Things that make you go huh?

Think like a journalist on this one. Leave a comment here discussing both the content of the story and the story itself. It doesn't matter that this is about a yearbook, it could be about a student newspaper as well. There are a few things that should leap off the screen at you. What do you still want to know?

Keep in mind: Prior review in VA is not uncommon.

Article: H.S. Yearbook Halted

As always, I would suggest that you compose your comment elsewhere, then copy and paste it here. This is due by 5 pm Friday, May 21.

34 comments:

Rachel said...

This story is very one-sided. I wish the reporter got the views of the yearbook staff, advisor, maybe some of the kids that bought the book, other than the principal and parents. As for the recall for inappropriate content, I really dont know what to think. It'd be nice to know what drove the staff to add that in the yearbook. I really dont know the rules about what you can and cant publish in a yearbook (or newspaper), but I dont think that the principal has the right to recall all the books. If the staff thought the confessions about sex and drugs reflect their school, should they have to cover it up? I dont think it was a good idea to make the confessions anonymous, however, because as the reporter stated in the article, there is no proof that they are real.

Andrew Gabriel said...

This is perfectly allowed. This is because the students pushed the boundaries on this and it was about time they broke them. They are still minors and they have to understand what it means when you take a look at things through an adult perspective. In the end, they are representing the school and it is allowed for the SCHOOL adults to restrict things that degrade the schools name. Though they have done this before, it was not in this scale. They have the right to ask for a recall but they cannot take back because they still paid for it.

Beilul Naizghi said...

I am curious to know what the yearbook advisor, the editors-in-chief, and a student that recieved a yearbok thought of this scandal. The journalist did not include the other side to the story, i.e. the student perspective! It only included the parent and principal perspective. Furthermore, I can see why the principal was so adamant about redoing the yearbook as the material was incredibly racy and unsettling, though I am curious whether or not he has the authority to do so.

Yueming Wang said...

This article is too extreme because it only has one viewpoint. It seems all too surreal that the student staff would first be authorized to put any such thing into the book and the school administration would second permit the yearbook to be printed. If the inappropriate anonymous quotes are really on pages 4-7, why didn't anyone catch it before it was sent to get printed? I mean, if the administration even pretends to try and check the content, they would have not missed something so glaring within the first 10 pages. The biggest question I have is why didn't anyone catch this before the yearbook was submitted for printing. Why would the students even do something like this? Is this really how they want to remember their senior year in high school?

Kimmy said...

I agree with Rachel-- the story is completely one-sided. The journalist did not get any perspectives of the yearbook staff, the adviser, or the students who have seen the yearbook. The journalist should have incorporated the point of view of a student to see if they believe it is necessary to take back the yearbook and reprint it. He should have also added a quote from the staff to reveal why they added the "sexual content" to the yearbook. They perhaps had a good reason as to why they put it in the yearbook. As for the anonymous part, the staff should not have made it anonymous because then students can add other peoples' names instead of their own. If it was not anonymous, the staff could have contacted the person and confirmed that it was a quote from them.

Terilyn said...

My first reaction was, "Wow, I have no idea what to think about this." Then, like Rachel, I wondered how the article would be different had they added quotes from the yearbook staff, or the yearbook advisor, or students who read the yearbook. It's definitely interesting, but I feel like there needs to be more information for me to decide whether or not a recallis appropriate. I also think a big concern would be whether or not the anonymous quotes are real.

colby said...

There seems to be no one else talking besides the principal. This is not very fair as of course, there would be a huge biased. There are no quotes from students asking how they feel or from parents asking the same question. What I really want to know is how the quotes and innuendos got in with the advisor's consent. Did the advisor really allow this? How clouded was the his or her judgment?

Unknown said...

Like Rachel said, I think that this story needs to cover the other side also. They should have asked the yearbook staff on why they published the material in the first place, maybe their was a legit reason that they published the "confessions." Likewise, the yearbook is mainly for the students, so the reporter should have asked the students about their thoughts on this, if they were offended or not. The students must have what they said for a reason. And like I said before, it is the student's yearbook, not the principals, so the principal does not have any autority to say what is allowed and what is not.

Unknown said...

Like Rachel said, this story is very one-sided. It does not contain all the sides of the story and is missing facts and evidence. When reading the story, we dont really know what to think about the innapropriate content, but it brings up the questiion of how these books where published if a supervisor has to approve the book? It is understandable that teenagers would make such comments, however we do not see there side of the stpry and why such comments were made. The writer of this story makes it obvious that he has a bias opinion about the incident and because of this he chose not to include everyones thoughts and all the facts.

Leah said...

Reading this story, I found myself wondering what the point of view of the yearbook staff and other parents who might have had different opinions. This article only told the story of the principal and the parents who were absolutely appalled. It made the entire situation seem so much more severe. The principal and teachers were so shocked at the comments being left anonymously, but I don’t find it shocking at all. They are teens after all; it is not surprising that they would anonymously post inappropriate comments. It is doubtful that all of the comments were truthful, but that could not be proven since they are anonymous.

ChristianArn said...

This is another classic example of how "honesty is NOT the best policy." Although the students of the school were graphically truthful, they were honest nontheless. Honest public writing can never fully satisfy everyone's moral standards, but school administration should understand the the youth culture of today is changing and evolving, and the admin should learn to adapt to the new way of life.

Sabrina said...

As journalists, we are not supposed to be biased. Yet here in the professional world of journalism, biased stories swarm the news. Yes the content of the yearbook is questionable, but I would have liked to hear the students point of view and their side of the story. They were in the wrong when it came to anonymous comments because one cannot tell if the information in factual. Also, students, as well as adults, will say something then deny ever saying it because they are afraid of ruining their reputation. This article makes it seem like the whole yearbook is all about sex and nothing else.

Samson Tong said...

The story right now only shows the side of the administration. What is wrong with inputting sexual innuendos. It's the student population's voice. It is not right for the principal to in term request to stop sales of the yearbook but in addition, re collect them and order to have new ones made. Though most of the comments in the yearbook are disturbing like "I have sex with people to feel wanted.", but its the exact truth, and its the yearbook and or journalism staff's job to be as truthful as possible.

Chris Mendoza said...

I believe the article is bias towards parent's and the principal's concerns. The reporter should have interviewed journalism staff and asked why they posted this material. The administration and journalism staff should negotiate and place guidelines about this type of material for next year's yearbook.The writer should have also included who and why the principal could recall the book, and if not, another legal loophole that he and upset parents could.

Dchia23 said...

This article only told the story of the principal and the parents. The parents and principals definetly had the right to be angry about what was said, but the bottom line is it was their faults because they should be the one's reading the entire yearbook to make sure everything is appropiate. Yes, there are leaders on the staff of the yearbook, but they have to understand that the bottom line is that they are teens still. The only solution to avoid this problem from reoccuring again in the future is reading it themselves, but they are obviously to lazy.

Unknown said...

This story is one of those blunders that is be perfectly acceptable, since it is an example of free speech being violated due to prior review. However, one must also consider the consequences of such an action - quoting exactly should not be quoted in terms of journalism ethics. Likewise, I don't think that quotes are necessarily defaming anyone. The only thing I can make of this controversial problem is that it reduces the credibility of the yearbook staff, since the story only reports only on the perspective of the administrators.

Unknown said...

Once again, are you kidding me? The quality and credentials of this article, the administration and the yearbook need to be questioned !!! The writer only exposes the viewpoint of the administration, who are obviously appalled by the racy-ness and obscene quality of the yearbook.. but what about the students, the yearbook staff, the yearbook advisor? Moreover, I think the principal is being completely unreasonable--attempting to collect all the yearbooks, and ordering a reprint that will not arrive until AFTER graduation? Riddiculous. AND IN THIS ECONOMY? I would imagine the money for that could be used for something positive, like a yearbook filler highlighting the positive aspects of school or a special graduation event/gift for the seniors. However, the students/yearbook advisor need to be reprimanded.. Why on earth would you want to bring attention to obscene aspects--yearbooks are for MEMORIES. Plus, facebook? Come on, people are not mature enough to deal with that. If their names aren't associated with a comment, then students feel free to post anything, including comments with sexual innuendos. And what was the yearbook advisor thinking? Oh hey, sexual comments, that's fine.. put it next to the cheerleading pitures.. COME ON WORLD!

Wendy said...

I think the school have the right to recall the yearbook. According to the Ed Code 48907, school have the right to prohibit the content that is "explicitly obscene, libelous, or slanderous" and also "material which so incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises or the violation of lawful school regulations, or the substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school." In the article, mentioned by the principle, "two students have told him they did not say the things that were attributed to them." This proves the wrongdoings of students as they are required to report the truth. As a journalist, i think the writer of this article should have a student's point of view on the issue. This article just covers the adults' perspective. My question is why the teacher in charge did not take any action regarding to this issue.

Unknown said...

I don't believe the confessions are inappropriate. They are the truths of what the students feel. However, what if the anonymous truths were lies by students?

Still, the story is one-sided. There are no comments by staff members or the yearbook advisor.

I don't think its right for the principle to recall the books. It makes no difference.

Unknown said...

The journalist did not gather the opinions of the other side, the staff, the students and the yearbook director. The journalist interviewed the principal too much and he did not gather enough information to be able to state how the students are able to send out yearbooks after the recall and what other measures the principal is taking to recall these materials.

Unknown said...

To begin with, this story is one-sided. The journalist did not have any interviews or quotes from the staff, yearbook advisor, or even other students who placed their comments into the yearbook. He only had interviews and quotes from the principal and one parent. Obviously, these two sources are going to have similar points of views. Thus, making me wonder if the journalist intended to print a biased story. I also think the yearbook staff is somewhat at fault. These "confessions" should not be printed in a yearbook. Both the students, staff, and advisor seemed to forget that a yearbook is made to be around for generations; therefore your secrets will be printed for readers for years to come.

Unknown said...

This is a scandalous but effective happening which allowed the society to recognize what is occurring to teenagers. A journalist should definitely report the truth including the views of the students, yearbook staffs, and adviser. It is foolish to publish such confessions that will surely stir up discomfort and objections. In addition, this story is unreliable and the intentions of the yearbook to publish such "confessions" are unknown.

Ch'Kia said...

It's hard to state my opinion when i was only told one side of the story. This article only tells the side of those who opposed the yearbook, but it doesn't give the yearbook staff and advisor side. I can say that it was non-journalistic for the yearbook staff to want to put anonymous explicit secrets in a yearbook.

Unknown said...

At first, this article seemed pretty legitimate concerning coverage and reporting. However, looking back, I've yet to find a quote or paragraph that provides the perspectives of the yearbook class students or the yearbook adviser. They're side needs to be told too.
Also, I can understand the concern of the students,parents, and principal of the high school, but this should have been caught and prevented before publishing and distribution.
Perhaps, instead of all the quotes and confessions, there could have been a brief article in the yearbook about sex, drugs, etc.

Haley K. said...

This story simply reflects sloppy journalism. In order to cover the full truth, the writer of this story should have completed SEVERAL more interviews from different perspectives. The principal’s and the parents’ opinion regarding the matter appear justifiable, but there is virtually no content anywhere in the article that shows the other side of the story. There are other underlying questions related to this story that could also be covered. Simply stated, this article is the work of a biased/sloppy journalist.

Stefan said...

If the principal had prior review, why didn't he make this objection earlier, before the yearbook was published? Why didn't he say that confessions any confessions published that were as extreme as the cases highlighted in the article. Personally, I'm not sure what to think of this. Free speech should allow this yearbook to publish what they want to, but is it necissarily right? It's anonymous, but is it really everybody's bussiness that you were knocked up by your best friend? Also, as others mentioned, only the principal's opinion of the situation was given. No students were interviewed.

Unknown said...

Although the quotes from the students were pretty explicit and perhaps "inappropriate," students were merely expressing honesty to the "honesty box." Students were given the opportunity to spill their secrets, and the students chose to confess what they wished to confess. The quotes were "sexual innuendoes," but the students did not feel it was wrong to publish them. They did not intentionally write the quotes to target the administration and ruin their reputation. This is why journalism is tricky. A blunt article may personally offend certain people, however, these types of articles are what make a great news story. No public writing can ever fully satisfy every reader. Of course these published quotes were a bit inappropriate, and the yearbook should have been double checked to avoid negative feedback from students and parents, but the administration should understand and accept the fact that the youth of today has evolved and continues to change every day.

Unknown said...

This story is totally only on the administration's side. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the students putting what they want into the yearbook. It is not right for the people to stop the production of the publication just because of some slightly inappropriate remarks. If these inappropriate remarks are the truth, let the public know about it. The administration is foolish for even complaining about the truth, its their fault for making it so terrible.

Patrick Li said...

This is wrong, they should not be allowed to do that. The parents aren't going to be the ones looking at it anyway. Why should tha parents choose what the children want? The kids should have their choice. Not only that, its anonymous, meaning that no one knows who it is unless the person is retarded enough to say who they are. They should be allowed to write about who they are and what they did at school. It doesn't hurt the reputation of the school.

Chris Habash said...

Aside from this story being completely one-sided, the claim against the students is also in a way, unconstitutional. They have the right to say what they want, however, what they said is way too extreme, although some quotes are anonymous. Why didn't anyone ie. the editors, yearbook advisor take care of this before publication? Obviously it would stir much controversy. For students who paid for the yearbooks, it's not fair for the principal to ask for them back.

alec said...

The story is simply too biased in my opinion and the over all angle is extremely one sided. The writer also uses sources of a similar group rather than from a variety of sources. This--according to jounalism's ethics--violates the code of jounalism. Basically, the writer should of included more sources, bring out more from the angle and essential meaning of the story and assure that the story can fully appeal to all readers.

Jennifer D said...

Late, late, late!!! Sorry.

Just as Rachel, Yueming and others have stated, this story only has one viewpoint. Journalists are not supposed to be biased. We are suppose to reveal the full story, on both sides of the matter.

Although the principal and parents have the right to be mad about this situation, it is partly their fault for letting it get to this. Regardless if there are yearbook editors or anything else along those lines, an adult (maybe someone part of the administration) should have reviewed it.

And just as Floraine said, to reprint these yearbooks AGAIN and not get them back until the summer? Seriously? That's a big huge waste of money, and we're in a recession!

Sheralynn said...

I agree with the majority of what other people said: the story is extremely one-sided. I'm sure the staff and students had something to say on what they did: how and why. People, especially teenagers, usually don't just reveal themselves to put themselves out there without purpose. Even though many students probably wrote false confessions or attributed false confessions to different people, there probably many that really meant what they had said, and they put it out there for a reason. Students hardly ever get a chance to do that. The staff wanted an element of truth and reality to their book, and they offered something to the students that is difficult to turn down. Image is key, especially in school. Many things are masked for the sake of concealing brutal truth and depressing reality. Newspapers and yearbooks both maintain an image, but I can see how a yearbook can be a place for the staff to want to create a real and personal element to the book. However, there needs to be a limit, and this is where filtering comes in. And of course, not all of it is true, which in itself, is mocking and disrespectful. They could have found a more effective, truthful and appropriate way to add this element to the yearbook.

lexxa said...

*very late...

I also agree with what everyone has said. There was so information or views of the yearbook staff or any of the students.
I believe students have a right to say express themselves, and it is their book to be working on, but at the same time I wouldn't want the same things that they have (the bad content in their books) in my yearbook. I'd want to remember my school for the positive aspects, not the negative.

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