw and heard the truth, right there in their own classroom. Every elementary school in America needs a diverse group of motivated, truth-seeking, courageous high school journalists doing the same. Our buddies developed a monthly online publication, the Red Hawk Review, soon followed by a weekly broadcast show, the "Red Hawk Report". This year’s new buddy class may not print or post anything for a while — or ever. But they’ll know what journalists do and why it’s so important, and we’ll grow through the process of sharing it with them. Our outreach to elementary-aged students had a wider reach than expected. Young kids still eat dinner with their parents, flooded with nightly “What did you do at school today? What did you learn?” conversations. Lucky for us all, those fourth graders went home and talked about free speech, fake news, fact-checking and the importance of access to information. They spread the gospel all on their own. And thank goodness they did. The
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Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania just released survey results showing more than one-third of Americans can’t name a single right guaranteed by the Constitution. We have a long way to go in educating our communities. It’s tough to protect and practice First Amendment freedoms without first knowing what they are. No age is too young for important concepts like freedom of speech, critical evaluation of information and civic engagement. Carve out time to teach, lead and inspire this year through a mentor program or buddy system built around your passion for truth and the power of storytelling. Students at every age need to know three things: Their voice matters. Truth matters. Journalism matters. 3 Resources for planning buddy staff lessons: ·JEA Curriculum Initiative (curriculum. jea.org) — news gathering, photojournalism, design, leadership and team building ·JEA Digital Media website (jeadigitalmedia.org) — tips and guides for going online, blogging, incorporating video and more ·JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee (jeasprc.org) — First Amendment, law and ethics
Bottom: High school student Caleb Santos (left) teaches 4th grader Mitchell Cotton (right) about his First Amendment rights. Left: Fourth grade students involved in the buddy program pose for a class picture.
“Our big buddies taught us about the First Amendment and we all had a lot of questions at first. Now we know more ways to use our voices and why we should because not everyone can. It makes me want to be a journalist and I might go into it as my career.” — Ananth (age 9)
The Ever-Evolving World of Kelly Glasscock Journalism Executive Director, Journalism Education Association The Journalism Education Association, serving its members for nearly a century, is in a unique position. We are surrounded by an industry in transition struggling to find solid footing upon which to stand. Yet at the same time, we get to participate in a renewed effort to wage scholastic press rights battles to craft statewide legislation expanding protection for student press. In an environment of change, adaptation is a new language we must learn to speak if we wish to succeed. This is true regardless of industry, association or classroom. Analysts talk of disruptions to industries, as if the advent of new technology, such as a smartphone, causes a hindrance to a business model they wish to cling to. Gone are the days where a single model can guide an entire generation without alteration. The next “disruption” is around the corner and should be anticipated. In fact, we should no longer consider them disruptions, but opportunities. As an association of educators, whose task it is to train students for jobs that do not yet exist, we have a responsibility to stay ahead of the curve. Our members will rely on us more than ever to support them as they teach new skills and learn today’s ever-changing tech languages. At the same time, industry will appreciate the 21st-century skills our members inculcate within their classrooms daily. Our work to develop and nurture communicators, creators and leaders in an environment of
innovation and change will help supply countless industries with skilled, adaptive workers and promote civic efficacy in our communities. The heightened workplace productivity from individuals with 21st-century skills will far outpace the influence of the next shiny gadget to come out of Silicon Valley. Our journalism classrooms teach history, math, science, English, leadership, time management, responsibility, accountability, and all this on top of an even longer laundry list of practical and applicable computer and software skills. Quite frankly, this is a recipe for success by any academic or industry measure. So why do we face any resistance from administrators, politicians or even parents? It is no secret that the aforementioned industry transition has resulted in a drastic change in a once mighty business model. Because of this, newsrooms have suffered layoffs even as the journalism that comes from those same publications gets better. Political leaders, administrators and society in general, too quickly associate those struggles to a single word attached to our programs – journalism. From classrooms to press pools, our common mission is to report the facts and to aggregate information which will assist audiences in making decisions and hold accountable those in power. It takes a great deal of knowledge and skill to accomplish such a lofty goal. History will show that we are living in a golden age of influential
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journalism, and that is in no small part due to educators preparing students to become effective journalists. JEA exists to serve. We wish to help further educate those striving to become stronger communicators. We seek to harbor the wrongly targeted teachers who prioritize the rights, talents, passion and voice of their students above censorship. We already walk in lockstep with advisers whose desire is to raise better citizens, better employees and better leaders for each new generation. Journalism educators are indeed speaking new languages, and like learning any new dialect, there is a steep learning curve for those on either side of the coin. We are excited to support those teaching, learning and practicing these new skills. JEA is in a unique position. Moving forward means we face change, but our mission will hold fast – to support a free and responsible scholastic press. Together we have a responsibility to guide today’s young journalists through tomorrow’s struggles. Only through our collective effort will we succeed in capitalizing on the opportunities to come.
2017 Yearbook Excellence Contest Categories The following are descriptions of what is deemed acceptable for each category's entry. Each category has unlimited entries and a fee of $5 with the exception of Category 1: Theme Development which has a $10 fee and is limited to one entry per school. While we recognize that several individuals may be involved with the production of a spread, only one student should be designated for recognition as the national winner. Auxiliary production staff may be recognized with the purchase of additional Gold Key Awards. For additional information, visit quillandscroll.org Category 1 – Theme Development Only one (1) entry can be submitted. Entry should include cover, end sheets, introduction, division pages and closing. Entry must include the entire actual cover and pages or quality prints. Entries will be judged on overall unity of theme package including theme copy, typography, graphics and color. Category 2 – Student Life Spreads from student life sections may be submitted. (Mini-magazine coverage may be included). Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines, captions, layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted. Category 3 – Academics Spreads from academics sections may be entered. Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines, captions, layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted. Category 4 – Clubs or Organizations Spreads from clubs or organizations sections may be submitted. Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, well-cropped and composed group photos, informative headlines, captions, ID’s, layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted. Category 5 – Sports Entries from the sports section may be submitted. Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines and captions, scoreboards, and layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted. Category 6 – People Spreads with either student, staff or faculty/administration coverage may be submitted. (Mini-magazine coverage may be included.) Entries will be judged on the quality of copy, realistic action photos, informative and interesting headlines and captions, layout and design. Weekly, monthly or other chronological coverage may be submitted. Category 7 – Advertising Advertisement spreads may be submitted. Entries will be judged on copy, typography, effective illustrations or photos, well-written headlines, layout and design quality. Category 8 – Sports Action Photo Spreads with sports photos may be submitted. Entries will be judged on composition, print quality, interest and effective cropping.
Category 9 – Academic Photo Entries will be judged on composition, print quality, effective cropping and focus on students in learning/academic situations. Category 10 – Student Life Photo Entries will be judged on composition, quality, effective cropping and focus on student life topics. Category 11 – Clubs or Organizations Photo Entries will be judged on composition, quality, effective cropping and focus on student club or organization activities. Category 12 – Feature Photo Photos in spreads that emphasize the human-interest angle and focus on people in their environment may be submitted. Posed shots and portraits are NOT acceptable. Entries will be judged on composition, quality, effective cropping and interest. Category 13 – Graphic Design Spreads may be submitted that embody contemporary use of graphics to enhance the content on the spread. Includes the use of typography, screens, placement, rule lines, logos and other visual elements. Entries will be judged on composition, creativity and interest. Category 14 – Photo Illustration Photo illustrations featuring special effects, modifications or manipulations of photographs to tell a story may be submitted. Entries will be judged on composition, quality, effective cropping and interest. Category 15 – Index Entries must display creative use of graphics, typography, screens, photographs and/or featurettes to enhance the index presentation. Category 16 – Headline Writing and Design Spreads from any section may be submitted that demonstrate excellence in headline writing and design. Entries will be judged on writing mechanics, effective use of typography and visual elements, and interest. Category 17 – Caption Writing Spreads from any section may be submitted that demonstrate excellence in caption writing. Entries will be judged on writing mechanics, how well the captions complement photos or visuals, and interest. Category 18 – Personality Profiles Spreads from any section that demonstrate excellence in profiling a person in written and visual content may be submitted. Entries will be judged on writing mechanics, visual and design elements, and interest.
22 · Quill & Scroll · Fall 2017
QUILL & SCROLL It’s an Honor
2017 Yearbook Excellence Contest Open to Members and Non-Members
Quill and Scroll invites entries from high school journalists who contribute to or are staff members of a student high school yearbook. Benefits include: • Students can win awards in 18 categories and two enrollment classes (A and B). • Each category has a sweepstakes winner (the top overall award) and national winners (runners up). • Winners (the top 10 percent of entries in each category) receive Quill and Scroll’s National Gold Key Award. • Senior winners become eligible to apply for Quill and Scroll scholarships. • Yearbook staffs may receive the Blue and Gold Award in any of three categories: 1) Comprehensive Writing; 2) Comprehensive Visuals; and 3) Staff Excellence. Winning entries will be included in 2017 Yearbook Excellence PowerPoint PDF file. (Cut along dotted line)
2017 School Registration Form
There is a $5 fee for each entry, except for Theme Development (Category #1), which is $10. Indicate below the number of entries for each category. Submit only one entry for Theme Development. Check the school enrollment class. (Send this section and payment information along with Student Entry Forms.) ___ Theme Development (Category #1) ___ Student Life (#2) ___ Academics (#3) ___ Clubs or Organizations (#4) ___ Sports (Category #5) ___ People (#6) ___ Advertising (#7) ___ Sports Action Photo (#8) ___ Academic Photo (#9) ___ Student Photo (Category #10)
___ Clubs/Organizations Photo (#11) ___ Feature Photo (#12) ___ Graphic Design (#13) ___ Photo Illustration (Category #14) ___ Index (#15) ___ Headline Writing and Design (#16) ___ Caption Writing (#17) ___ Personality Profiles (#18)
The 2016 Yearbook Excellence PowerPoint PDF file, which includes sweepstakes winners and judges’ comments, is now available for $10, via email. Please send me a copy of the 2016 Yearbook Excellence PowerPoint PDF via ____ email.
General Information Theme Development entry @ $10 = $_______ Number of individual entries ____ x $5 = $_____ Previous Winners PP PDF @$10 = $__________ TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED $___________ (or pay online at http://quillandscroll.org/) Adviser ___________________________________ School ___________________________________ City ______________________________________ State _______ ZIP __________________________ Email _____________________________________ School Enrollment Class (check one) Class A: 750 or more students ___ Class B: 749 or fewer students ___ DEADLINE Postmarked no later than
November 1, 2017
Quill and Scroll Society School of Journalism and Mass Communication University of Iowa 100 Adler Journalism Building, Room W111 Iowa City, IA 52242-2004 email: quill-scroll@uiowa.edu phone: 319-335-3457
(Cut along dotted line)
QUILL & SCROLL It’s an Honor
2017 Student Entry Form (Copy and attach this section to each entry. Please print legibly.)
Category Name and Number ______________________________________ Year and Title of Yearbook ________________________________________ Entry Description/Title ____________________________________________
Student’s Name _____________________________________ Current Class Status (circle) So. Jr. Sr. Graduate Additional students’ name and class (If an entry wins, additional Gold Keys will be available for $5 each) 1. __________________________________ 2. ____________________________ 3. _____________________________ Adviser __________________________________________ High School _____________________________________ High School Address _______________________________________________________________________________ City __________________________________________________________ State ________ ZIP ___________________ (If you want a news release sent to local news media, fill out the information below) Local News Source ___________________________ Local News Email _____________________________________
QUILL & SCROLL Official Magazine of the International Honor Society for High School Journalists 100 Adler Journalism Bldg., Room W111 Iowa City, IA 52242-2004
Pre-College Summer Journalism Institute at Boston University Expand Your Skills. Experience College Life. Explore Boston. Learn news writing, interviewing, data research and more from award-winning journalists. Travel and report on real events around the city. Tour BU and nearby colleges. Live and dine on campus. Check out the Freedom Trail, Harvard Square, Boston Common, Museum of Fine Arts and Fenway Park.
Sign up for application dates and info kit:
www.necir.org/summer