JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY TASK FORCE

Members

Dr. Serafin Mendez-Mendez, Chair, Department of Communication
Dr. Margaret Toston, Vice-President, Student Affairs
Mark Rowan, Editor, Central Recorder

Our Charter
Identify Policies and procedures at Central Connecticut State University and other Connecticut State University institutions and our peer institutions for educating student journalists in responsible journalism and community standards.

Methods

As part of our work, our sub-committee contacted several of the Connecticut State University institutions and other peer institutions to assess what mechanisms, if any, they had in place to educate student journalists involved in their student newspapers both in terms journalism standards, skills, and issues of social responsibility as it related to fair and sensitive reporting and commentary. At the same time, we look at the existing mechanisms available at Central Connecticut State University to mentor, educate and support students currently involved with the Central Recorder. 

Findings

1. None of the Connecticut State University sister institutions contacted have formal mechanisms or training program in place to provide a comprehensive education and support for students involved in the campus newspapers;
    
2. Most campuses do provide a loose series of educational opportunities (i.e. stipends for attendance to conferences and workshops);  however, there are no formal comprehensive and systematic training and support initiatives for these students. The same is true for Central Connecticut State University.
    

3. While there has been good support for students in terms of administrative oversight and support, students at Central Connecticut State University who have been involved in the Central Recorder have not participated of a systematic training initiative that will expose them to the basic journalistic skills and practices.
    

4. Many of the students currently involved in the Recorder take classes from the Journalism program. There is a tacit assumption that these students do acquire some of the fundamentals of the journalistic craft from the program. Unfortunately, many others do not have this opportunity.
    
5. Faculty advisors in the Recorder, through their relationship in the journalism program in the English Department, have facilitated a process by which a student can acquire some of these skills and knowledge (in many instances through the dual role as print journalism professors and adv); nevertheless, the Recorder lacks an official mentor that will have an official responsibility in providing in-depth knowledge that they need to operate successfully.
    

Recommendations

1. Our sub-committee, in consultation with many of the committee members, strongly recommends the creation of a systematic training initiative that will provide aspiring journalists at the Central Recorder with year-round training opportunities that will allow them to acquire much needed journalistic skills.  We suggest they increase funding so that students could participate in trainings and workshops suitable for student journalists both locally, regionally, and nationwide.
    

2. Our sub-committee encourages the creation of a systematic training effort by which student journalists get to participate in an intensive seminar dealing with fundamental journalistic skills prior to the beginning of the reporting work at the Central Recorder. Such seminar can take place during the summer session and the possibility should be considered to develop such workshops under the auspices of the Journalism Program, the Communication Department and Continuing Education.
    
3. The sub-committee believes that Central Connecticut State University should expand their efforts in bringing to campus more speakers who would mentor student journalists.
    

4. The sub-committee believes that there is a need for the establishment of incentives to faculty members who can work more closely with students in the Central Recorder.