KAITLIN REYNOLDS
student journalist
LAW, ETHICS & NEWS LITERACY
Being a responsible student journalist is essential in order for me to publish work that is meaningful, impactful and truthful. Whether it is fighting for student press protection laws in order to combat censorship in the classroom or finding the hidden inconsistencies in a news story, my experiences as a high school journalist has provided me with a knowledgeable background to be an ethical journalist now and as I move into my future.
NEW VOICES
I am lucky to be at a school where I don't face censorship from administration, however I do see the importance of protecting the rights of student journalists to publish the stories that they think need to be told. Through the Student Press Law Center and New Voices, I have taken several steps to fight for legislation to stop the censorship of Nebraska's student journalists.
Contacting
senators
Communicating with senators is essential in order to show a strong desire for New Voices legislation from young constituents. Below is a letter that I wrote and sent to state senators that explains the need for student press protection laws and encourages them to support the bill.
Opinion story
For the Catalyst Online Newspaper I wrote an opinion article that explained the importance of New Voices legislation and provided examples of ways students could help move the bill forward. I also attached an infographic to the story to serve as a more visual way to spread the importance of New Voices. Click the infographic below to read the article.
SPLC Student Press freedom zoom meetings
Leading up to Student Press Freedom Day, the Student Press Law Center(SPLC) held a series of Unmute Yourself Zooms to uplift student journalists' voices and prepare them to fight for press freedom. I attended sessions on "Responding to press freedom threats through advocacy," "How to tell your story and be a spokesperson for student press freedom" and "Using social media as a journalist and an advocate." I found these meetings to have a lot of useful information on getting more involved with New Voices. Students and advisers from all around the country attended and it was helpful to hear what other states were doing to fight for student press freedom.
interviewing superintendent cAndidatEs
This year my district's superintendent is retiring. As the sole representative from Millard West I had the opportunity to be an interviewer and have input in the final decision. I was allotted one question and I chose to use it to ask about how they would handle classroom censorship. Based on their answers I recommended the candidate who was most open to letting student journalists publish free of censorship.
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How do you plan to tackle classroom censorship, specifically as it applies to student journalists?
OPINIONs POLICY
Located on the opinions page of our print paper is a brief statement which expresses that all of the opinions included are the opinions of each individual journalist. This is important for us to include because it ensures that readers know that we are publishing our own thoughts on various subjects.
FACT CHeCKING
Being an accurate publication is essential in order to tell truthful journalism. As News Director of the Catalyst Newspaper I read every news story before it is published. I am careful to look out for inconsistencies when I edit them and I point out gaps in stories when I find them. Below is an error I found in a news story over a women in leadership summit. They included that just athletes attended, but I pointed out that all female students were invited. They were then able to look into it and adjust the story to be more accurate about who was in attendance.
