Laws and ethics
I take my role as a journalist very seriously. I understand the power and responsibility that journalists have to their readers. By practicing ethical journalism, I am able to share the truth with the student body and community members.Click image to view entire story
Racist video leaks
Just days into my summer vacation, Grosse Pointe South went viral on Twitter-- for the wrong reason. When a video showing two South students screaming derogatory terms at each other amassed thousands of views in just hours, I met with our adviser over the summer to see how we should cover it. I decided that it was necessary for The Tower to report on it. It was important to me that we covered the story ethically and responsibly. We didn't reveal any names of the students involved and made sure the faces were blurred online.
When publishing this story, we had to decide if we wanted to include the video on our website. After a lot of debate, I decided against it. It wasn't necessary to spread the hateful rhetoric more, even if it would've given us more clicks and views.
I am especially proud of this story because we were able to publish it quickly. I reached out to my principal and superintendent for statements and we encouraged the public to send up letters to the editor to get a more wholistic view of the situation and start a dialogue.
Letters from the editor
During the year so far there have been topics we talk about that I feel require a letter from the editor. The first example of this is from our first issue. We wanted to set the tone for the year. It was important that we introduced ourselves and explained that The Tower strived to be a paper for the student by the students. We encouraged our readers to engage with us via letters to the editor and explained the difference in distribution this year.
The second example is from our 14th issue focused on addictions and the many forms they take in high school. The letter explained the purpose of the issue-- to start a dialogue. We explained why we used anonymous sources. In addition to that, we provided resources for those dealing with addiction.
Freedom of Information Act
Recently, there was a scandal at our school when the choir director was placed on suspension for not reprimanding a choreographer who bullied the students. This sparked outrage and many were confused. I wanted to break the story immediately. However, it was a private matter and we did not have a lot of information to work with. After not getting a clear response from the deputy superintendent, we decided to file a Freedom of Information Act to get the evidence and detials we needed to write an article. The school district has not yet responded, as they are trying to stall us from writing about this incident.
We were forced to choose whether to break the story immediately with little substance or wait until the district sent us the information to write a quality story. I am proud of us for choosing the ethical decision to wait until we have all the information to publish a follow-up article.
Anonymous sourcing
This year, The Tower has covered many hot-button issues. It is our responsibility to report on what happens at our high school. For that reason, at times, it is necessary to use anonymous sourcing. From conferences I have attended, I understand the pros and cons of relying on these sources.
When a student came to us after being interviewed about transgender rights and pronouns. They were afraid of their name being printed in the paper as their parents were unaware of their identity and it may put them in harm's way. It was important for me to sit down with the reporter and source to talk through what happened. We ended up using an anonymous source for this story to protect the identity of this individual.
Relationship with administration
The Tower has had an interesting relationship with our school's administration the past years I have been on The Tower staff. Last year, there seemed to be a constant back-and-forth between the newspaper staff and administration. This year, I wanted to ensure that we started out on the right foot. We had a conversation with our principal at the beginning of the year. We wanted to clear the air and start an open conversation.
While we can still be critical of school policy at times, The Tower does not have a hostile relationship with our administration this year. Our job is not to be a publicity machine for the school, but rather we are an unbiased source of quality journalism. We are not afraid of our administration. We have reached a place of understanding with them.