Wolfpacket Editorial Policy
Purpose
The Wolfpacket serves to inform students of current and relevant events and issues, and to provide leadership by suggesting improvements and praising achievements. Some items are published solely to entertain, but will follow the guidelines of the editorial policy. The staff strives to be accurate and responsible, and agrees with and adheres to a code of ethics as defined by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Content
The Wolfpacket staff determines what goes into the school paper and reserves the right to choose content and determine priority of stories. Although the Wolfpacket emphasizes school news, it also covers community, state, national, and international news that the staff deems relevant to students. Stories are evaluated for news value, entertainment value, timeliness, and a student perspective. Material not protected by the First Amendment and not permitted in the Wolfpacket includes libel, obscenity, invasion of privacy, and material intended to cause substantial disruption of school activities. While most Wolfpacket articles will be written by the staff, we encourage students, faculty, administrators, and community members to consider the Opinions section of the Wolfpacket to be open for discussion and advocate for readers to submit letters-to-the-editor. Community members will also be given the opportunity to express their opinions through polls, which will be credited with a source and the number of voters. The Wolfpacket discourages anonymous sources unless they are prone to danger, retribution, or harm. All anonymity will be given explicit justification.
Bylines and Editorials
All articles will be credited with an accurate byline. Photographers and cartoonists will be credited. Pseudonyms are not used in bylines by the Wolfpacket. Opinions and editorials are clearly labeled and separated from news items. Editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff, will be clearly distinguished from individual opinions, and will be run under the heading “Editorial.”
Profanity
The Wolfpacket staff and adviser reserve the right to use all languages protected under the First Amendment. However, the Wolfpacket requires that all language, offensive or not, be newsworthy and complementary to the content of the article.
Professionalism
The Wolfpacket strives to maintain a standard of professionalism in content and believes the possible harm to students and other readers outweighs any entertainment value the following features might provide. The Wolfpacket staff is opposed to slandering and writing personal attacks on students, staff, or community members. In addition, the staff is committed to transparency about the intent of all articles, and will obey CUSD board policies/bylaws regarding holidays. Articles that use satire to effect positive changes may appear.
Graphics
Photography and graphics are not used to distort or sensationalize news, and the Wolfpacket respects the individual’s right to privacy unless that right is superseded by the public’s right to know.
Professional Affiliations
The Wolfpacket maintains a relationship with the Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association, Student Press Law Center, and the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Claremont Courier.
Errors
The Wolfpacket staff strives for accuracy. Factual but not typographical errors shall be brought to the attention of the Wolfpacket staff, which will decide if and when to run a correction.
Time, Place, and Manner of Distribution
The Wolfpacket is distributed ten times per year, free of charge on campus during regularly scheduled lunch breaks. The Homecoming issue is also distributed during half-time at the football game. Additional copies may be available in the library, school office, and other locations in and around Claremont. Copies are mailed to subscribers and advertisers. Subscriptions to the Wolfpacket cost $40 for one year.
Social Media and Website
The website manager will regularly update the Wolfpacket website, thewolfpacket.org, with articles and art in a modified format after each issue is published. Certain articles will be website-exclusive. Staff biographies, applications, and past archives of the Wolfpacket will also be posted on the website. The Wolfpacket uses multiple social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, to advertise and inform its audience.
http://www.gamutonline.net/district/claremontusd/DisplayPolicy/560423/6
While teaching about religious holidays is a permissible part of the educational program, celebrating religious holidays is not allowed in the public schools. School-sponsored programs shall not be, nor have the effect of being, religiously oriented or a religious celebration. School and classroom decorations may express seasonal themes that are not religious in nature.
Music, art, literature or drama programs having religious themes are permitted as part of the curriculum for school-sponsored activities and programs if presented in an objective manner and as a traditional part of the cultural and religious heritage. The use of religious symbols that are part of a religious holiday is permitted as a teaching aid or resource provided that such symbols are displayed as an example of cultural and religious heritage of the holiday and are temporary in nature.
