When a new yearbook team kicks off, the first questions are usually things like, “Do we have photos from the Halloween dance?” or “Who went somewhere cool over summer break?” But before you get too deep into layouts and late-night editing sessions, it’s worth hitting pause to talk about something just as important: ethics, accuracy, and what’s fair game to print. Let's walk through the big stuff, without all the legalese.

TELL IT LIKE IT IS

Your yearbook isn't a daily news outlet, but it's still a historical record of the school year. This means that it should be honest, accurate, and respectful. Unlike a newspaper, you can't run a correction in tomorrow's issue…once it's printed, it's permanent. So double check those facts, spell names right, and make sure what you're publishing is the real deal.

THE TRUTH CAN HURT

Sometimes the truth isn't pretty. Maybe your basketball team didn't win a single game all year. It might be tempting to skip the scores or gloss over the season, but that's not the way to go. Instead, tell the story with heart…interview the players, highlight their perseverance, and show how they supported each other though a tough year. That's real journalism, and it's way more powerful than pretending it didn't happen.

And while we're at it, don't mess with photos to "fix" reality. No editing out people, no adding in things that weren't there.

MEMORIALS AND LOSS

Losing a student or staff member can be heartbreaking, and how you handle it in the yearbook matters. Every school has its own approach, but here are a few thoughtful options:

• A small "in memory" section with a photo, name, and birth/death years.
• Placement in a respectful part of the yearbook, often near the index or at the end of the portraits.
• Keep consistency if there's more than one tribute (same layout, font, and space)

Some schools choose not to create memorial pages at all, instead offering space in the ad section for families and friends to purchase a tribute. Whatever your school decides, the key is to be prepared and handle it with care and compassion.

ADS ARE NOT EDITORIALS

Just because someone buys an ad doesn't mean that they can get a say in your content. A local car dealership might want to be featured in your "first cars" spread, but unless they're genuinely part of the story, they don't belong there. That said, if an advertiser does something truly newsworthy, like finding a new theatre or scholarship, that's a different story (literally).

To keep things above board, include a clear advertising policy in your staff handbook. Something like "Advertisers do not influence editorial content. All coverage decisions are made independently by the yearbook staff."

YEARBOOK CODE OF ETHICS

Every yearbook team should have a written policy that outlines how you’ll handle the tricky stuff. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should cover:

• Your right to free expression (within school guidelines)
• Advertising and sponsorship rules
• Memorial and obituary policies
• Book sales and portrait guidelines
• Copyright and plagiarism standards
• Your commitment to journalistic integrity
  
  

COPYRIGHT

We get it…pop culture is inspiring. But before you borrow that movie quote or remix a meme for your theme, make sure you understand copyright. If someone else created it, you need permission to use it. That includes:

• Song lyrics
• Logos and characters
• Artwork and photos
• Anything pulled from the internet

When in doubt, create your own content or get written permission. It's not just about avoiding legal trouble, it's about respecting the creators, just like you'd want your work respected.