SPLC Quick Course – 2018

From Sept. 4-7, 2018, the Student Press Law Center posted links to key legal issues and topics to ensure your academic year is off to a great start.

Our Day One theme is about how producing strong journalism is always your best defense.

• Basic knowledge of laws that affect journalism should be part of your entire staff’s skill set. Use our fun quizzes to evaluate your understanding of media law.
• Journalism often reveals hard truths that some authority figures try to censor or shut down. Here’s how to confront those challenges proactively.
• Here are the most frequently asked questions we get from high school journalists.
• If you’re on the yearbook staff, here are the basic rules of the road.
• Online/digital journalism raises several key legal issues student journalists should be aware of. Learn more through our Student Media Guide to Internet Law.
• Journalists who commit plagiarism are often subject to job dismissal or dropped from a class or club. In a cut-and-paste world, do you truly understand what plagiarism is?
• For help with making these topics more accessible for classroom or newsroom use, see our full collection of deeper dive presentations.

Our Day Two topic is about how to be an effective journalism adviser.

• As the school year begins, make time to have “The Talk” with your students about their roles as journalists and leaders, and your supporting role. Here is a guide to having that conversation.
• Advice on how to handle secret sources and confidential information.
• Advisers and journalism students are best served by agreeing to ground rules.
• Media law protects students and advisers in different ways. Advisers need to understand  when they’re on thin ice.
• SPLC hosted a webinar on “Advisers at Risk” where we discussed preventive measures to safeguard advisers, and what to do if things go bad and their job is threatened.
• A guide on offering sound education arguments against would-be censors, and real life examples of students and advisers who avoided or overcame censorship.
• Be proactive in adopting guidelines that establish high school student media as a forum for student expression.

Our Day Three links center on the complexities of copyright and other journalism and legal topics the Student Press Law Center is often asked about.

• Who owns the copyright to work created by a student journalist?
• The most common questions we receive about copyright and fair use. Learn the basics.
• Answers to questions about publishing online, reader comments and take-down demands.
• Basic info about privacy laws as they relate to journalism and photojournalism
• Auto-generated copyright infringement notices are a growing concern for student journalists. Besides contacting us, here’s what you need to know
  • Responding to auto-generated copyright infringement notices
  • SPLC model copyright agreement
  • Sample minor interview consent form
  • Student media guide to protecting sources and information
  • Sample advertiser indemnification clause

Our Day Four links can help you develop a professional, candid relationship with administrators. They don’t always like what journalists report, but the best administrators champion the role of journalism in our democracy. Student editors should take the initiative to meet with key administrators at the start of the academic year.  Share these links with them.

• Press freedom and censorship
• School transparency
• Civic education
• Online citizenship
• Model policies, legislation and regulation

Legal Hotline: As always, we’re here if you need help.