law, ethics &
news literacy
1. Law
Centerspread on High School Relationships
During our centerspread issue, we decide to cover the issue of high school relationships. One of the topics that we brainstormed with the class and decided to cover was sexual relationships in high school. Planning to publish the article with an angle of people’s experience and wanting to survey the school about their experience, we drafted questions for people to answer. Because we wanted the most number of people to be able to fill out the questions, we decided that were wanted to distribute the survey during our weekly Tuesday homerooms.
​
When we told our adviser about our plan, he told us that teachers are not allowed to distribute or ask questions about students’ sexual habits without parental consent. However, if we as students individually went to each class and told our peers (as fellow students) to fill out the form, it might have worked. However, our principal advised us against doing so, telling us: “I just got off the phone with the associate superintendent. We have been given legal advice against surveying students regarding their sexual behavior without prior parental permission.”
Our centerspread issue covered two serious topics: sexual and toxic relationships in high school.
I had to make an important decision: should we die on this hill or find another way to get the data we needed. Because we really wanted to get the opportunity to ask the other also very important questions, we took out the sexual questions from our planned survey. That way, we could survey students during homeroom. However, we still want to survey students, and we plan on doing it through our personal social media, which doesn’t involve the school administration or teacher.
​
As a result, I checked out SPLC's https://splc.org/2003/10/surveying-the-law/ but couldn't find a direct answer, so I reached out to the center for legal advice about our options. Bellow is my message to them:
Our paper is writing a story about high school students’ sexual experiences and perspectives. As a result, we wanted to poll our student body about the following questions:
​
-
Have you had sexual intercourse?
-
Have you engaged in non-intercourse sexual acts?
-
If you have had sex, do you practice protected sex?
-
Would your parents approve of you having a sexual relationship in high school?
-
Do you know anyone who has been sexually assaulted or raped?
-
Do you feel supported by the school community to speak up and seek guidance about issues like rape and assault?
​
We originally wanted to distribute the questions during our school’s homeroom class, which happens weekly for school-wide announcements. Our adviser told us that teachers are not allowed to distribute or ask questions about students’ sexual habits without parental consent, so we wanted to individually go to each class and tell our peers (as fellow students) to fill out the form. However, our principal advised us against doing so, telling us: “I just got off the phone with the associate superintendent. We have been given legal advice against surveying students regarding their sexual behavior without prior parental permission.” As a result, we took out the questions from our planned survey, so we could survey students during homeroom. However, we still want to survey students, and we plan on doing it through our personal social media, which doesn’t involve the school administration or teacher.
​
Anyway, I checked out SPLC's https://splc.org/2003/10/surveying-the-law/ but couldn't find a direct answer, so I am reaching out. Could we as students have legally administered a survey about minors’ sexual activities during the school homeroom class (or would it be considered school-sponsored as we would have taken up class time)? Secondly, can we still legally administer a survey about minors’ sexual activities through personal means (social media, etc.)? Thanks for your help!
After using the hotline, I heard back from them saying that the school was on good grounds to advise us not to ask questions regarding students’ sexual behaviors.
​
This experience taught me that the legal aspect of student journalism is very complicated and there may not be a precedent. I had to think about the picture of legality and publication stability. We are a paper that needs a good relationship with our principal and district. If we break that trust, it can hurt our paper in the long run. I led my Ed Board in making the right decision, and we were able to pivot and still find the information we needed, which is the important part.
An attorney from the SPLC emailed me back, telling me that we made the right decision to drop the questions about sexual relationships from our survey.
A wall of previous centerspreads that our publication has created. We consulted these while working on our issue, especially for the sexual relations story.
Anonymity
For the same story about sexual relations, the writers of the story needed to interview sources about their opinions and experiences. Because the age of consent for sex in California is 18, it isn’t legal to have sex under that age. As a result, I worked with the writers to protect the anonymity of speakers who spoke about experiences, so they wouldn’t be putting themselves in legal jeopardy. If we published students’ names, they may face consequences, so after consulting with the writers, Ed Board and our adviser Mr. Miller, we decided to also give them anonymity. I discovered that anonymity isn’t merely about giving it but thinking about how sharing their name may impact their lives. While names are important, I believe in providing anonymity, so our paper can share important experiences and perspectives that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
Protecting First Amendment Rights
Near the start of the 2021-22 school year, one of ASB’s commissions wanted to limit the number of photographers that we could send to our Homecoming rally. While they sent more photographers and videographers, they turned our traditional three spots into one, along with that for our yearbook Valhalla. These school events are public spaces, so I strongly believed that we as student journalists had the right to have as many photographers as well. Wanting our students to get as much photography experience and not let the ASB commission limit our opportunities to take photos, I went directly to the ASB adviser and ASB president They then talked to the commissions, who then promptly contacted me to find a solution. Without having to play the “We are a student journalists card,” I was able to find a compromise with them, which was that the Epic still got to send three photographers to cover the event. Rather than souring our groups’ relationship, I fostered open communication and actually became friends with the person I communicated with!
A photo that one of the photographers at the Homecoming rally took. Because we were able to send more reporters to the event, we were able to improve our coverage of the first Homecoming our school had in two years.
As a sophomore staffer reporting on Bay Area pollution, I attended an open forum meeting hosted by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. During our press law presentation about Access Law, I spoke about my experience, inspiring other staffers to attend community meetings.
Press Law Presentations
Every single year, our paper does a series of press law presentations, so all student journalists know their rights and what they can and cannot do. As Editor-in-Chief, I worked with my Ed Board team to plan our presentations, deciding that we should space it out throughout the first 2 months of school. That way, people won’t be overwhelmed and can still learn it mostly before they begin their reporting. Every Friday, we had a different section, led by a section editor, present their topics. Then, there would be a fun Kahoot, in which the top two places would win a small prize. During the final presentation, I made a bet of $3 with my co-editor Mei Corricello to see who would get a higher score. The race was razor close as we stayed on the leaderboard throughout the whole time. I held my lead until the very end, winning first place over her second place. Oh! That is a good reminder. I still need to collect my winnings!
​
Throughout my years on staff, I also went through a similar process, researching a specific topic of Press Law and presenting it to others. As a section editor in the 2020-21 school year, I led my section with my mentor and predecessor Elena Williams to create the presentation about Access Law. It was a great experience as I mentored new staffers about the details of its workings. Something that I worked on was open meeting laws. As a person interested in politics and having gone to many public meetings, I was able to share my experience with those in my group and the whole staff.
Editorial Policies
Like many publications, as Editor-in-Chief, I led our Ed Board in reviewing and updating our Editorial Policies at the start of the year. Working with other publications during our FUHSD joint JCamp, I was able to learn from other publications and make our policies more clear and direct. You can check out the Epic’s mission statement here:
the Epic is an open forum created by and for the students of Lynbrook High School. In order to serve our readers, the staff of the Epic seeks to report on events, issues, and ideas relevant to the Lynbrook community in a professional, accurate, unbiased and thorough manner. the Epic strives to provide a full opportunity for all students, staff and community members to inquire, question and exchange ideas. Therefore, its content reflects all areas of student interest, including topics which may be controversial. the Epic maintains the highest ethical standards with regard to fairness, personal and legal rights, responsibilities and accuracy based on the Code of Ethics created by the Society of Professional Journalists. Further, the Epic maintains the highest technical standards in accordance with AP (Associated Press) style. The content of the Epic is not subject to prior review of any kind.
More importantly, I made two major changes: adding Guest Columns and Letters to the Editors on the policy, along with creating a section for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I wanted to bring the school community more into the Epic by making it very clear that people are welcomed and encouraged to submit articles to us, which I will elaborate more on in the Guest Columns and Letters to the Editors section on this page. Wanting to make our publication more diverse, I wanted to hold us to the highest standard by listing it out on the Editorial Policy (I will share more about the results it procured in the “Commitment to Diversity”).
My Ed Board takes our first group photo at FUHSD's JCamp during summer. One of the first things we did at the camp was to update our editorial policies.
2. Ethics
Quote Check
In our publication, we have the highest standard for reporting. We strongly believe in quote checking with our sources, which is important in making sure that our quotes are representative of our sources’ statements. That way, we build strong connections and strengthen our relationships with others in our community. From the very first story I wrote, I have quote-checked with my sources. After attending a public event about the Bay Area’s air quality, I quote checked with the speaker, who thanked me for checking in with him. By doing so, I made a good impression with him and on journalists. It isn’t only for public officials but all interviewees. From students to teachers, I also make sure to quote check, so we can minimize the number of corrections (if needed) and unhappy emails and conversations.
Quote checking with my first source!
Taking a photo with our ASB President Joe Lin. the Epic has a close working relationship with ASB, and the student government has implemented many of our suggestions to make the school more inclusive.
Impartiality
Writing an editorial taught me how fair coverage pushes readers to reflect on the past, initiate change, and cherish journalism. Our paper highlighted the issue of ASB elitism and called for transparent communication and inclusive activities. Interviewing a few students who felt excluded, I heard back from countless others who thanked us for articulating their feelings.
​
Despite critiquing student government, we also encouraged people in ASB to share their side of the story. By doing so, I better understood both sides of the issue, helping us craft realistic call-to-actions, and surprisingly strengthened our groups’ relationship. ASB embraced our story and implemented suggestions, creating web pages that update students on pending projects and unexpected challenges. More significantly, they introduced special programs recognizing the under-appreciated: niche clubs, artists, and more.
​
I saw the positive impacts of inclusive reporting, so now, I mentor writers to consider and analyze all perspectives when covering stories. I believe it is very important that we continue doing so. Impartiality is important in all aspects of journalism, including school coverage and analysis. I hope that by doing so, I can inspire more people to take a proactive stance against bias in journalism.
​
Read this story here: https://lhsepic.com/7748/opinion/editorial-asb-take-steps-toward-inclusivity/
Making sure all information is factually correct is our number one priority, and if making a correction is the way to go, we are happy to do it.
Corrections
Our paper strives to tell all stories accurately, and that is why we seek to correct mistakes when we make them. We correct all mistakes through our website, and if space permits, on our paper as well. For a print story on marching band, there were three mistakes, so someone in the school band reached out to my Editor-in-Chief email to tell us about the mistakes. Promptly responding, I replied that we would correct the mistakes. I worked with the Web Editors to correct the mistakes in our online publication, so future readers of the story get the correct details of the story.
3. News Literacy
Localizing Issues
As News Editor and Editor-in-Chief, I want to bring the most relevant school, local, state and national news to our student body. An avid political follower, I think that it is super important that students get a sense of what is happening around the world, which is why I love covering significant topics affecting our community. To do that, I have selected a wide variety of stories that cover larger current event issues while tying it back to the student body.
​
From Biden’s presidential policies to Kamala Harris’s nomination as VP to abolishing the electoral college to Texas’ abortion law to AAPI hate to homelessness to climate change, I have promoted and encouraged the writing of larger and even national issues in our paper. However, I make sure that it is unique to our student body by editing and commenting on drafts, so writers focus on how it impacts students at Lynbrook and what Lynbrook students’ experiences or perspectives on these issues are. For example, a climate change story highlighted student activists’ efforts. The opinion article on abolishing the electoral college analyzed how the system hurts California’s voice, which directly impacts students like us when we become age-eligible voters. Connecting these pressing topics back to students’ experiences, I want people to be interested and learn more about significant state and national issues.
When the Stop AAPI Hate movement gained traction around America, I helped localize the issue by covering local rallies to promote racial harmony and peace.
A letter that a student sent to me.
My first letter to the community as Editor-in-Chief.
Letter from the Editors
Additionally, as Editor-in-Chief, I work with my co-editor to write Letters from the Editors every issue. One thing that we especially love to do is highlight stories that we want people to read. We pick the stories we like the most and think people would be interested in and tell our readers a short background about them, so they would be more likely to read them. Not only so, but I have also used the space as a way to engage more students. At the start of the school year, I wrote a whole column about the Epic’s mission to tell important stories from our community. Moreover, I wanted to engage more through writing and open dialogue through writing Letters to the Editors and Guest Columns.
Letter to the Editors & Guest Column
In my first issue’s Letter from the Editors, I wrote a section about our pledge to engage more students through these two means:
​
This year, we want our student body to join in the Epic’s mission in telling the stories that matter to our greater community, so we encourage you to submit your sub-200 word opinions on a piece from this issue (Letters to the Editors) and your sub-500 word opinions on issues in our school, community, country and globe (Guest Columns) to us at enc.epic@gmail.com. We read all submissions, but only ones that we deem timely and relevant to the Lynbrook community will be chosen. Selected submissions will be published on our paper and/or website.
​
The goal was to turn our paper into more of an open forum, like that of the New York Times and other major newspapers, in which they have hundreds of Letters to the Editor submissions each day. I not only promoted this Letter but also through updating our editorial policies. Previously lacking a section on Guest Columns, I added that to the existing Letter to the Editor section to make everything comprehensive. When planning our promotional video for the student body, I also planned a section of the script to include talking about this very important subject.
With an emphasis on these issues, I have heard back from someone who wrote a letter to us. For our staff editorial on reviewing and cutting duplicating clubs that cover the same subject, a club officer of some of the groups we named dropped wrote to us to share how he would have liked our staff writers to have phrased the things in a more neutral tone. As a group that values diverse perspectives, I reached out to the individual to see if he would like the letter published, which he said yes to. While he disagreed with part of our stance, I think that it was a very great use of dialogue to foster these conversations within our community, allowing others from outside our paper to also engage with us and share their feedback and perspectives.
