Student journalists can be extremely misunderstood. People often unwarrantedly suspect bias or believe an article lacks ethical value because it was written by a student journalist. They are often overlooked because they are deemed to not have credibility like professional journalists.
The word often skimmed over is “student.” Students are actively engaged in learning new skills to open up their minds and develop new perspectives on the world. Although student journalists are still learning key components of reporting and writing, they are mouthpieces representing their student bodies through school publications.
It’s important to allow student journalists to delve into the field of research and investigation as it is crucial to the process of learning. To prepare for a future career, it is necessary to gain experience through practice.
Instruction by professors shape a student journalist's mind on legal and ethical practices. At Ohio University, for example, students studying journalism must complete five core courses with a C or better. Those classes include Communication Law, Ethics, Mass Media & Society and Gender, Race & Class in Journalism & Mass Media. Within required journalism courses, constitutional rights such as First Amendment protections for journalists are taught to inform students of their freedoms.
The Society of Professional Journalists created the SPJ Code of Ethics to promote journalistic standards, such as seeking truth and reporting it, minimizing harm, acting independently and being accountable and transparent. Those values are discussed in various journalism courses.
Court cases such as Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), Near v. Minnesota (1931) and Kincaid v. Gibson (2001) are taught in classes. Those court cases relate to freedom of speech, censorship and freedom of expression. They are also used to teach student journalists legal jargon and their rights when reporting.
Laws are also in place to protect student journalists in cases of censorship. An article by Fulcrum states, “New Voices laws are statutes that protect student journalists from having their stories censored unless they’re libelous, an invasion of privacy or constitute a ‘clear and present danger’ or a ‘material and substantial [school] disruption.’”
Industry standards are upheld by student journalists because the standards in most student-run publications are the same as it in professional environments. By implementing strict dead-lines, quick communication and thorough research before publishing an article, student journalists are prepared for the real-world experience that the publication provides.
Campus coverage is impossible without the voices of student journalists. As students sit in lectures and engage themselves in campus culture, discourse about university administration, city crime or events, students are and will continue to be some of the first people to hear of a story or report. Further, student journalists know exactly how to reach the demographic because they are the demographic.
Danny Murnin, a fourth-year student studying journalism on the strategic communication track spoke about his experience writing opinion columns for The New Political, a student-run publication at OU.
“I wanted to write opinion, because what appeals to me about opinion is I get a lot of free range to write about things that I'm really passionate about, that I care about,” Murnin said.
Murnin spoke about his passion for writing, and later he added that as student journalists in college, possibly writing opinion columns, it’s important for these writers to stay true to what they believe in.
“I think it's important to hear from each other, too, on some of these things,” Murnin said. “We're all learning. We're all not fully mature yet, to a certain degree, and I just think that if you see an opinion post that you agree with, chances are the person writing that will eventually write something you disagree with as well.”
Murnin then spoke about the core journalism courses that he has taken and the importance of ethics in particular.
“That's really an important thing for anyone because there are really proper ethics that need to be had in any sort of career that involves a lot of writing, whether that's being a reporter or working in public relations,” he said.
As mentioned previously, the word that is often skimmed over is “student.” In the pursuit of trying to master all the vital skills that are required to be a journalist, it’s important to remember that mistakes happen because students are still learning. Student journalists can prepare a dynamic broadcast package, write a detailed investigative piece and implement non-biased language into an article.
Let student journalists report.
Daphne Graeter is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Daphne know by emailing her at dg422421@ohio.edu.
