Literary Journalism Chapters 5 and 15 Synopsis

Literary Journalism Chapters 5 and 15 Synopsis
January 12, 2007

Objective reportage is the basis of journalism. (Page 303). In order to write an article, the writer must pull themselves completely out of the story. The writer cannot have an opinion, but reports the “what, when, who, where, how, why” sides the story. They use sources to tell the story. They have no point of view.

The job of the writer is to inform and relay information to the reader, not explain their personal take on the matter, regardless on whether they have a positive or negative reaction to the topic. A reader never knows what the writer thinks about the topic.

Journalism only allows the writer to use information that is verifiable, not from a memory or some kind of reaction the writer thought the source had to a question. The writer must only use what the source said directly.

When writing an article, the writer must be straight forward, presenting only facts, and be concise. Writers cannot “beat around the bush,” especially in news articles.


Reportage, combined with point of view, grace of language and story telling, is literary journalism. Page 303

The writer is allowed to choose where they are in the story. Are they the center, on the side lines, completely out of the story? It’s up to the writer where they lay in the story. They choose the focus of the story by where they are in it. The writer can have a point of view in the story. The writer can use observations and the reactions of the sources as a way of enhancing the story, while maintaining its truthfulness.

Literary Journalism lets you have a specific voice that you choose. You can tell the story from a 12 year old point of view or from a mature 36 year old. You can put in dialogue that happened in the past.

Literary journalists report on what they do not know well. Page 303 Research is key. Interviews, books, newspapers, traveling etc. The story the writer tells is exciting to the reader because the reader feels they are learning right along side the writer.

In Literary journalism, the reader is pulled into the story and feels a connection with the writer because the writer puts themselves somewhere into the story. The writer sets the stage with observations of the scene and the characters and is story-telling. There is tension in the story and makes the reader read on.

For example in Among School Children on page 309 the line “She made her voice sound puzzled” the writer is in the class room observing from the sidelines. This allows the reader to get to know Chris, the teacher. “The chalk rattled, never squeaked” is also a very observant line that takes the reader inside the classroom as the writer narrates the story. They see the teacher use the chalk. They hear the noise it makes against the board. The dialogue that Chris has with the children is something that journalists wouldn’t use as it probably isn’t necessary for them to get the information across. The dialogue makes the story more personal, lets the reader evaluate the teacher and form an opinion of them by the end of the story.

Literary journalism and Journalism tip: avoid clichés!

Creative non-fiction is less about providing answers and more about struggling with questions. Page 66 Journalism provides answers. Readers look to newspapers for answers. Literary journalism can have the subject struggle with problems and emotions and the reader can relate to them because they are vulnerable and human. It doesn’t necessarily provide answers to the reader.

Literary journalism also needs to have a back-story. What is the context behind the certain scene or topic the writer is covering? What does the character do away from the scene? Journalism is straightforward.

As Gary Tales puts it on page 73, the writer is less interested in “the exact words that came out of people’s mouths than in the essence of their meaning. More important than what people say is what they think.” It’s about what is behind the words, the writer’s feelings of the subject.
Page 73 As writers of creative non-fiction our aim is to capture the essence of what is transpired, the felt truth of what was said and heard.

Chapter 10-12

Chapter 10 Administration

College boards and administrators in general are cordial to and supportive of freedom of the press for campus publications.

The kind of administrative involvement with student publications- to shoe up student commitment to a free forum press against pressure for self-censorship form the outside- we could do with more of on American Campuses. P110

On page 112 there is a piece of a document that the Board of Trustees and regents has adopted guaranteeing the freedom of the press. IS there anything like that at Eckerd?
Should we make one?

GOOD Administrators believe in allowing college students the freedom to learn, which includes the freedom to learn from one’s mistakes. Page 114

Administrators step in when the paper is being pulled from distribution areas and for example, burned. They protect the paper in this regard. Page 114

Even if administrators don’t like the content, most will stand by the paper on basis of having a free press.

There should be no editorial control by administrators or faculty. P116




Chapter 11 Guidelines and Policies

There is a student press bill of rights that is on p117. Is this the kind of addition you are thinking for the handbook?

When writing policies and guidelines, the following are good advice: P 119

The guidelines should be fairly short
The guidelines should not be argumentative
The guidelines should clearly meet every constitutional test concerning freedom of the press and due process.
Language should be precise and avoid generalizations
Abstract terms should not appear in the guidelines

The list on p119-120 should be looked at to see what we want to add to our policy. I don’t even think we have one right now, do we?

We should protect ourselves from the points in the list on page 121-122. I think we have seen some of those already, which is why it’s really important to get the board up and running this year.


Chapter 12 Private colleges

In state universities, journalists know where they stand regarding free press because they are protected by the Constitution. For private colleges, its hard to know because administrators in private institutions are not considered functioning state officials.


These 5 areas of student papers were surveyed in a 1986-87 study:
Organizational structure and decision making
Management
Academic relationships
Professional affiliations
Free press


Under Organizational structure, many colleges had different publishers and different people had the final say on the paper prior to press. P125

Eckerd’s: Editor in Chief has final say
Publishers are the students, the president as the entity of the college and the college as a whole. Is this correct?

Under management, 36% of college’s student press budget is controlled by the student government, who think they can discipline the student journalists. P126

Right now ECOS controls our budget. Is the plan to have the college separate out a sum and give the rest to ECOS to allocate to the clubs, because when the board is made, we will no longer be a club? Is this going to include the radio and literary magazine?

Under academic relationships, in most colleges the paper is not part of the academic program. P 127

Some colleges reported that the paper is critiqued or looked over in classes.

Professional Affiliations
Having professional ties or help in the student publications would be beneficial to the student press, and wouldn’t interfere with the freedom of press.


Free Press
There is some confusion as to the level of press freedom in the student press. Written policies will help clear up the conclusion.


It is recommended by the author that private school adopt a policy that guarantees free press, because of they are not ensured the protection of the 1st and 14th amendments. P129
Chapter 13 and addition to come shortly

Chapter 7 Censorship

Censorship of the campus press could be accomplished only if someone other than the student staff was in a position to approve copy prior to publication. Page 95

Students in private colleges have rarely gone to court to seek protection from censorship.

It is good advice to a college administrator not to take action against the student press, even though the press has been obnoxious or severe. The danger is not only in court action but also in on-campus relations. Page 98

Administrative attitudes toward censoring student publications by various control techniques swing on a pendulum of inexperience. Page 99

The common scheme [of censorship] is to threaten to reduce or eliminate funding or facilities. Student government, student personnel people, presidents, and deans have been known to use this ploy in a heavy handed manner Another plan is to pressure publication boards or committees to chill or control content. Page 100

Question: The senate is censoring us by cutting our budget 3,000 dollars. Can we do something about that? Sue them, write to them, I don’t know. It’s just that it states in this article that funding is a way of censoring and I believe that they think they can control us that way.


Chapter 8 Troubles in the Courts

Libel is visual defamation. Articles that hold persons to public hatred, ridicule, or scorn and have the effect of destroying professional reputations can be said to be libelous. Page 101

Not all things that are embarrassing or critical are actionable in a libel case. The court:
1. Determines that the alleged libel was published.
2. Determines that the material pertained to the person in the suit
3. Determines whether the material is actually libelous. Page 101-102


In most cases, the courts rule in favor of the newspaper. P102

Educational institutions have two other avenues to escape liability. For Private and Non Profit colleges there is charitable immunity, which may protect from liability. P103

Governmental immunity is based on the 11th amendment and extends to public colleges. P103

There is also Agency law. If a person acts outside the scope of his employment, his advisors and superiors may not be held liable.


Chapter 9 Journalism Education

Journalism education became caught up in the academic mazes that have created much confusion about higher education. Journalism is still going through name changes on campuses. P105

Newspapers provide labs for journalism programs at colleges. P106

Journalism is a broad term encompassing all aspects of print media and most aspects of electronic media as well as theoretical and philosophical bases of such media and their impact on society.

Why don’t we have a journalism program?

10-13 on the way

Chapter 1,2,3, 6

Chapter 1-3


Mythmaking

Guidelines for report: page 3

Student press that is relevant to its campus makes service its ideal purpose
A self regulated student press is a free student press.
A responsible student press should reasonably be expected to maintain a level of professional performance and ethics pertinent to its purpose and restricted by its resources.
Financial independence is a cornerstone of true freedom and responsibility of the student press.
The role of the student press advisor is to help students to transfer their theories to practice.
The free student press is free to all who have something worth saying.
This was not adopted by the College Media advisors, but I like it.


On page 8 the author notes that because college journals and journalists have been treated as miniatures of the real thing, they have behaved that way. If the matter [of obscenity etc] was approached in a more mature and professional manner by the institution (OR STUDENT GOVERNMENT) the college journalists would respond in kind.

Advertising produces considerable revenue for most colleges. Page 9 Hopefully Katie will get on the ball this year. I really need someone to show her all the ropes. No one ever showed me and we just called all advertisers last spring and told them about our situation and that we would contact them in the fall... I am clueless in that department.


On page 10 The University is not legally the publisher of a campus paper, the paper cannot be censored, student editors cannot be summarily dismissed for their writings and the courts’ ruling of libel and obscenity for the general, commercial press apply to the college press also.

Administrators cannot require prior submission to an advisory board and that college officials cannot censor expression they dislike. Page 12

“The mere dissemination of ideas-no matter now offensive to good taste- on a state university campus may not be shut off in the name alone of ‘conventions of decency’” page 13 What about private?


The student editor makes an editorial judgment on the choice of materials to go into the newspaper. It said the editor’s refusal to run the advertisement was not government action, and therefore the first amendment prohibited judicial interference with the decision of an editor. Page 13

Chapter 2 Independence

Out of the 26 listed points for “independence” from the school, The Triton does #14, and #15

The Triton does not contain ECKERD in it and we have subscriptions to parents, alumni, ASPEC, trustees etc. Not many newspapers are completely independent. Complete independence removes the institution form responsibility for the student paper. Page 19

The author says on page 18 that a prescription for independence would mean reliance on advertisers, those who appeal to mass markets. Few editors think their paper is for mass audiences. Most are specialty papers aimed at college students.

Page 21 Journalism departments should be ready to provide practical advice to student papers whenever the papers want it.

The commission requested that an autumn professional journalist seminar be held for student editors and that skilled newspaper experts be brought in to discuss reporting, editing and other journalistic techniques. Page 21 We should see how much it would cost to bring in people from the Poynter institute…


On page 30 there is an indented section in the code for the Michigan Daily. I think something like this needs to be included in our bylaws. I have only seen the by laws once. Maybe we need to reexamine them.

On page 33, there is an instance where the student government voted “no confidence” in the student editor and went to the board to have him fired. The board turned down the senate, but could have fired the editor. IF and when we get out of the ECOS side of things, can they do a similar thing?
On page 38 The ideal situation in both public and private colleges is the establishment and maintenance of an atmosphere of freedom of expression for student publications.

Most colleges that claim they are independent, are not according to the guidelines at the beginning the chapter. They have a faculty advisor, don’t pay rent for their space, use student fees, use college equipment etc. It would be very difficult for the Triton or any other small private college paper to be fully independent. Very few student newspapers are truly independent.

The question is do you really want to be fully independent? I think that the Triton needs to be independent of the student government, but still be a college newspaper, by the students for the students, with student activity money, NOT allocated by ECOS to ensure our freedom as the press and freedom of expression.

Chapter 3
Funding…oh boy

Student activity fees should be used for the paper.

On page 46 some student s sued their college for using student money to fund the paper. They disagreed with its contents and wanted their money pulled out. The paper could not run without student funds and so the paper shut down. EEK hope this never happens.

P 47 There is no legal, philosophical, or practical reason not to allocate student fee monies to the campus press. Use of the student money for a well-written well-edited, reasonable and intelligent campus newspaper is a positive way to provide for freedom of expression and effective communications in an ongoing and stable manner. This is educational achievement. I LIKE THIS.

Advertising is going to be very important this year, especially with the budget cut. Man, some of the campus papers get over 100,000 dollars to function. JEALOUS! We are at 18,000.

The author makes a really good point on page 57 saying that in the past 20 years publications have been weakened because administrative and student gov’t officers disagree with contents of the paper, and the money “would be convenient in other places” Budgeting officials should understand the need for adequate and stable financing of student publications. (But they don’t, or they do and they want to see us squirm)



Chapter 6

Publisher

College papers seem to be confused about whom or what is the publisher of the paper. In Eckerd’s case, the publisher is the College, and if a person needs to be named it is the head of the college, President Eastman.
The student government is not the publisher.

A lot of colleges seem to confuse publishing and printing. Our printer is NPC Newspaper Printing Company in Tampa, and I have final say before it is PDFed there.

On page 93 the author says that the college can not be considered a publisher, but a publishing agency. A publisher is an individual who performs management functions for the owners of the publishing company or agency. Some colleges have not designated anyone to perform these functions.

On page 94 the authors says that since the student staff controls content, it, in effect, under the leadership of the student editor (me), serves as publisher, even if the university provides advice, technical help or financial assistance. I think this should be written somewhere. So when we get the board up and running, will the board be the publishing agency and the staff is the publishers?

Part 2 of Chapter 6

Part 2

From page 214


Newspaper staff should check quotes with their sources.

Off the cuff comments need permission to be printed. What does this mean?

The editor does have an obligation to understand the concepts of the institution in which he is enrolled. P215

Gaining admittance to the news sources is REALLY important. Printing material without gaining admittance to the source is poor journalism. All stories need sources. You need to prove how you got the story and that it is fact. P 216

Factual news stories and columns will receive little or no comment. A criticism, change in policy, controversial topics will receive a lot of backlash. Stick to the facts. No one will read a factual follow up to a sensational first piece. Get is right the first time so you don’t create problems.

The editor who has “staff empathy” and “admittance to sources” is in a position to judge veracity of the news. Page 217


Responsibilities of a College newspaper

Responsibilities of the editor

You must find a way to present your facts without editorializing. P218

Better to have a short concise story than to drag it out to fill space. Shorts can be used to fill in the extra space.


Key Principles of a first-rate newspaper: page 219
Responsible and thorough coverage of the news, the important news as well as the interesting news.
Emphasis on interesting in 1st part because the news reads to be covered interestingly or else no one would want to read it.
Fair play-the paper is responsible for being a student run paper, to cover important, interesting, academic, sports, social sides of the community which they are responsible to.

Functions: P220
Its size does not have a great deal to do with its function. Its just as hard to put our a little paper than a big one.
You must aim your content at the basic interests of your readers.
You must give them material you very well that they should read but will not be inclined to do so because it is a little too heavy. Present it in a way that it will want to be read. (I want to do a story on Global Warming and how it is going to affect Eckerd if we continue to contribute to it. I think it would be a good story. More details when I get back)
Job description manual is needed. ( I am working on it )


Student writers and reporters
An editorial page is the soul of the paper. It really shows the personality of the paper. P222
Don’t let intimidation stop you from asking really in depth questions.


Standards for college papers

We should be expected to:
Print the news accurately and literally
Provide a forum for the free exchange of opinion
“The manner in which a newspaper of any kind addresses itself to this responsibility [to the reader] is the exact measure of its merit.” P224 I really like this.

Attitude and standard are a big part of a newspaper staff. We should have the respect for truth, as encrusted in fact; the search fir clear, concise expression; the pride for accomplishment P225. These must be self-imposed to be effective.

Responsibility in Int’l news and nat’l news

It is important to expose the readers to issues in the nat’l news and Int’l news. ( I feel like Will and Jamie have successfully strengthened the World news section of the paper. Since Eckerd has such a big Int’l program, and its Int’l majors are prominent, I believe that this section needs to be a consistently strong section every week. It appeals to a large number of readers)

News briefs could be incorporated into the paper to help the readers gain knowledge on the issues nationally. (The problem with this is that it takes so damn long to get our paper back) p230

Endorsing political candidates

Most campus papers choose not to or have a policy against endorsing political candidates. (Do we have a policy against that?)
Some faculty advisors commented that because the paper is a monopoly publication, that editorial endorsement would be unwise. P232 (I don’t think any 4 people on our staff have the same views on politics… so how would we even be able to write one)

(Do you feel that we should have editorials in the paper more often?)

Although most campuses do not endorse Political candidates, they do cover event run by student political groups (Young Democrats, Republicans etc.), mock elections and impartial coverage of political issues.




Do you not want me to do chapter 7? I have the readings on it, but you didn’t assign it…. Student Publications 1-3,6 on the way

Chapter 6 first part

Chapter 6 Responsibility of the College Press

The responsibility of the student editor

The responsibility of the editor is to those who support you and pay for the results of your production page 199

There is a delicate balance between view and news in the paper. The news is more important than your opinion. You are just reporting the news, not your take on the news. Page 200

A freedom to print what you think is the truth is not freedom, but license- and licenses aren’t handed out to everyone. Page 200

The student editor must bear a responsibility to his University.

When writing editorials, editors must be careful not to be misinterpreted. You must write with the weight of some experience. Page 201

As an editor, your responsibility is to your fellow students. As a student, your responsibility is to the establishment (the school).

On Politics: Leave it to the people who have had experience in politics. Anyone can have an angry irrational thought. It needs to be backed up with fact.

On Religion: If you feel something needs to be said, attempt to use it in another medium. The topic of religion and targeting a specific religion are two different things. It is dishonest to blatantly use your position to offend people. You should be courteous.

On Sex: if you are using sex in your columns to produce an uproar or reaction then you are displaying immaturity.

On Administration: you must be backed by the student body in order to print an editorial that questions the administration. Not just print something because they aren’t doing what you want.

It’s better to resign then to submit to the likes of the Student Government concerning content, layout and length.

An editor also has a responsibility to himself p205

A staff should develop within itself with advice from past editors.

A Staff should have “staff empathy” which means that they all know what everyone is thinking.

A staff must have pride in its work. Positive reinforcement is always a good thing.

Primary is the belief that the newspaper is beyond an activity. Page 207
BINGO. It’s more than a work study job, more than just a paycheck. I think we need to instill this in our staff members this year. Getting away from the “club” aspect will help us do this.

An editor needs to be a reporter, a copyeditor, a columnist, a student, a deskman and perhaps news editor. P 208
Well, I haven’t done all of these things, but we have a small staff and there is no way I could’ve done them all before taking my position.

The newspaper staff members should be aware of a professional attitude that results from an appreciation of newspaperman in the field. I wonder if we can visit the SP times….

The Editor achieves staff empathy by directing the policy of the paper, by trusting the editors he has appointed to their jobs, but insuring that the staff regenerates itself with new reporters, by meeting with other campus leaders on problems they care to discuss, by writing forcefully and well, by maintaining an understanding with the faculty advisor who is advising not censoring and seeking and gaining admittance to the news and policy sources of the University page 210 This is really good. I feel like I need to take more time in the beginning of the year to bring the staff together and explain my expectations, not in an overbearing way, but in a “taking pride in our work” kind of way. What do you think?

The editor must have “been around”. The editor should maintain conversation with administrators.

The biggest fault of an editor is to be unwilling to discuss a matter directly and forwardly with an administrator for fear that they will ask you not to print it or alter the story.

The editor must be willing to state honestly what he feels. P210

Being able to discuss business face to face and then expressing opinion justly in the newspaper is the obligation and most difficult task of the editor of a college newspaper.

An editor should be a good enough thinker and a responsible enough person that if he is confronted with the fact that alters his opinion or denies him a story, he can accept the attitude that it is part of professional journalism. P211

The editor must be a person who can also judge other writers for their ability to handle material in good taste. P 212 I am working on this….

The university must provide every opportunity possible for students to evaluate their own work and to assume responsibility for what is printed. P213

It’s a good policy that no one should read the article, outside if the newspaper staff before it is printed.

more of Chapter 5

2nd part starting at page 163

Legal responsibility of the college press

The student publication can be sued for libel, right of privacy and contempt. The college is ultimately responsible for the paper. In most cases the student writer and editor cannot be held legally responsible.

Right to privacy is anything that is published that will cause shame, humiliation… basically intruding on people’s private business which the public has no legit concern for.

Everyone who handles the copy of something that is libelous is responsible for it and can be charged for it.

State legislators do not have direct effects on private institutions. Private institutions are only affected indirectly by certain laws that are passed.

Students cannot necessarily speak freely on issues in the state legislation. I am not sure I understand why….

According to the author, student papers also get a lot of protest if they print political or economic articles that go against the stance of the state legislators. Page 168

It is mentioned on page 170 about the likelihood of being removed for taking a stand on a controversial subject. It could happen, but more likely won’t stick?... I was kind of confused by the example used.

The author states that an organization can’t force a publication to refuse advertising. It is the editor in chief responsibility to ultimately decide what goes in the paper. The organization can disagree, write letters, or remove their ads but cannot force a paper to turn down other ads.
Journalists should never accept bribes or anything that would sway their portrayal of information to the public.

Alumni sometimes have control in the paper because they fund it or the paper is not claimed by the university.


Student Government Attempts to control the student press

Student governments attempt to control the press by withdrawing funds. There needs to be a clear explanation of how the paper is related to student government. Some think it is a student organization to be controlled by the senate, since the students fund it. Some (including me) think it should be regarded as a separate function with no outside rule page 178

When conflicts between student governments and newspapers cannot be resolved, some staffs choose to resign and start a new paper, or attempt to get student body support to protest.

I noticed that a lot of these examples are from the 50’s-60’s. I wish there were more recent ones.

Editors are not necessarily forced out after undesirable situations. Page 182 I know this one all too well.

The author makes it very clear that the student editor is not the publisher. I GET IT

The author makes a point that it is important to have a written policy.

The college has some control of an off campus paper because of their definitions of admission and student. Page 189
The author makes a perfect statement saying that the student government should be limited to representation on the publications board. 1 PERSON page 191


Page 190 the institution which wants its students to have the utmost freedom of expression can best do this by permitting the publication to be operated as a separate entity, independently financed and controlled by those who participate in its publication. (Although independently hopefully means not student government, but separate funding) with help from Faculty advisor for a controlled press that has an authority to help protect and teach the staff. Student editors should control the subject matter in the paper and day to day stuff. Faculty advisors should critique instruct and train students and represent the administration to the students and the students to the administration. And the publications board should deal with policy role of publications in the institution.

I think I am beginning to understand this much better. I wish I would have had all of this info last year. I feel more confident about my position.

Chapter 5 first part

Chapter 5 Censorship and Control of the College Press

Decisions on whether to go to print go up the chain of command: reporter, editors, the publisher, the owner.

Question: Since the college is technically the publisher, are you and I acting as the “publishers”? I ask because we don’t really ask the college before printing anything. It goes through me then you and that’s about it….

Student editors have said that in recent years there are at least 7 ways that freedom of the press has been abridged:

1. Confiscation of papers: The Triton saw that a little bit with the Emmanuel story, in fact they were confiscated and literally throw at our faces.
2. Suspension, threats, expulsion against editors because of material: ECOS threatened to pull our funding… does that count? J
3. Control by faculty or administrative censorship- well I didn’t like the process that went down after the Eastman story, but it isn’t censorship, so we are as you said, very lucky.
4. Censorship by student government-they can try but it won’t workJ
5. Censorship of articles and editorials on controversial matters.
6. Censorship by civil ecclesiastical bodies.
7. Social pressure to prevent publication of articles etc. The London Story has gotten some pressure from a few students.
Page 150

The limitations regarding freedom of expression and press in the college newspapers is in part due to the uncertainty of the aims and purposes of the publication. Page 151 I think this is a really good point. The other readings have been touching on what is the purpose of our paper. We are a lab, a PR arm, an official college publication. I think our Mission statement should be re-examined this next year so we can make sure that we understand it and make it available to students. Some view us as a tabloid. What do you think?

The author stresses that the need for diversity. Society needs to encourage diversity and freedom of expression, no matter if they are unpopular. Basically, if society encouraged and was open to all forms of thought, there would be no reason to censor the press because of a certain view or representation. It is when the college or society is not open to all forms of thought and expression that people will be resentful and attack. Page 153

The author also mentions prior rights. Liberty of the press is not an absolute. Page 154 it does not protect libel, misbranding, sedition etc.

The author also mentions that the needs of the students must be recognized. Students should be able to be free from repression and be free to express feelings. The student journalist should be able to report the facts and express opinion with out restraint. Page 155

This is a good quote: page 155 “Failure of the student to pursue a balanced course in action in expressing his views must be, when viewed in this light, a reflection on the institution itself- on the character of the teaching staff and the educational authority, on the weakness of instruction, or lack of it.” I agree with this. I don’t Eckerd does a lot of censoring; we get a lot of pressure, but no real direct “you can’t print that” mentality. Very lucky

On page 157 the author makes a good point in saying that if student editors, faculty moderators and administrators would think properly about freedom and authority in publications, we would all act more properly causing less conflict between the two.

I like the distinction that the author makes on page 157 about the difference between the action to of the censor who kills a story because it is poorly written, and the action of the censor who kills the story for reasons external to the writing.

The author mentions that the faculty moderator would be concerned about the nature of the writing, the quality, and the censor would be concerned about the effects after it is printed. You cannot have one without the other. I think that if you don’t think about the effects, you are not being a good writer.

The author also mentions that authority is established for the common good of the people. Constraint is for the sake of freedom. Page 158 Since we are students, there is a definite authority and it’s not us.

The Faculty Moderator can insure the relationship between student editors and administrators helping each understand the interests of the other. Page 160

The author also mentions that the paper is in most cases owned by the school. So the school is the publisher and the students are subordinate to the school. The obligations are horizontally to the students and vertically to their superiors. (which is not the student government!)


Freedom and Fullness

Student editors should have an obligation to their superiors and their superiors should be held accountable in terms of freedom for the students.

It is tough to have a partnership between the paper and the administration, but the relationship needs to be viewed as both on the same side. They are not enemies.
There will be tension, but that is ok because both groups will be insuring the others responsibilities. Tension can get out of control when either part is not doing their part. I think that I need to work on the whole “we are both on the same side” part. I just get really protective of the paper because I am working my bum off, you know and I am so proud of it that it is hard to take criticism or allow others to try and change it.

The author sums it up on page 162 “Students and administrators must see that dynamic, fruitful tension of freedom and authority that large-hearted love of one’s school which is not quick to set limits on the freedom of an editor to write, but which does not hesitate to correct or censor an editor when what he writes violates justice.” I am planning to work on this as much as I can in the next year.
more to come after dinner:)