About Us

Thedispatchonline.net is the official student online newspaper of James Bowie High School. The site is updated with new content on a daily basis. There are also additional stories published throughout the year from the Dispatch print edition, Journalism 1 students, and other student contributors. Publishing occurs from approximately two weeks before school starts until about three weeks after school dismisses for the summer break. Occasionally, stories of significance are published during the summer.

The Dispatch print edition is during the school year. 3500 copies are printed by Community Impact Publishing and distributed for free six times a year, generally once per six weeks for the school’s students, staff and community.

The Dispatch products are each an open forum for student expression. The Dispatch is not reviewed by school administration prior to distribution, and the advisor will not act as a censor. Content represents the views of the student staff and not school officials. In 2019 a request by JBHS principal Mark Robinson was made to review student polls. Per the State of Texas, which is held to the Hazelwood standard, all polls are submitted to the principal for approval before publication. None have been altered or declined and an update will be made to this statement if and when that happens.

The Dispatch will work to avoid bias and/or favoritism. We will strive to make our coverage and content meaningful, timely and interesting to our readers. Our articles will reflect our genuine objective of reporting news and will be held to a high standard of quality.

We will make every effort to avoid printing libel, obscenities, innuendo and material that threatens to disrupt the learning process or is an invasion of privacy. We will avoid electronic manipulation that alters the truth of a photograph without indicating that the photographer is an illustration.

Staff editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board arrived at by discussion and will not be bylined. Bylined articles are the opinion of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Dispatch staff, the administration, or AISD, as a whole.

The Dispatch welcomes reader input. Please send any letters, articles, comments or corrections to [email protected], call (512) 841-7825, or mail them to 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX 78749 or drop them off in room F-203 with adviser Michael Reeves or any editor. Letters must be signed, and emailed letters will require verification before publication. We will not necessarily publish all letters received and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.

Comments are turned on for all online stories, but are marked “for approval” by thedispatchonline.net Editor-in-Chiefs, who review all comments for appropriate language, personal attacks, or any language that could be considered libelous. Any comment deemed inappropriate will be reviewed by the faculty adviser before complete removal. No anonymous comments will be published, and we require a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm all comments.

The Dispatch does not necessarily endorse the products or services of advertising. All advertising inquiries should be directed to the program adviser, Michael Reeves, at the above contact options.

Any incoming eighth grader, or current freshman interested in joining the Dispatch staff is encouraged to sign up for Journalism 1 or Digital Media/Newspaper 1. Anyone else should contact adviser Michael Reeves for information about being part of the program.