About

Welcome to The Pinnacle, the student voice of Summit High School in Bend, Oregon. The Pinnacle is entirely student-run with its nearly 30 staff members responsible for the newspaper’s writing, editing and fundraising. Advisor James Williams oversees the process and provides a wealth of journalistic knowledge.

Founded in 2002, the newspaper has established itself as a reliable source of information for Summit’s student population and members of the surrounding community. As a staff, we aim to provide fact-based and informative content to our peers in the form of articles, photography, social media content and so much more.

In its over 20 years of operation, The Pinnacle has received a variety of awards at both the state and national levels. Just recently, The Pinnacle won Second Runner-Up in the Online Publication category at the Oregon Journalism Education Association’s Fall Media Day.

To explore The Pinnacle’s award-winning content, browse our website, visit our Instagram page (@thesummitpinnacle) or search for a physical copy of the newspaper which is printed quarterly.

Editorial Policy

At The Pinnacle, we hold our reporting to the highest standards. To ensure these standards are met, our editors and staff will conform to the following rules and ethics, in effect starting January 27, 2024.

1. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: It is the strong belief of those at The Pinnacle that press freedom should be preserved at all costs, including the freedom of student publications. While The Pinnacle is affiliated with Summit High School, it functions as an independent news source and should therefore be treated as such. We encourage readers to reach out with concerns regarding content published in The Pinnacle, but any effort by individuals within the school or community to hinder the newspaper’s publication process could be seen as a violation of the First Amendment.
2. THE EDITORIAL BOARD: The editorial board, which consists of all editors-in-chief, managing editors and section editors, is responsible for making all final decisions regarding the content and functions of The Pinnacle. This includes choosing which content is published on the website, selecting articles for print issues and deciding on topics for editorials. Members of the editorial board are selected by the previous year’s editors-in-chief with input from the publication’s advisor.
3. THE ADVISOR: The staff advisor of The Pinnacle serves as a teacher, journalistic influence and advocate for the publication. The advisor may provide input on matters regarding the publication and its content, but as a student-run newspaper, the editorial board is still responsible for final decisions.
4. THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION: The Summit High School administration ensures that The Pinnacle has a time and place to work and that we are overseen by a qualified staff advisor. The administration is not required to review the newspaper’s content prior to publication.
5. CONTENT: All content posted on The Pinnacle’s website or printed in a physical copy of The Pinnacle will follow these rules.
   1. ERRORS: If you notice a mistake in our work, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we will correct it promptly. A written correction will be issued at the bottom of the article, clarifying the change that was made and the purpose behind it.
   2. STORY REMOVAL: If you have a concern about a story posted on the website, please send a removal request to [email protected]. While the editorial board reserves the right to make all final decisions on content removal, we will consider your request and attempt to rectify any problems with the piece.
   3. PROFANITY: The Pinnacle will not publish any work deemed unnecessarily profane. However, the editorial board reserves the right to make these classifications. If a quote contains unnecessary profanity, staff and editors may edit the quote to fit publication guidelines. If this occurs, any changes will be indicated with brackets.
   4. OPINION ARTICLES: While The Pinnacle strives for unbiased, fact-based reporting in its news articles, an opinion article will express the views and convictions of the staff member responsible for writing it. These opinions are not representative of the newspaper staff or Summit High School as a whole. The Pinnacle is not obligated to seek out views that differ from those of the staff reporter, but if a student opposes the content of an opinion article, they are encouraged to reach out to the newspaper and write an op-ed piece.
   5. EDITORIALS: The Pinnacle occasionally publishes editorials, or opinion pieces co-written by the newspaper’s editorial board. These articles will be bylined as: “by the Pinnacle Editorial Board.” Although the editorial board makes final decisions regarding editorial content, all members of the staff are encouraged to suggest ideas, assist with research and, if they disagree with the opinion presented, publish an op-ed piece expressing their viewpoint.
   6. SOURCING: The Pinnacle will refer to all sources by their preferred name and pronouns, which they are requested to provide at the beginning of every interview. In addition, members of The Pinnacle must disclose where the piece will be published and confirm that the source is comfortable with the situation. The Pinnacle occasionally utilizes anonymous sources. These sources will be referred to by their grade level or another relevant indicator and a reason will be provided for their anonymity. Sufficient reasons include:
      1. Risk of physical or emotional harm to the source
      2. Risk of loss of employment or other retribution
   7. PHOTO CREDIT: All photos published in The Pinnacle will include a byline attributing them to the photographer. 
   8. AI USAGE: Staff and editors of The Pinnacle may use artificial intelligence for any of the following purposes:
      1. Brainstorming ideas or angles for a story.
      2. Writing interview questions.
      3. Transcribing interviews.
      4. Creating an outline or organizing research.
      5. Assisting in the production of original art.
   9. AI USAGE CONTINUED: Staff and editors of The Pinnacle may NEVER use artificial intelligence for any of the following purposes:
      1. Produce writing of any kind for publication.
      2. Generate false interviews.
      3. Fact-check information.
      4. Create false or deepfake images, video or audio.
   10. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: The Pinnacle aims to avoid conflicts of interest in writing and reporting. Staff are encouraged not to write about students, faculty and clubs or organizations that they are closely affiliated with. Reporters must disclose any potential conflict of interest prior to beginning a story.
   11. COMMENTS: If you wish to comment on a story, you may share your thoughts under the comments tab on each article. Comments must be manually approved, so they will only appear if the website manager and editorial staff deem them appropriate.