The Lede:

When will we feel safe again?

Can you image if 4 percent of your town was hurt or killed in a shooting? Well for these Texans that is their reality. At least 26 people were killed and 20 others injured when a gunman stormed a church in Wilson County, Texas with a rifle said Sheriff Joe Tackitt. The victims’ ages of the tragedy ranged from 5 – 72, authorities said. Learn more here with a news clip about the attack.

Well he’s at it again.

President Trump believes that the mass shooting at a Texas church “isn’t a guns situation” but instead “a mental health problem at the highest level.” Trump said he thinks “mental health is your problem here,” calling the shooter a “very deranged individual” with “a lot of problems over a long period of time.” How accurate is his analysis? What are some of the legislative proposals in to address mental health problems and the easy access of guns in your state or in the U.S. Congress?

Can the unknown eventually be known?

Let’s also take a look at Vegas. The deadliest shooting in recent U.S. history unfolded in a storm of chaos and confusion. What were the motives and what had really just happened in our country? By the time people knew a shooting was underway, the killer was already dead. The story behind that link shows, moment by moment, how the attack unfolded and why it wasn’t stopped.

Bold move, Netflix. Take that, Spacey.

Netflix is cutting ties with “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey as the actor faces a growing number of allegations of sexual harassment and assault, especially with minors years ago. The actor has also been suspended from the show. In a carefully worded statement, Netflix made it clear that it would not continue to be involved with the show if Spacey has any part of it in the future. Go check it out. What can your readers, viewers and listeners learn from the recent spate of allegations against celebrities and politicians, including U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore (R-Alabama).

It’s an honor:

Mark your calendars for Jan. 2 and Feb. 6

On Jan. 2, 2018, Quill and Scroll will unveil its Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest, which will have an entry deadline of Feb. 6, 2018. But there’s a twist this year — all entries will be accepted online. Stay tuned as the new year approaches.

See you in Big D.

Quill and Scroll Executive Director Jeff Browne will be in Dallas (the city in Texas, not the county in Iowa) Nov. 15-18 at the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association fall conference. Stop by the booth in the exhibitors’ area to say “hello” Thursday and Friday, or come to the adviser luncheon on Friday, when Jeff will be one of eight journalism educators honored by NSPA with its Pioneer Award. Directions: Go to Fort Worth. Turn east. Look for Big stuff.

Taking the Lede

Before he came to Iowa and Quill and Scroll, Jeff Browne was the director of CU News Corps at the University of Colorado. One of News Corps’ projects was a 45-minute documentary called “Taking the Lede: Colorado Edition,” which chronicles stories of courageous high school journalism undertaken by students in Colorado. Watch it here. It earned a Best of Competition award at the Broadcast Education Association’s 2016 Festival of Media Arts. The Colorado Student Media Association has developed curricular materials for using the film in a high school classroom.

What’s it like to be a part of something bigger than yourself?

Go to our Facebook page to learn how to share your testimony about what it means to be a member of Quill and Scroll. Or you can go to the Quill and Scroll website to give a more detailed story about your connection to Q&S.

CALLING ALL ADVISERS!

Does anyone have any footage of their induction ceremonies! We would love to feature your students in a video! Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

What’s Viral:

Diabetes diagnoses updates.

Type 1 diabetes diagnoses have rapidly increased for Hispanic youth in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups. The issue: Chronic illnesses such as diabetes show an ongoing challenges to healthcare providers, insurers and the general public. New findings suggest that type 1 and type 2 diabetes has increased for minority youths more than for their non-Hispanic white peers. BUT WHY?

Social media users are baffled by the rapid changes.

In the past year, a number of significant stories involved social media. For example…Facebook lured Snapchat players to Instagram, the president of the United States communicated official policy positions via Twitter in 140 characters and Apple announced plans to alter the way we use our phone. But just wait until you hear about what the plans are for next year! Here are the top 10 social media trends to prepare for in 2018.

Over 79 accusers…obviously it’s going #viral.

Thanks to Harvey Weinstein and the crimes he has committed, the #MeToo movement has immensely grown. Since then, the SPLC has received requests from a number of students and advisers looking for advice on how to cover sexual assault in their publications. Join the SPLC next Tuesday, Nov. 14 as they share their advice on how to write and collect information about sexual assault stories. Just tune in to their live feed on YouTube and gain a wealth of legal and ethical advice to assist in your journalism careers.

Plagiarism: the worst offense in journalism.

Over the past few years, the conspiracy site InfoWars has copied more than 1,000 articles produced by Russian state-sponsored broadcasterRT, without the proper permission. Can you say plagiarism?? According to BuzzSumo (a social media sharing tracker), there were at least 1,014 RT articles that InfoWars has copied since May of 2014. Check out their reaction here.

Just a Thought:

Key to success.

There are characteristics of journalistic reporting that set it apart from other categories of writing. There are a few simple guidelines that are important to the credibility of content than others. All of these principles apply to all forms of media even though they might be worded for use in text or print.

Preparing for a journalistic win.

Journalism is one of the more difficult (or rather risky lately) occupations in our society today. It’s not just about keeping the public informed about the events that occur in our everyday lives (in an accurate manner of course), but  you also have to put your life on the line in some intense situations as hard as it is to believe. That’s the kind of future that awaits students who want to major in news reporting or journalism. Here are some of the most important things you need to do in preparation.

Facebook galore, and a whole lot more.

As a part of the Facebook Journalism Project, the company says it is committed to improving our training and tools for journalists. The Facebook for Journalists Certificate is a free curriculum to make it easier for journalists to use Facebook and Instagram in their daily journalistic tasks with material that engages their followers as well. Check it out!