Policies

Editorial PolicyThe ODYSSEY is a student-produced Newsmagazine and online publication, published with the intent to inform, entertain and give voice to the Clarke Central High School community, as well as to educate student journalists. Both the website and each issue are public forums for student expression under the guidance of a faculty adviser. Student journalists are provided with opportunities to investigate, inform, interpret and evaluate all traditionally accepted functions of the American press.

Published opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone other than the writers.

The ODYSSEY staff is committed to adhere to the mission statement set forth by CCHS. The goals of the staff are to provide fair, accurate news and commentaries, as well as to serve the interests of the school and Athens communities.

Publication of advertisements does not indicate an endorsement by CCHS or by the ODYSSEY staff. Students pictured in advertisements are not given monetary compensation. All advertising rates are available upon request from any ODYSSEY staff member.

The ODYSSEY is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Georgia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Southern Interscholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll Honor Society.

Corrections of errors will appear in the next Newsmagazine issue and on the ODYSSEY website.

Prior Review PolicyThe ODYSSEY Media Group seeks to maintain courteous professional relationships with sources and community members. Staffers are expected to treat sources with respect. If a source asks to see an article before publication, the writer will meet with the Editors-in-Chief, Section Editor and Managing Editor to assess the validity of their request. Editors will then vet the request with Mr. Ragsdale. The OMG does not allow sources to censor articles or retract on-record statements unless an issue of accuracy is to be addressed. At no time should an OMG reporter feel pressured or intimidated by a source in regard to on-record statements. If this occurs, immediately contact Mr. Ragsdale. In instances in which OMG protocols are not properly followed, Mr. Ragsdale, the Cabinet and Section Editor, if applicable, will host a coaching session with a staffer not in compliance.

Source Attribution PolicyOn the occasion a source requests that their identity be kept confidential in published material we must be reluctant to grant their wish. When we use anonymous sources we are asking for another level of reader trust. We must be certain that the benefit to readers is worth the cost in credibility.

As such, staffers are not to use a quote or information from a source who requests anonymity, unless it is deemed vital for the story by the Editors-in-Chief and adviser. Otherwise, the information is deemed unreliable. As a high school publication, in cases where bullying, harassment or safety concerns pose a threat to a source, Mr. Ragsdale must be alerted as a mandatory reporter.

When dealing with a sensitive or controversial subject or interview, a source may request to go off-the-record. If this occurs, staffers must pause the recording and respect what the source is saying. Staffers must allow the source to indicate when they go back on-the-record. Staffers are not allowed to directly quote anything a source says off the record.

Representation PolicyThe ODYSSEY Media Group strives to accurately represent and depict the members of the Clarke Central High School community through our various media platforms. Staffers must be particularly mindful when writing pieces that deal with sensitive issues such as race, gender and sexuality. As with any other piece, all sides of the story should be told and presented in a balanced manner. Staffers must be aware of the gender and racial/ethnic identity of their sources and, with the guidance of the Section Editor and Editors-in-Chief, determine if mentioning the cultural identity of their source in the title is necessary to ensure stronger credibility.

Retraction PolicyThe ODYSSEY Media Group strives to provide accurate, fair and unbiased news for the CCHS community. All published information should be double-checked for accuracy before publication, which includes but is not limited to verifying spellings of names, verifications of dates, locations and claims made by sources. It is vitally important for OMG personnel to make every effort to ensure accuracy, fairness and balance. However, if incorrect information is published or an error is made in the Newsmagazine, the error will be acknowledged and corrected at the beginning of the next issue in the Corrections and Omissions section. On the website, minor errors (grammatical/stylistic) will be edited and corrected in real time. Significant online errors will be disclosed and amended in the online Corrections and Omissions page.

Larger errors (misquotes, inaccurate statements, false light) will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and the ODYSSEY will publicly address the situation. When our reporting is factually correct but our language is misleading or unclear, the language will be rewritten and it will be logged in the Corrections and Omissions section. A clarification will be used to note that we initially failed to provide full context or to address the error in context.

In instances in which OMG protocols are not properly followed, Mr. Ragsdale, the appropriate Cabinet Member and Section Editor, if applicable, will host a coaching session with a staffer not in compliance.

Interview Policy

All interviews should be conducted face-to-face in order to get the best quality interview. If a source is not available to talk in person, staffers should schedule an over-the-phone interview or Zoom/Google Meeting interview. Avoid interviewing over email or text messages at all costs, as this limits the opportunity for candid responses and follow-up questions. To avoid conflicts of interest, staffers do not interview friends, family members or those with whom objectivity is compromised. Unless unavoidable, staffers should not interview those in their same grade. In cases in which a source requests to see interview questions in advance, the writer should immediately vet the situation with their Section Editor, Cabinet and Mr. Ragsdale.

Transcription Policy

All interviews should be transcribed in their entirety as soon as possible after the interview is conducted. The transcription should then be reviewed by the respective Section Editor for accuracy. Transcriptions function as insurance against misquoting sources. Transcriptions should be written as a script and with complete fidelity.
In addition to the typed transcriptions, all interview recordings (audio/visual/screenshots of texts or email PDFS) should be uploaded to the staffer’s transcription folder. Recordings should be labeled staffer’s last name_subject’s
name_date.

School Death PolicyAny active member of the Clarke Central High School community who dies will be recognized in the following issue of the Newsmagazine in a 300-word obituary with a social media post to complement; if the death occurs outside of publishing cycles, the obituary will be published online. The obituary will either be written by someone close to the deceased or the staff as a whole as in the case of an “Our Take”. It should include pertinent information, including, but not limited to a brief biography with accomplishments, reference to surviving family members and funeral arrangements.

Along with the obituary, there will be a school photo of the deceased or a photo from the ODYSSEY Media Group’s archives. Members of the OMG will treat all deaths in a tasteful, respectful way. Cause of death should not be listed. An invitation to the CCHS community to share memories of the deceased via a blog will be offered via social media and/or email.

Guest Contributor Policy

Letters to the Editor

Email us at editors@odysseynewsmagazine.net, or drop off in the Main Office, in care of the ODYSSEY. We ask that all letters be under 250 words and signed. We reserve the right to omit or edit any letters received. Insulting, unsigned or libelous statements will not be considered for publication. All letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Press Pass Policy

The ODYSSEY Media Group press pass can be used to leave class or campus to conduct OMG business during school hours, advertising runs and interviews. The press pass is used only to conduct ODYSSEY business. In instances in which OMG protocols are not properly followed, Mr. Ragsdale, the appropriate Cabinet Member and Section Editor, if applicable, will host a coaching session with a staffer not in compliance.

Byline Policy

All articles, graphics, photos, art, columns, pages, reviews and other material creatively conceived, with exception to staff editorials, mug shots and cut-outs will be bylined with the content creator’s name. All bylined creators will be held accountable for their work. When more than one person has contributed creatively to a piece of work, any person who has contributed to the work must be bylined as a producer. When a collaborator/editor contributes 20% of rewrites, they must be bylined as a co-creator.

Profanity Policy

The use of profanity is not permitted in the ODYSSEY classroom, journalistic writing or in classroom assignments. Using profanity is deemed unprofessional and does not abide by the ODYSSEY standard.

Social Media Policy

Social media is used to promote the publication and its published content, report breaking and timely news and engage the CCHS and Athens communities. Information posted on social media platforms will be held to the same standard as all other reporting in terms of information gathering and fact-checking. Transparency is important. Mistakes made on social media posts are corrected as soon as possible via a pinned comment and any deleted posts are acknowledged in subsequent postings. The OMG allows anyone to engage with its social media accounts via liking, commenting and sharing. However, the OMG reserves the right to remove comments that violate any provisions for profanity, obscenity or inflammatory language hitherto outlined.