Policies & Standards

(Adapted in part from the Journalism Education Association’s Sample Combined Editorial Policy for High School Student Media)

Errors

1. Concerns about errors published in The Forum may be submitted through [email protected].

2. Staff members will strive to correct errors prior to publication. If articles are published with information that is subsequently deemed inaccurate, the Editorial Board will determine how best to correct any errors in the newspaper.

3. If significant changes are made to a story once it has been published, the changes will be noted beneath the article.

Content Removal

1. Published articles, media, and other content will not be removed from The Forum’s website except in extraordinary circumstances, including to protect a source or writer from physical or emotional harm.

2. The decision to remove an article, in whole or in part, will remain at the discretion of The Forum’s Editorial Board.

Letters to the Editors and Online Comments

1. Letters to the Editors may be emailed to [email protected].

2. Letters to the Editors must be signed and include the writer’s email address for verification.

3. Letters to the Editors will be verified by members of The Forum’s Editorial Board to determine the authenticity of the writer, the writing, and to confirm to whom the letter is being addressed.

4. No material will be printed if content is obscene, invasive of others’ privacy, encouraging physical disruption of school activities, and/or libelous.

5. The Forum’s Editorial Board reserves the right to withhold a letter and/or return it for revisions if it contains unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning.

6. Letters to the Editors will be printed in their own section of The Forum’s website.

7. Online comments require a verifiable name and email address.

8. A comment writer may not be anonymous to the The Forum’s Editorial Board but may be published anonymously in extenuating circumstances, such as for the writer’s safety.

9. Online comments will be reviewed by the Editorial Board prior to publication.

10. Personal attacks will not be published.

Additional Policies

1. The Latin School administration does not review articles or other content in The Forum prior to publication. Articles and opinions expressed in The Forum do not reflect the views of the school. The Forum does work with a faculty advisor, whose role is to help ensure journalistic integrity.

2. The Forum does not show articles to sources prior to publication, except in very rare circumstances. Reporters and editors may in certain circumstances choose to do so, but sources will not be able to arbitrarily demand to read the reporter’s draft article or perform editing tasks on that article. The Forum may give sources an opportunity prior to publication of an article to review their own direct quotes.

3. The Forum seeks to include the name and identity of all sources but may agree to keep a source anonymous in certain circumstances, such as protecting an individual from harassment or any other form of physical, mental, or emotional harm.

4. If The Forum agrees to keep a source anonymous, the reporters and editors will not reveal that source’s identity unless the source releases the newspaper from that obligation.

5. If a source provides information to The Forum “off the record,” the reporters and editors will respect that request, provided it is made prior to the sharing of the information. If The Forum is able to confirm the same information with an on-the-record source, however, the newspaper may publish it.