Know the basics and foundations of journalism; identify the rules of ethics and your freedoms.

The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the rights of free expression and action that are fundamental to the freedoms of student journalists. This protects students from censorship, or doubtfulness that might come from their audience. There are five principles of journalism that are crucial to the student as they write and report. The first principle is Truth and Accuracy. This is the most obvious because people would typically think, “The truth always has to be reported, right?”. Yes, the truth always has to be reported, even if it takes extreme time and effort. Fact checking is a process to help ensure your information is accurate. In order to do this, talk to your sources to make sure you understand so there is no misinterpretation, and double check statistics so your analysis matches original reports. The second principle refers to the Independence of the student, and how to have a voice that speaks to the audience. This will be explained in more detail in the following steps. The third step explains the significance of Fairness and Impartiality, or how there should be two sides to a story. This helps students steer away from bias or favoring of one side. The tone of a news story should remain objective or balanced so that the news is the primary focus. Not only do the principles consist of academic guidelines, but also give students a glimpse of being personable while interviewing and writing. The fourth principle is Humanity, which is being aware of the impact their words and images can have on the lives of others. Student journalists should be empathetic so they are able to communicate with their sources in a personable manner. The final principle of journalism is Accountability, in which students need to listen to the audience, and make an effort to suffice their desires. Holding yourself accountable also implies that students must fix errors, and will provide remedies when the reader is not pleased.