Board Meeting | General Membership

APPROVED AS AMENDED NOV. 9, 2006.

Board Meeting Minutes
April 20, 2006
San Francisco Hilton • 8:30 a.m.

CALL TO ORDER ...Ann Visser (8:35 a.m.)

In attendance were:

Ann Visser, MJE, President and Executive/Finance Committee chair
Jack Kennedy, MJE, Vice President
Susan Tantillo, MJE, Secretary and Awards Committee chair
H.L. Hall, MJE, Past President/Convention Consultant, Nashville convention local chair
Bradley Wilson, CJE, C:JET editor and Technology Committee chair
Linda Puntney, MJE, JEA Executive Director
Connie Fulkerson, JEA Administrative Assistant
Mark Newton, MJE, Certification Commission chair
Lori Oglesbee, CJE, Development/Curriculum Commission chair
Anita Marie Wertz, CJE, Junior High/Middle School Commission chair
Norma Kneese, MJE, Multicultural Commission chair and Multicultural Outreach Committee chair
John Bowen, MJE, Scholastic Press Rights Commission chair
Steve Matson, MJE, Region 1/Northwest Regional Director
Bob Bair, MJE, Region 3/North Central Regional Director and Publications Committee chair, New Adviser
Outreach Committee chair
Wayna Polk, Region 4/South Central Regional Director and Scholarship Committee chair
Brenda Gorsuch, MJE, Region 5/Southeast Regional Director and Administrator Outreach Committee chair
Tom Gayda, MJE, Region 6/Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes Regional Director and Scholastic Journalism Week
Committee chair
Ron Bonadonna, Region 7/Northeast Regional Director and Membership Retention Committee chair
Teddi Johnson, CJE, Ad Hoc Board Member
Jo Ann A.G. Mastin, Farrington HS, Honolulu, Outreach Participant (to Outreach Academy after introduction)
Linda Barrington, MJE, NCTE Liaison/Assembly Director
Kevin Kneisley, CJE, JEA Broadcast Liaison
Julie Dodd, MJE, Scholastic Press Association Directors Liaison and Nominations Committee chair
Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE, JEA LISTSERV Liaison
Tom Rolnicki, NSPA Executive Director

Absent:

Albert Martinez, Region 2/Southwest Regional Director and Endorsement Committee chair (ill)
Joe Nations, Ad Hoc Board Member (unable to attend convention)

Approval of Minutes ... Tantillo
Hall moved and Gorsuch seconded that the minutes from the Chicago Board and General Membership
meetings be approved. Motion passed unanimously.

Quarterly Financial Statements...Puntney
The 2005-06 (July 1-June 30) overall JEA budget is based on projected income of $1,046,590 and projected expense of $1,130,465 with the difference to be made up from reserve funds. Puntney noted as of April 6, 2006, (nine months into the fiscal year) income was $649,735.33 (72.5% percent of budget) and expense was $610,978.94 (54% percent of budget) for a net income of $38,756.39.

Advisers Institute...Puntney
Puntney reported 15 are registered now for the Austria Retreat, June 2-12. She had hoped for at least 12, so the
retreat will happen as proposed. Three other Advisers Institute sequences include

• Sequence I: Freedom Forum Retreat, First Amendment Center, Nashville, June 25-30
• Sequence II: Advising Publications, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., July 16-21
• Sequence III: Desktop Publishing, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., July 21-26

Profit/Loss Statement, Chicago...Puntney
Puntney reported JEA income of $282,570 (including Write-offs) from the Chicago convention and JEA expenses of $82,548.73 for a JEA net profit of $176,028.20. The convention drew 6,191 delegates including those who had fees waived for qualifying participation; 5,640 delegates paid. The convention blocked 3,491 room nights and picked up 3,854 room nights. Overflow room nights tracked through Room With a View were 1,657.

Convention Updates...Rolnicki/Puntney
Rolnicki distributed his report “Convention Registration History Since 1990 and Booked Future Sites.” He reported 3,957 preregistered delegates to this convention, including exhibitors and comped delegates as of April 17. He is not concerned about San Francisco convention attendance being lower than Seattle since the combined school-year attendance of Chicago and SF is a record. Next fall’s convention will be in Nashville, Nov. 9-12, at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Hall previewed the convention with Roy Peter Clark of Poynter Institute as one keynote speaker. His topic is expected to be how songwriting and journalistic writing go hand-in-hand. Fred Clarke, a documentary conflict/post-conflict photographer for the International Committee of the Red Cross, is also scheduled as a keynote speaker. Next spring’s convention will be at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, April 12-15, 2007.

Future convention sites and dates:

• Nov. 8-11, 2007, Philadelphia
• April 17-20, 2008, Anaheim
• Fall 2008, St. Louis, proposed
• Spring 2009, possibly Phoenix

Items of concern/attention/update

• Oglesbee told the board about a new curriculum guide she received from an outside source. Called “Correcting News Mistakes: The Importance of Being Watchdogs of Our Own Profession,” the 105-page guide, divided into five instructional modules, was funded through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and produced by the Medill School of Journalism, curator of the Mongerson Prize for Investigative Reporting on the News. Michelle Pendleton is the administrator of the prize. She shipped multiple copies of the guide for free distribution at the convention. Fulkerson will do her usual evaluation of the guide for possible inclusion in the JEA Bookstore.
• Matson noted more schools are reporting censorship problems, even those historically operating as forums, and he wonders how JEA can help. Visser suggested this topic be handled in afternoon brainstorming committees.
• Hall reported the new Cornerstone Award, sponsored jointly with NAA Foundation, has one winner to be announced at the opening keynote session tonight. The award can be given to two schools each spring. Hall said we need to promote the award better.
• Dodd reminded everyone 2007 is a JEA election year. The slate from the Nominations Committee will be presented at the General Membership Meeting in Nashville. Committee members will contact current board members and other prospective candidates about running for elected positions. The committee includes Dodd (chair), Cheryl Pell, Vanessa Shelton and John Hudnall. Candidate information will be posted on jea.org and mailed with the ballots.
• Don Bott, CJE, and Lynn McDaniel, San Francisco convention local chairs, entered the meeting to give the board an update. They reported everything going smoothly today with pre-convention activities.
• Newton discussed a concern of the Certification Commission about its makeup. The commission is to have eight members and the chair. All must be MJEs. Four of the members are to be high school teachers and four are to be university journalism faculty. Newton said it is difficult to find university journalism representatives with MJE certification. He is concerned about the future and said we must either promote certification aggressively among university journalism faculty or change the nature of the commission membership. He is open to ideas and said his commission will discuss this problem at its Saturday meeting.
• Kneisley asked about procedure for finding sponsors for convention activities other than booths in the trade
  show. Rolnicki said he should work through Ann Akers, MJE and NSPA associate director.

Web site (membership directory, bookstore, upgrades)...Wilson
Wilson showed the three tiers of the updated jea.org: home page, division pages, content pages. He plans to go
live with the new Web site on July 1 to allow testing of its new features during the summer when activity is
low. These include an interactive bookstore section Fulkerson is able to update and a membership directory that
allows each member to control posting of his or her information. Once this feature is operational, JEA will no
longer print a membership directory. Members will need their member number for initial access. Then access
will be by e-mail address and password. Members will be able to update their information through the site.
Once these features are running, Wilson plans to revamp the curriculum and Write-off areas and add a
searchable database of journalism organizations.
Kneisley suggested working on a way to link to the Superiors from broadcast categories so students can learn
what judges in these categories are looking for.

Awards/Luncheon Concerns...Tantillo/Puntney
Due to major time problems with Saturday’s Awards Luncheon in Chicago, JEA’s Executive Committee has
implemented the following guidelines beginning in San Francisco:

• Teacher Inspiration Award recipient will always speak only at the spring convention Saturday awards lunch
  with a 10-minute time limit.
• Carl Towley Award recipient will always speak only at the fall convention Saturday awards lunch with a 10-
  minute time limit.
• Yearbook Adviser of the Year recipient will always speak only at the spring convention Saturday awards
  lunch with a 15-minute time limit. [Later suggestion from the Awards Committee to change this to 10 minutes.]
• Dow Jones Journalism Teacher of the Year will always speak only at the fall convention Saturday awards
  lunch with a 15-minute time limit. [Later suggestion from the Awards Committee to change this to 10 minutes.]
• Administrator of the Year recipient will no longer speak at the fall convention awards luncheon but will
  become a featured speaker on the fall convention program with a Friday session so that other administrators
  who might be at the convention on Friday can attend that session. Can also suggest (but not mandate) this
  person as a possible speaker for the local committee at Friday’s luncheon. The plaque will be presented at the
  Saturday luncheon.
• Names of CJE and MJE recipients will be announced only for those who RSVP and attend the awards luncheon.
• Names of and information about other JEA award-winners will be read only for those who RSVP and attend
  the awards luncheon.
• Large groups of recipients, e.g., CJE, MJE, Rising Star, Medal of Merit, Lifetime Achievement, Friend of Scholastic Journalism, will come to the front together instead of taking time for each individual to make his/her way to the front.

Certification Commission...Newton
The proposed budget to be presented later in the meeting includes $3,200 (8 x $200 x two conventions) as a stipend to help get Certification Commission members to conventions. To receive the stipend, they must meet requirements parallel with State Directors: attend Meet, Greet and Eat, General Membership and Certification Commission meeting sessions; complete two of the following: judge, speak, critique; then submit voucher to commission chair.

Aspiring Young Journalist Award...Wertz
Wertz reported this award for junior high/middle school students is now ready after being reviewed by the Awards Committee for logistics. Primary publicity will be through existing Junior High/Middle School Commission channels. It will be presented for the first time at Middle Madness in Denver. Details of this award are the same as for the high school JOY wherever possible, including the rubric. Discussion followed of points in the rubric and possible presentation on Sunday morning with the high school JOY. Any change in rubric for this award and JOY must be publicized well ahead of time so applicants know what to expect.

Convention Name Change...Wertz
Wertz discussed the need to have middle school and junior high advisers and administrators feel comfortable about including their students at national conventions. Rolnicki reported on the historical perspective and importance of having a recognizable brand name for the convention. He added one solution might be to include a special invitation to middle school and junior high students prominently in all promotional materials. This can include both the value of the convention experience and specifics about special programming aimed at this age group. Matson moved and Wertz seconded to change our convention name from “National High School Journalism Convention” to “National Student Journalism Convention.” Motion failed with one abstention.

Model Statement: Copyright, Plagiarism...C. Bowen
[This motion was posted at jea.org one month prior to the convention for all members’ comments.]

On behalf of the special committee Visser appointed in Chicago, C. Bowen moved the JEA board approve the following Model Statement on Copyright and Plagiarism. Motion passed unanimously.

Coping with Copyright Violations and Plagiarism in Scholastic Media Contests

Following the passage of motions by both JEA's board in November and AEJMC's Scholastic Journalism Division in January 2006, a committee of members from both organizations developed the following statement. The committee is presenting it to the JEA board for a vote in San Francisco in April, and, if it passes, will then present it to the SJD group at its meeting in San Francisco in August. Candace Perkins Bowen, committee chair; John Bowen, Karen Flowers, Tom Gayda, Dick Johns, Cheryl Pell, Vanessa Shelton and Bradley Wilson, committee members.

Background:
Judges for state, regional and national scholastic media associations saw the problem begin with the line "Photo compliments of the Internet" more than 10 years ago. Since then, access to digital information has grown enormously, and the problems it creates for scholastic media have, too. To address the legal and ethical implications head on, the Journalism Education Association and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's Scholastic Journalism Division have worked together to develop this two-part approach: (1) Educating media advisers and staffs about the issues involved and (2) offering model policy guidelines for scholastic media associations to deal with these issues in contests. To those ends, we propose the following:

Education:

• Scholastic press/media associations at all levels should make providing information about copyright and plagiarism a priority. This can be through newsletters, flyers in contest mailings, Web site instruction, etc. (NOTE: As a start, Source, the SJD division newsletter, will run an article and encourage SPAs to reprint it in their publications.)
• Scholastic press/media associations should also help advisers and students find alternatives to such practices (i.e., to avoid print copyright infringement, suggest using local angles, searching FEMA or other governmental Web sites for material that can be used with proper crediting, or joining inexpensive suppliers like KRT- Campus; to avoid broadcast copyright violations, suggest appropriate licensing procedures, creating original music or using royalty-free music; to avoid plagiarism, properly attributing all material and using local sources).
• For another way of making clear to advisers and students what is legally and ethically unacceptable, scholastic
  press associations should provide clear explanations of what constitute competition violations and what the
  penalties will be.
• JEA and SJD will encourage the Student Press Law Center to ramp up the visibility of its copyright law
  information on its Web site and as part of future speaking engagements.

Model Judging Policies/Guidelines:
The following are suggestions for each association to adapt as it chooses to address contest issues and help
judges cope with problems when they find them.

• Copyright
Photos, art and other such visuals plus various forms of music - on the Internet and elsewhere – are copyrighted, even if they don't include the copyright character (?) and the owner's name. Getting the owner's permission to use such materials is important unless the material qualifies as Fair Use or is in the public domain (see below). Simply attributing work to its creator is not the same as receiving and indicating consent to publish or broadcast. Photos and art should be credited with "Photo used with permission of...." or a similar statement. Audio or visuals as part of a broadcast entered for competition should include a statement certifying it is original student work, used with written permission or is believed to qualify as a Fair Use or is in the public domain under copyright law. Fair Use refers to the ability to print or broadcast materials that are copyrighted based on four factors: purpose and character of use (i.e., non-commercial use like news reporting, teaching or reviewing); nature of the work (e.g., factual work is more likely to fall under Fair Use than creative work, and published works are more likely to be used fairly than unpublished works); how much is used (i.e., looking at both quantity and quality of what is used; NOTE: There is no law stating music of less than 30 seconds is permissible to use.); and effect of the use on commercial value of the original.* Use of apparently copyrighted materials without permission or a Fair Use argument as explained on the entry (e.g., photos from CNN.com or google.com or an artist's soundtrack) will result in _________. (Options include disqualification from individual category competition, a lower rating/ranking in individual competition, disqualification of the overall publication if the infraction is common, lower rating/ranking of the overall publication, inability to earn top award, etc. SPAs can choose what each believes is best.)

• Plagiarism
This is not a legal issue but refers to the ethical situation of passing off someone else's work as your own. That might be as unintentional as failing to attribute a quote to its source or as deliberate as submitting to a student publication a movie review downloaded from the Web. Because codes of ethics for professional and scholastic press associations alike emphasize the need for journalists to be fair and honest in their reporting, we have no room for any hints of plagiarism in media. However, student media participation is a learning experience. For that reason, this scholastic press association adheres to the following policy:

In individual category competition/critique, if a judge finds evidence of plagiarism in an entry, he or she may disqualify it if the copied material is extensive or may reduce the rating/ranking with an explanation noted if the material represents such problems as failure to attribute information. In an overall publication critique, if the staff reports plagiarism when the publication is submitted for the critique/contest and indicates how the staff handled its discovery in an educationally positive way, the judge should ignore the specific plagiarized material and rate the publication as if it did not exist. In an overall publication critique, if the staff does not find or report plagiarism but the judge finds evidence of it, the judge needs to _________ (deduct points, disqualify the entry, or....) and explain, with specific references, what the problem was. Judges should be clear in this description but non-offensive with comments. Generally the discovery of plagiarism is embarrassing to both staff and adviser, and it is enough to identify it. It's not necessary to preach. Remember, however, high quality student work with a range of expert sources does not necessarily point to plagiarism.**

For both copyright and plagiarism:
In addition, a form should be attached to entries that includes the editor(s)' and adviser's signatures and the
writer(s)' or creator(s)' signature if an individual category, affirming that the work is either original or has been
used with permission (or in the case of broadcast media has been properly licensed) from any copyright owner.

* From The Student Media Guide to Copyright Law, 1998 Student Press Law Center. The SPLC Web site,
http://www.splc.org, has a more thorough explanation.
** Adapted from Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Just for Judges Handbook, 1983 and revised
periodically by Edmund Sullivan, executive director.
Additional suggestions come from the Student Television Networks' guidelines for network activities.

Copyright Resolution...J. Bowen
[This motion was posted at jea.org one month prior to the convention for all members’ comments.]
On behalf of the Scholastic Press Rights Commission, J. Bowen moved the JEA board approve the
following statement on how to handle copyright and plagiarism in JEA contests and critiques. Motion
passed unanimously.

Coping with Copyright Violations and Plagiarism in JEA Media Contests
Members of JEA's Scholastic Press Rights Commission developed the following from a joint AEJMC-JEA statement. The committee will present it to the JEA board for a vote in San Francisco in April, to be implemented for Write-offs in Nashville and other JEA competitions following San Francisco.

Background:
Judges at recent Write-Offs report questionable entries in terms of copyright and plagiarism materials in several competitions. In order to bring JEA guidelines in line with the ones designed jointly with AEJMC's Scholastic Journalism Division, the Scholastic Press Rights Commission proposes the following:

Specific JEA policies/guidelines:
• Copyright
Photos, art and other such visuals plus various forms of music - on the Internet and elsewhere – are copyrighted, even if they don't include the copyright character (?) and the owner's name. Getting the owner's permission to use such materials is important unless the material qualifies as Fair Use or is in the public domain. Simply attributing work to its creator is not the same as receiving and indicating consent to publish or broadcast. Photos, graphics and art republished with permission should be credited with "Photo used with permission of...." or a similar statement. Using "Photo courtesy of" does not tell readers or judges whether you have permission. Do not use "Used with permission" unless you have permission. Audio or visuals as part of a broadcast entered for competition should include a statement certifying it is original student work, used with written permission or is believed to qualify as a Fair Use in copyright law.

General recommendations:
In all JEA-sanctioned activities (including but not limited to contest submissions, on-site contests, and materials
submitted for critique) participating schools will indicate all audio and visual material they submit is fully the
creation of the student/school submitting the work, or that they have secured written permission from the
copyright holder to use the material in this instance, or is believed to fall under the Fair Use portion of copyright
law or is in the public domain. Such a form would also contain information about ways to avoid copyright
infringement.*

Copyright action recommendation:

• All materials submitted must be accompanied by a statement from the teacher/adviser certifying copyright
  compliance and avoidance of plagiarism (normally on the entry form).
• Use of apparently copyrighted materials without permission or a Fair Use argument as explained on the entry
  (e.g., photos from CNN.com or google.com or an artist's soundtrack) will result in disqualification from that
  contest.

• Plagiarism
This is not a legal issue but refers to the ethical situation of passing off someone else's work as your own. Plagiarism might be as unintentional as failing to attribute a quote to its source or as deliberate as submitting to a student publication a movie review downloaded from the Web. Because codes of ethics for professional and scholastic press associations alike emphasize the need for journalists to be fair and honest in their reporting, we have no room for any hints of plagiarism in media.

Plagiarism action recommendation:

• In individual category competition/critique, if a judge finds evidence of plagiarism in an entry, he or she may disqualify it if the copied material is extensive or may reduce the rating/ranking with an explanation noted if the material represents such problems as failure to attribute information.
• In an overall publication critique, if the staff does not find or report plagiarism but the judge finds evidence of it, the judge needs to disqualify it if the copied material is extensive. Or, the judge may reduce the rating/ranking with an explanation if the material represents such problems as failure to attribute information.
• Judges should be clear in this description but non-offensive with comments. Generally the discovery of plagiarism is embarrassing to both staff and adviser, and it is enough to identify it. It's not necessary to preach. Remember, however, high quality student work with a range of expert sources does not necessarily point to plagiarism.**

* Adapted from Student Television Network statement.
** Adapted from Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Just for Judges Handbook, 1983 and revised
periodically by Edmund Sullivan, executive director.
J. Bowen stressed the need for convention sessions – at national, regional, state and local levels -- explaining
the Fair Use concept.

Editorial Policy/JEA...J. Bowen
[This motion was posted at jea.org one month prior to the convention for all members’ comments.]

On behalf of the Scholastic Press Rights Commission, J. Bowen moved to remove from the table and pass the following Model Editorial Policy as a working statement of JEA’s educational and legal beliefs with the idea it can be modified by schools to suit their media. Motion passed unanimously.

Rationale:
Because of the current rash of school systems challenging the status of high school publications, and because a good number of these systems are rejecting the Student Press Law Center Model Guidelines as simply coming from an advocacy group, SPLC executive director Mark Goodman thought JEA might work with the Scholastic Division of the college group, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, to prepare a set of model guidelines that come from journalism educators. This is the first step in an attempt to do just that. Once JEA has approved a model — probably in San Francisco — we will take it to the Scholastic Division of AEJMC for its possible modification and, hopefully, approval at its August meeting. While this model is specifically designed for newspapers and newsmagazines, advisers can adapt it for other scholastic media and to fit local needs.

Model Editorial Policy
As preservers of democracy, our schools shall protect, encourage and enhance free speech and the exchange of ideas as a means of protecting our American way of life.

NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION is the official student-produced medium of news and information published/produced by JOURNALISM/PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION NAME students. The NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION has been established as a designated public forum for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers may coach and discuss content during the writing process.

Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of the NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.

Electronic media (including online, broadcast and podcast media) produced by NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION students are entitled to the same protections - and subjected to the same freedoms and responsibilities - as media produced for print publication. As such they will not be subject to prior review or restraint.

Student journalists may use print and electronic media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to ask questions of and consult with experts and to gather material to meet their newsgathering and research needs.

NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION and its staff are protected by and bound to the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various laws and court decisions implementing those principles.

NAME OF PUBLICATIONPRODUCTION will not publish any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is, material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or a promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law.

Definitions and examples for the above instances of unprotected speech can be found in Law of the Student Press published by the Student Press Law Center.

The editorial board, which consists of the staff's student editors, OR HOWEVER THE DECISION IS MADE will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. The views stated in editorials represent that of a majority of the editorial board. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author.

NAME OF PUBLICATIONPRODUCTION may accept letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from students, faculty, administrators, community residents and the general public. We ask that letters to the editor, guest columns or other submissions be 300 words or less and contain the author's name, address and signature. All submissions will be checked for verification. (THIS COULD BE MODIFIED BY ANY PUBLICATION OR OMITTED IN PUBLICATIONS/PRODUCTIONS THAT DO NOT ACCEPT LETTERS.)

The NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column or other submission and/OR return it for revision if it contains unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning. Deadlines for letters and columns will be determined by each year's student staff, allowing sufficient time for verification of authorship prior to publication.

Staff members will strive to correct errors prior to publication; however, if the editorial board determines a significant error is printed, the editorial board will determine the manner and timeliness of a correction. The staff of the NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION will strive to report all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner, according to the Canons of Professional Journalism developed by the Society for Professional Journalists. The Canons of Professional Journalism include a code of ethics concerning accuracy, responsibility, integrity, conflict of interest, impartiality, fair play, freedom of the press, independence, sensationalism, personal privacy, obstruction of justice, creditability and advertising.

The adviser will not act as a censor or determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction, following the Code of Ethics for Advisers established by the Journalism Education Association as well as the Canons of Professional Journalism. School officials shall not fire or otherwise discipline advisers for content in student media that is determined and published by the student staff. The student editor and staff who want appropriate outside legal advice regarding proposed content should seek attorneys knowledgeable in media law such as those of the Student Press Law Center. Final content decisions and responsibility shall remain with the student editorial board.

NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.

The NAME OF PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertising policy.

Electronic manipulations changing the essential truth of the photo or illustration will be clearly labeled if used.

The duly appointed editor or co-editors shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.

Publishing Company Intervention...J. Bowen
[This motion was posted at jea.org one month prior to the convention for all members’ comments.]
On behalf of the Scholastic Press Rights Commission, J. Bowen moved to remove from the table and
approve the following recommended guidelines for working with printers of student media. Motion
passed 12-2.

Recommended Roles and Responsibilities for Working with Printers of Student Media

For those involved with publishing companies of student media...

Because of incidents concerning the role and responsibility of commercial printers, where questionable but not
unlawful material is concerned, the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Commission offers these suggestions, based on legal advice and court decisions, to parties involved.

1. For students and advisers:

• Know the law and be sure the material in question is not unprotected speech (i.e., libel, obscenity,
  unwarranted invasion of privacy, copyright infringement or and/or speech that would advocate
  substantive or material disruption of the school process) as defined in Law of the Student Press.
• Establish a relationship with the printer representative that includes contacting the adviser and student
  staff if the printing company has questions about publication content.
• Before you submit material you think others might consider controversial, take the time to assess the
  rationale and the importance for publishing this.
• Discuss and apply decision-making standards like those in the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
  Code of Ethics.
• Conduct a staff discussion, involving the adviser, and anticipate objections or questions others might
  raise in the school, community or administration. Anticipate their fears and know how to respond
  professionally to them.
• Finally, make an informed decision for or against publication considering all factors.

Specifically, if a printing company raises concern with the principal about content, editors, with the adviser's
support, should:

• Contact the printing company and ask specifically what the company's concerns are.
• Explain to the principal that a school administration with no history of getting involved in the
  publication's content decisions should maintain its immunity by continuing to allow students to make
  decisions. By not doing so, school officials LOSE freedom from liability.
• Call the Student Press Law Center and explain the printer's concerns. The SPLC can advise students
  about the legitimacy of the company's concerns.
• Take the advice of all parties and again discuss what to do. Based on this advice, the student staff makes
  a decision to keep, modify or drop the questioned content.

2. For administrators:

• Before any content questions ever occur, hire the most qualified adviser, and encourage the adviser to
  work with the students in developing professional policies and guidelines.
• Support the adviser in developing professional standards taught in the classroom, and assist the adviser
  and student staff in attending workshops, conventions and conferences given by publishing companies
  and scholastic journalism organizations. These opportunities enhance and empower student staffs to
  make the proper decisions themselves. Doing so helps protect the administration from liability.
• Encourage student staffs to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.
• Students taking responsibility for content as forums for student expression lessens the school's
  responsibility.
• Become informed about legal and ethical concerns your students face.
• Even though you may sign the printing contracts, encourage and allow student editors, with suggestions
  from the adviser and the company representative, to take full responsibility for the content of the student
  publication.
• If a printing company brings a question or complaint to you, refer it to the student staff to handle and
  answer so you preserve your protection from liability for information published.

Specifically, administrators should:

• Insist on language that says the printing company will not interfere with publication content without
  a reasonable belief that the content is unlawful (which would require, at the very least, vetting by an
  experienced media law lawyer). This removes the company from almost any legal responsibility.
• Under NO circumstances allow the printing company to interfere with content that is not unlawful but
  merely controversial, "improper," "racy," etc. In instances where this occurs, refer them to the students
  and adviser.
• Consider purchasing libel insurance for your student media if liability issues remain the biggest hurdle
  to student editorial autonomy.

3. For printing companies:

• Instead of going first to the principals if you have questions or concerns about something students want
  to publish, go to the student editorial boards and the adviser.
• Understand that going to administrators often simply creates a situation where an administrator will
  illegally censor student work and thought without a reasonable discussion of the issues.
• Completing such action may intensify feelings of mistrust between advisers, their students and
  representatives that will lead to cancellation or non-renewal of contracts.
• Know that contacting administrators first creates situations where negative and perhaps incorrect
  publicity could have a negative impact on you, the students, the school system and the community.
• By going to the students, you show respect for the learning processes already in place and the fact most
  student staffs do take full responsibility for what they print, especially if the material in question is
  controversial, but not unprotected speech.

Specifically, a printer should:

• Establish a process for verifying that an employee's concern about specific content is reasonable based
  on current law, which in many cases should include contacting a knowledgeable media law attorney.
• Write into your contract nothing that could be interpreted as control of content. The more control you
  exercise, the more liability you incur. You may want to consider adding a "Hold Harmless" clause that
  holds the primary author and editors responsible for content-related problems.
• Insist company representatives understand current media law and pass that knowledge on to their
  advisers and students. Educating them about how to handle controversy and how to avoid unprotected
  speech does not incur further financial liability for the company.
• Work with advisers, students and administrators to help ensure they understand and practice, before
  publication, the highest legal and ethical standards.
• Avoid contacting school officials, other than the adviser and the students, about alleged unprotected
  speech or other content-related issues. More often than not, this leads to unneeded prior review or worse,
  restraint. If that occurs, even more public focus is drawn to the incident, creating even more bad public
  relations and possible loss of contract with the school.

4. For the media reporting such conflicts:

• To ensure your various audiences most fully understand the whole picture, become educated about
  scholastic press law and how it affects decision-making involving publication content.
• Realize principals do not automatically have total control over what is published in the student media,
  as various cases, including the U. S. Supreme Court in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier indicate.
• Know administrators do have the power to hire qualified instructors and advisers who will educate
  students, community and administrations about such guidelines based on a professional curriculum.
• Understand that printing companies do not have financial liability unless they exercise control over the
  decision-making process of the student work they are publishing.
• Talk with a legal representative of the Student Press Law Center to more fully understand the legal
  implications of any decisions the principal, as well as the students, have made.

Specifically, to the media reporting such issues:

• Know that most printers include a "Hold Harmless" clause in their contracts that says if they (the
  printers) are sued for something they print, the author (or whomever they are contracting with) will
  assume responsibility and reimburse them for any loss they suffer.
• Understand if the school/school district has no history of involvement in the publication's content
  decisions, it should hang on to its immunity. If school officials act, the school board loses its freedom
  from liability.
• Interview those responsible for the content in question: the students. Talk to them about what they put
  together and why. Ask them if they understand the legal and ethical issues of what they did.

Free Speech Seal of Approval...J. Bowen
[This motion was posted at jea.org – as part of the above discussion — one month prior to the convention for all members’ comments.]
On behalf of the Scholastic Press Rights Commission, J. Bowen moved the JEA Board establish a “Free
Speech Seal of Approval,” giving recognition to printing companies that contractually agree they will not
interfere in student media without a reasonable belief that the content is unlawful (unprotected speech.)
This motion was sent back to the commission for further study.

Diversity Award...Kneese
[This motion was posted at jea.org one month prior to the convention for all members’ comments.]
On behalf of the Multicultural Commission, Kneese moved to create the Journalism Diversity Award to honor an individual, group or organization that demonstrates a commitment to cultural awareness and encourages a multicultural approach with their staff, media production, and/or community. Motion passed unanimously.

This award will become part of the JEA awards program and will be administered by the Multicultural Commission chair. It will be publicized appropriately with other JEA awards. The deadline for nominations to be received at JEA Headquarters is Oct. 1 with presentation at the spring convention Saturday awards luncheon. It will be given for the first time in Denver. The recipient, or one representative if the winner is a group, will have his or her travel and room paid for the spring convention and will teach at least one session during the convention.

Lifetime Memberships...Bair
Bair moved and Kennedy seconded that JEA offers advisers the option of splitting the lifetime
membership fee over two consecutive fiscal years in two equal payments. Motion passed unanimously.

Bylaw Changes...Hall
[All three of these motions were posted at jea.org one month prior to the convention for all members’
comments.]
On behalf of the Election Cycle Committee, Hall moved to change the bylaws as follows:

Article V, Section I—change "commencing March 1 of each odd-numbered year" to "commencing July 1
of each odd-numbered year."

Article VII, above Section 1--change "commence March 1 of each odd-numbered year and run until
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March 1 of the next odd-numbered year" to "commence July 1 of each odd-numbered year and run
until June 30 of the next odd-numbered year."

Article VIII, Section 8--Change "a two-year term expiring March 1 of odd-numbered years" to "a two-
year term expiring June 30 of odd-numbered years." Motion passed unanimously.

On behalf of the Election Cycle Committee, Hall moved that the JEA president will call a special meeting
of the board during the summer of each odd-numbered year to discuss goals and to help new members of
the board become oriented to JEA procedures. Motion passed unanimously.

On behalf of the Election Cycle Committee, Hall moved that Headquarters will mail ballots for elections
by Feb. 1 of odd-numbered year with a postmark return date no later than March 1. Motion passed
unanimously.

Note: Passage of these three motions means the current JEA board will remain in office until June 30, 2007.

Headquarters Search...Hall
[This motion was posted at jea.org one month prior to the convention for all members’ comments.]
On behalf of the committee formed at the Chicago convention, Hall moved that JEA conduct a search to
determine the location of headquarters beginning July 1, 2009 [after Linda Puntney retires]. The first
step in the search will be to write specifications for the headquarters location and specifications for an
executive director. A committee, appointed by the president, would present these specs for approval at
the Nashville convention. Motion passed 8-6 in a vote by secret ballot.

Committee: Original committee appointed in Chicago is Hall (chair), Matson, Bair, Polk and Gorsuch.
Additional members appointed in San Francisco are Dodd, Gayda and Oglesbee.

JOY candidates...Oglesbee
Oglesbee moved and Polk seconded that all states be allowed to submit up to two portfolios for Journalist
of the Year competition. Motion failed 4-10.

Convention highlights...Kneisley
Kneisley said schools have asked about the possibility of putting daily highlights on the convention hotel’s TV system. Puntney said she will look into the cost. Kneisley suggested finding sponsors to underwrite the cost.

Budget...Executive Committee
Hall moved and Gayda seconded to accept the budget as proposed with amendments to reflect the
motions passed earlier in the meeting. Motion passed unanimously.

Due to the lengthy discussions earlier, Hall suggested the brainstorming committees assigned for this time
meet via e-mail following the convention and bring motions for consideration in Nashville.
Committees:

• AP Journalism/NCLB-Highly Qualified/Rigorous: Bair, Hall, Newton, Gorsuch, Dodd, Oglesbee.
• Conventions: Wilson, Puntney, Visser, C. Bowen, Kneisley, Polk, plus other members of the president-
  appointed Convention Committee.
• Multicultural/Outreach: Kneese, Kennedy, Johnson, Matson, Wertz, Martinez.
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• Dealing with Censorship Issues: Gayda, J. Bowen, Tantillo, Barrington, Bonadonna.

The next regular meeting of the JEA Board of Directors is at 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Gaylord
Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.

Motion to adjourn at 3:40 p.m. by Gayda, seconded by Kennedy.

General Membership Meeting Minutes
April 21, 2006
San Francisco Hilton • 8 a.m.

In attendance were:

Ann Visser, MJE, President and Executive/Finance Committee chair
Jack Kennedy, MJE, Vice President
Susan Tantillo, MJE, Secretary and Awards Committee chair
H.L. Hall, MJE, Past President/Convention Consultant, Nashville convention local chair
Bradley Wilson, CJE, C:JET editor and Technology Committee chair
Linda Puntney, MJE, JEA Executive Director
Connie Fulkerson, JEA Administrative Assistant
Mark Newton, MJE, Certification Commission chair
Lori Oglesbee, CJE, Development/Curriculum Commission chair
Anita Marie Wertz, CJE, Junior High/Middle School Commission chair
Norma Kneese, MJE, Multicultural Commission chair and Multicultural Outreach Committee chair
John Bowen, MJE, Scholastic Press Rights Commission chair
Steve Matson, MJE, Region 1/Northwest Regional Director
Albert Martinez, Region 2/Southwest Regional Director and Endorsement Committee chair
Bob Bair, MJE, Region 3/North Central Regional Director and Publications Committee chair, New Adviser
Outreach Committee chair
Wayna Polk, Region 4/South Central Regional Director and Scholarship Committee chair
Brenda Gorsuch, MJE, Region 5/Southeast Regional Director and Administrator Outreach Committee chair
Tom Gayda, MJE, Region 6/Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes Regional Director and Scholastic Journalism Week
Committee chair
Ron Bonadonna, Region 7/Northeast Regional Director and Membership Retention Committee chair
Teddi Johnson, CJE, Ad Hoc Board Member
Jo Ann A.G. Mastin, Farrington HS, Honolulu, Outreach Participant
Linda Barrington, MJE, NCTE Liaison/Assembly Director
Julie Dodd, MJE, Scholastic Press Association Directors Liaison and Nominations Committee chair
Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE, JEA LISTSERV Liaison
Tom Rolnicki, NSPA Executive Director

Absent:
Joe Nations, Ad Hoc Board Member (unable to attend convention)
Kevin Kneisley, CJE, JEA Broadcast Liaison (working on Write-offs)

Summary of Board Action…Tantillo
Tantillo summarized action at the JEA board meeting, April 20, 2006:

• The board changed the bylaws to accomplish a smoother transition in election years. Two-year terms of office will run from June 1 – July 30 in odd-numbered years. This coincides with JEA’s fiscal year. Elections will be during February with ballot postmarked no later than March 1.
• The board will have a special summer meeting as called by the president in each odd-numbered year to discuss goals and help orient new board members.
• The board passed a motion to draft specifications for headquarters location and executive director beginning July 1, 2009, after Linda Puntney retires.
• The board decided lifetime memberships can be paid in two equal installments in consecutive fiscal
  years.
• The board passed a budget for 2006-07 featuring an increase in the Outreach Academy budget.
• Other news, model statements and policies will be explained by those who headed up each initiative. Visser reminded members about motions being posted at jea.org one month before the convention for feedback from the membership to board members.

Quarterly Financial Statements…Puntney
The 2005-06 (July 1-June 30) overall JEA budget is based on projected income of $1,046,590 and projected
expense of $1,130,465 with the difference to be made up from reserve funds. Puntney noted as of April 6, 2006,
(nine months into the fiscal year) income was $649,735.33 (72.5% percent of budget) and expense was
$610,978.94 (54% percent of budget) for a net income of $38,756.39.

Profit/Loss Statement, Chicago…Puntney
Puntney reported JEA income of $282,570 (including Write-offs) from the Chicago convention and JEA
expenses of $82,548.73 for a JEA net profit of $176,028.20. The convention drew 6,191 delegates including
those who had fees waived for qualifying participation; 5,640 delegates paid. The convention blocked 3,491
room nights and picked up 3,854 room nights. Overflow room nights tracked through Room With a View were
1,657.

Convention Updates…Puntney
Next fall’s convention will be in Nashville, Nov. 9-12, at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Hall previewed the
convention with Roy Peter Clark of Poynter Institute as one keynote speaker. His topic is expected to be how
songwriting and journalistic writing go hand-in-hand. Fred Clarke, a documentary conflict/post-conflict
photographer for the International Committee of the Red Cross, is also scheduled as a keynote speaker.
Next spring’s convention will be at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, April 12-15,
2007.

Future convention sites and dates

• Nov. 8-11, 2007, Philadelphia
• April 17-20, 2008, Anaheim
• Fall 2008, St. Louis, proposed
• Spring 2009, possibly Phoenix

Final attendance numbers for San Francisco are expected to be between 4,000 and 4,200. Preregistration as of
April 17 was at 3,957. Hall moved and Kennedy seconded that the organization go on record to commend the San Francisco local committee for the job it has done in organizing for the spring 2006 convention. Motion passed.

Advisers Institute…Puntney
Puntney reported 15 are registered now for the Austria Retreat, June 2-12. She had hoped for at least 12, so the
retreat will happen as proposed. Three other Advisers Institute sequences include

• Sequence I: Freedom Forum Retreat, First Amendment Center, Nashville, June 25-30
• Sequence II: Advising Publications, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., July 16-21
• Sequence III: Desktop Publishing, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., July 21-26

Model Statement: Copyright, Plagiarism…C. Bowen
C. Bowen explained the background and contents of this model approved by the board. Brought to the board by the special committee Visser appointed in Chicago, it contains background on the problem, an education component and a model judging policy with guidelines.

Copyright Resolution/Model Editorial Policy/Suggestions for Working with Printers…J. Bowen
J. Bowen explained the background and contents of these initiatives from the Scholastic Press Rights
Commission. “Coping with Copyright Violations and Plagiarism in JEA Media Contests” spells out JEA’s
position in both areas and will be implemented in Write-offs in Nashville. The Model Editorial Policy provides
an alternative to the Student Press Law Center Model Guidelines for advisers whose administrations see that
model as simply coming from an advocacy group. “Recommended Roles and Responsibilities for Working with
Printers of Student Media” came about because of incidents where printing companies questioned
appropriateness of publication content by approaching administrators rather than advisers and students. (See
JEA Board Meeting Minutes for April 20, 2006, for details of each.)

Nominations Committee…Dodd
Dodd reminded everyone 2007 is an election year. The slate from the Nominations Committee will be presented
at the General Membership Meeting in Nashville. Committee members will contact current board members and
other prospective candidates about running for elected positions. The committee includes Dodd (chair), Cheryl
Pell, Vanessa Shelton, John Hudnall. Candidate information will be posted on jea.org and mailed with the
ballots. Those elected will be invited to attend the board meeting in Denver if they are attending the convention.
She reminded members of the Scholastic Press Association Roundtable, 9-11 a.m., Saturday.

Web site/Workshop/C:JET…Wilson
Wilson said he plans to go live with the new Web site on July 1 to allow testing of its new features during the summer when activity is low. These include an interactive bookstore section Fulkerson is able to update and a membership directory that allows each member to control posting of his or her information. Once this feature is operational, JEA will no longer print a membership directory. Members will need their member number for initial access. Then access will be by e-mail address and password. Members will be able to update their information through the site.

Wilson distributed flyers for the Association of Texas Photography Instructors Summer Workshop for teachers, June 28-July 1, Texas A & M University-Commerce, Commerce, Texas.

Wilson said the summer C:JET is in the mail and made a plea for contributors for future issues.

Aspiring Young Journalist Award…Wertz
Wertz reported this award for junior high/middle school students is now ready. Primary publicity will be through existing Junior High/Middle School Commission channels. It will be presented for the first time at Middle Madness in Denver. Details of this award are the same as for the high school JOY wherever possible, including the rubric.

Diversity Award…Kneese
This award will become part of the JEA awards program and will be administered by the Multicultural Commission chair. It will be publicized appropriately with other JEA awards. The deadline for nominations to be received at JEA Headquarters is Oct. 1 with presentation at the spring convention Saturday awards luncheon. It will be given for the first time in Denver. The recipient, or one representative if the winner is a group, will have his or her travel and room paid for the spring convention and will teach at least one session during the convention.

Cornerstone Award…Hall
Hall reported the new Cornerstone Award, sponsored jointly with NAA Foundation, has one winner of the $2500 award and plaque this first year. Davenport Central High School, Davenport, Iowa, received the award at the opening keynote session. The award can be given to a maximum of two schools each spring. Application deadline is March 1 each year. Hall reminded members that Constitution Day and Scholastic Journalism Week are great times to plan schoolwide activities.

Randy Swikle, CJE and Illinois State Director, said the Illinois First Amendment Center and the Illinois Press
Foundation have free curriculum available at www.illinoisfirstamendmentcenter.com.

First Amendment Press Freedom Award…J. Bowen
Formerly known as the Let Freedom Ring Award, this award focuses on the press freedom aspect of the First Amendment and is presented jointly by JEA, National Scholastic Press Association, Columbus Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll Society. Four schools qualified for the award this year: Townsend-Harris High School in Flushing, N.Y.; Kirkwood (Mo.) High School; Mountlake Terrace (Wash.) High School; Park High School in Cottage Grove, Minn. On a positive note, as a result of the committee providing feedback to school officials about why the school did not receive the award, at least one principal reported he will work to change his school’s written policy before he retires in the hope the school can qualify for the award. J. Bowen said he wants to know about schools where the Northeast Ohio Legislative Association (NEOLA) group apparently is shaping policies. This influence is not limited to Ohio schools.

New Curriculum Materials…J. Bowen for Oglesbee
Oglesbee received a new curriculum guide from an outside source just before the convention. Called “Correcting News Mistakes: The Importance of Being Watchdogs of Our Own Profession,” the 105-page guide, divided into five instructional modules, was funded through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and produced by the Medill School of Journalism, curator of the Mongerson Prize for Investigative Reporting on the News. Michelle Pendleton is the administrator of the prize. She shipped multiple copies of the guide for free distribution at the convention. Fulkerson will do her usual evaluation of the guide for possible inclusion in the JEA Bookstore.

Items of Concern/Announcements

• Gayda reported his region requests bios return to the convention program. Fulkerson explained the program
  book is over the number of pages the publisher is willing to donate. Members asked her to explore possibly
  limiting bios to a specific number of words.
• Kneese introduced Jo Ann A.G. Mastin, Farrington HS, Honolulu, as the Outreach Participant for this
  convention.
• Kennedy reminded state and regional directors of their meeting immediately following this one.
• Fulkerson reminded members about the book signings: Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, Game of
  Shadows, 11 a.m., Friday, Yosemite C; Jill Chittum, Chris Hanewinckel, Clif Palmberg, Linda Puntney,
  Lindsay Porter, Visual Conversations: Perspectives of 2005, 10 a.m., Saturday, Yosemite C.

The next regular meeting of the General Membership of the Journalism Education Association will be at 8 a.m.,
Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.

Motion to adjourn at 8:45 a.m. by Hall, seconded by Kennedy.