About

The lower foyer of Johnson HS, built in 2008.

My Jag News went live May 7, 2010 after months of development and cooperation with NEISD’s Educational Technology department. Originally referred to as The Pride Online, this news site grew from the publication department’s scholastic newspaper, The Pride.

Achievements

Since its beginning in 2010, www.myjagnews.com has garnered recognition from the most prestigious scholastic press organizations in the country.

My Jag News has been recognized with four Gold Crowns and two Silver Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.  The site was also recognized in 2014 with a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award.

Our Editorial Policy

My Jag News is a student-produced news and feature publication originally published six times a year.  As an online publication, My Jag News will be updated as required by news value of timeliness.

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

Since My Jag News 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.

My Jag News 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 with our approval or seem inappropriate in content.

Online media produced by My Jag News 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.

My Jag News 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.

My Jag News 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 My Jag News 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 accuracy, responsibility, integrity, conflict of interest, impartiality, fair play, freedom of the press, independence, sensationalism, personal privacy, obstruction of justice, creditability 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.

My Jag News staff raises and pays all printing and production costs through advertising sales, subscriptions and other fund raisers.

My Jag News 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.