Newspaper Policies Editorial Leadership The editorial board is a deicison-making body for the Bloomington High School North North Star newspaper. Members of the board include the editor in chief(s), managing editor(s), and all section editors. The board meets the day after slash during the newspaper period to discuss the next issue’s content including its staff editorial. All board members are required to attend meetings and can be dismissed from his/her editorial positon on staff by a majority vote from the board if it is deemed the member in question is not fulfilling his/her duties. Members may also be dismissed from his/her position by the editor in chief(s) or staff adviser without the board’s approval. The editorial board will recommend a candidate to replace the vacant position, and the adviser must approve the replacement. All policy will be decided by the editorial board by a majority vote, and controversial issues facing the publication will be discussed and decided upon at these meetings. All publication staff members, school faculty and administration, and the publication’s adviser may attend and participate in meetings but do not have a deciding vote.
Staff Editorials A staff editorial will appear in every issue of the North Star newspaper. The editorial will be discussed and voted on by the publication’s editorial board. The editorial will take a position on a relevant subject reported on in that issue of the paper. An unsigned editorial will be written by one staff member on the editorial board and published in the issue’s opinion section. Those staff members not on the editorial board are encouraged to participate in the discussion of that issue’s editorial topics, and will be allowed to vote on the topic the editorial board discusses. A dissent with the author’s byline may be published below the staff’s editorial if deemed relevant by the editor in chief.
Letters to the Editor Because the North Star student newspaper serves the Bloomington High School North community as a limited public forum, letters to the editor are encouraged and will be published. However, all letters must be signed and the author’s identification must be verified. Letters must be free of libelous statements and may be edited for space considerations as well as grammar, spelling, and style.
Corrections If any member of the staff or a source discovers a major mistake in an issue of the paper, a correction noting the mistake and where it appeared will be printed in the previous issue.
Advertising Staff members will be required to attempt to sell advertising to fund the publication’s printing for every grading period. Rates will be determined on a yearly basis. Advertising must go through the same examination journalistic content does to be printed. Items that are illegal for those under 18 to use cannot be advertised.
Obituaries Should a student or staff member die during the school year, the newspaper will publish a small obituary. Information about the person and a small mug set to the publication’s style will be produced for the news section. Details about how the individual died will not be given in the obit but can be used for a separate news story if deemed newsworthy by the staff and is in line with the Publications Department’s Code of Ethics. The size of the obituary will remain consistent for all to remain respectful for all who may die.