The Society of Professional Journalists and the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation are proud to be associated with this unprecedented endeavor, said James L. Gray, executive director of SPJ and the SDX Foundation. The Society of Professional Journalists has at its core a deeply held commitment to educating and preparing high school students for careers in journalism. We hope professional reporters, editors, students and teachers will be able to use this not only to improve news coverage, but as a source to build longstanding friendships. The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation s largest and most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Seed funding comes from The New York Times Co. Foundation , Times-Mirror Foundation , Cowles Media Foundation , SDX Foundation , the Freedom Forum , and The James Irvine Foundation .
Student journalists have some advantages over reporters as far as covering violence on campus goes.
But, we could also use advice from adult journalists, too. Covering sudden tragedies can be traumatic for professional journalists and for students. This will help us gather accounts from schools as to how they have dealt with tragic events. Students will read stories that other students have written. They will accept it more than they would an article written by an adult.