The Valley Torah Scroll

The policies of the Valley Torah Scroll, as decided by the editorial board, will appear here. Any additional policy changes will be publicized and edited.

The Anti-Slander Policy

The Valley Torah Scroll recognizes that there is a very fine line between reporting news beneficial to the student body and Lashon Harah.

Therefore, the First Valley Torah Scroll Editorial Board has unanimously passed that all articles must:

• Satisfy the 7 Conditions of speech that are acceptable, even if in under circumstances it would be Lashon Harah, as enumerated in Chofetz Chaim: Ethics of Speech.
• Notify the accused, if applicable, of the posting of the article at least 3 Days, excluding days of Shabbos and Yom Tov.
  • Allow the accused, if applicable, to prepare a rebuttal if requested within the same period of time as the 3 days of notification, extending only 1 day longer in a case of extreme need.
  • • If there are any extenuating circumstance, a conference between the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and Faculty Representative of the Valley Torah Scroll, Mr. Jennings, will meet to discuss, and potentially allot more time, although none is guaranteed.
• Furthermore, the Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor-in-Chief must both vote in approval of publishing such a story.

The Anonymous Sourcing Policy

The Valley Torah Scroll recognizes that in some instances the only way to attain verification of an event will be through anonymous source; however, anonymous sourcing is considered the least favored option.

Anonymous sourcing, if given, must be dealt with using intense scrutiny. Therefore, the First Valley Torah Scroll Editorial Board has unanimously passed that any articles with anonymous sourcing must:

1. Remain valid under “The Anti-Slander Policy.”
2. The source must be identifiable, by name and grade, to (the author of the article, and): the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and Faculty Representative Mr. Jennings, who can be substituted in a case of need only by an Administration Member.
3. The source must have witnessed the event first-hand. This means that hearsay is not valid.
   • Any case of extreme need can be brought to a convened meeting between the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and Faculty Representative, Mr. Jennings.

The Conflict of Interest Policy

The Valley Torah Scroll recognizes that writers and editors can, and, most probably will, involve themselves in other extracurricular activities; however, in order to keep the integrity of the newspaper, which is independent of other extracurricular activities, the First Valley Torah Scroll Editorial Board has unanimously voted in approval of the following:

• The President of the Student Council may not be Student Life Editor of the Valley Torah Scroll.
• Team Captains of any sports team may not be Sports Editor of the Valley Torah Scroll.

Amendments to Policies

All amendments to the policy will be written here, including which month/year the policy was adopted, and the Editor-in-Chief presiding over the amendments passed.