We both try to do the right thing for our readers, even when others see us as pariahs. We stick to our values although the nature of our work is so deadline-oriented that we don't always get it right.

Each day we face increased demands for our services with decreased resources.

Yet as newspaper editors struggle with how to attract Generation X, we are trying to pull in Generations Y and Z as well. We also have to deal with frequent attacks on students' free-speech rights.

There are good and bad high school newspapers - again, much like the professional press. There also are ways to ensure excellence in scholastic publications. Good school papers have adequate support and are led by teachers trained in journalism. No principal would dream of hiring a science teacher without a science background to run a chemistry lab, but it is common for principals to hire newspaper advisers with no experience. No wonder there are problems.

Even good programs need the support and help of the professional press. Editors are the natural leaders for this activity. What can editors do to help?

First, support good programs with recognition and encouragement. Remember that the scholastic newspaper adviser is one of the loneliest faculty members. Be sure the adviser knows you care about what is being done in the classroom. Simple award programs and an occasional write-up add credibility in the community to the school publication.

Next, provide support when merited. This may take the form of advocating statutes that restore student press freedoms - such laws are in effect in six states. Or, when issues like the Communications Decency Act come up, editors should not overlook the implications for scholastic journalism. For example, if teachers instruct students on how to search the Internet for information on a story about Bosnian war crimes, the search could reveal graphic testimony by rape victims that might be deemed "indecent" or "patently offensive." Teachers could go to jail.

Getting involved is as simple as providing guest speakers to the classroom. My students' favorites have included slide presentations on photojournalism, talks about feature writing, discussions with columnists on writer's block, and ethics debates with editors. Students benefit greatly from hearing about the decision-making process and its consequences.

You can also invite advisers in your area for discussions about possible joint activities:

• Consider linking their program to your paper's needs.
• Offer opportunities for students to shadow journalists for "real-life" experiences.
• Establish internships so devoted student journalists can gain practical experience.
• Open up a page in your newspaper for students.

Scholastic journalism support is a two-way street. We do good things for you, too:

• We train future reporters, designers and photographers; in fact, high school journalists are probably the most experienced desktop publishers in the country.
• We teach students how to make sense of the information explosion by showing them how to access the Internet, online encyclopedias and AP.
• We help create thinkers who ask, "Who says?" when considering views.
• We help students learn to deal with change, a skill they will need as much as any other in journalism.
• We teach them to write clearly and concisely, a key skill in any career.
• Most fundamentally, we teach students to be media-literate and to understand how the business of news works. Students in good programs understand why it's important to label op-ed pieces clearly and why it's crucial to interview the various sides in a story in a controversy. If these basics are not followed in stories that they read, they know enough to wonder why.

Yes, I train future reporters, photographers and editors. But I also help tomorrow's doctors, lawyers, plumbers, entrepreneurs and accountants understand the vital role of the media in preserving our democratic society, even if the news isn't always good.

It isn't always easy to forge links to your local advisers. Some of my peers don't want interference or won't feel qualified to accept help. In some cases, you will run into brick walls. But most advisers your help will welcome your help.

Editors have much to offer high school journalism programs, and the exchange can be mutually satisfying. Indeed, our goals are very much the same.

Graff, 1995 National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year, is newspaper adviser for La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, N.M.