Howl Editorial Policy

Day Creek Media Editorial Policy

This policy is for the Day Creek Howl (our online newspaper) and Tracks (our yearbook). It’s based on ideas from the Journalism Education Association, Columbia University’s Journalism School, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Kirkwood Call. You can find the full policy at www.daycreekhowl.org.

Our school media gives students a place to share news, ideas, and stories. We follow the First Amendment, which protects free speech and press, and California Education Code 48907, which supports student journalists. Our goal is to inform, educate, and discuss topics that matter to students without school officials controlling what we publish. Our advisers guide us, but students make the final decisions.

I. Freedom of the Press

We believe in a free press to keep our school community informed. Here’s how we do it:

• The student editorial board decides what goes in our newspaper and yearbook.
• We avoid publishing anything that’s illegal, harmful, or breaks rules like libel (false statements that hurt someone’s reputation), obscenity, or invading privacy.
• We can publish interviews if parents have signed district permission slips.
• Our media is a public forum, meaning students can share news, ask experts questions, and report on school life.
• We use resources like the Student Press Law Center to understand what’s acceptable to publish.

II. The Editorial Board

The editorial board is made up of student editors who:

• Make all decisions about what we publish.
• Vote on choices, with each member getting one vote.
• Decide if a new member joins if someone leaves.
• Work with the adviser to follow this policy.
• Can ask for advice from experts, like the Student Press Law Center, if needed.

III. The Adviser

Our adviser helps us create great publications. They:

• Teach us how to write news, features, sports stories, opinions, and reviews.
• Show us how to interview, research, take notes, and design pages.
• Make sure we follow journalism ethics (like being fair and accurate) and laws.
• Act as a guide, not a censor, so we can make our own decisions.
• Help us set rules for things like deadlines, ads, and photos.
• Support us in planning, teamwork, and meeting deadlines.
• Manage supplies and equipment for our publications.

IV. The School’s Role

The DCIS administration supports us by:

• Providing a qualified journalism teacher as our adviser.
• Giving us classroom space and equipment.
• Allowing our adviser to attend journalism workshops to help us improve.

V. What We Publish

A. Our Goals

We aim to:

• Share accurate, fair news and stories about our school.
• Cover school events, clubs, and unique people in our community.
• Report on local, state, or national news if it connects to our school.
• Be ethical, following the Society of Professional Journalists’ rules for accuracy and fairness.
• Avoid publishing anything that could seriously disrupt school.

B. Profanity

We don’t use curse words or offensive language. If someone uses profanity in an interview, we’ll edit it out (and note it was edited) or ask them to rephrase.

C. Student Writing

• All stories, except letters to the editors, are written by journalism or yearbook students.
• Other current or former DCIS students can submit writing, but the editorial board must approve it.
• All writing must be original and not published elsewhere unless approved.

D. Editorials

• The editorial board approves topics for opinion publication.
• Editorials reflect the board’s views, while signed columns show only a writer’s opinion.
• We make sure all sides of an issue are shared fairly in the same edition.

E. Controversial Topics

• We report all sides of an issue factually, without bias, unless it’s an opinion piece.
• We won’t publish anything obscene, libelous, or invasive of privacy.
• Before publishing sensitive stories, we ask:
  • Why is this story important?
  • Is it accurate and fair?
  • Are we missing any viewpoints?
  • What might happen if we publish it?
  • Is it worth the risk?

F. Bylines

• Every article, photo, or graphic gets a byline with the creator’s name.
• If multiple people work on something, all their names are included.

G. News and Features

• We focus on school news and stories about students, teachers, and parents.
• We cover school events and activities fairly.
• If there’s bad news, we report the facts to stop rumors.

H. Deaths

• If a student, teacher, or staff member passes away, we’ll honor them with a respectful obituary (up to 400 words) in the newspaper and/or yearbook.
• We’ll only share details like cause of death with family permission and never mention suicide unless the family requests it.

I. Photos and Graphics

• All photos need captions and bylines (except headshots).
• Photos must show appropriate clothing and actions.
• Artwork reflects the artist’s view, not the whole staff.
• We won’t publish images that mock or misrepresent anyone.
• Edited photos will be labeled if they change the truth.

J. Errors

• If we make a mistake, we can inform our adviser by email or phone.
• The editorial board decides if it’s an error and how to fix it.
• We’ll correct mistakes as soon as possible, and note changes made to online stories.

K. Advertising

• We don’t accept ads for things illegal for kids.
• Ads need a signed contract and editorial board approval.
• We’ll fix or offer a discount for incorrect ads.
• Ads don’t mean we endorse the product.

L. Distribution

• The newspaper updates online every 3-5 weeks during the school year.
• The yearbook comes out in spring.
• Money from ads and fundraising pays for equipment, supplies, and/or class activities..

M. Portraits

• Yearbook photos must be taken by the school’s approved photographer.
• If a student misses photo day, they might not be in the yearbook.
• Names come from the school database.

N. Group Photos

• School activities and sports teams can take group photos for the yearbook.
• Props need approval, and photos must be appropriate.

O. Letters to the Editor

• Letters go in the opinion section and should be under 300 words.
• Writers must sign their name and include contact info for verification.
• We won’t print letters that are obscene, invasive, or harmful.
• The editorial board can edit or reject letters with grammar issues or unprotected speech.

P. Reviews

• Reviewers must know about what they’re reviewing.
• Reviews are the writer’s opinion, not the whole staff’s.
• All reviews need publication approval from the editors-in-chief.

Q. Publicity

• Our publicity team promotes our media to get more readers.
• They attend school events to share our work.

R. Interviews

• Sources can hear their quotes during the interview, but they can’t edit the final story.
• We protect sources who ask to stay anonymous if they might face harm.
• We respect “off the record” requests made before sharing information.

S. Student and Staff Features

• Anyone at DCIS can be featured if parents have signed standard school permission forms.
• We respect those who opt out of being published.

T. Staff Rules

• Selection: Editors are chosen by the adviser based on applications and work. 
• Expectations: Staff must:
  • Be accurate and fair in reporting.
  • Verify information and use clear sources.
  • Avoid stereotypes and respect all viewpoints.
  • Be kind to sources and avoid harm.
  • Stay independent from outside pressures.
  • Admit and fix mistakes quickly.
• Dismissal: Staff can be removed for:
  • Missing deadlines or having poor attendance.
  • Plagiarism, faking stories, or vandalism.
  • Bullying, harassment, or negative behavior.
  • Low grades (B or below in Journalism or dropping below a 3.0 GPA in core classes).
  • Removal happens after warnings, though serious issues may lead to immediate dismissal.

VI. Questions or Complaints

• Write to an editor-in-chief with any concerns.
• We’ll respond as quickly as possible.

VII. Professional Connections

• Our media joins national journalism programs like SNO to learn and improve.

VIII. District Guidelines

• We disable online comment sections to prevent bullying.
• We use student first names and last initials only (e.g., Sarah J.) in our Howl stories to respect student privacy. 
• We follow district policies, California laws, and the First Amendment to keep our media safe and respectful.