The Panther: Ethics, Policies & Procedures 2024
Introduction
The Panther is an independent newspaper, separate from Chapman University. However, The Panther’s budget is disbursed and approved through the university. The Panther receives its budget from a Student Government Association fee and from advertising revenue. Therefore, Chapman University bears the legal responsibility for the contents of the newspaper.
Student editors and writers are expected to adhere to the Associated Press Stylebook guidelines and The Panther’s Stylebook.
It is understood that the opinions expressed in The Panther are not necessarily that of the university or student body.
The Panther is independent from the university and meant to serve the student body. The newspaper does operate with a faculty adviser and administrator, who serves as the publisher. However, it is understood that the publisher does not have any say in editorial or content decisions featured in The Panther. The newspaper’s day-to-day operations are entirely controlled by the student editors and writers.
The positions on The Panther are all paid, part-time positions. The staff is hired by the editor-in-chief on a semester-to-semester basis.
Censorship
The Panther strongly stands against censorship of any kind, including prior review and prior restraint of any kind.
Definitions:
Censorship: suppressing or deleting any content considered objectionable.
Prior review: occurs when executive persons read and review materials before they have been made available to the public.
Prior restraint: suppression of material that would be published or broadcast.
The Panther holds the right to First Amendment protection over freedom of the press — the fundamental principle that communication and expression through the newspaper should be considered a right to be exercised freely.
The adviser and publisher of The Panther does not have the power to limit, suppress or censor any work published by the newspaper.
Anonymous Sources
The Panther makes it a best practice to avoid anonymous sources whenever possible. Transparency is critical to The Panther’s credibility as a news organization. When possible, editors and writers pursue information on the record. When a source insists on background or off-the-record interviews, The Panther must adhere to a strict set of guidelines. The Panther follows the Associated Press’s guidelines on anonymous sources, which are as follows. Material from anonymous sources may be used only if:
The material is information and not opinion or speculation, and it is vital to the report.
The information is not available except under the conditions of anonymity imposed by the source.
The source is reliable and in a position to have direct knowledge of the information.
Definitions:
On-the-record: All the information discussed in the interview is able to be used, quoted and attributed to the source without restriction.
Off-the-record: None of the information discussed in the interview can be published or attributed to the source.
On background: None of the information can be attributed to the source in a story. The information may be published only under specific conditions negotiated with the source.
Anonymous source: An unnamed source in a story, but usually includes a description of the source. This may include a student’s year and major — but not their name, for example.
When The Panther utilizes anonymous sources within stories, the writers and editors aim to include at least one on-the-record interview within the story. In order to increase credibility, The Panther aims to avoid any stories with exclusively anonymous sources.
Takedown Demands
The Panther holds the right to refuse to take down any stories from the online publication, no matter how much time has passed since publication.
If The Panther discovers some aspects of the reporting is incorrect or misleading, the editors must alter or remove the story in order to best resolve the incorrect information.
If an online story is altered after original publication, it is required to include an official correction disclaimer at the bottom of the piece to signify to readers that it has been corrected since initial publication.
If a print story must be altered after original publication, it is required to include an official correction disclaimer in the next print edition.
The editor-in-chief holds the responsibility and final authority to decide if a story should be taken down or altered to best resolve any reporting errors.
The Panther refuses to retract or alter any article that has accurate, factual information. Someone disagreeing with the content, which may or may not be controversial, is not enough to warrant removing or altering the story.
Style Guides
The Panther utilizes the Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law for all grammar, style and usage guidelines.
The Panther follows its own stylebook for additional grammar and style rules and guidelines.
Interviewing & Reporting Ethics
The Panther follows the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.
The Panther acknowledges that California is a two-party consenting state for recording audio.
The Panther writers and editors must always ask permission to record any and all interviews at the beginning of the conversation.
The Panther records interviews in order to increase accuracy and avoid any misquotations from sources. However, if a party does not consent to a recorded interview for any reason, the editors and writers must only take hand-written notes.
The Panther does not need to get permission to record public events, including events on campus at Chapman University.
By attending and speaking at a public event, the source is consenting to that information being used in publication. This also includes any images that may be captured by a staff photographer at public events.
The Panther does not need permission in order to take photos at any public events on campus. By the nature of being on campus, all students have consenting to being photographed in any and all public spaces.
The Panther acknowledges that it is a best practice to ask permission before taking photos of all people depicted, but it is not required.
If a source is talking to a writer from The Panther, it is presumed to be on the record unless otherwise stated. If a source consented to an interview but later expressed that they said something they regret, the writer can still use the information.
When reporting a story, The Panther avoids interviewing any sources that currently or have previously worked for The Panther.
The Panther makes it a best practice to ask all sources for their preferred pronouns when conducting interviews. If a writer is unsure what pronouns a source uses, they must ask the source directly or avoid any pronouns or gendered terms in a story.
The Editor-in-Chief
The editor-in-chief is hired at the end of the spring semester each year in preparation for the following fall semester after a rigorous application process. The editor-in-chief serves for one full year.
The editor-in-chief has administrative responsibility for all aspects of The Panther. The editor-in-chief has the final say and decision-making power over any and all content published in The Panther, including images, graphics, videos, podcasts, articles, graphics, social media posts and art.
The editor-in-chief makes it a high priority to ensure all content posted on The Panther is accurate, fair and objective, with the exception of content posted in the opinions section.
The editor-in-chief is responsible for any and all complaints regarding the content published on The Panther and fields all complaints. The editor-in-chief should prioritize speaking with anyone who wishes to discuss content on The Panther and how it can be improved.
The editor-in-chief must work toward leaving The Panther better each semester and constantly working the newspaper’s primary mission to serve the student body at Chapman University.
This guide was initially created by Angelina Hicks, The Panther’s editor-in-chief for the 2022-2023 academic year. Read more about why she decided to create this guide here: Opinion | From the EIC: formally introducing The Panther’s ethics, policies and procedures.