Policies

The Chronicle Policies (2024-2025)

1. 1. Practice responsible journalism.

   2. The Chronicle newspaper at Shorecrest Preparatory School is a student publication generated and produced by students, under the guidance and direction of student editors and a faculty advisor. It is produced by students in The Chronicle club and is aligned with Shorecrest’s mission. The newspaper and website are designed to serve students, the Shorecrest community, and the local Tampa Bay region. We are a public forum of student expression. Students who are on The Chronicle staff learn how to do independent research, report, interview, write journalistically, shoot photographs, edit stories and photographs, and design pages.

   3. Editors are charged with ensuring The Chronicle is a responsible media member, pursuing important stories but following appropriate journalistic guidelines and traditions. Other staff members must abide by the decisions of editors; editors must abide by the decisions of the co-Editors-in-Chief.

   4. Student staff and editors working for The Chronicle have the right and responsibility to conduct research, including interviewing sources, for stories they are pursuing. Students are expected to appropriately source stories. Sourcing standards vary by the kind of story that is being produced. 

   5. Quotes – All quotes collected legitimately (via. consent from the subject) by The Chronicle are not subject to change. Any document with thoughts or ideas about the article’s subject that is shared with a member of The Chronicle by staff or faculty is free to use unless directly disclosed to be off the record. All quotes from faculty and staff members used in any publication will be run by them prior to publication. Faculty and staff have the opportunity to request more context to be given to their quote, but not permission to request editing or removal of quotes from the publication. The Chronicle has a commitment to reporting the observable truth in good faith.

   6. Prior review – Shorecrest administration reserves the right to prior review of the publication.  If an article is reviewed prior to publication by any administrator, faculty, or staff member (excluding The Chronicle advisors), it will be noted in the print and online publication with a large, obvious byline saying, “This article was subject to prior-review by administration.”

   7. Artificial Intelligence – The use of AI is not permitted during any part of the publication process—reporting, writing, photography, graphic design, or social media. The Chronicle is a student-run newspaper, noticeably NOT facilitated by any other sources of intelligence. Additionally, use of AI is illegal for those under 18 without explicit parental consent, so be mindful of your actions.  If use of AI is discovered, that person will be removed from staff, their work will be evaluated, and they will be sent to Honor Council. 

   8. Outside Sourcing – Use of outside sources, whether online databases or outsourced professionals in certain fields, is permitted and encouraged. However, outside sourcing must be done due-diligently with time spent considering the bias and legitimacy of sources. Additionally, a database is located in The Chronicle Google Drive with a working list of outsourced professionals that The Chronicle staff can utilize for reporting purposes. 

   9. Photos – All photos must be taken by Chronicle staff unless an exception is explicitly given on a case-by-case basis per the co-editors-in-chief. Use of photos from the web is considered copyright infringement and introduces unwanted legal issues. Do not take photos from the web!

   10. Language – No use of profanity is permitted by writers or in quotes. If profanity is used in a sourced quote, keep the first and last letter and use an em dash (—) to represent the rest of the word (eg. d—m to represent damn).

   11. Interviews – Interviews must be conducted in a certain manner in order to practice responsible journalism. All interviews should be recorded, either by voice or by video. The subject must be willing to be recorded.  If they aren’t, you should find another subject or take diligent notes if your interview is necessary. At the beginning of the interview, introduce the story that’s being reported. Then, explicitly ask for their name (including spelling), pronouns, and grade or position (situational). Then, the interviewer may proceed with the questions and discussion.

   12. The Chronicle content that has been posted online shall remain online indefinitely. Any inaccuracies will be corrected in the online version of The Chronicle content. The advisor and co-editors-in-chief will consider take-down requests on a case-by-case basis.