At many colleges, this class is tied directly to the school newspaper. The newspaper or adviser assigns stories directly to students. I am uneasy with the idea of forcing students to take part in what should be a voluntary extra curricular activity. But until we do, you must introduce yourself to all sources by saying you are working on a news story for class that may get printed in The Mirror . Again, you must alert sources from the start that their remarks may wind up in the paper.
Sources routinely ask to see a story before it is published.
This is widely frowned upon in journalism. Do not agree to show anyone the story before publication . Instead, offer to call them back and double check their own quotes and any information they gave you . This will result in a stronger, more accurate story and avoid the ethical dilemma. News stories lose all credibility when the reader notices a glaring error and starts to wonder how many other problems there are within the story.