Page1 Publications Handbook 2013-2014

Contents

Course Purpose & Objectives3

Staff Directory & Contact Numbers5

Editorial Policy6

Style Rules9

“Write Right” Writing Guidelines14

Headlines & Layout Guidelines19

Photography Tips21

Camera/Equipment Policy24

Extras

Class Lists 26

List of Faculty, Coaches Advisers 30

Faculty Class Schedule 31

School Calendar 32

All text, images, and design elements created by Tracee Orman

Page1 Publications Handbook 2013-2014

Course Purpose & Objectives

The purpose of the course is to provide students an experience in higher-order writing and critical thinking skills. Theseinclude opportunities to analyze, to interpret, to search for bias or inconsistency of logic; to distinguish between relevant and non-relevant information; to detect bias; to identify ambiguous or equivocal claims or arguments; and to prioritize, synthesize, and articulate information.

Course Objectives:

A. Students will define the role and the responsibility of the media to its audience exploring both the history as well as the current state of the press including legal, moral and ethical considerations.

B. Students will identify the need for policy guidelines analyzing audience and function focusing on how that same policy-making process applies to student publications.

C. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills necessary for complete coverage of activities, events, issues, and individuals associated with school publications.

D. Students will define, identify, and analyze newsworthiness.

E. Students will identify, master, and practice the skills necessary for basic reporting through information gathering.

F. Students will identify, practice, and master basic journalistic writing including format.

G. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills involving style, proofreading, and copy editing.

H. Students will be able to identify, differentiate, practice, and learn the types of news, editorials/opinions, features, and sports stories.

I. Students will be able to identify, practice, and master placement of material within appropriate sections of a publication learning how to determine, design, and produce a format for the publication(s).

J. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills necessary for writing and designing headlines.

K. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills needed for writing and designing captions.

L. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills requiredin planning, produce, and integrate photographs and artwork into a publication.

M. Students will identify, practice, and master the basic concepts of design.

N. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills of desktop publishing as they relate to word processing, editing, and typesetting as well as creating graphics and designing pages that are print-ready.

O. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills necessary for preparing the publication(s) for the printer(s).

P. Students will identify, practice, and master the skills necessary to finance a publication through advertising, fund-raising, and merchandising.

Page1 Publications Handbook 2017-2018

Staff Directory 17-18

name / position / e-mail/phone / free/prep period
Adviser
staff members / position / email/phone / West Hour Lunch

Page1 Publications Handbook 2013-2014

High School Editorial Policy

I. Introduction

The school newspaper and yearbook, like other publications, have the right, as well as the responsibility, to inform and entertain their readers and to serve as media of interpretation of and commentary on events affecting readers. At the same time, however, it should be noted that both publications are a part of a regular class and, as such, function as learning experiences for their staff members. Therefore, they come under the jurisdiction of the educational codes, which requires the publications to practice only objective, responsible journalism.

II. Legal Status of Publications

A. Both the school newspaper and yearbook have the right of freedom of the press as granted under the First Amendment (Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 US 503; 1969).

B. Neither the administration nor the board of education has the right of prior restraint (Shanley v. Northeast Independent School District, 462 F. 2d 960 5th Cir., 1972). Prior restraint may be used only if the material in question is libelous, obscene, or disruptive (Vail v. Board of Education, 354 F. Supp. 592; D. N.H., 1973). In cases where prior restraint is exercised, the burden of proof rests upon the administrators involved (New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713; 1971).

III. Responsibilities

The school newspaper and yearbook will:

A. not print material that is obscene, libelous, or disruptive;

B. not print material that would constitute invasion of privacy through:

1. Publication of private (not open record), although truthful, information about an individual;

2. Publication of false material;

3. Use of a person’s name or picture in advertisement without permission;

4. Unethical methods of obtaining quotes; i.e. through unauthorized use of recording equipment or quoting without subject’s permission;

C. not incorporate fictionalized material into a story or alter a photograph unless it is labeled as such;

D. strive for accuracy in reporting and writing;

E. print retractions for errors when discovered and present a prompt apology to all those concerned (yearbook will print apologies in newspaper if time allows);

F. print only criticism that the staff deems constructive; i.e. when the desire is both reasonable and attainable (the newspaper will not print repeated criticisms that would constitute harassment of any responsible individual or group;

G. present fairly, openly, and clearly views on controversial issues;

H. comment on and recognize persons or groups when the adviser or staff or both deem credit is due;

I. run each publication as a business as nearly as possible;

J. publish no profanity except when it makes no scatological or sexual references and its deletion would alter considerably the forcefulness or meaning of the quote (e.g. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to give in to him.”).

IV. General Editorial Policy

A. Both the newspaper and yearbook staffs will make every reasonable effort to verify quotations in final approved copy with the individual(s) quoted, in interest of accuracy.

B. Copy in both the newspaper and the yearbook will bear bylines when, in the opinion of the adviser with the editor’s approval, the writer has earned recognition and running the byline is acceptable journalistically.

C. If a newspaper editorial does not bear a byline, it reflects the opinion of the entire staff. A

bylined editorial reflects only the opinion of the writer. In either case, viewpoints expressed in newspaper editorials are not necessarily shared by any members of the faculty (including the adviser), the administration, or the board of education. (This policy will be stated in abbreviated form in all issues of the newspaper.)

D. All letters to the editor of the newspaper or yearbook must be signed for verification purposes, but the staffs may withhold names upon request. Because of space limitations letters of 300 words or less will receive preference, and longer letters may be subject to condensation with the cooperation of the writer. The final decision of whether to print a letter rests solely with the staff. (This policy will be stated in abbreviated form in all issues of the newspaper.)

V. Advertisement Policy

A. Both the newspaper and yearbook staffs have the right to accept or reject any advertisement, including political advertisements.

B. The staffs reserve the right to refuse advertisements deemed illegal or inappropriate.

C. The staffs will obtain written permission from the persons involved if a photograph is included in the ad.

All students in the publications classes and/or on staff must adhere to this policy. Failure to do so may result in being removed from staff.

This policy was written by Mrs. Tracee Orman and the 2001-2002 Erie High School publications staff; it was approved by Mr. Kurt Gibson, principal, on November 14, 2001.

EXCEPTION: Permission is granted to newspaper and yearbook advisers/staffs to use this editorial policy as long as it is not included in any commercial or for-profit products and/or teaching resources.

Page1 Publications Handbook 2013-2014

High School Style Book Rules

Journalism is a unique style of writing and has its own set of rules. You are familiar with the traditional research paper or essay-style of writing in school. But you are probably not aware that in journalism, many rules are different.

Besides the obvious need for consistency, there are two main reasons for the different style rules. One is money. The more words used, the more money it costs the newspaper (ink is expensive!). That doesn’t mean that all the stories are short; it does mean that all unnecessary words are usually eliminated through careful editing and reporters try to get the most out of each sentence. Instead of writing:

“The Erie Cardinals faced the Riverdale Rams Saturday night. It was a packed gym and both crowds of fans were cheering on their team. But the Cardinals triumphed and snuck out a win with less than a minute left in the game. The final score was 68-67.” (48 words)

You can eliminate many words and still give the reader the same information:

“In front of a packed gym Saturday, the Erie Cardinals snuck out a 68-67 win in

the final seconds of the game against conference-foe Riverdale.” (26 words)

If you look at the first example, the writer was redundant; writing “it was a packed gym” and “crowds of fans were cheering” is basically saying the same thing. So is “the Cardinals triumphed” and “snuck out a win.” Use one or the other, but not both.

The second main reason for a separate set of rules is to make it easy for the reader to read. And that doesn’t mean easy as in keeping it at a first-grade level (although many newspapers write between a 6th-grade and 9th-grade level); it means that actually reading newsprint in columns should be easy on the eyes. A reader shouldn’t have to strain to read it, and the print (font) should be pleasing to the eye (eye candy). You probably take this for granted because most newspapers you read already know this and do not use fonts, symbols, or numbers that are difficult to read—or at least take longer to read.

For example, which figure in the following sentence is easier and faster for you to read:

“He ate 1,877,524 chocolate chips last year and over 2.4 billion in his lifetime.”

Most likely, you are still trying to read the first number. Which is why in journalism you would write “almost 1.9 million” instead of the first figure used. Another example is the absence of the underlining style. A good newspaper will never* underline words—it breaks the flow of the column and doesn’t look good. Instead, the words are either in italics or bolded. *Unless it is essential to the meaning of the word or title.

The Associated Press (AP) prints a style rule-book each year that all journalists follow to make sure all newspapers are consistent. It is just like following an MLA or APA style when writing academically. Reporters and editors have their own copy of the AP style book and use it religiously. Also, most newspapers will adopt their own set of guidelines in addition to the AP rules. For instance, The Dispatch addresses all sources with a formal title (Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms.); the QC Times does not. The following rules are adapted for use at Erie High School and are just an abbreviated version of AP style.

Remember to ALWAYS follow these guidelines when writing for the yearbook and newspaper. If you are counted off on your grade because of improper “style,” chances are you violated one or more of these rules.

Keep these rules with you every day. Use them as a reference instead of taking the easy way out by asking someone else. If it’s not here, use the AP style book. If you can’t find it either place, check the internet. If it’s not there, either, THEN ask someone. But the only way you’ll learn them is by trying yourself. And once you do, you’ll find that you will become a much better writer.

A. NAMES and TITLES of PEOPLE

1.Use the person’s full name and title on first reference:

Mr. Jason Orman, athletic director, addressed the crowded gym.

2.Use the person’s last name (no title) for all other references in the story:

“Simmer down, now, simmer down!” Orman said.

3.Use proper titles for teachers and other adults on first reference:

Mr. Ryan Winckler, Mrs. Sandy Newton, Mr. Tod McCullough

4.For STUDENTS, use full name and class standing (grade) on first reference:

Senior Erin Rhodes broke the record at the cross country meet.

5.Use the person’s last name only for all other references:

“I think my legs are going to fall off,” Rhodes said before she collapsed.

B. TITLES of MOVIES/BOOKS, etc.

1.Use quotation marks for the following:Movies “The Rookie”

Plays “Grease”

Songs “Good Riddance”

Poems “The Road Less Taken”

TV/Radio Programs “Seinfeld”

2.Use italics for the following:Books To Kill a Mockingbird

Magazines Seventeen

CDs Thriller

3.Never, Ever UNDERLINE in journalism

C. DATES and TIMES

1.Months: Abbreviate months with six or more letters:

Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.

SPELL OUT: March, April, May, June, July

2.Write the month and day with no comma in between, and leave out the year*

The next game is Jan. 8.

The Cardinals defeated the Rams 25-7 Sept. 5.

3.*Do write the year if it is a date that is more than one year in the past or future:

The band will travel to Florida in March.

The last time the band took a Florida trip was in April, 1990.

4.Always spell out the day of the week: Monday, Tuesday, etc.

5.Leave out the word “on” before dates:

They will play Newman Saturday.

6.Times--Write the numerals, with either a.m. or p.m. following:

Tonight’s game begins at 7 p.m. (leave off the zeroes when you can)

Students were dismissed yesterday at 11:15 a.m.

D. FIGURES (Numbers)

1.SPELL OUT zero through nine*.

2.Use figures for numbers 10 on up*.

3.*Exceptions: Disregard rules #1 and #2 in these cases:

ALWAYS use figures for the following:ages (5 years old)

dimensions (2 by 12 ft.)

money ($5)

percents (33 percent)

days of the month (Oct. 2)

degrees (7 degrees)

hours of the day (1 p.m.)

scores (21-3)

room numbers (108)

page numbers (page 6)

street numbers (6 Cherry Lane)

4.NEVER use a figure at the beginning of a sentence:

Twenty years later, they met again.

Seventy five percent of the academic bowl budget was spent on pizza.

E. SYMBOLS

Unless the symbol is being used in a graph that coordinates with the story or it is essential to the story that the symbol be used, do not use them in journalism. While it seems that it would be shorter and simpler to use them in a story, they tend to actually be harder to read and can clutter up the columns. (Remember, you want an overall eye-appealing story.) Examples of symbols to avoid using in stories are %, #, &, º, ¢, and so on.

F. ABBREVIATIONS

1.For names of groups and organizations, spell out on first reference with abbreviation in parentheses, then abbreviate in all other references:

The new inductees for National Honor Society (NHS) are ...

New NHS members will meet Friday at 7:30 a.m. in the media center.

2.DO NOT Abbreviate: Days of the week (Friday, Saturday, etc.)

Degrees or Percent (99 degrees, 50 percent)

G. WE FILL IN THE STYLE RULES

As a class, decide on the following “styles” or rules. You will be using these guidelines throughout the school year and should all agree on each decision. Write in the style in the appropriate space provided and stick to it. If any rules need to be adjusted midyear, make sure EVERYONE is aware of the rule change (by announcing, posting it, etc.).

Style Rule / Yearbook / Newspaper
Copy Font & Size
Byline Font & Size
Headline Font, Size & Style
Cutline Font & Size
Group Photo Cutline Style
Photo Credits Font, Size & Placement
Folio Font, Size & Style
Masthead Font, Size & Style
Other:

H. DIGITAL PHOTO GUIDELINES

Photography may not be part of the writing process, but it does have a huge impact on the look of the newspaper or yearbook. Without pictures, both would be less appealing to readers. Always use these adjustments for submission of digital photos:

Photo Setting / Yearbook / Newspaper
Mode / RGB Color / Grayscale
Resolution / 225 to 300 dpi / 130 to 150 dpi
Save Format / JPEG, PNG, or TIFF / JPEG or TIFF
Other:

Page1 Publications Handbook 2013-2014

Write Rightjournalism writing guidelines

This is your guide to the basic steps for researching and writing various types of stories in journalism. After we go over each section, you will have an assignment for practice.

Question Preparation

1. Obviously, start with the 5 w’s & h:

Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

2. Understand that the “meat” of your story usually comes from the “why” and/or the “how,” so prepare questions based on those facts. (Example: Football game preview story--get the facts of who they are playing, where it is, & what time. But the most interesting part will be answers to questions such as: “Why should people come to the game?” “How will you beat your opponent?” “Why is Joe Shmoe sitting out?” “How did we do against them last year?” “How have you prepared for the game?” and so on.

3. Know that you will probably have questions as the interview is conducted that you didn’t think of beforehand. Go ahead and ask them—don’t feel as though you have to stick to a certain script.

How to Conduct an Interview

1. Research your subject BEFORE the interview.

2. Be prepared that your interview may be “on the run.” Not all sources will have time to sit down and talk with you for a lengthy interview. If they start to cut it short, get the good, meaty questions in and ask if you can follow up with an e-mail or phone call.