Editorial Policies

CTHS RANGER MEDIA

Adviser Erin Sledge. (817) 232-7112. [email protected] . 3100 NW College DR., Fort Worth, TX  76179

THE RANGER RECORD NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL POLICY

FRONTIER YEARBOOK EDITORIAL POLICY

THE FRONTIER YEARBOOK is published once a year as the permanent record of Chisholm Trail High School for the students, faculty and surrounding community of Chisholm Trail High School. The publication serves as a record/history book, memory book, business venture and classroom laboratory which strives to capture the lives and experiences of students and faculty throughout the year. The Frontier yearbook is a student-planned publication by the yearbook staff enrolled in the class.

CONTENT

• The staff determines the content published in the Frontier yearbook.
• The Frontier yearbook seeks to serve their audience with accurate and factual reporting on significant aspects of school life and subjects of concern to its readers.
• As an independent observer, Frontier yearbook staffers use their unique access to news and broad perspectives through clever, creative approaches to writing, photography, design and coverage of the human spirit.
• It is also the responsibility of Frontier yearbook to cover school, city, state, national and international events and issues that affect or concern the campus, its students or its readers in a non-biased method.
• Frontier yearbook will attempt to cover all aspects of the school; however, coverage will depend greatly upon an item’s news value (how important or interesting it would be to the majority of the school population). Publication editors determine the news value of all material.
• Frontier yearbook will avoid sensationalizing news and events.
• Frontier yearbook will not invade personal privacy or print material that might be embarrassing or degrading to any individual or group.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACCURACY AND OBJECTIVITY

• School publications strive for the highest standards of accuracy, integrity, completeness and careful research in its presentation of material that time allows. Since there are deadlines to meet, however, school publications will go to press with the facts as they stand on deadline.
• Rumor, gossip or innuendos are not, nor will they ever be, the basis for any story appearing in the yearbook. • Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, the Frontier yearbook will become a member of the UIL-ILPC, TAJE, NSPA, CSPA, Quill and Scroll Honorary Society, and JEA professional organizations, and will receive critiques from some of these sources to improve content.
• Because the publication is created by students, for students, prior review by outside sources should be avoided and the staff will take precautions to report the story of the year fairly, fully and responsibly; however, administrators may, according to the Hazelwood court decision, control content prior to publication if they deem specific content to pose a legitimate pedagogical concern. Administration may also offer advice on sensitive issues.

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

• The activities (on and off campus) of curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular clubs and organizations approved by the campus with a faculty adviser, sponsor, coach, etc. may be covered in the yearbook.
• In addition, curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular clubs and organizations approved by the campus with a faculty adviser, sponsor, coach, etc. are permitted to have a group photo in the clubs directory.

SPORTS

• As the official record of the school year, team photos, scores and season records provided to us will be printed in the sports directory for all school-sponsored sports.

NAMES

• The names provided to CADY Photography for school photos are the names that will appear in the reference section of the yearbook unless otherwise requested. Elsewhere in the book the names provided during interview will be used. Because the Frontier yearbook is a document of the school year created by and for the student body, names students go by in class will be used. (ex. Gaby for Gabriela, Will for William).

SCHOOL YEARBOOK PHOTOS

• School photos must be taken by CADY School Photography to be included in the yearbook.
• Each student’s official grade classification the first day of school is used to determine portrait placement. A grade level change after the start school may not be reflected in the portraits.
• The staff reserves the right to exclude any photo it considers inappropriate.
• Students who miss the assigned photo days and retake opportunity will not be included in the portrait section, although they may still be covered in other aspects of the yearbook.

TRAGEDY

• Should a student or school personnel pass away prior to printing deadlines, the staff will treat the death journalistically and in a tasteful manner.
• The individual’s school activities, his or her contributions and the reactions of those who will miss the deceased may be included.
• In the case of a suicide or other sensitive situation, the words “died unexpectedly” may be used as a cause of death.
• An in-memoriam tribute may be purchased by the family to run in the student’s senior year yearbook.

ADVERTISING

• The Frontier yearbook reserves the right to refuse any advertisement that makes reference to products, services, substances or paraphernalia that are illegal to minors or deemed inappropriate to the community.
• No obscene gestures, weapons, nudity at any age are allowed in photos or artwork submitted.
• All ads are subject to review by the adviser and staff.
• The staff reserves the right to assign rates for its ad space.
• The Frontier yearbook staff, its adviser, editors and the administration of Chisholm Trail High School are not liable beyond the cost of the ad for mistakes made within its design, editing or production. In addition, refunds cannot be given for ads, nor can ads be changed once the buyer approves proofs and the pages are sent to print.

AFTER PUBLICATION ERRORS

• The Frontier yearbook is produced by students and may have errors; however, refunds will not be given for misspelled names or other editing errors.
• Exchanges can be made in room 101 for books with major printing flaws such as missing or damaged pages.
• If a major flaw is found after the book has been written in, the book may be replaced while extra copies remain in exchange for the damaged book.

DISTRIBUTION

• All buyers must present a photo ID when picking up a yearbook. It is responsibility of the buyer to provide proof of purchase if the yearbook staff has no record of the sale.
• Returned books become sole property of the yearbook staff and can be resold if not damaged.
• A lost or stolen book may be replaced for the cost of the book at delivery time on a first-come, first-serve basis. In summary, The Frontier Yearbook will strive for journalistic excellence and will aim to be a vital part of the Chisholm Trail High School community.