News, tips and advice from the Quill and Scroll International Honor Society
Compiled and written by Quill and Scroll journalist Nichole Shaw

The Lede

Transgender identity in danger of being erased by Trump administration

Sharon McCutcheon for Unsplash

Transgender identifying individuals are at risk of the erasure of their existence because the Trump administration wants to define gender as a biological condition determined at birth by genitalia only, according to a memo the New York Times obtained on Sunday. In the memo, the Department of Health and Human services argued a uniform definition of gender as male or female and unchangeable, despite expert knowledge that gender and biological sex are not the same thing. This announcement has not been taken lightly and trans people are tired and scared after years of fighting for their rights to exist and be supported. Read their plea here to help trans folk gain their basic rights.

Sandra Day O’Connor pulls back from public life due to dementia

CNN

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor released an open letter to “Friends and fellow Americans” on Tuesday announcing her dementia and likely Alzheimer’s disease. Because of her diagnosis, O’Connor has decided to withdraw from her public life, which has been relatively active sine her retirement in 2006. O’Connor was the first woman on the Supreme Court and is remembered as a level-headed trailblazer for women. Despite her farewell to the public, her legacy in the U.S. will always be remembered.

Killing of journalist Khashoggi is ‘heinous crime’

AP News

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman finally spoke to the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi on Wednesday, calling it “a heinous crime” that was “really painful to all Saudis” and to “every human being in the world.” The prince announced his country is launching an investigation to demand justice for Khashoggi after coming under public fire for allegations of being tied to the murder.

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It’s an Honor

Come see Q&S in Chicago!

Quill and Scroll will be at the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association convention Nov. 1-4 in Chicago. Stop by our table in the vendor table Thursday afternoon or anytime on Friday. Pick up some Q&S schwag. If you’re a Quill and Scroll member, and are interested in helping out on Thursday, we’re giving away $25 gift certificates to student members and/or their advisers. If you can help Thursday, contact Executive Director Jeff Browne at [email protected].

Listen up! THE SOURCE: Ep. 3 – Leadership

In the third installment of THE SOURCE, host Nichole Shaw interviews Daily Iowan Managing Editor Katelyn Weisbrod on leadership in the newsroom. Take a listen to discover the heartfelt anecdotes Weisbrod provided to speak to the difficult but necessary ethical practice of journalistic principles.

Quill and Scroll teams with TheChisel.com

DO YOU:

• Need a meaningful Q&S chapter activity this semester?
• Hope to solve a problem in your community or school?
• Want to interact with policy-makers and journalists?

Quill and Scroll has partnered with TheChisel.com to help you develop skills in reporting on, writing about, and devising solutions for issues in your school or hometown. You can read about the partnership on our webpage here, or you can download the pretty flier we created just for this partnership. If you have any questions, you may contact Q&S’s Jeff Browne at [email protected] or TheChisel’s Deborah Devedjian at [email protected].

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Writing, Photo, and Multimedia Winning Entries Available

Quill & Scroll’s annual Writing, Photo, and Multimedia Contest for 2018 is complete, and winning entries are now available for your perusal. A complete list of winners can be found here along with a brief showcase of and links to the award-winning work.

The 2019 Contest will be open for entries from December 2018 through Feb. 5, 2019. Work entered should have been published online or in a news publication between Feb. 1, 2018 and Feb. 1, 2019. As always, students who finish in the top 10 percent in any category are eligible for Quill and Scroll scholarships.

Does your school have a Q&S Charter?

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Yearbook Excellence Contest

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What’s viral?

Viral, graphic immigrant photos falsely linked to ‘Caravan”

AP News

Social media posts about 2,000 Central American participants of a caravan have caused confusion. This viral Twitter post—similar posts being taken down from Facebook, blogs and 4chan—indicates the photo of the bloody Mexican officer resulted from violence from participants of the caravan that aimed to cross over into Mexico earlier this week. However, this photo is from the 2016 aftermath of a violent high school demonstration and unrelated to the group of immigrants seeking refuge in the U.S., according to FactCheck.org.

China to hijack a viral meme for propaganda

CNN

The power of memes has reached an all-time as high as now they’re being used by the Chinese government as soft propaganda to spread positive energy of the country and their communist agenda. The meme that’s being spread like wildfire runs through a campaign called “Flaunt your wealth” to make it appear as though when a person falls, all of their riches “accidentally” fall out of their pockets and surround the floor they’re lying on.

Journalist freed after three years of Syrian captivity

CNN

Journalists’ safety and rights have continuously been put in danger for years, according to Journalists at Risk and Columbia Journalism Review. Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda was finally confirmed safe on Tuesday after being held by a dangerous extremist group in Syria since 2015. He worked as a freelance war reporter before being captured, where videos and photos of him pleading for help were released to the media until his release.

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Just a Thought

Millennials know best

Helena Hopes on Unsplash

Political ignorance is crumbling under millennials. Young adults have shown analysts they are better at identifying and separating factual statements form those of opinions, unlike older generations, according to a Pew Research report. Since reports like this show the young people know their facts, it’s even more important for the young people to vote in midterms this November. Are you well-informed? Make sure to read up on the candidates in your county to make the best choice. Vote absentee here.

Grit amounts to success for students, not IQ

Ben Mullins on Unsplash

Standardized testing and someone’s IQ have culturally been markers of a person’s intelligence, and thus have been perceived by society as an indicator for imminent success. However, studies and statistics have shown that standardized testing are not always signs for success. In fact, they seldom are because they can’t accurately measure one’s creativity or grit, which is something that has become of paramount importance to employers.