The Waverly Hi-Spot Newspaper is a student produced and managed publication. The staff works to report on a variety of necessary and relevant topics for readers within the District 145 community. The primary mission of this news organization is to present important, timely updates to the readership in an engaging and relatable manner. We strive to educate, inform and give a voice to the voiceless in everything we do, be it print or online. The staff encourages student submissions and comments to further improve our publications.

The Hi-Spot staff fulfills the 9 Principles of Journalism in the following ways:
1. Journalism's first obligation is to the truth:
Staffers will rely on reliable primary sources for all articles

• Staffers will obtain multiple perspectives for every story

• Staffers will recognize his or her own biases

• Staffers will submit all published articles through an editing process to ensure the truth is thorough and objective

2. Its first loyalty is to citizens:

• The Hi-Spot's primary readership is the student body of Waverly High School

• The Hi-Spot also recognize the staff of WHS, parents, families, the Board of Education, the Superintendent, all District 145 schools and their communities as its secondary--but equally valuable and important--readership base

• The staff strives to make the student body's voice is heard by faculty, administration and community members

• The staff will accomplish this by interviewing all students, including the less-well-known students, meeting with multiple sources and soliciting more student feedback, both online and in print

3. Its essence is a discipline of verification:

• Staffers will stay connected with beat sources and story sources to verify information

• Sources will be asked to verify information prior to publication

• Staffers will be required to verify all information from a secondary source

4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover:

• Staffers will practice awareness when choosing stories to prevent conflict of interests, and fellow staffers and the Adviser will monitor all staffers to make sure no conflict of interests interfere with stories

• Staffers will actively monitor each member's subjectivity in each story

5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power:

• Staffers will actively monitor leadership through its mass communication (e-mails, district posts, public statements, et cetera) as well as in person (interviews, BoE meetings, et cetera)

• Staffers will be aware of issues throughout the district and solicit administration's responses

• Staffers will follow up administrative statements to verify leadership has acted honestly based on interviews and statements

6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise:

• The Hi-Spot will provide open, public outlets for students to voice their concerns and opinions, both digitally and in print

• All public forum discussions will be actively monitored by staff to ensure a healthy, safe, productive culture of open communication

• The Hi-Spot will actively pursue and utilize relevant, new technology and social media outlets to present the readership with stories and information that are important to them

7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant:

• The Hi-Spot will utilize various forms of producing information, including (but not limited to): written articles of various styles; photojournalism; infographics; podcasts; video clips; Twitter; Instagram; Vine; et cetera

• Staffers will write complex stories in an understandable, engaging manner

• Staffers will be sure to let the readership know how articles directly impact them

8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional:

• The Hi-Spot will be in consistent communication with other schools in the district, students, faculty, administration, parents, Board of Education members, parents, family members and community members to search for newsworthy events

• Staffers will actively digest daily news at the local, state, national and international level

• Staffers will identify key facts and angles regarding stories to ensure necessary information is provided for readership

9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience:

• Staffers are expected to pursue personal or delicate stories with professionalism, decorum, compassion and humility

• Staffers are expected to turn down stories that they are opposed to on a personal, moral, philosophical or spiritual level

• Staffers will still write controversial stories that administration or an adviser deems inappropriate and submit the story to administration and advisor to seek a compromise on details and facts

• If a compromise cannot be obtained, staffers can exercise their right of free speech and relate the story from a personal platform as an individual, not a member of the Hi-Spot staff nor District 145