About

Adviser: Brittany Eckard

Principal: Dr. Darin Thompson

Mission Statement: 

The Harvester News aims to communicate and highlight student interest, opinion, and events regarding Hayfield Secondary school, while teaching Hayfield students to be ethical and thought provoking journalists. We value truth, student voice and freedom of expression. 

 

Editorial Policy:

The Harvester News is the official student-produced media for Hayfield Secondary School. The staff is made up of Journalism 1-4 students and overseen by a student editorial board and an adviser. Students choose the content, write the stories, and edit the drafts. The views presented in the publication do not represent the views of the school, but rather the individual staff writers. 

The Harvester News provides an open forum for student expression. Journalists are responsible for practicing responsible journalism and will not violate the guidelines on freedom of expression, contained in section C of chapter 1 and regulation 2612 of the Fairfax County guidelines. Materials that are considered illegal, libelous or profane by the editorial board will not be printed. The Harvester News is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and the Virginia High School League.

The staff values diverse opinions and perspectives and we strive to protect and encourage the first amendment rights of every individual. The Harvester News does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, nationality or on matters relating to sexuality, religion or political affiliation.

The discussion of controversial topics may appear throughout the publication, but not without careful consideration of the editorial board. The staff is committed to reporting the truth, verifying information, and presenting all sides of a story fairly and objectively.  If the topic is controversial, the editorial board will discuss the positive and negative impacts the article may have, and apply the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics:

• Seek truth and report it
• Minimize harm
• Act independently
• Be accountable

As of January 2025, content must be reviewed by our faculty adviser prior to publication. In cases of controversial topics, content must be reviewed by administration prior to publication. Both the adviser and the principal will refer to regulations 2612 and 3280 during the content review process. 

 

Staff Expectations:

All staff members enrolled in Journalism 1-4 are expected to participate in the production of The Harvester News, following all deadlines as set by editors and the adviser. It is the responsibility of the staff to do the following:

• Report the news objectively and ethically
• Follow the guidance in regulation 2612.8
• Exercise first amendment rights responsibly 
• Apply the standards of ethical reporting

 

Adviser Expectations:

The role of the adviser is to teach journalism content as outlined in the program of studies and to advise students carefully to ensure they follow best practices of responsible journalism. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the adviser to do the following:

• Review all content before publication and advise best practices in ethical reporting
• Consult with administration on topics that may be sensitive or controversial in nature
• Grade students on the work they produce for the publication
• Coach student editors to lead the staff in all facets of the publication process

 

Administrator Expectations:

It is the responsibility of the administrator to do the following:

• Work with the staff and adviser to uphold the editorial policy
• Review controversial topics and make final publication decisions based on regulation 2612 and 3280
  • Determine if the content violates school policies or disrupts the educational process
  • Determine if the material may lead to substantial disruption of school activities
    • Is there a past history of disruption on this topic at the school?
    • Will it lead students to act in a disruptive manner rather than being merely offensive or provocative?
    • Is it similar to other material that has proven disruptive in school?
    • How will it be distributed and to how many people? 
  • Determine if the material invades the rights of others
  • Determine if the material is libelous, slanderous, obscene, lewd, or advocates the commission of a criminal act
• Advocate for student journalism
• Consult with region and office division counsel as needed
• Engage in dialogue with editors and adviser on stories with sensitive or potentially controversial topics 
• Encourage editorial changes if necessary

 

Bylines

Articles written by individual staff members will include a byline. All bylined writers will be held accountable for their work. The individual viewpoints of student staff members in signed opinion stories are not a reflection of the views of the adviser, editor(s), or staff as a whole. 

Staff editorials do not include bylines because they represent the views of the majority of the staff. Any staff member can write the editorial. During the editorial topic selection process, topics are presented by staff members and voted on. A majority of the staff must agree on the topic before it is published.

 

Photo Credits

All photos and graphic elements will include a caption and a photo credit. Photos and illustrations must follow copyright and fair use guidelines. If the photo/illustration is not original, it must have a creative commons license and/or the staff member should receive direct permission from the creator.

 

Types of Content

• News: A timely reporting on factual information regarding events at Hayfield or in the Fairfax County Community
• Features: An objective story of a highlight of an event, person, or thing
• Opinions: A subjective piece highlighting one side of an argument
• Editorials: A subjective piece highlighting one side of an argument; views represent staff majority
• Sports: An objective or subjective story relating to sports
• A&E: An objective or subjective story of entertainment or art

 

Sources

All Harvester News staff members are expected to find credible sources for their articles. Each article should include multiple, diverse sources in order to provide balanced coverage of the topic. It is the goal of the staff writer to remain objective and to provide all perspectives in the story. Sources may include the following: 

• Interviews (balanced coverage of students and adults in the community)
• Online research (credible and reputable sources. Links will be provided)
• Anonymous sources (decisions will be made on a case by case basis by the editorial board)

During interviews, staff members are required to record transcripts after asking permission. Staff members should save all recordings in case the information needs to be verified at a later time.

 

Artificial Intelligence and Plagiarism

The Harvester News content is created by human journalists. If AI is used to aid or assist in the development of any article or content, it will be listed as a source.

 

Community Feedback

The Harvester News staff aims for objectivity in its reporting and encourages community input. If you would like to submit questions or concerns, you may email us at [email protected] or leave a comment on our online articles.

If an error occurs in The Harvester News publication, a correction will be made promptly and transparently.

 

Guest Writers

The Harvester News welcomes guest writers, but the editorial team will assist in making sure all guest writers follow the established editorial policy. Guest articles can be edited by the student editors prior to publication. If you would like to submit an article for publication, please email us at [email protected].