law
& ethics
kovack rules
Every year, our adviser introduces the Kovack Rules to the new staff members and returners alike. Kovack Rule #1 addresses the precautions that reporters must take when requesting an interview from a student (i.e. asking a teacher to borrow a student momentarily). Kovack Rule #2 addresses the rapport that our adviser reinforces day in and day out--contributing ideas, listening to the ideas of others, respecting the ideas of all and implementing ideas constitute a fundamental portion of the cohesive manner in both yearbook and newspaper.
PHOTo(shop) policy
No matter the occasion, photographers must always abide by FHSAA rules and regulations for student photography (at sporting events) in addition to any rules or regulations that are imposed by an institution pertaining to student photography. When our adviser lectures about the ins and outs of photography, whether it be sports action, classroom activities or other school events, it is always best to keep our distance as to not interfere with the functionality of any event.
Our adviser is a strong advocate for ethical use of information in all of our publications. Fictitious use of information in the form of photographs, writing, or any other area of The Bird's Eye or The Talon is unethical. Both publications, as members of the Florida Scholastic Press Association and the Journalism Education Association, are conscientious of formal interview policy, photograph alterations, and abiding by copyright laws.
When making cutouts, staff members have the option to utilize either Adobe Photoshop CS5 or the photo editor application within the Walsworth website (I strongly advise staff members to use the photo editor application because the cutouts appear much cleaner and without pixelation, but we leave the decision to the staff). Both our adviser and myself are adamantly opposed to any sort of alterations to a student's physical appearance because it is simply unethical. In addition, the staff is able to use the photo editor to sharpen, highlight color or darken a photo, but not to the extent that a photo is obscured. The electives spread to the right is an example of a staff member who exhibited conscientiousness about photo(shopping) policy by cutting the students out as they appear naturally.
writing policy
The Bird's Eye and The Talon staffers and editors follow multiple guidelines when conducting interviews or gathering information to write their stories. In doing so, all members of either publication are advised to use multiple sources and gather as many inside sources as possible (increasing student or faculty coverage and validating the legitimacy of the information gathered). When writing stories for The Talon newspaper, interviewers are advised to ensure that their stories are timely and that all research or questions asked of an interviewee are in-depth but not intrusive (not only do in-depth questions compliment our theme of "Beneath the Surface," they exemplify the candor that our book consistently promotes). In taking down notes in an interview, interviewers are instructed to not make any alterations to a student's quotes unless granted documented permission by the interviewee. If an interviewee does not want certain information documented in our publications, we ensure the interviewee that we will only print on the record material, and if they are opposed to sharing certain information, we document their confirmation of keeping said material off the record. When a story is finally written, as the Editor in Chief, I check over the content for AP style writing (which is required), proper grammar and punctuation.