The role of a student newspaper adviser

Advising a student newspaper at the high school or college level is a amazingly satisfying experience. Students willing to spend hours carefully reporting and writing news and feature stories, illustating those stories with photos and artwork, then designing pages on complicated software are truly inspiring. Their dedication is all the more inspiring considering the dire news from the newspaper industry. Publicly-traded newspapers can't keep pace with Wall Street's insane profit demands and the readers are continuing to gravitate toward the internet for news and entertainment. Critics are predicting the imminent demise of the newspaper. That's a subject for another blog; but if the enthusiasm and passion of young journalists is any indication, some form of newspaper journalism--and a more professional type of internet journalis--will survive and thrive in the future.

So what role does the adviser play? Generally there are two models. In high school and some private colleges, the adviser serves as the publisher's representative (legally speaking, the publisher is often the principal or college president) and reads all stories before they are published. In theory the adviser can change copy, refuse to run ads, and generally overrule the student staff if he or she feels the content is libelous, offensive or too controversial. Some principals demand to read student newspapers before they are published, and one legitimate faux pas like a misquote, or an article that isn't flattering to the administration, can lead to censorship or a cessation of the student newspaper.

At Pepperdine, the Graphic adviser has never had to censor student content or send a story to the university president or another administrator in order to get permission to publish. Instead, the adviser and the classroom learning experiences are expected to provide a basis for student reporting that is factual, rational and civil. When a student opinion article contains unsubstantiated claims or resorts to name calling, or a news article is not well-research or lacks context, the adviser may suggest that the content be improved--and provide suggestions as to how to improve the content--before it is published. Usually even that step is not necessary as student editors catch content not in keeping with the Graphic's high standards, and changes are made before an adviser ever sees the opinion piece or story.

The role of the adviser is active; he or she remains in the newsroom until all copy has been read and all pages are completed. That usually means staying until well past midnight on Wednesday, which is deadline night. The adviser's role also includes meeting with faculty and administrators who feel that Graphic content was slanted or inaccurate, or that an action of a student or staff member should not have received publicity because of the sensitive nature of the story. The adviser's role in this case is to help educate people about the role of a newspaper in society, and to discuss some of the sticky ethical issues student journalists deal with in the areas of privacy and advocacy that might appear to be counter to the university's stated mission. Occasionally the adviser, in consultation with student editors, will suggest policy changes for the Graphic to respond to a concern expressed by an administrator, faculty member or student.

The other model of university adviser is much more hands-off. This type of adviser, who is sometimes a professor and sometimes a full-time staff member, is to provide advice to students when they request it. The student newspaper in this case is often funded by advertising and student fees, and because it is published by a public institution, it is fully protected by the First Amendment. The role of the adviser may be one of more distance from student decision-making, and more likely to mirror the role of an editor or publisher on a daily newspaper in most American cities. Still, the adviser provides encouragement, input and informal teaching to the staff and improvements in the newspaper flow from his or her wisdom.

Either way, the role of the adviser is ever-changing, challenging and ultimately very rewarding.

I'd love to hear from advisers and student journalists with thoughts on the ways in which student publications advisers can best serve their students and the profession of journalism.