The Exonian Bylaws

Preamble

The Exonian is a student newspaper published bi-weekly during the school year at Phillips Exeter Academy. The newspaper’s purpose is to inform the Academy community about events, trends and ideas and to provide an educational experience through working journalism. 

The Exonian strives to protect the status of an independent student-run newspaper because we believe our independent voice best serves our readership of students, faculty and staff, parents and alumni/ae. In the words of the Journalism Education Association, “A good newspaper serves its readers only when it is editorially independent.”   

The Exonian strives to maintain professional standards of accuracy, fairness and objectivity. Staff members claim a broad right to report and editorialize about all issues, including unpopular or controversial ones. The Exonian is not subject to prior review, prior restraint or censorship. Staff members have an obligation to understand and to meet the legal and ethical responsibilities expected of practicing journalists. 

Organization of the Staff

The Exonian’s editorial staff consists of an Executive Board headed by the editor-in-chief, an Upper Board, and a Lower Board. The Upper Board produces the newspaper week to week under the overall direction of the editor-in-chief and the Executive Board. Upper Board members include section editors (News, Opinion, Exeter Life, Sports and Humor), photo and graphics editors, and such other positions as the editor-in-chief may designate. The Lower Board carries out reporting and editing assignments at the direction of the Executive Board and the Upper Board and is the newspaper’s management-in-waiting. 

Guiding Principles for Independence

As stated in the preamble, The Exonian strives to protect its status as a student-run newspaper, and therefore the independent voice of students, in order to best serve our readership. With training and consultation from the editors and faculty advisers, The Exonian staff has an obligation to understand and to meet the legal and ethical responsibilities expected of practicing journalists. The Exonian is not subject to prior review, restraint or censorship. 

The Exonian staff and school administration retain liability for the operations of the student publication and its content. In all circumstances, and especially when covering topics that may be sensitive and/or controversial, the following principles should be upheld: 

  • The Exonian board and school administration will adhere to the Publications Guidelines specified in the E-Book. 

  • The editor-in-chief assumes total responsibility for the decisions of publication. That being said, the editor-in-chief should understand that the school administration remains liable for The Exonian. The Exonian staff and school administration should work together to uphold the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and press in order to best serve the community. 

  • Faculty advisers are the primary mentors to students in their editorial decisions. 

  • The editor-in-chief is responsible for reaching out to the administration, when appropriate, about concerns, including those regarding student safety. The school administration should not act as a censor of The Exonian. If the administration is to reach out to The Exonian, it should contact the editor-in-chief directly, who will work in concert with The Exonian advisers. 

  • In the spirit of Harkness, all parties should fully explain their position, context, and reasoning to the extent that they are able. 

  • In certain circumstances, if the administration is unable to provide full detail or context to its concerns for reasons of confidentiality, the editor-in-chief, faculty adviser, and administration should discuss and come to a consensus on the manner in which to proceed. 

  • In accordance with the 2016-2017 E-Book, if a consensus is not reached, The Exonian will follow Publications Guidelines subpoint number 7 and appeal to the Publications Committee for a final decision. 

 
 

The Exonian Values Statement

Adopted on February 2, 2020 by the 142nd Executive Board.

The Exonian has two primary missions and an educational objective.

The first role of the paper is to chronicle Exeter’s history. The community relies on The Exonian to report on individuals and events with accuracy. The paper tracks the Academy’s evolution, so it can continue to evolve.

Secondly, The Exonian is a vehicle for positive change. By covering—or uncovering—the state of the Academy, the paper’s independent reporting leaves the truth in the readers’ hands. As a result, it transforms Exeter into a more transparent and equitable institution.

In all its endeavors, The Exonian reflects the Exeter community, even when perspectives are difficult to find or underrepresented. The paper seeks out diverse voices and offers a forum for the fair and holistic representation of dissimilar opinions. 

Simultaneously, The Exonian is a high school newspaper entrusted by the community to act in an appropriate and conscientious fashion. The paper is not devoted to transparency at the expense of the community’s well-being. In moments when articles require sensitivity, the paper must balance accuracy and community values.

The last objective of the paper, as the bylaws detail, is to provide its staff with an educational experience practicing journalism, including content production, management of ethical responsibilities and collaboration.

The 145th Board of The Exonian, just as the Boards before it, must continue to push the envelope in a thoughtful manner to deliver impactful information to the Exeter community.

Content and Scope

Operating as the free student press, The Exonian is not subject to prior review or censorship. Staff of The Exonian have the right to report on all topics that may be relevant, including those which may be controversial. The Exonian will not publish content that is defamatory or obscene.

The Exonian holds irrevocable license to all content made for or published by the paper, in all forms past, present and future. Parties involved with The Exonian should understand that content produced for the paper, including quotations and all media, are subject to future use, distribution, publication and archival by The Exonian in print or online, in part of normal newspaper operation.

Opinion pieces published in The Exonian are works of the sole author or authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Exonian or Phillips Exeter Academy. Staff editorials are typically unsigned and express the majority opinion of The Exonian board at the time of publication.

Corrections and Integrity

In the case that errors are made, The Exonian will make corrections as necessary and append a notice to the content indicating the earlier mistake. As is standard in news organizations, The Exonian does not take down content published online. With this in mind, writers should be cognizant that their published work will persist on The Exonian website and within the archives — news, humor and opinion pieces alike. Only in extreme cases (in the case of immediate threat to student safety, for example) will The Exonian board review and decide if removal of content is necessary.

All staff of The Exonian share the legal and ethical responsibilities of practicing journalists; contributing student and staff writers alike are trained and expected to report with fairness and accuracy. The Editor-in-Chief assumes total responsibility for the publication.

Privacy and Content Use Policy

Our Privacy & Content Use Policy is available here.