An 18 year-old-girl was interrogated for hours by the SFPD, but she would
not reveal her secret. Who is she? She is a student reporter for The
Lowell and was being pressured to release the name of a source that was
quoted in her controversial news story. The article covered an incident that
occurred on the campus where a teacher's car tires were slashed. The reporter
was able to find the person who committed the crime and interviewed him,
promising to protect the identity of the source. When the school administration
read the article, they demanded that the reporter release the name of her source
to the police. She refused, replied that the relationship between reporter and
source was her responsibility to uphold, and that her right to secrecy was
protected by the First Amendment. This action shows the quality journalism of a
professional reporter. It also shows that the difference between a good and bad
reporter depends on the amount of courage, confidence, and desire to follow
through with a story.
Students might join The Lowell because they want to be
among the staff of an award-winning paper and have their byline printed next to
a story that they had written. Or they might join The Lowell because it
will look good on their college transcripts. A bad reporter will want to cover
stories that do not require much interviewing and with sources who are easy to
reach. This affects the potential of the article, because the reporter is only
doing the minimal amount of effort to develop the story. When a reporter lacks
dedication to actual news reporting, then important details can be missed and
affect the article.
A good reporter spends time researching background information,
takes into account possible different views, and tries to maintain an unbiased
style of writing so that readers will be able to form opinions about the topic.
Although The Lowell is a high school paper, students should assume the
responsibilities of being a professional reporter. One responsibility is
protecting the name of a source. Watergate is an example of protecting the
source, because if the sources' identities are easily revealed, then people will
be afraid to disclose information and the story will be incomplete.
Reporters must have the fortitude to face opposition and
continue to search for explanations about a story until all possible angles of
the story are presented. The typeset story will have better substance than if
written half-heartedly by an undedicated journalist.
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