HSBJ Blog

November, 2012

Stop the Presses! HSBJ is Back

After an eight-month hiatus, hsbj.org is back with a new year-end News Literacy PSA Contest called REALLY?

REALLY? is the first word that should come to mind when your students receive information -- from a text, a Tweet, their best friend, the New York Times, their mothers.

After that there are five quick questions that can help separate truth from fiction in the the deluge of information we have today. Before you believe (and expecially before you pass along) any information, ask REALLY?  Then ask:

1. Who Said It?

2. Can I Trust That Person?

3. Is That Person Prejudiced on This Subject?

4. Am I Biased on This Subject?

5. Where Can I Get More Reliable Information to Make My Own Decision About the Subject?

We've put together new lesson plans to go with the Al Tompkins REALLY? Webinar -- with lots of good video stories that would have never been broadcast if someone had just asked REALLY?

Contest Deadline is December 20, 2011

But Wait There's More...

Candace Bowen of Kent State University has produced a new, NewsU course using the REALLY? approach.  There are interactive lessons and lots of examples.  Check it out.

                                         -- Carol Knopes

• November 30, 2009 Playoff Game Play-by-Play Online Coverage

  A couple of weeks ago our football team made the playoffs for only the third time in school history, and the day of the game, which was being played 170 miles away on a school night, one of our cooks asked if we would have updates anywhere on the new school website.

   A few dedicated fans and parents were making the trip to Pacific, MO for the game, but most of our students and staff would not be able to go, and the game was not being carried live on radio or television.  The question the cook asked prompted a lot of fast planning. How could we cover the game online and provide yet another service to our community on our new website?

  I decided all I really needed was a reliable “stringer” on site, someone willing to send regular, dependable updates during the game. Darrell Johnson, one of our assistant principals with a coaching background, was making the trek to Pacific, so I approached him about sending me the news every time a team scored.  I would then post it on our home page. 

  Darrell was enthusiastic, and we decided he would simply text message the updates. That way I’d have the information in “print form” on my cell, and we wouldn’t have to mess with numerous phone calls where I’d have to take notes. Having someone like Darrell, who has an understanding of football, helped immensely as he sent texts with the appropriate, pertinent details I could easily relay to our web audience via my trusty laptop.

  By the last block of the day, we had announced to everyone on the P.A. that they could get game updates on our website. I also e-mailed the faculty reminding them to follow the game online. 

   A handful of my HTV kids were going to the game, and for “art” I asked a couple of them to take photos with their phones and email them to me.  They did, and I waded through some pretty blurry shots until I found two or three that I posted during the game. One I liked the most was the first one, a shot of our fan section from the bleachers at the Pacific High stadium.

  As the scoring began, Darrell send the information within seconds.  I would say we had game information updated online within two minutes of someone crossing the goal line 170 miles down I-44.  We posted the names of the HHS kids who scored, and always included the game time with each update. 

  By the end of the night, we had posted more than 30 updates, averaging probably seven per half-hour.  Darrell sent along some “extras” like interceptions, fumbles, and a couple of fourth down “holds” that kept things interesting between scoring updates.

  The next morning, feedback came fast and was all extremely positive.  Several teachers, students, and yes, the cook, all said how much they appreciated the effort, and joked about how often they were hitting the “refresh” button the night before.  It was great to provide the updates, and it was one more way we made the new website a vital part of our school.

   Note:   "Hillcrest defeated Pacific 42-17."

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• November 30, 2009 Covering Our Playoff Game in a New Way

  Broadcast journalism veteran Dave Davis of Hillcrest High School in Springfield, MO, is keeping us up on his new daily multimedia coverage on the school's official website.

  A couple of weeks ago our football team made the playoffs for only the third time in school history, and the day of the game, which was being played 170 miles away on a school night, one of our cooks asked if we would have updates anywhere on the new school website.

   A few dedicated fans and parents were making the trip to Pacific, MO for the game, but most of our students and staff would not be able to go, and the game was not being carried live on radio or television.  The question the cook asked prompted a lot of fast planning. How could we cover the game online and provide yet another service to our community on our new website?

  I decided all I really needed was a reliable “stringer” on site, someone willing to send regular, dependable updates during the game. Darrell Johnson, one of our assistant principals with a coaching background, was making the trek to Pacific, so I approached him about sending me the news every time a team scored.  I would then post it on our home page. 

  Darrell was enthusiastic, and we decided he would simply text message the updates. That way I’d have the information in “print form” on my cell, and we wouldn’t have to mess with numerous phone calls where I’d have to take notes. Having someone like Darrell, who has an understanding of football, helped immensely as he sent texts with the appropriate, pertinent details I could easily relay to our web audience via my trusty laptop.

  By the last block of the day, we had announced to everyone on the P.A. that they could get game updates on our website. I also e-mailed the faculty reminding them to follow the game online. 

   A handful of my HTV kids were going to the game, and for “art” I asked a couple of them to take photos with their phones and email them to me.  They did, and I waded through some pretty blurry shots until I found two or three that I posted during the game. One I liked the most was the first one, a shot of our fan section from the bleachers at the Pacific High stadium.

  As the scoring began, Darrell send the information within seconds.  I would say we had game information updated online within two minutes of someone crossing the goal line 170 miles down I-44.  We posted the names of the HHS kids who scored, and always included the game time with each update. 

  By the end of the night, we had posted more than 30 updates, averaging probably seven per half-hour.  Darrell sent along some “extras” like interceptions, fumbles, and a couple of fourth down “holds” that kept things interesting between scoring updates.

  The next morning, feedback came fast and was all extremely positive.  Several teachers, students, and yes, the cook, all said how much they appreciated the effort, and joked about how often they were hitting the “refresh” button the night before.  It was great to provide the updates, and it was one more way we made the new website a vital part of our school.

   Note: Hillcrest defeated Pacific 42-17.

• November 11, 2009 Required Reading

  Student Rights and Justice Kennedy

   

  Today there’s a strong lesson for high school journalists on the front page of the New York Times.
  
  According to the Times, journalism students at Dalton, a private high school in Manhattan, interviewed Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy about a talk he gave to a school assembly on Oct. 28. The Justice Kennedy didn’t allow the school paper to cover the actual assembly. Justice Kennedy did agree to a later interview. However, he asked to see and be able to change the article before publication. The student editors agreed.
  
  The Justice saw the article and made his changes – a Supreme Court spokesman said he “tidied up quotes” to better reflect what the justice meant to convey.
  
  Here are some questions to consider:

  • Should high school journalists be treated as journalists?
  • Do you give sources your whole story to tweak?
  • How can student journalists learn their rights?
  
  Frank LoMonte head of the Student Press Law Center is quoted throughout the story. He’s paraphrased here: “Even at a high school publication, Mr. LoMonte said, the request for prepublication review sent the wrong message and failed to appreciate the sophistication of high school seniors.”

   

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