Feb. 10, 2025
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THE LEAD
Blood donation center hit by cyber attack during blood shortage
Cover local blood donation options
Last week, a nonprofit blood donation and distribution center in New York was hit by a cyberattack that forced the cancellation of at least 17 blood drives, NBC News reported. This attack on the New York Blood Center came a few days after the organization announced a blood shortage.
New York Blood Center is not alone in facing a blood donation shortage — in August the American Red Cross declared a blood shortage after national inventory fell by 25% in July. According to the Red Cross, winter weather, cold and flu season and general drive cancellations make gathering blood donations hard this time of year.
In Southern California donations are needed in the wake of the LA wildfires, ABC7 reported.
What you can do —
Some schools may have in-school blood drives coming up this spring — talk to the student government and other student organizations to make sure you have those on your coverage calendar. Ahead of events like that is a good time for some public service journalism with coverage covering eligibility requirements, how to prepare to donate and other information students should know.
If your school is not hosting an event, consider spotlighting local blood banks. Talk to staff to find out if there is an extra shortage in your area, and what can be done to address it.
A Quill and Scroll chapter could also work on coordinating a blood drive at the school.
Noteworthy
Schools prepare students, staff for potential ICE appearances
Check what your school’s best practice is if immigration officials show up
In the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term the administration has put a lot of emphasis on immigration enforcement. As such, schools across the country are preparing their communities with action steps if immigration officials show up. For example, in New York City public school principals have been told to ask officers to wait outside and call the district’s lawyers, the New York Times reported.
In the past, immigration enforcement hasn’t been allowed in schools — but Trump got rid of that policy when he took office, NPR reported. Some universities have also joined in telling their campuses what to do; Cornell University, for example, circulated protocols to faculty and staff, The Cornell Daily Sun reported.
What you can do —
Keeping the school community aware of district best practices, without spreading panic, is important in stories like these. Check in with administrators to see if there are protocols set up and if staff are aware of them. It might also be interesting to look at nearby schools to see if they have a plan in place.
There is also an opportunity for some good data journalism with this story — the Office of Homeland Security Statistics keeps regularly-updated data about all repatriations (deportation isn’t a legal term, instead it’s referred to a repatriation). According to Politico, the number of daily Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests isn’t that different from daily numbers under President Barack Obama. Look at data over time, location and type of repatriation to get a better understanding of the situation.
What’s viral
The role of media during the Trump administration
In a guest essay, First Amendment proponent laments media institutions bowing to Trump
Journalism in the United States is built on the First Amendment, which protects free speech, with few exceptions. It is part of what makes American journalism unique. In an essay in The New York Times, Jameel Jaffer, of Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, points to several large media organizations’ recent settlement with President Donald Trump as “frightening and dispiriting.”
Jaffer points to settlements between the president and ABC News, Meta and possibly CBS News as examples of publishers and platforms bowing to Trump’s will. Regardless of political ideology, settlements with political figures weaken the democratic freedoms U.S. media is based on, Jaffer writes.
What you can do —
Student publications and journalists fill a number of roles in a community. Obviously newsgathering and reporting is often very important for the community, but what can be easy to overlook is overall media literacy.
Take some time this month, especially as Student Press Freedom Day approaches, to think critically about media literacy in your school and educate your students on how student media runs. Quill and Scroll has a number of chapter activities that could be adapted to serve a larger audience.
IT’S AN HONOR
It’s always membership season
Don’t forget you can nominate members year-round
It’s time to nominate students for membership, order pins, cords and other Quill and Scroll materials and memorabilia.
We haven’t changed the ordering process from last year. For those wanting to ditch the paper version, you just need to select the form based on how you would like to pay. We have one version for credit card and another version for check or purchase order. (We’ve added buttons for ease of finding these.) As usual, credit card payments are charged $4.49 per order for processing.
While you’re ordering, don’t forget to include any cords and other Quill and Scroll materials and memorabilia.
If your initiation is the week of March 3 now is the time to order!
Members-only area reminder
If you haven’t accessed our members-only area, we encourage you to do so. While we hope to expand this feature, you can find bell ringers, lesson plans and a gallery of our News Media Evaluation Gallup Award winners.
To access, please visit our new member login page. Your credentials are in an email from [email protected]. Please check your spam folder and if you still don’t see it, reach out to us at [email protected] and we will help you troubleshoot!
When you log in, please accept cookies via the popup on the bottom of the page. This will limit the number of times you have to login!
Members-only area activity highlight
Make plans for inducting your members into Quill and Scroll. Please see our lesson plan or blog below for details.
PSJA journalism contest opens
Q&S and Private School Journalism Association set up portfolio contest
The PSJA Journalism Contest, co-sponsored by Quill and Scroll, seeks to honor the best journalism produced by private and independent school students. It is a “portfolio” contest, one that seeks not to reward single stories, but a pattern of excellence over the course of a year.
Other than Editorial Leadership, work produced for the contest should have been published in a news publication — in print or online — or a yearbook between March 1, 2024 and March 6, 2025. Deadline for entries will be Friday, March 7. An awards ceremony will occur after judging is finalized.
For PSJA members, the cost for your school is $20 per entry. Non-members pay $25 per entry. To become a member of PSJA, email PSJA Director David Cutler ([email protected]) and sign up for the PSJA newsletter.
Make sure to include either your credit card payments or check or purchase order when you enter. The link provided on the site will take you directly to the credit card or check/purchase order page for the order. The PSJA category payment option is at the bottom of the page.
If you are interested in entering the contest, please see our website.
Deadline approaches for 2025 Vanessa Shelton Chapter of the Year
Has your chapter been active in Quill and Scroll this year? If so, it’s time to apply for the Chapter of the Year.
Chapters must have initiated members in each of the past three years.
Applications are free and winners will receive a plaque, $250 for the classroom, four free memberships and honor cords and one member spot on our Student Advisory Board.
The deadline is April 18 and the winner will be announced mid-May. The application form is on our website.
Spring convention registration opened Jan. 28
Join us in Kansas City for the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention. This year’s convention will be in Seattle. Registration opens Jan. 28 and the hotel link is available to all registrants Feb. 11. Join us for “SEA it to believe it” at the JEA/NSPA spring convention April 24-26.
Upcoming Weekly Scroll pause dates
We will pause the Weekly Scroll during the weeks of Feb. 17, March 10, March 24, April 21 and April 28 since we will be at conventions when we normally would amass the Scroll.
Some advisers and students have found linking to our Weekly Scroll page beneficial.
Thank you for understanding.
Chapter Shoutout needs your help
Make sure to share what you’re doing (or have done) with us! We would love to feature your chapter here.
Please use this Google form or email us at [email protected]. Please include a small description and photo of the event.
Opportunity from the Freedom Forum
The 2025 Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference June 22-27, 2025 provides 51 students (one high school junior from each state plus the District of Columbia) with an all-expenses-paid program that includes panel conversations with journalists, newsroom visits, a chance to meet students and industry leaders who share a passion for news, and a unique Washington, D.C. experience.
Participants also receive a $1,000 college scholarship and ongoing support from a community of more than 1,500 alumni. Students build their skills, grow their network and get a head start on their future.
Apply by March 23 at FreeSpiritJournalism.org.
Just a thought
We’ve spent the past eight months developing a one-stop resource to help advisers plan from making the order to planning the induction. Many of these resources are from advisers’ suggestions.
We have included several optional resources per request, such as an easy qualifications chart, membership presentation and a membership invitation, the latter of which is a Canva template you can use to invite prospective members.
Many have asked about induction requirements. Because of this, we have three different versions of planning information based on what is desired. Please note, we just ask that students are inducted. When I advised, we had some formal and some very informal inductions — depending on what the students wanted.
As always, please let us know how this works for you — and what needs improved upon. While you may not see any changes immediately, we will work on improvements during the summer.
— Lori Keekley
