Commitment to Diversity:
As a staff, we recognize and deeply appreciate the value of diversity in the newsroom, in our stories, and how they align with and empower one another. Diversity grants us strength and opportunity to serve our community through empowerment and uplifting of voices, and we strive to live up to our mission:
"The journalism production team is dedicated to honoring and protecting our freedom of speech through sharing honest, fair, and relevant information with the student body in a timely and reliable manner in an effort to elevate and amplify student voices. We will maintain integrity and accountability through what we publish to promote the credibility and the reputation of The Cougar Chronicle."
Commitment to Diversity
In a staff of nine people, it can be challenging to ensure diverse perspectives. However, our commitment to elevating student voices and empowering our community appeals to students around the school with diverse backgrounds and experiences, establishing a diverse team and inspiring a commitment to upholding what diversity provides.
With a variety of gender identities, sexualities, and backgrounds, we each provide insight to a unique community that would otherwise not be seen or heard. These perspectives come together in the newsroom, intersecting at a common point of reporting, providing not only a safe space for all staff members but a basis for promoting equality and inclusion in our school.
Further, The Cougar Chronicle reflects the diversity of our student body in our publication, limited to not only identity-based diversity but also experience-based. We work to bring light to topics considered "taboo" or otherwise unrepresented in day-to-day conversations. From publishing opinion pieces about queer issues to covering concerns of students of color, and from covering DECA club members finding success to student athletes' passion and determination, we actively assess the state of diversity in our student body and how we can fulfill our role as student journalists in amplifying their stories.
Additionally, The Cougar Chronicle works to ensure our reporting and writing style is respectful to all source identities and experiences. Our guidelines for writing stories and the editing process includes requiring avoiding and eliminating harmful behaviors, such as stereotypes of any kind or derogatory or damaging language. We also ask for and utilize our sources' correct pronouns that align with their gender identity, as well as the name they go by. In doing so, we not only create a welcoming environment for students to feel safe sharing their stories, but also uphold our standards of incorporating diversity to best connect with and reflect our community. Below are stories we've published that tell the experiences of students in our community.
