law & ethics
The values of law and ethics are important in our publications, so the other editors and I remind our staffers of how to correctly follow the legal and ethical rules set for us.
anonymous sources:
According to the Society for Professional Journalists, journalists should "identify sources whenever feasible," "question sources’ motives before promising anonymity," "clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information," and "keep promises."
On the vaping spread, published in the 2018 Legend, we utilized anonymous sources to ensure that students would feel they could freely speak about their opinion on vaping and their vaping habits without fear of discipline. It is important for our staff to know how and when it is appropriate to use an anonymous source. Our staff recognizes that there may be a need to protect the anonymous student from endangerment. We also must respect their FERPA and HIPPA rights. To ensure the sources would remain anonymous, I interviewed them privately and did not mention their names in the story or verbally to anyone. I did not offer the students immunity from school punishments, I simply disclosed that we would not publish or mention their names in context with the story or their interview.
In the 2019 Legend, other members of staff utilized anonymous sources in the "issues" spreads. I offered them advice and helped them edit their stories.
On the vaping spread, published in the 2018 Legend, we utilized anonymous sources to ensure that students would feel they could freely speak about their opinion on vaping and their vaping habits without fear of discipline. It is important for our staff to know how and when it is appropriate to use an anonymous source. Our staff recognizes that there may be a need to protect the anonymous student from endangerment. We also must respect their FERPA and HIPPA rights. To ensure the sources would remain anonymous, I interviewed them privately and did not mention their names in the story or verbally to anyone. I did not offer the students immunity from school punishments, I simply disclosed that we would not publish or mention their names in context with the story or their interview.
In the 2019 Legend, other members of staff utilized anonymous sources in the "issues" spreads. I offered them advice and helped them edit their stories.
interview signatures:
Our staff interview policy requires that interviews must be signed to be published. This promotes accuracy and ensures there are no misquotes within the publication. An example of a signed interview is shown.
senior superlatives & quotes:
Legend yearbook does not include senior superlatives and quotes in our publication. These elements lack journalistic value. We find the stories of our students more valuable to share, than publishing superlatives and quotes to fill space.
consent forms:
In our yearbook, we strive to include as many students in the book as possible. However, ESE students are required to have a consent form on file before we can publish their image or quotes. One of the largest clubs on campus, Best Buddies, ties ESE students with other students to form friendships. This club hosts a wide variety of events, which often end up in the book. When staffers choose ESE students' photos for their spreads, they have to check the consent form and if one is not filed, they must reach out to the ESE teachers to obtain a consent form, or choose a picture of another student.
vectors:
The infographics in the 2018 Legend book were vector heavy. As most people on staff had no prior skill of using Adobe Illustrator, we decided to pull vectors from the creative commons. We published vectors that were free to download and publish. I taught staffers how to correctly find these items.