Web Design August 4

In this class you will be assigned stories to report on that will be posted on the school's website.

Writing a news article:

1. The Lead
2. The five W's
3. The inverted pyramid

http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/wright/teachers/pdf/language/Newspaper_Article.pdf

From hsj.org:

Common ethical problems student media face:

1. Conflict of interest: Examples include interviewing friends; only interviewing one grade or those with a specific point of view; "getting even" with those who might have wronged you; doing anything that might compromise objectivity in the reporting of the truth.
2. Plagiarism: Claiming others' work as one's own, essentially stealing from them. Students must credit other people's materials and ideas, including those published in newspapers, magazines and books. This includes "borrowing" or downloading visuals from the Internet to use without permission with stories.
3. Anonymous sources: Although many reporters use anonymous sources, there are rules about when to use them. A reporter has to determine the information's value and whether is it possible to get it any other way. She also has to determine whether she needs to protect the source from harm from being an identified source. A comment about the cafeteria's food should not be permitted to remain anonymous, for example, but a revelation about suffering child abuse may be.
4. Offending or distasteful content: Although it is impossible to run any story without offending, insulting or displeasing someone, student journalists must strive to keep the press open and accessible to a wide range of views without stooping to gratuitous offense. While some use of "dirty" language might be necessary, journalists have to decide if there is another way to present the information or if the presentation will be so offensive it will preclude readers from getting the information.
5. Invasion of privacy: While this is often a legal issue, it is also an ethical one. Student - and professional - reporters must consider the consequences of publishing the outstanding news value photo or naming someone in an article.
6. Bias: Human beings cannot be purely objective. The mere selection of one story over another raises the issue of value judgments. Those who create content must attempt to be as fair and impartial as is possible. Every issue has more than one side, and all sides should be represented as much as possible. Student journalists trying to be objective should not avoid exploration, experimentation and variety in the press.
7. Commitment to accuracy: Little undermines integrity and, therefore, effectiveness of the media more than carelessness (or deceit) leading to inaccuracy in the press. Not publishing information is almost always better than publishing inaccurate information. The rush to be first, prized today and available to anyone now with the Internet, is no justification for not checking out data, information and sources.

There are nine elements of journalism, according to veteran journalists Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel:

1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.
2.  Its first loyalty is to citizens
3. Its essence is a discipline of verification.
4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.