SPONSORED BY FIRE’S STUDENT PRESS FREEDOM FREEDOM INITIATIVE (SPFI)

I was reading through student media headlines last week when I came across a few that made me furrow my brow:

Then I remembered: Wednesday was April Fools’ Day, when some student news outlets prank their audiences with made-up stories. 

I have to admit, some seemed pretty clever, like the Amherst Student’s “College Considers Purchasing HingeX for Students.” Others, like satirical content at UNC, didn't land well. Add to that SPJ's annual SIN contest, which encourages students to create an entirely made-up issue full of ethical sins for a cash prize, and you’ve got all the makings for a confused and upset campus audience.

Just like every other day in college journalism.

The annual hand-wringing around April Fools’ editions and the SPJ contest puts a fine point on your job: Great leaders in this space need to have authentic, meaningful communication with student journalists — not just around April 1, but every day. 

You can never reinforce too much that your door and your mind are always open, especially as the frantic pace of finishing off the semester picks up. 

Good luck out there this week!

SPONSOR MESSAGE

Student journalists shouldn’t have to fight censorship alone. FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative (SPFI) defends student reporters nationwide with free legal resources, a 24-hour hotline, and expert advocates ready to help when your rights are under threat. 

SPFI offers helpful resources to student journalists at colleges and universities on subjects like press freedom, the First Amendment, libel and defamation, privacy law, and intellectual property. Learn more about the guidance and support available to your newsroom. 

Please tell your students you can help them find housing for jobs and internships. I once had a student back out of a fantastic summer internship in Manhattan because they were too daunted by the prospect of finding short-term housing. Housing is hard stuff! Make yourself available to help, like these folks who bought a condo to rent to early-career journalists.

A university PR person being an advocate for campus media? Yes, please. (Too bad he's retiring — is he available for trainings?)

Fifty years ago, UVA's The Cavalier named its first female editor-in-chief, who was also among the first female undergraduates of the institution. I love that these students found and interviewed her.

Students at the University of Alabama delivered a petition last week asking the UA president to reinstate two shuttered independent student magazines.

It’s fun when professional media recognize the hard work of student journalists, like this TV station did with University of Michigan sports reporters.

The College Fix, a conservative-leaning news site that employs student journalists from across the country, is reporting that a student journalist at the University of Pittsburgh was asked by university officials to erase her newsgathering. Tsk, tsk, Pitt!

One more thought about April Fools': While I suspect that many of your students participate in fake news traditions because they were handed down by former editors, the precedent has been set by many universities that try to fool their students on this holiday. Those of us in glass houses …

Tomo Chien’s daily newsletter at USC has a cult following of 12,000 and a 70% open rate — unparalleled in the student media universe.

Chien talked to the Student Press Report about the newsletter’s origins, his daily process and what will happen to Morning, Trojan when he graduates in May.

If your students have been wondering how they can get involved in Jeffrey Epstein coverage, have I got a webinar for you! The Student Press Law Center is hosting “Following the Files: How Student Journalists Can Investigate Epstein Connections on Campus,” this Tuesday, April 7, at 3 p.m. Eastern.

The Solutions Journalism Network is offering “Rethinking Election Coverage: A Solutions Journalism Approach for Student Media,” a webinar about covering elections through a solutions journalism lens, this Wednesday, April 8, from 3-4 Eastern.

Deadline alert! This is your last week to apply for the Scripps Howard Fund’s Student Media Sustainability Program, led by yours truly. Applications are due next Sunday, April 12, before midnight.

This is your friendly reminder that while I am not specifically available for parties and bar mitzvahs, I would love to have a hand in training your students, or leading your faculty in using AI, or in any other area your school needs help in.

My fall schedule is starting to fill up, so shoot me an email to [email protected] to talk timing, budget and needs.

Booking me supports this newsletter, the Student Press Report and the rest of my work — and I have exceptionally high customer satisfaction ratings. 💯 🔥

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