about

Editorial Policy

About Rockmedia

Rockmedia is an online news program that encompasses both the website and social media platforms. Rock Canyon High School’s Newspaper/Digital Publishing class runs both facets of the publication. We are dedicated to covering and informing the community of Rock Canyon and telling everyone’s story.

Rockmedia’s social media accounts are @rcrockmedia on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Spotify Podcasts. We publish breaking news and story announcements, photos of student life, multimedia content and polls to these accounts.

For the 2025-2026 school year, our Editors-in-Chief are seniors Jackson Bond, Bella Lin and Dee Lee.

If you have any questions, concerns or story ideas, please email them to [email protected].

Our Philosophy

Rockmedia aims to promote students’ media literacy and educate, entertain and inform our student body and local community. We focus on the impact of stories in our school and community. Through Rockmedia, students learn about their community and how to disseminate information. Student journalists learn how to publish, research and interact with their community. Rockmedia is a public forum by students and for students. 

Student journalists may use print and electronic media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to ask questions of and consult with experts and to gather material to meet their news-gathering and research needs.

Rockmedia 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 laws and court decisions implementing those principles. The Student Press Law Center publishes information about these protections.

Rockmedia will not publish any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is, material that is libelous, obscene, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or a promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law.

Press Freedom/Ethical Standards

Rockmedia operates as an public forum outlet for student expression. It will not be restrained or reviewed by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Students are educated in journalistic ethics, legal issues and writing at the beginning of the year. Rockmedia’s editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete legal liability for the content of the publication.

Although advisers Kristi Rathbun and Danielle Bell advise the media staff, all content is generated and approved by students.

Student journalists and their work produced are protected by Colorado Student Free Expression Law (C.R.S.A. § 22-1-120) and First Amendment protections. District policy (Policy JICEA) is aligned with state laws and supports the work of Rockmedia.

 The advisers 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 for Advisers established by the Journalism Education Association as well as the Canons of Professional Journalism.

School officials shall not fire or otherwise discipline advisers for content in student media that is determined and published by the student staff. The student editors and staff who want appropriate outside legal advice regarding proposed content should seek attorneys knowledgeable in media law such as those at the Student Press Law Center.

Final content decisions and responsibility shall remain with the student editorial board, led by the editor(s)-in-chief.

Takedown Policy

In journalistic writing, stories or articles may cover or contain topics that are perceived as inappropriate/offensive by audiences. However, the publication holds the right to the protection of the content we write about, pursuant to the Colorado Student Free Expression Law (C.R.S.A. § 22-1-120) and First Amendment protections. 

All readers will have their own opinions towards the issue that may contradict with the writer’s view, but this does not justify the altering or removal of a certain article. Viewers who request a story to be pulled from the website must have a legitimate reason. Valid reasons for withdrawing a story from the online publication must have regards to the material within it. The criteria is as follows:

• Does the story contain factually false statements? 
• Does the story contain mistakes in writing skills (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.) that show its unreadiness for posting?
• Does the story contain material that is too graphic or vulgar for an educational environment? 
• Does the story pose an immediate harm or safety concern?

If the story or article meets any of the aforementioned criteria, then the request for removal may be sent. Requests for removal must be sent to the Rockmedia editorial board ([email protected]).

If your request for the removal of an article includes a legitimate reason, we will verify the identity of the reader who submitted the request and engage in a thorough decision process. If the reason is considered to be valid, the staff writers, editors and adviser will hold a meeting and decide if the article should remain online or be pulled from the website. The Student Press Law Center will be contacted if the decision cannot be made.The process is as follows: 

• Validity of the reason will be assessed. It must meet one or more of the requirements mentioned above. 
• Article or story of concern will be reevaluated by each member of the editorial board. To their best reasoning, they will determine if the request for its removal should be approved by checking for false statements, writing errors and vulgar material. 
• Members of the editorial board will reconvene and vote on the approval or disapproval of the request. If the majority of the editorial board decides that the article in question meets the criteria for removal, then the story will be pulled from the website as soon as possible.
• If the majority decides that the article does not meet the criteria for removal, the story will remain on the website. A detailed explanation for the request’s denial will be created and agreed upon by the editorial board. This will then be communicated to the sender of the request as soon as possible

Editorials, Print Issues, Letters to the Editor and Corrections

We encourage your voice through comments and letters to the editor. Letters should not exceed 250 words. We also encourage you to share other coverage ideas, editorial cartoons, or photos. Rockmedia staff opinions present themselves as editorials. We also feature a number of columnists and commentary writers. Their opinions are their own. When print issues are published, the first two copies of Rockmedia’s print magazine are free, and additional copies are available for $2.00 each. 

Print magazines, when published, can typically be found in room 4113, the library, the main and counseling offices, and some English classrooms.

The editorial board, which consists of the staff’s student editors, will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. The views stated in editorials represent that of a majority of the editorial board. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author.

Rockmedia may accept letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from students, faculty, administrators, community residents and the general public. We ask that letters to the editor, guest columns or other submissions contain the author’s name, email address and signature. We ask that letters to the editor, guest columns, or other submissions be submitted through email ([email protected]). All submissions will go through the staff.

In the case of editorials or letters to the editor concerning controversial issues, the editorial board must determine the need for rebuttal comments and opinions and provide space therefore if appropriate.

Rockmedia’s editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column or other submission and/or return it for revision if it contains unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning.

Staff members will strive to correct errors prior to publication; however, if the editorial board determines a significant error is printed, the editorial board will determine the manner and timeliness of a correction and whether it is necessary. Most corrections will be published to the website, regardless of if it originates from print or online content. Viewers are welcome to email Rockmedia at [email protected] with corrections, questions, or concerns.

6. Covering Controversy

The staff of Rockmedia will strive to report all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner, according to the Canons of Professional Journalism developed by the Society for Professional Journalists. Rockmedia will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.

• SUICIDE/DEATH: In the event that Rockmedia is tasked to cover a student/employee death, whether intentional or accidental, Rockmedia agrees to dedicate coverage to that person and the content should consist of unbiased reporting. However, if the person is a victim of a murder or the focus of a criminal investigation as a result, then other photos and content may be permitted upon receiving consent from the family members of the deceased.
• POLITICS: All coverage of political events within Rockmedia is encouraged to cover both sides (conservative and liberal) of the issue in question. Political commentaries and opinions may be published only in the Opinion section. All facts must be cited.
• ABUSE/PREGNANCY/DRUG USE/ILLEGAL ACTIVITY: When dealing with any of the following issues, the utmost care must be taken to ensure that neither any of the parties under discussion or the reporter is placed in any danger (whether it be physical, legal or emotional). Anonymity requested by those involved will be granted, and, to ensure that their identity remains protected, groups of around two reporters should be tasked with interviewing the people involved with the event/activity itself. When dealing with a story of this nature, the story must be proofread by the editor-in-chief, with a recommendation to consult the adviser as needed, in order to check for any sort of latent bias or evidence of editorializing. If the issue is extremely sensitive, the reporter writing the story may also alert the school principal prior to publishing the issue only out of courtesy, since the story may provoke a negative reaction from both the student body and the community.
• NEWS: All news topics (mainly involving briefs) must be written to inform their audience and possess the standard elements of a news story–namely the “Five W’s and H”–as well as quotations from at least one to two different sources unless otherwise deemed necessary. From there, it is up to the reporter to determine the length of the story and whether or not further reporting is necessary.
• ART: Art must always remain relevant to the text it describes. Credit must always be given to creators and copyright laws must always be followed.

Content-gathering Policies

Staff members of Rockmedia will seek truth and report while gathering content ethically, in accordance with Canons of Professional Journalism developed by the Society for Professional Journalists.

• PHOTOGRAPHY: All photos published by Rockmedia are taken by staff members unless otherwise stated, mainly on staff-purchased cameras. Electronic manipulations changing the essential truth of the photo or illustration will be clearly labeled if used. Photos taken by staff members of Rockmedia and for Rockmedia’s use are owned by Rockmedia and their photographers. Individuals or organizations can request to use Rockmedia’s photos, but must first receive permission from the photographer and from Rockmedia. They may then use the photo only if they clearly label the photographer and platform it was published on. If this occurs on social media, the person publishing the photo must tag (@rcrockmedia) and the photographer (if the photographer requests it).
• QUOTING: All quotes published by Rockmedia are from interviews conducted by staff members unless otherwise stated. Quotes will be edited in accordance with Associated Press Style conventions when omitting or adding content to them for clarity purposes only.
• BYLINES: All articles, photos, columns & other material creatively conceived (will be bylined with the producer’s name, who are accountable for their work. When more than one person has contributed work, the byline policy establishes the contributors and their respective work.
• ANONYMOUS SOURCES: Anonymous sources are only used as a last resort, as without one’s name attached to a quote, a person may share views that are driven by a personal agenda or are not necessarily truthful. Sometimes, however, the only way people will be willing to share information is if they can speak off the record. Thus, Rockmedia uses anonymous sources only when all four of these conditions are met: 1. The quoteis critical to the story and the story is critical to the newspaper. 2. Information provided by anonymous source cannot be attained in any other way. 3. Any facts presented by the interviewee have been verified by at least three other people. 
• ARTIFICIAL INTELLINGENCE (AI): Rockmedia prohibits staff members from creating publishable AI-generated content without agreement from editorial leadership. However, understanding the rapid growth and potential of AI and its role in our society, we are seeking to improve our user engagement and experience with various AI tools. When AI is used at any point in any content, we will explicitly note where/how and/or why it was used in a given piece.

Advertising

Our website hosts spots for multiple advertisements, which are available for purchase and run through SNOAds.com. Your ad will allow you to connect with engaged students, their families, and the entire school community while also supporting the important work of student journalists. Rockmedia reserves the right to refuse any advertisement that it deems inappropriate or for any other reason.