About

The Statesman Online went live in May 2022 reverting back to the original name of the printed paper when Churchill first opened in 1966.

Our Editorial Policy

The Statesman Online is a student-produced news and feature publication that’s published six times a year.  As an online publication, The Statesman Online will be updated regularly.

The publication has been established as a public forum for student expression and for the discussion of issues of concern to its audience.

Since The Statesman Online is a forum for student expression, the editorial board, which consists of the staff’s top editors, will determine the content of the newsmagazine and all unsigned editorials; therefore, material may not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of NEISD school officials. The views stated in editorials represent that of a majority of the editorial board. No single member of the editorial board can be held responsible for editorial content decisions. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author.

The Statesman Online welcomes comments on its online content; however, all comments are moderated by the campus adviser, administration and student editorial board.  We reserve the right to remove a comment should it not meet our approval or seems inappropriate in content.

Online media produced by The Statesman Online are entitled to the same protections, and subject to the same freedoms and responsibilities, as media produced for print publication.

Student journalists may use online media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to ask questions of and consult with experts and to locate material to meet their newsgathering and research needs.

The Statesman Online and its staff are protected by and bound to the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various court decisions implementing those principles.

The Statesman Online and its staff will strive to publish only legally protected speech following the legal definitions for libel, obscenity and invasion of privacy. The staff will also refrain from printing stories that create a material disruption of school activities. Specific definitions for the above instances of unprotected speech can be found in Law of the Student Press.

Staff members will strive to correct any error before publication; however, if the editorial board determines a significant error is printed, a formal correction will most certainly be posted.

The adviser of The Statesman Online will not act as a censor or determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction, following the code of ethics set forth for advisers by the Journalism Education Association. The adviser will help the staff cover all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner, according to the Canons of Professional Journalism developed by the Society for Professional Journalists. The Canons of Professional Journalism include a code of ethics concerning the accuracy, responsibility, integrity, conflict of interest, impartiality, fair play, freedom of the press, independence, sensationalism, personal privacy, obstruction of justice, credibility and advertising.

In case questions arise over specific copy as defined within this policy, the advice of a communications attorney from the Student Press Law Center is recommended.

The Statesman Online staff raises and pays all printing and production costs through advertising sales, subscriptions and other fundraisers.

The Statesman Online will accept all advertisements with signed contracts provided they do not advocate illegal activity for minors and are not racist, sexist and/or otherwise in poor taste, as determined by the editorial board, adviser and campus administration.