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Law, Ethics and News Literacy
1. Censorship essay
2. AI Law discussion
3. Ethics worksheet
4. AI Ethics
5. Objectivity notes
6. Press conference reflection
7. Applying news literacy
Table of contents
Law Literacy
Censorship essay
Left: In this PDF is an essay I wrote on censorship. This assignment referenced an article called "Hard News. Angry Administration. Teenage Journalists Know What It's Like." This essay shows both my strong opinions and strong understanding of press law literacy. Censorship is a big deal for student journalists restricted by administrators. I met several people at CSPA in the summer of 2023 who have administrators who have to read through every issue before publishing for approval. It is terrible that some student journalists are so restricted; my voice is everything and no censorship can stop that.
Every journalist must know the laws that govern journalism. Freedom of the Press is the fundamental human right for the media, especially published media, to be expressed freely. Every journalist should be very familiar with free speech and press-related laws.
NSPA AI law discussion
Above: In this image are some of the notes I took down during the AI law portion of my pre-con workshop at the National Scholastic Press Association fall conference. In this session, we had the opportunity to participate in a group discussion on what these laws that control AI really do and mean. I, in particular, asked a lot of questions to our presenter, Mr. Bradley Wilson, about what influence these laws really have and where the grey area exists. Overall, this pre-con helped me understand what sort of laws are in place and how these laws can affect journalism, especialyl as AI becomes more common.
Ethics literacy
Ethics worksheet with responses
Journalist integrity is required for every journalist, I am not writing gotcha journalism I am writing quality work that means something. To do that, journalists must work to understand both the SPJ code of ethics and how to be F.A.B. (Fair, Accurate, and Balanced)
Above: Here are two images that show excerpts from a worksheet I did in J1 that was based on my responses to ethical dilemmas that journalists have run into. My facilitators and teacher, Mr. David Ragsdale, both thought I did a good job in my responses, so I wanted to include this. I feel I have a good sense of what is right and wrong, but being a journalist has tested that. One way I act ethically in my journalistic procedures is through constant assurances with sources to ensure comfort while interviewing. I would never want to push a stakeholder too far and publish something they wish they hadn't said.
NSPA AI pre-con discussion
Above: Here are two images that show my notes from my pre-con workshop at the National Scholastic Press Association fall conference, called Artificial Intelligence in the Journalism Classroom by Bradley Wilson. This workshop created a fascinating conversation, and I found it eye-opening. On the ethical side, we discussed the importance of accountability and transparency, as well as the circumstances under which AI is acceptable, if at all. Mr. Wilson pushed us to keep thinking deeper, which at first was uncomfortable, but it made me really think about what the ODYSSEY's AI policy should include. Personally, the ODYSSEY uses Otter.AI to transcribe interviews (we all comb through it and verify the transcriptions). Ethically, would anything else be pushing it too far?
News Literacy
News literacy includes the understanding of media, so I can analyze the messages the media is presenting and take action. As a journalist, I need to harness the power of information, share it with my audience, and strive to create change in the community through my writing.
Redefining objectivity at NSPA
Left: Here are three images that show the notes I took from "More than Both Sides: Redefining Objectivity," a session I attended at the National Scholastic Press Association in the fall of 2023. One thing I had to learn was that to be a journalist, I need not just to lay out the facts, but also to tell the story and uncover the truth. This is vital for journalists to understand because a journalist is a storyteller, not just someone who transcribes quotes. Another thing I learned from this session is that when covering an issue, I don't leave it to the winner; I have to tell the story of the impacts. This is important for a journalist to understand because, again, we have to tell a story that informs our audience; the news serves a purpose to inform.
Preser glows and grows list
Right: In this image is a glows and grows list me and a peer made after a press conference. That specific press conference was difficult for me because my story was very serious and the administration was hesitating to respond. The last grow is a good representation of what I learned from that presser and what I needed to fix. I have taken those grows and improved since then.
The headline
The comments
The story
Real news examination
Above: Here are three images that compare three different persepctives of this story a local news site put out on a student getting allgedly "hit" by a University of Georgia bus. I saw this on my Instagram as the same time a fellow editor and we were both shocked to read the headline. After I went to the story and she read the comments we clearly had some confusion. While possible the student was struck by the bus, it read to me and my friend that the student tried to pass it and misjudged the bus. Either way, the headline is pretty sensationalized and misleading in my opinion. Luckily, through my friends' and my friends experience with journalism, we dug deeper into the story and uncovered what the headline left out. Over my four years I haven't run into many of these sort of situaions but it was very eye-opening to the real reason why our words as journalists have so much power.
Final Thoughts
In my publication, I think people undervalue the importance of understanding their journalistic ethics and laws. Without understanding these critical cores of journalism, the work I produce is likely to misrepresent the people I cover and create dilemmas.
Speaking of news literacy, I think it is a skill everyone should learn at some point. With the rise of misinformation via social media, the skill of analyzing news and understanding where this source comes from is vital.
I am so glad Journalism has taught me to examine the world around me from a skeptical perspective and to always strive to understand everything. As a high school student, sometimes I am amazed by the lack of literacy in my peers, a reminder of the importance of scholastic media programs.
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