Scholastic Journalism 2006 Abstracts
Scholastic Journalism Division
Hostile to Hosty? What College Media Advisers Think • Genelle Belmas, California State University-Fullerton and Christopher Burnett, California State University-Long Beach and David L. Adams, Indiana University • The Supreme Court recently refused to hear the appeal of a Seventh Circuit case called Hosty v. Carter. In that case, the dean of an Illinois public university escaped personal liability for her censorial actions. This case might be interpreted as permitting administrative censorship of college student media. Our research will review the legal doctrine and conflicting holdings in other federal circuits and will examine college media advisers’ levels of knowledge and concern about Hosty.
Religion Inside the Schoolhouse Gate: Gatekeeping Forces and Religion Coverage in Public High School Newspapers • Peter S. Bobkowski, University of Houston • This study extends the examination of religion coverage in the press (Hoover, 1998), by investigating public high school newspapers. Adviser responses (N= 297) were used to identify possible individual and organizational gatekeeping forces (Shoemaker & Reese, 1991), affecting the quantity of religion coverage. Findings indicate that individual gatekeeping forces appear to reduce religion coverage in newspapers whose advisers are more religious and less experienced.
Today’s Teens and Tomorrow’s Newspapers : The Influence of a High School Newspaper on the Future of Newspapers • Dianne Bragg, The University of Memphis • This paper is an overview of how one high school newspaper, The Teen Appeal, is attempting to increase teen interest, especially among minorities, in newspapers. The Teen Appeal tries to identify and encourage teens who are interested in journalism as well as provide a newspaper by and for teens that will encourage other teens to become newspaper readers and future subscribers.
High School Advisers’ Perception Of Scholastic Press Freedom In A State Without A Protective Law Versus One Without A Protective Law: A Comparison of Iowa and Indiana • David W. Bulla, Iowa State University and Calvin L. Hall, Appalachian State University and Adam Maksl, Ball State University and Joe Owens, Iowa State University • The 1988 Hazelwood decision by the U.S. Supreme Court led to an expansion of constraints on the student press. This study attempts to isolate the factors that actually mitigate constraints on student press freedom. Using information from surveys of journalism advisers in two similar Midwestern states—Iowa, which has a law protecting student press freedom, and Indiana, which does not—the paper examines whether protective laws enhance freedom of the press for scholastic journalists.
Media Influences Explored: What High School Students Say About The Power Of Newspapers, Television And Magazines • Tamara M. Cooke Henry, National Center for Education Information • A 2004-2005 survey of 355 Florida and Pennsylvania high school students found that they deny media’s influence in their choice of clothing, snacks and beverages, but acknowledge some media impact with intangible things, like issues. The study also found unequal effects of media on different racial and ethnic groups. Buttressed by focus groups, study results suggest that students need a sophisticated knowledge of media and the skills to navigate their terrain, i.e. “media literacy.”
Transparency for the Student Press: When Practice Makes Perfect…Sense • Thomas E. Eveslage, Temple University • High school journalists continue to search for legal arguments and strategies to enhance their ability to publish content of their choice. One seldom-used legal argument helped a Michigan high-school publication win a censorship battle in 2004. This argument—that practicing quality journalism, modeled on the standards of professional journalists, deserves First Amendment protection—was the impetus for this exploratory study. The focus here is two-fold: What evidence exists that specific professional standards could warrant protection?
Teaching News Writing To Mass Communications Students: How Peer Editing Influences Learning And Perceptions Of Instruction • Howard D. Fisher, Ohio University and Coy Callison, Texas Tech University • One method proposed for improving the quality of student writing is the implementation of peer-editing groups. The researchers conducted a field study with news writing students to quantitatively determine the impact of peer-editing groups on graded, student writing. Data analysis revealed that peer-editing did not produce significantly better scores. The results suggest that peer-editing groups be implemented when the instructor wishes to enhance students’ self-esteem, but instructors should not expect gains in final scores.
The English and Journalism Secondary Education Curriculum Connection: A Preliminary Historical Perspective • Bruce E. Konkle, University of South Carolina • Between 1913 and 1995, more than 100 articles concerning scholastic journalism appeared in the English Journal, indicating a possible direct connection between the two curricular areas. And during the 20th century, dozens of articles in other journalism and education periodicals, as well as textbooks, theses and dissertations, also discussed the importance of linking English and journalism in the secondary school curriculum.
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