Clarifications on MVHS journalism program changes

Clarifications+on+MVHS+journalism+program+changes

Dear MVHS community,

We appreciate the support we’ve been getting in light of the Talon’s recent article on the MVHS journalism program. It means the world to us that our MVHS community cares about the student journalism serving them. That said, we’ve noticed some misinterpretations and confusion surrounding the article and would like to clear the air.

CLARIFICATIONS

  • The Introduction to Journalism class, the class required before joining Oracle, is being cut and allegedly combined with the yearbook to create Publication Design I, according to administration.
  • There was no direct censorship from administration. In regard to the sexual harassment in-depth article, administration requested prior review which involves looking at the article before publishing. It was the Oracle’s executive decision to remove some identifiable details from the story for legal safety.

OUR CONCERNS

  • Removing Introduction to JournalismIn conversations with administration, the Oracle was reassured that all students signed up for Intro would be notified of the cancellation and told about the new Publication Design pathway. However, this was not the case. Having no Introduction to Journalism students next year will be detrimental to Oracle. If students are not told about alternative classes, there will be no new members coming into Oracle after this year.
  • Adviser change and lack of support — Pancho Morris, the current Drama teacher, is slated to be the Oracle adviser next school year. Morris is untenured, which means he could be fired without being given a reason. This puts the Oracle in a dangerous predicament. Next year, all teachers will be new to the journalism program. Without a stable adviser, we will have an unstable program.

The Oracle has been serving MVHS for decades and we hope to continue doing so for decades to come. Protect student journalism.

Sincerely,
The 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 EIC Team
Naina Srivastava, Katie Tsang, Kaitlyn Knopf, Krithi Sundar, Hanna Olson, and Antonio Peeples

Note: Any actions taken in protest are not affiliated with the Oracle.