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 The
administration has moved on. The media has moved on. The
town of Plainfield, for the most part, has moved on. The
Quaker Shaker staff, however, has not and will not
forget the disappointing lesson learned on
March 6 -- the disheartening reality that student journalists
are not taken seriously and that when they try to act according
to their journalistic instincts, their press rights are
not acknowledged.
Our editor-in-chief, Jason Pearce, was suspended with a
group of students who chose to jump into the school pool,
fully-clothed, as a class prank. His clothing was dry and
a camera hung from his neck. Why, then, was he punished
as harshly as the others? Though the prank had been planned
for months, Pearce was accused of “encouraging”
the potentially dangerous situation. His presence was thought
to have “egged on” the jumpers, who had already
begun to plunge before Pearce arrived. In a mailing sent
to the parents of PHS students, the administration condescendingly
commented, “Reporters are taught to report the news,
not create it.” News is news, regardless of whether
or not the administration finds it appropriate.
Granted, high school journalists are not as experienced
or educated as “real” journalists, but we strive
to maintain the same level of dignity and professionalism.
Sadly,
some do not view our roles in the same light.
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About
the Coverage:
Editors of the Quaker Shaker express their
disappointment in the administration with an editorial
(left). Click on the image to the left, or on the
links below to see full pages of the Quaker Shaker's
response to the senior prank.
Staff
Editorial
Letters From Readers
Face Off
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