A quick quiz: You are the editor of your public school’s student newspaper and receive the following three unsolicited ads, along with the proper payment for publication in your paper’s next issue. Which, if any, can you legally refuse to publish?

1. “It is time for every white man and white woman to regain our position and take back the Earth from Jews, homosexuals and other inferior races. For more information, check out our Web site.”

2. “Pepe’s Pizza. Special: 99-cent Slices. This Week Only!”

3. “Vote Jane Doe for School Board.” (You published her opponent John Doe’s political ad in your last issue).

Answer: You can reject any or all of them — provided only you and other students are involved in making the decision.

Recently, student media across the country have received an advertisement — similar to the first example — for a white supremacist Web site, reportedly paid for by a group promoting a “campaign to inform, awaken and radicalize our White American youth.” In recent years, student media have also been targeted by groups wanting to run ads denying the Holocaust, attacking Muslims or pushing some other controversial idea or message. Such ads are often submitted not so much for the sake of publication, but to stir up controversy and capitalize off of the public outrage inevitably directed against the student media organization that published the ad (or in some cases, the school official(s) who censored the ad). From student demonstrations, to newspaper thefts to demands that editors and advisers be fired, advertisers know such controversies will keep their agendas in the public spotlight. It is a strategy that has worked all too well, with student media frequently caught off guard, usually without a plan or advertising policy in place and sometimes for no other reason than staffers assumed they had to play along and publish the ad.

What many people don’t know, however, is that the First Amendment protects not only one’s right to speak, but also their right not to speak, to refuse to be associated with ideas or opinions with which they disagree or simply don’t like. As the student editor of a school newspaper, yearbook or other student publication, this generally gives you the right to reject material submitted by third parties — such as ads (classified or regular), letters to editor, guest columns, reader feedback for online stories, etc. — for any reason or for no reason. That remains true even if your reasoning might seem unfair or tick off a potential advertiser.

There is, though, a potentially big “if.”

If you are the editor of a student publication at a public school and if school administrators (including faculty advisers) are involved in rejecting the ad, things can become more complicated. (Student media at a private school retain the right to reject virtually all outside submissions — no matter who makes the decision.)

That’s because the First Amendment limits censorship by government officials — which includes a public high school principal or a public college president, for example — and an advertiser may try to claim that by refusing to publish his or her ad, the government has censored their speech and violated the First Amendment. It may not be an argument that will win very often, but it has worked before and it has certainly led to a number of messy and costly court battles to sort things out.

On the other hand, courts have found that student journalists working on student-edited media are not government officials (the fact that a school provides financial support, operating space or an adviser to student media will typically not be enough to alter that finding.) As private individuals, they are not bound by the First Amendment, which means that a court will categorize a student editor’s rejection of an ad as simply an editorial decision, not an act of potentially unlawful censorship. While a student editor might be criticized for being inconsistent or unfair for refusing to run an ad, neither they nor their school can successfully be sued as long as only students were involved in making the decision. (Note, though, that while student editors or ad managers, acting alone, generally have the right to reject any ad they choose, this right probably only exists until a contract is formed. Once a student media organization agrees to run an ad, it generally must do so or risk paying contractual damages.)

This is not to say that public school officials can never step in to reject an advertisement submitted to student media, but they must do so with the understanding that there is some — and sometimes considerable — legal risk involved. Unlike student staffers, they are not simply making editorial decisions; a public school official’s rejection of an advertisement will always legally be classified as censorship regardless of his or her motives and regardless of whether, in the end, a court upholds the censorship as legally justified. (In fact, the risk of a First Amendment lawsuit may be two-fold if school officials censor an ad that a student editor actually wants to run.)

There is little doubt student media will continue to be targeted by those seeking exposure for their controversial messages. It is a strategy that costs advertisers little, but has and continues to generate publicity far exceeding the reach of a typical 3-inch ad. Fortunately, student media staffs can reduce the risk of being unwitting pawns in such promotional stunts by understanding their options and giving some thought to how they want to handle controversial ads before being unwillingly thrust into the hot seat.

Mike Hiestand is an attorney, based in the far, upper left corner of the “Lower 48,” and works as a legal consultant to the Student Press Law Center.

Thomas E. Rolnicki, former executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association, died Dec. 20. He was 60.

Rolnicki was NSPA’s executive director from 1980 until 2006. In his capacity as director, he wrote and edited several publications for NSPA and its college branch, the Associated Collegiate Press. He was a co-author of the journalism textbook “Scholastic Journalism.” During his career, he spoke at journalism conventions and workshops throughout the United States and internationally. He received the Carl Towley Award and Medal of Merit awards from the Journalism Education Association, the Gold Key from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and a Newspaper Fund Merit Award.

Immediately prior to joining NSPA, Rolnicki was editor of publications for the Office of Admissions at the University of Minnesota. He also was director of JEA’s Summer Seminar for teachers and other professionals. Rolnicki had taught journalism courses and directed summer journalism workshops at Iowa State University, where he also served as technical, editorial and business adviser for publications.

He had also taught journalism, English and photography and was adviser to student publications at two high schools, one in Iowa and one in Wisconsin. Rolnicki had served JEA as vice president and as Midwest regional director, and he had been treasurer of the Iowa School Press Association.

Rolnicki received his master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University. He received a B.S. degree in journalism and secondary education from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

He was a native of Wausau, Wis., where funeral services are pending.

UPDATE: Visitation will be 9:30-11:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 700 W. Bridge Street in Wausau, Wis., 54401. A funeral mass will follow at 11:30 a.m. at the church.

The family is requesting memorial gifts be made in Rolnicki’s name to the Student Press Law Center. Condolences can be mailed to the family at the church or to his mother, Polly Rolnicki, 817 N. First Ave., Wausau, Wis., 54401.

Click here to view Rolnicki’s obituary in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Contact: Logan Aimone, executive director, (612) 625-7359

National Scholastic Press Association Board of Directors adds two members

MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 28, 2009) — The Board of Directors of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) has appointed two new members to its Board of Directors. The two new directors join nine directors. The new members have two-year terms.

Chris Ison is an award-winning journalist and a former reporter and editor for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. He was the paper’s assistant managing editor for investigative projects for three years and won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 1990. He has won numerous national, regional and state awards. Ison was editor-in-chief at The Minnesota Daily at the University of Minnesota. Now, as an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Ison teaches public affairs reporting, news reporting and writing, advanced reporting methods and media ethics. Ison is one of three representatives from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication outlined in NSPA’s charter.

David Therkelsen is currently the executive director of Crisis Connection, a nonprofit agency that provides crisis counseling by telephone. From 1978-2006, he served in a variety of senior management roles with the American Red Cross, including CEO of the St. Paul Area chapter. He holds a B.A. in journalism and political science form Metropolitan State University and the University of Minnesota and a M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas. He also writes, teaches and lectures in journalism and public relations. Therkelsen has participated on NSPA’s Finance and Investment Committee for the past year and joins the Board of Directors as treasurer.

About NSPA
NSPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization headquartered and incorporated in Minnesota. Memberships for middle school, junior high school and high school student media are organized under the Minnesota High School Press Association division of NSPA. Memberships for college, university and professional and technical school student media are organized under the Associated Collegiate Press division of NSPA. Memberships are open to all student media at public and private schools at an annual membership fee.
Each division of NSPA provides journalism education training programs, publishes journalism education materials, provides media critique and recognition programs for members, provides information on developments in journalism and student media and provides a forum for members to communicate with others and share their work. NSPA and its divisions cooperate with other student media associations and other non-student groups and businesses that share its mission to educate and recognize the work of student journalists, to improve the quality of student media and to foster careers in media.

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The Newspaper Pacemaker contest is co-sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation and this year’s contest was judged by a group of Seattle area professional journalists. The contest yielded a total of 339 entries and categories included: Newspapers 1-16 pages, Newspapers 17 or more pages, Newsmagazines and Jr. High/Middle School Newspapers.

Winners will be announced for the first time at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14.

Entries were judged based on the following criteria:

• Coverage and content
  Were all aspects of student life covered (academics/sports/clubs/local news, etc.)? Was the use of wire/syndicated copy limited (especially on pg. 1)? Was there evidence of sound news judgment?
• Quality of writing and reporting
  Was the writing concise and the reporting thorough? Was writing free of opinion (with the exception of editorials or columns)? Was the copy edited for consistent style?
• Leadership on the opinion page
  Did staff editorials, cartoons and letters supplement personal columns? Did the staff demonstrate sensitivity to controversial topics? Was the content of the editorial page consequential?
• Evidence of in-depth reporting
  Did major stories show evidence of multiple sources?
  Are series or depth pieces prominent in entered issues?
• Layout and design
  Was the look of the paper clean and contemporary? Was a consistent modular page makeup used throughout the publication? Did designers establish a clear visual hierarchy for readers?
• Photography, art and graphics
  Did visuals enhance the verbal content and draw the reader in? Did visuals improve the reader’s understanding of the accompanying story? Were photos properly credited? Was the quality of photos and art technically excellent?

View the list of finalists here:
http://nspa.studentpress.org/winners/npm09.html

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The Broadcast Pacemaker contest is co-sponsored by SchoolTube.com and the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation. This is the second year that NSPA has accepted entries online through SchoolTube.com. Entries consisted of an entire broadcast news program no longer than 20 minutes.

Entries were judged based on the following criteria:

• Content/Coverage
• Relevancy to audience, significance of subjects covered
• Writing and editing of the script
• Language appropriate to audience, smooth transitions
• Recording and editing of the show
• Good connections between segments
• Interviewing skills
• Interviews were conversational
• Technical quality
• Lighting framing, audio

View the list of finalists here:
http://nspa.studentpress.org/winners/bpm09.html

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the NSPA Web site after winners have been announced in Washington, D.C.

Please contact Kathy Huting, NPSA Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at kathy@studentpress.org.

The Story of the Year contest is co-sponsored by the American Society of News Editors. Multimedia Package was offered as a new category this year, and other categories included: News, Feature, Editorial, Sports and Diversity.

Judges selected finalists based on the following criteria:

• Value, importance or worth of story
• Quality of reporting and quotes
• Quality of writing and editing
• Credibility and leadership

Multimedia Packages were judged on the criteria listed above, along with innovation in use of multimedia (audio, video, slide shows, graphics, etc.), technical quality of multimedia elements and adherence to copyright laws.
?View the list of finalists here:
http://nspa.studentpress.org/winners/story09.html

The first place winners in each category will compete for the $1,000 Brasler Prize, judged by Wayne Brasler of University High School in Chicago.

Places will be announced for the first time at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14.

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The Broadcast Story of the Year contest is co-sponsored by SchoolTube.com and the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation. This is the second year that NSPA has accepted entries online through SchoolTube.com. The categories offered were News, Sports and Feature and the contest yielded a total of 99 entries, an increase of about 23 percent from 2008.

Entries were judged based on the following criteria:

• Content/Coverage
• Writing and editing of the script
• Recording and editing of the show
• Interviewing skills
• Technical quality

View the list of finalists here:
http://nspa.studentpress.org/winners/bcstory09.html

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the NSPA Web site after winners have been announced in Washington, D.C.

Please contact Kathy Huting, NPSA Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at kathy@studentpress.org.

The Design of the Year awards are co-sponsored by Adobe Systems and were accepted through online submission for the first time this year. Categories included Illustration, Infographic, Newspaper Page One, Newspaper Page/Spread, Yearbook Page/Spread and Magazine Page/Spread. The contest yielded a total of 427 entries. First place winners in each categories receive software complimentary of Adobe Systems. Places will be announced for the first time at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14.

Judges selected finalists based on the following criteria:

• Effective use of photos, color, art, graphics and typography
• Established visual hierarchy
• News judgment for Newspaper Page One
• Contemporary appeal
• Suitability for respective audience

View the list of finalists here:
http://nspa.studentpress.org/winners/design09.html

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The Cartooning Awards are co-sponsored by the Universal Press Syndicate and yielded a total of 158 entries in two categories: Editorial Cartoon and Comic Panel/Strip. Winners receive cash prizes courtesy of UPS.

Cartoon entries were judged based on:

• Reader impact
• Community importance
• Artistic quality
• Originality, clarity of message

View the list of finalists here:
http://nspa.studentpress.org/winners/cartoon09.html

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the NSPA Web site after winners have been announced in Washington, D.C.

Please contact Kathy Huting, NPSA Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at kathy@studentpress.org.

Mike Hiestand, legal consultant for the Student Press Law Center, has been assisting students, advisers and administrators with questions about scholastic press law since 1991. In that time, he has helped an estimated 14,000 people. He is a regular speaker for NSPA at conventions, and he writes the “It’s the Law” column for the NSPA Web site.

Monica Hill, executive director of the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leads the fight for scholastic journalists in North Carolina. Previously, she held a similar role for the Alabama Scholastic Press Association. Hill is also a member of the NSPA Board of Directors and has been a frequent convention speaker and contest judge.

Mark Newton advises the Eagle Eye newspaper and Aerie yearbook at Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., and advised the Orange and Black newsmagazine at Grand Junction (Colo.) High School. A popular speaker at summer workshops and state and national conventions, Newton also serves the Journalism Education Association as the chair of its Certification Commission.

Tracy Anne Sena advises the Broadview newspaper at Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco. She is a member of JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission and an officer in the Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association and JEA of Northern California. She is a leader in student media technology issues and instruction in California and nationwide.

Linda Shockley is the deputy director of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, which promotes careers in print and online journalism. In addition to her work with DJNF’s teacher recognition programs, workshops and scholarships, Shockley is a regular presenter at national conventions as part of the Outreach Academy steering committee.

These five individuals will be honored at the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C., at the adviser luncheon Nov. 14.

NSPA maintains a composite plaque of Pioneers and displays it at the JEA/NSPA national conventions. Candidates are nominated and selected by previous Pioneer Award winners.

In the past, NSPA has published the places of the winners in the initial contest announcements but this year, the places will not be announced until the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14.

The Picture of the Year contest is co-sponsored by the National Press Photographers Association and honors student photographers in six categories: News, Feature, Sports Action, Sports Reaction, Environmental Portrait and Jr. High/Middle School. This is the second year that NSPA has accepted Picture of the Year entries online, and the contest yielded a total of 886 entries, which represents an increase of about two percent from last year. Entries were judged based on technical quality, artistic value and journalistic content.

View the list of finalists here:
http://nspa.studentpress.org/winners/photo09.html

Comments from all judging teams will be published on the NSPA Web site after winners have been announced in Washington, D.C.

Please contact Kathy Huting, NSPA Contest and Critique Coordinator, with questions at kathy@studentpress.org.

Over the course of 14 volumes, Best of the High School Press has been the premier showcase for award-winning student work by and for members of the National Scholastic Press Association. In 2009, we’re making some changes to make Best Of even better.

What’s new this year?

• The next edition of Best of the High School Press, Volume 15, will be published in early 2010 and remain on a winter publication schedule for subsequent years. Previous editions were mailed to NSPA members in the fall.
• Starting with the next edition, NSPA will include only publication content submitted as PDF files in the selection process for Best of the High School Press. (This does not apply to sections of the book honoring winners of NSPA’s contests.) PDF files can be sent to NSPA either online (go to the online submission form) or by mail.

Changing the publication schedule and using PDF submissions will result in a Best of the High School Press publication with better reproduction quality, more up-to-date content and a more comprehensive selection process.

How to enter your publication’s work for Best Of selections

• Choose the content you wish to submit from your 2008-09 publication (see our recommendations, below)
• Create PDF files of each page, spread or graphic at the highest possible quality (go to http://contests.studentpress.org/BestOf for instructions for creating PDFs)

Send your PDFs to NSPA in one of two ways:

• Upload your PDF files to NSPA using our online submission form, or
• Create a CD of the PDF files (the face of the CD should have your publication name and type, school name, contact e-mail address and “2009 Best of the High School Press Submissions” written on it), and mail it to

  NSPA Best of the High School Press
  2221 University Ave. SE, Suite 121
  Minneapolis, MN 55414

  Feel free to include the CD with your critique or Newspaper Pacemaker entry if you’re sending one this spring/summer.

2008-09 publication PDFs should be received by July 15, 2009, to be considered for publication in Best Of.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will be done with 2007-08 contest winners which would have been published this fall, and with PDFs I’ve submitted from our 2007-08 publications?
NSPA appreciates the more than 150 publications’ worth of PDF content received in response to our requests over the past year. To make sure nothing gets left out in the transition from fall to winter publication, the next edition of Best of the High School Press, to be published in early 2010, will be expanded to include contest winners and other selections from both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years.

Does submitting PDFs for Best Of enter the work in any other contest or judging?
Complete, printed newspaper issues/yearbooks/magazines will still need to be submitted for critiques or Pacemaker contests. However, any digital files entered in individual contests, such as Design of the Year, Picture of the Year or Cartooning Awards, will automatically be included in the Best Of selection process, so any content entered in those contests can be excluded from Best Of submissions.

What can I do to improve my chances of getting something from our publication selected for Best Of?

• DO send as many PDFs as you can (at least 8-10)
• If you are sending entire newspaper issues or your entire yearbook/magazine, DO be sure to suggest some of the best material from it as a starting point for judges.
• If you have strong content in more obscure areas of your publication, such as yearbook academics/clubs pages or newspaper opinion pages, DO include them in your submissions. As always, there will only be room for so many Page Ones, newspaper centerspreads or yearbook divider spreads in Best Of, so the competition in those areas will be tougher.
• DON’T include digital files submitted as entries in individual contests such as Design of the Year, Picture of the Year or Cartooning Awards (all digitally submitted contest entries will automatically be included in the Best Of selection pool).
• DO check your publication’s NSPA membership status to make sure it’s current, and renew if necessary. A current membership in NSPA is necessary both to have work included in Best Of and to receive a copy of the book when it is published.

How can I get technical support for making PDFs or uploading them to NSPA online?
You can find full instructions for making PDFs from either InDesign or Quark by downloading these instructions. If you have other questions or concerns, e-mail us at info at studentpress.org. The two most important instructions, in brief: generate PDF files at the highest possible quality (Press Quality or PDF/X-4), and export all two-page publication spreads as single-page PDF files.

Similar to Guidebooks for print publications, the new Guidebook follows the same basic format but provides this new tool in a format that is both useful for students and teachers but also “walks the talk” of multimedia. It’s an interactive digital document using Adobe PDF and designed for display on a computer screen (or printed for student texts).

The Multimedia Guidebook includes tips on news gathering and Web site management, and it sets standards in five categories:

• Coverage and Content
• Interactivity/Community Tools
• Breaking News
• Design and Navigation
• Rich Media

NSPA Executive Director Logan Aimone debuted the guidebook in a session at the recent JEA/NSPA convention in Phoenix: “The Multimedia Guidebook: A National Standard.” The screen presenation from that session is available for download as a PDF to provide more information.

The guidebook will set the standards for NSPA’s first-ever Web site critiques, now available using this entry form. Whether your publication Web site is well-established or you are just starting up, NSPA’s critique services can provide valuable ideas, tips and suggestions for improvement to help you plan for your Web site’s growth.