Scenario key

Scenario 1
The sports editor and the features have been dating for eight months. However, the sports editor has now showed an interest in the news editor. The features editor is devastated and a dramatic break up happens in the middle of the publications office. The sports and news editors are often huddled in the corner whispering. Staffers are divided on who wronged whom.

What do you do?

Have a heart-to-heart will all parties involved. Remind them they need to be professional while in the office. You may also want to talk to the sports editor about being aware of the situation and not spending all the time with the news editor.

Scenario 2
Barbara has the girls’ hockey team as her beat. After an interview, the coach offers her four tickets to the local professional hockey team’s next game. She asks you for advice. What do you do?

What would you do if she went?

Conflict of interest. What is the coach gaining from giving you the tickets. If she went, she could be removed from the beat based on your procedure.

Scenario 3
You cover the boys’ basketball team. The team miraculously finds itself in the state playoffs. You show up to the press box decked out in your best school attire, a foam finger and two pom poms. You see one journalist chuckle and say something to her friend. It looks like they were talking about you. What do you do?

Realize you messed up and find different clothes fast. Contact a friend and switch in the bathroom. Ditch the foam finger and pom poms too. Remember, you should remain unbiased in the press box.

Scenario 4
Darryl loves to write entertainment blogs. After his newest blog post, your math partner offhandedly comments he thought he had read something similar before in Variety. What do you do?

Do your research. If he has plagiarized, what happens according to your procedures?

Scenario 5
One of the girls’ swimming team captains has approached you about using photos for their upcoming banquet. You’re the editor, but you didn’t take the photos. Your adviser is out on maternity leave and unavailable. What do you do?

Look at your guidelines and procedures. Who owns copyright of the images? Who owns the published content?

Scenario 6
Your principal has stated you may not write on the presence of drug dogs in the school. She said this was a violation of school-police confidentiality. What do you do?

Call SPLC. You will find what your principal has said is erroneous. Based on your policies, work on a game plan and then talk to your principal. If she still holds steadfastly to this idea, again call SPLC.

Scenario 7
The special education department is really excited about the upcoming article about their recent coat drive. However, when the work is published, the teacher says she was misquoted. The reporter said he already recycled his notes. What do you do?

Does a recording exist? Talk to the teacher and the writer. Find out what happened. What do the guidelines and procedures state?

Scenario 8
A recent article about teen drug use has resulted in 148 comments. The assistant principal barges into your third hour class and says you have a problem. Lawyers are calling. Some of these allege the boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams have ragers. Some even name the biggest partiers. What do you do?

Look at your procedures on online comments. Contact SPLC.