FAQs

How to join HS Insider

1. Can I still join HS Insider if my school isn’t listed on the site or if my school is outside of California?
   Yes, you can as long as you have an advisor.
2. Who counts as an advisor?
   Typically, students choose their journalism or English teachers as advisors, but an advisor can be any teacher at your school. The time commitment for an advisor is minimal, we just need to have a point of contact at your school. If you are homeschooled, a parent can act as your advisor.
3. Can students who graduated high school be a part of HS Insider?
   Yes, they can have their stories published on HS Insider. But they cannot be part of the Student Advisory Board or the summer internship.
4. How can I get more involved?
   We highly encourage students to submit stories to our site. You can also apply for our Student Advisory Board; applications are released every August and December. Our annual Journalism Day conference is every October at CSU Northridge, and we also have virtual events and workshops throughout the year. We’re always open to ideas and project collaborations from students, if you have any proposals you’d like to share you can reach out to rebecca.castillo@latimes.com.

Permission slips

1. How long does it take for a permission slip to be processed?
   Permission slips usually take a week to be processed but email us if you have waited longer than that.
2. How do I know if my permission slip went through?
   You will get a confirmation sent to your email within 15-20 minutes.

Stories

1. What should I add to my pending review story?
   A headline and excerpt (a one sentence summary of your story). Be sure to include a photo with a caption.
2. How long does it take for a story to be published?
   Stories usually take 1-2 weeks to be edited and published. If your story is time-sensitive and will lose relevance as time goes on (for example, a breaking news story) please email rebecca.castillo@latimes.com after you submit your story and we will fast track it.
3. Can I publish stories from my school newspaper to HS Insider or vice versa?
   Yes, but with the advisor’s permission.
4. What type of stories does HS Insider take?
   HS Insider accepts all forms of journalism stories, including news stories, features, opinion pieces, profiles and more.
5. How do I know if I successfully submitted an article on WordPress?
   When it says “pending review” it means someone on the HSI team will edit it.
6. How can I avoid plagiarism when referencing sources?
   Students should put quotations around information taken from sources to avoid plagiarism.