Law, Ethics,
and News Literacy
Good journalism is ethical journalism.
Last year, two of our writers published articles on opposites sides of a topic that affected every student in Green Level: whether we should stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I was our Student Life Editor at the time, so I didn't deal directly with the articles. However, as a staff member and someone interested in political activism, I learned a lot from watching those two very capable writers voice their opinions, from the importance of reliable sources to the difference between Op-Ed's and biased reporting.
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In order to produce meaningful reporting, the sources used in one’s work must be trustworthy and transparent. From timely reporting to relevant information, articles must adhere to the elements of newsworthiness that we review in class. I strive to do so in every article, no matter how big or how small. To demonstrate this, here are research methods I employ in crafting a fair and credible piece.
01. Interviews
The majority of my stories are crafted with at least one interview (I tend to aim for around 3) because firsthand accounts and opinions from our school should be at the forefront of student news. I usually record these interviews with my voice memo app. Doing so always feels less awkward than scrambling to write down notes about an individual while they’re talking--I’d much rather listen completely and then transcribe. After a complete word-for-word transcription is saved, summarized notes have been written, and the article has been published, I usually delete the notes to save storage. Here are a few that I’ve kept on.
I love conducting interviews, and I strongly believe that they must be done both so the individual being interviewed is comfortable in the conversation and that the interviewer is able to direct the conversation in the direction they need. Each interview clip always starts with the student saying their full name, grade (if applicable), and preferred pronouns, and then the phone is set down so as to not distract them or me from the discussion. Below, you'll find a snippet of my refined notes after a series of interviews, summarizing the crucial points.
02. Online Sources
Frequently, I find myself writing pieces where interviews alone aren’t enough reliable information. I always conduct thorough background information from a variety of sources that my staff mates and I have deemed credible. The information I find is always double-checked and hyperlinked within the article. Transparency is crucial in journalism; I don’t want any doubt in the reliability of my information. My pieces will always be well researched, and anyone reading will be able to locate where and how I found the facts stated within the piece.
Below, you'll see a few of the sources I used for a recent article. Though the article was an Opinion piece, that doesn't mean I can forsake all research. Opinions must be rooted in facts.
I tend to take brief notes on the background sources I use and then expand as I write. This article was about gun violence in North Carolina, so I turned to many local news sites that reported the crimes early and accurately. Since the crime took place in their regions, their information was more accurate than broader papers that wouldn’t be so close to the victims or scenes of the crimes. I paired those smaller news organizations with information from the NRA and other associations with more broad knowledge. All sources used were then hyperlinked into the published article.
