Ethics & Guidelines Hilltop Views serves as the voice of St.

Edwards Universitys students and as a forum for discussion for the entire university community. The newspaper holds independence, fairness, accuracy, honesty and transparency as core values. The papers first obligation is to report unbiased information on topics of interest to the university community. Its second obligation is to provide a tool for student journalists to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to become ethical professionals. Reporters and editors are solely responsible for the news articles, editorial and opinion columns, photos and videos that appear in Hilltop Views. We take this responsibility seriously and pledge to follow the ethics guidelines set forth in this policy. Independence Certain conflicts of interest may violate the reporter or editors ability to be fair. While students should be encouraged to explore a range of interests, it is critical that campus journalists balance their loyalties to outside organizations against their obligation to be fair and impartial. To that end, reporters and editors for Hilltop Views should not cover any event or issue concerning a student organization to which they belong. Reporters and editors should not cover an event or issue relating to their employment outside of Hilltop Views or relating to an internship. For example, an editor should not assign a story about the library closing for renovations to a student who is employed at the library. Reporters holding office or serving in off-campus organizations should avoid covering stories relating to their positions. Members of the Student Government Association should not cover issues relating to SGA, including legislation, policies, members or events. Reporters and editors should refrain from posting opinions about issues, events organizations and people the newspaper covers on social media sites, including but not limited to personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. Reporters and editors should assume readers will consider their re-tweets endorsements, unless stated otherwise in their Twitter bios. Journalists should assume that everything they post to social media sites can be viewed by the general public even if accounts are set to private. Reporters should not cover stories in which close friends or family members are directly involved. For example, if a reporters best friend wins an award, the reporter should not cover the story. However, the reporter can pitch coverage of the event to the appropriate editor. Reporters should inform editors of any conflicts of interest before accepting assignments. Editors should inform the editors-in-chief and,

when necessary, the faculty adviser before assigning stories that may pose conflict-of-interest questions. Hilltop Views does not grant sources prior review. Reporters and editors may read direct quotes, in context, back to sources. They may also read back particularly technical or complicated portions of their articles. In both cases, the goal is solely to check for accuracy. Reporters and editors may not accept gifts from the people they interview or cover. Reporters should pay for tickets to entertainment events, such as a films or sports games. Reporters reviewing movies or concerts should apply for press credentials, but they may not accept free passes. Hilltop Views critics are reimbursed for meals, tickets and entry fees at the restaurants and events they cover. Fairness and Accuracy Hilltop Views reporters and editors endeavor, above all, to be fair and accurate. When we stumble, we correct our mistakes clearly and as soon as possible after an error has appeared in print or online. Reporters are responsible for notifying editors when corrections need to be made. Editors are responsible for working with reporters to write and publish corrections. Readers may report the need for a correction to the editor-inchief. Contact information is published in each weekly print edition and on hilltopviewsonline.com. Journalists plagiarize when they use verbatim material without crediting sources. Cutting and pasting material found in print or online without attributing the source is plagiarism. Any verbatim statement made by a source must appear in quotation marks with proper attribution. Publishing false information, i.e., making up quotations or other facts, is fabrication. Hilltop Views has a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and fabrication. Both are firing offenses and the newspaper will publish a front/homepage editors note explaining any such incidence. Honesty and Transparency Hilltop Views reporters writing articles for publication in the print or online editions must identify themselves as such when covering a story. Reporters and editors tape record interviews only with the consent of the person being interviewed. All interviews are on the record unless the reporter and source expressly agree, before the interview begins, that some material may not be used at all or may be used without naming the source. Reporters cannot grant sources anonymity or use material without attribution unless they have received permission from an editor. In the rare instances such anonymity may be granted, all information provided by that source must be independently verified. Reporters are obligated to make these standard rules of journalistic engagement clear

to the people they interview. The Hilltop Views staff regularly reviews and revises these guidelines and the technology and practice of journalism evolves. -From Hilltop Views Ethics & Guidelines Page

AP Style Overview AP Style is confusing for most who are new to the newsroom. Though it may seem daunting and frivolous, AP Style can help your writing become more clear and concise. As long as you remember a few key rules, AP Style will be your friend, and not your enemy. AP Style helps create a consistency across different newsrooms, and helps decrease confusion and conflicts. It also helps writers' stories be as unbiased as possible by using clear and neutral language. Names: In AP Style, full names are used on first reference, and only last names are used on any additional reference. This includes names with titles, such as President Martin or Father Wilkinson. "St. Edward's University President George Martin addressed the growing number of students in his State of the University speech." "Our students are the coolest students ever," said Martin. Numbers: Unlike most other writing styles, the numbers 1-9 are spelled out in AP Style, while 10 and up are written. "The nine monkeys at the zoo ate lettuce." "Over 35 witnesses reported seeing the meteor." Ages: Age can be tricky in AP Style, but a few cardinal rules can keep you on track. First, always use figures. Ages are never spelled out. Next, according to the Purdue Owl Writing Lab, "If the age is used as an adjective or as a substitute for a noun, then it should be hyphenated." "A 18-year-old student was arrested at St. Edward's University on Thursday." "The student was 26 years old." Dates: Dates in AP Style are used differently than other writing styles. Some dates are abbreviated, as listed below: Jan. Feb. Aug. Sept.

Oct. Nov. Dec. "Fall classes begin Aug. 25." Dont worry if you dont get the hang of AP Style right away. Your editors will help you sort through your questions and concerns, and as you continue to write for the paper, your knowledge of this elusive style will improve.

Getting Paid Getting paid for your work at Hilltop Views is a little different than it was last semester. Last semester, contributors picked up a check every other week; now, however, you must be put on payroll to get paid. As a freelancer, you will do three try-out stories, photos or videos whatever your mediumbefore you are qualified to be placed on payroll. If you qualify, you will be paid $8 an hour for a maximum of three hours per week. If you need more hours to finish your assignment, you must request those hours from your editor. The editor then must receive approval from faculty advisor Jena Heath. If she does not approve, you will not get extra hours. If your assignments are turned in late without prior approval, at the wrong length or sloppy, you will not be approved for payroll. If you have any questions, contact your editor, editor in chief (Kristina Schenk) or faculty advisor (Jena Heath). Photography The typical requirements for photographers are to turn in at least five photos of each assignment on a strict deadline. As for the nature of the photographs, we expect each assignment to be the work of the photographer alone. Any unacceptable submissions (photographing works of art, posters, etc. or providing photos not taken by the photographer) will not be published and will not receive compensation. -Matt Nunez, Hilltop Views Photo Editor

FAQs How long do my stories have to be? Your story length and requirements will be determined by your editor. Usually, though, stories are between 400800 words long. Your editor will let you know if you need an accompanying picture. Where can I find out more about available stories? Weekly Hilltop Views meetings are every Wednesday at 5 pm in Moody 209. At the meetings, you have the opportunity to talk to editors, volunteer for stories and pitch your own ideas. How can I gain confidence interviewing people? Practice makes perfect! The more you approach interview subjects, the more comfortable you will be talking to more people. Always remember to be polite, and remember to ask for the spelling of their name. Most people are happy to be in the paper! I have a perfect memory. Do I still have to write everything down when I interview people? Yes. Accountability is key in being a good journalist, and Hilltop Views does not accept anything fabricated or misattributed. If you dont want to write everything, use a voice recorder or the Voice Memo feature on your phone. This will help you make sure you got exactly what the person said.