Establishing Structure

• The Ladue High School administration agrees to allow the Ladue Publications staff to make content decisions and to operate as an open forum, provided they do not infringe on the rights of other students or create a substantial disruption at school as per the Tinker standard. The adviser will give advice to the students on staff with careful consideration concerning controversial or sensitive material, but ultimately, the students have final say in what is published.

Media-level Policy

• Ladue Publications is an open-forum for students at Ladue High School. In order to ensure the news we report is accurate, important and relevant to our students, we do not operate under prior review. Students and the Ladue community are encouraged to participate in conversation with the staff by submitting letters to the editor, commenting on laduepublications.com and/or emailing or conversing with the staff.

The Role of Student Media

• Ladue Publications strives to inform and entertain students, staff and community members and to uphold professional standards of accuracy and fairness. The publication hopes to engage the student body by eliciting dialogue among our readers. It aims to reflect the diversity of the population it serves and observes the journalistic principle of doing no harm.
• A Ladue Publications editor will write the Panorama staff editorial each month. The majority of the editorial board must approve of the editorial before publication. The editorial board is made up of the members of the Ladue Publications staff, with each member getting the same number of votes regardless of position.

Content and Ownership

• All stories, photos, art and graphics produced for Ladue Publications content are the joint property of Ladue Publications and its appropriate creator. Upon submission of the staffer’s work, the publication assumes ownership of the contributor’s copyright interest but the contributor still retains joint control of that interest.
• Ladue Publications retains the right to enter any material into local, state and national contests.

Name Policy

• All students and staff of Ladue High School may choose to be referenced by a preferred name or nickname in Ladue Publications content, provided said nickname aligns with conduct as delineated in our editorial guidelines (appropriate, not a joke, etc.). The student or staff member must provide expressed consent (fill out this form) for said accommodation to be made.
• All students and staff of Ladue High School may choose to be referenced by preferred pronouns in Ladue Publications, provided said pronouns align with conduct as delineated in our editorial guidelines. The student or staff member must provide expressed consent (fill out this form) for said accommodation to be made.
• Upon receipt of this form, parents/guardians will be notified that the student has elected to change their name. Parents will have the option to override the name change request if the student is under the age of 18.

AI Policy

• AI usage is admissible if it is used in an intentional manner. Such methods include: generating story ideas, suggesting headlines, transcribing interviews and providing basic information regarding a story. AI usage is inadmissible if it is used to generate content, whether that be via copy, caption, art, photo or another form.
• If AI is used past the clearly denoted admissible category, it will be clarified on the page in which it is used.

Photo Editing

• Photo editing is admissible if the edit does not alter the likeness of the image. Admissible edits include but are not limited to: basic tone edits, crop edits.
• If a photo is edited beyond the approved boundaries, it must be credited as a photo illustration.

Controversial Coverage

• Ladue Publications strives to better the community by producing relevant and important news, but the staff will not shy away from publishing controversial or sensitive content if the matter pertains to the Ladue community and the community would benefit from well-researched reporting on the matter.
• As a courtesy to the Ladue administration, the editors may choose to inform the administration if they decide to cover controversial or sensitive material. The adviser will encourage and help foster a positive and informative relationship between administration and publication staff.
• If Ladue Publications does decide to cover sensitive or controversial material, the highest standards of journalistic reporting and ethical judgment will be followed. The adviser will help the staff to consider consequences of printing controversial/sensitive material. Students will have the ultimate say over publishing content.
• Ladue Publications will consider the following when deciding content: timeliness, audience, emotional value, novelty, prominence and the impact the content will have on the Ladue community.
• Ladue Publications will strive to include a diverse population of students (gender, race and religion considered) in order to accurately represent the Ladue student body.
• Anonymous sources: anonymity will rarely be used for sources due to the lack of credibility when quoting anonymous sources. Sources will only be anonymous when naming them endangers them or would cause harm to either the student or someone else in the student body. Ladue Publications reserves the right to decide whether or not a source should be anonymous. The majority of the editorial board must agree on decisions concerning anonymous sources. If the Ladue Publications staff promises anonymity to a source but the board does not agree to grant it, the source must approve before their name can be used in the story. If the source does not agree, Ladue Publications staff agree to not quote the source.
• Sources will be treated with the utmost respect and care. Ladue Publications staff will not misrepresent a source or partially quote them in order to change their meaning. The staff will practice professional and ethical care when handling sources. Students will strive to be clear and transparent in their reporting.
• When interviewing, students will ask permission before recording a source. Staff will take notes regardless of technology used to assist them. Students will allow sources to read over their quotes to ensure the student quotes them correctly.
• When sources request to preview their stories, staff members may choose to share the quotes and notes they have from their interview as a courtesy, but will not share the final story or draft.
• Staff members will text or email sources as a last resort. If a student interviews over the phone, through email or text, they must include that detail in their story so the audience is aware of the circumstances.
• Ladue Publications staff will identify Ladue students and adults by their first and last name. Children younger than high school may be identified (first and last name) in the publication with parent permission.
• Ladue Publications staff will strive to include data and information that is public record when relevant.

Producing Content

• Staff writers will contact sources after receiving their story assignments to set up face-to-face interviews or phone interviews when necessary. Staff writers will share rough drafts with their editors. Editors will give feedback and help writers to develop their story further. Once the final draft is complete, the editors will use their own discretion to expand or trim stories as needed to fit their page design.
• Writers and editors may add words and short phrases into quotes in brackets to provide context.
• Original grammar and language will be quoted provided it is not profane or too difficult to understand.
• Links may be shortened to their basic URL address to save space provided the site can be easily found from the shortened URL.
• Advertising: Ladue Publications staff reserve the right to refuse publishing to any business they do not feel appropriately serves the Ladue community or misrepresents the publication staff and their aim to do no harm to the community. Ladue Publications will not publish advertisements that promote the use or sale of illegal substances or anything that would be illegal for high school students (tobacco, alcohol, vaporizers, gambling, etc.). All advertisements must be paid in full before publishing. Advertisers may submit designs, but Ladue Publications reserves the right to alter designs to fit space requirements. Advertisers will have final approval of their advertisement before publishing. Ladue Publications staff can design advertisements with a minimum of 10 days notice before publishing.
• Use of Profanity: Ladue Publications staff understands the power of language and the changing of meaning when certain words are altered due to profanity. They reserve the right to censor material they deem offensive or unnecessarily vulgar. In cases of controversial language, the Ladue Publications Editorial Board will decide by majority vote whether or not it would be beneficial/constructive to use the original language or image. Ladue Publications staff will not use profane language or images without purpose or in a careless manner.
• Panorama Obituaries: Panorama Newsmagazine will run an obituary for current student or teacher deaths the next publishable month following the incident in the news section. Cause of death will not be mentioned. Suicides will be treated the same as other deaths. Date of birth and date of death will be included as well as the deceased’s first and last name. The most current yearbook picture will be used.
• Rambler Obituaries: Rambler Yearbook will run an ⅛ senior advertisement in the senior ads section the year the student would have graduated for any student who attended Ladue High School with their most recent yearbook photo and their date of birth and date of death. During the year the student passed, Rambler will run “in memory of” next to their name in the portrait section. Details on the death will not be included.
• All material not created by the Ladue Publications staff will be used only if permission from the original creator is granted or if a review of a product is being conducted. If a student would like to use copyrighted works, they must contact the original creator. If they cannot get permission or locate the original creator, the material will not be used. If permission is granted, Ladue Publications will cite the original owner in the photo or art credit line.

Letters to the Editor

• No profanity/non-protected speech.
• 300 word limit.
• Accurately researched.
• Correct spelling and grammar.
• Ladue Publications reserves the right to edit the letter to meet AP style and our in-house style guide.
• Letters to the Editor should be in response to something Panorama has covered in a recent issue. 

Guest Writers/Columnists

• No profanity/non-protected speech.
• Accurately researched.
• Correct spelling and grammar, utilizing AP style.
• Signed with accurate names.
• Ladue Publications reserves the right to edit and/or reject guest columns to meet AP style and our in-house style guide. Guest columns may be published in print or at laduepublications.com.

Corrections Policy

• The Panorama Newsmagazine will include any corrections in the corrections box in the issue following the mistake. Both the mistake and the page number will be listed.
• For mistakes on laduepublications.com, the staff will fix the mistake in the story and at the end of the story, and make a note that the story has been changed from an earlier version and why.
• If a student, employee or community member requests that an online story be taken down, the editorial board will make the final decision on a case-by-case basis, provided there was nothing lawfully wrong with the story when it was published. Ladue Publications serves as a historical record of the Ladue community and reserves the right to preserve content as part of history.

Melodrama Literary Magazine

• Melodrama is a literary magazine created as an extracurricular activity by staffers of Ladue Publications and student body submissions reviewers at Ladue High School. Melodrama accepts submissions of any writing, art, photo or video throughout the school year via Google Forms. Detailed submissions guidelines are provided to the submitters throughout the submission process. Submitters are invited to include additional information regarding their submission. Submissions and notes are reviewed by a student editorial board at monthly meetings and accepted, rejected or deferred based on quality, quantity and similarity of subject matter. Melodrama only accepts submissions from current students of Ladue High School. Melodrama reserves the right to edit student writing for grammar errors that are not intentional, stylistic choices, and reserves the right to design the magazine using elements from visual pieces that do not misrepresent art or prevent the unaltered work itself from being featured prominently. Melodrama requests permission from creators before making any image alterations and grammar edits.

Rambler Yearbook

• Senior Thank You’s
  • Seniors have the opportunity to submit a thank you to someone who has helped them during their time at Ladue. In order to submit a Senior Thank You, seniors must get their portrait taken by Wagner Portrait Company before November. Seniors must also submit their thank you before the deadline, usually in December. 
  • Quotes will not be accepted in lieu of a thank you. Yearbook staff and the adviser reserve the right to question or reject any thank you’s if they appear suspicious or inappropriate.
• Refunds
  • Students may receive a refund if their portrait was taken and they are left out of the book. The portrait must have been taken during school picture day or retake day. Portraits taken on other dates may not be eligible for a refund.  
  • Seniors may receive a refund for senior ads if an ad is left out of the book, but the book will not be refunded. 
  • If a student purchases multiple books, they can find someone to purchase their book, but Rambler will not reimburse starting 2020. 
  • Refunds will only be given if the book is returned, unwritten in and in the same condition it was received.

Portraits

• Students will be placed in their current grade-level section based on graduation year. If a student does not have enough credits to be in a certain grade level, they will not be included in that grade level. If a student has enough credits to graduate early, they will be included in the senior portrait section as long as the yearbook staff has been notified by the student/ family of the student. 
• Students and staff are not to wear/bring the following in their portraits:
  • Shirts with words/writing
  • Low-cut/sleeveless shirts
  • Hats/comical wigs (unless wig/headcover is worn on a daily basis)
  • Props

Group/Team Photos

• Group photos must have at least 4 students in order to be covered in the yearbook.
• No hand gestures will be allowed in any group or team photo. 
• If a group or team photo breaks one of the rules, the Rambler staff retains the right to pull the photo from the yearbook. 
• The yearbook staff reserves the right to not allow props in photos if they are distracting, inappropriate or mess with the photo dimensions. 
• All group photos need to be taken by the yearbook staff so they are uniform.

Senior Advertisements

• Photos will not be accepted that include anything illegal or could be interpreted as illegal (alcohol, red solo cups, drugs, gambling, etc.).
• Photos will not be accepted with offensive material/props (Confederate flags, weapons, etc.).
• Phrasing included in advertisements must meet the standards of the Rambler yearbook, including grammar, spelling, accuracy, etc. If any quotes are used, they must be appropriately attributed and accurate. No profanity will be accepted.