Echo Policies

Your Rights as an Interviewee:

First, you may be asking why you have been contacted. It’s likely because your event, organization, etc. is getting covered, or it may mean that you have particular insight or expertise related to a specific topic. In general, it means that you have information that is beneficial to the public’s understanding or well being.

Below are some general tips for understanding how the interview process works.

During or before an interview, you have the right to:

• Request basic information about the reporter and the story. You have the right to know the reporter’s name and the media outlet for which they are writing. It is also a good idea to know deadline they are working under as well as the general idea of the article they are working on. Most credible journalists will have no problem sharing this information.
• Determine whether you are being recorded. It is state law in California that both parties (source and reporter) consent to being recorded. Being recorded is for your protection. It helps the reporter quote you accurately and helps guarantee the correct information is published.
• Provide information at a later time. If you are not 100% sure of an answer, tell the reporter you would like to double-check your information and get back to them. They will appreciate the accuracy. You should do your best to reply in a timely manner because journalists today work under very tight deadlines.

Interviewees do not typically have the right to:

• Demand questions in advance. Journalists may share questions or the general point of the interview with you, but you cannot demand to know all of the content of the interview in advance.
• Review the story before it runs. This is known as “prior review” and it is a form of censorship. Occasionally a journalist will ask you to review quotes for accuracy, but consider this the exception to the rule.
• Request that a story be removed after publication. The Echo will not remove previously published information from its website unless there is a serious accuracy issue. Requests to “take down” content will not be honored merely because content/quotes that the source originally shared are later deemed embarrassing or cause discomfort. See our “Take-down” policy below for more details.

Other things to know:

• You should assume that you are “on the record” as soon as the reporter has identified himself or herself as a journalist. By default, you are “on the record” and anything you can say can be attributed to you. If you want to provide information anonymously, this should be discussed in advance.
• Email interviews are also generally understood to be “on the record” unless you request that information not be used.
• California state law guarantees students at private universities the same freedom of speech as they would experience at a public school.
• People do not have a Constitutional right to privacy, and they have no “reasonable expectation of privacy” in public or at events that are open to the public. In general, a reporter/photojournalist does not need permission to record or take photos in that setting but may ask as a courtesy.
• The Echo is editorially independent. All content decisions are made by the student editorial staff.

“Take-down” policy:

Articles in The Echo are published in good faith that the sources interviewed understand that their names are being published. When it is established that a source is on the record (which is the default assumption once the reporter/photojournalist has identified him or herself as working for a news organization), the information can be printed freely. Typically, the Echo will not revise or remove previously published information from its website unless there is a serious accuracy issue. Requests to “take down” content will not be honored merely because information/quotes that the source originally provided are later deemed embarrassing, cause discomfort, negatively affect job prospects, etc. The journalist should make every effort to be clear that interactions are on the record.

All takedown requests will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. The Echo’s archive serves as a historical record. As such, there is a high bar when anyone requests that archival content be revised or removed.

In the event that extenuating circumstances are brought to the attention of the editor, such that the requester can provide concrete evidence (such as related court documents) that ongoing publication of the article, photo, etc. puts the individual’s safety at risk (i.e., the requester has a well-founded fear of harm), the editorial staff may consider removal of content. In such cases, the least removal possible should be authorized (i.e., a name or a photo might be removed from an article).

Journalism is a discipline of verification. The serious nature of a request for content removal or revision warrants that editors make the most informed decision possible. The request for evidence or documentation supporting the need for removal or revision is to facilitate decision-making that is grounded in fact.

In the event that a limited amount of content is to be removed, an editor’s note explaining changes, without identifying or calling further attention to the requester, should be appended. Note that substantial revision of an article may constitute “republication,” which may reset statutes of limitations for libel, etc.

In the event an entire article is to be removed—which should be an extraordinarily rare occurrence—the body text of the article should be removed and replaced with a brief explanation to preserve the original URL.

The editorial staff is not required to take action on requests for removal. The editor in chief should bring reasonable requests for removal of content to the student editorial staff. Removal of content requires a vote of support from the majority of editorial staff members.

“Artificial Intelligence” policy:

In order to maintain trust and transparency with audiences, careful consideration must be taken regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (herein referred to as AI).

In general, the use of AI is limited to using technologies to transcribe audio interviews and for minor, technical editing. All quotes used from AI-generated transcription must be verified by reporters and editors. AI may be used technical editing—checking grammar, spelling, punctuation, and Associated Press style. Generally, no additional use of AI, particularly for generating writing, is permitted

Any other use of AI should be discussed with the editor in chief and the faculty adviser, if appropriate. The editor in chief must approve any use of AI, and any use of AI must be disclosed to audiences.

“Corrections” policy:

The Echo strives to be as truthful and accurate as possible. If a correction needs to be made please contact the editor in chief or the corresponding section editor at [email protected]. Things that typically warrant corrections include any kind of factual error, such as a name, date, etc. Minor typographical errors (grammar, punctuation) typically do not require correction unless the error has altered the intended meaning. Note that the erroneous information is not to be repeated.

Online, corrections should be noted in two places: under the “corrections” tab to keep a running history of errors and on the article itself. In addition to make the edit within the text of the article, it should be made clear that a correction is appended.

Retractions: Retractions are the most serious form of correction. It means that The Echo can no longer stand by the article because of serious issues of accuracy or ethics (such as plagiarism or fabrication). In the event that a retraction is necessary, the article should be removed from the website and an editor’s note explaining the decision should be printed in the corrections section both in print and online.