Many high schools and colleges across the United States have a newspaper or journalism program, like our very own Sunburst or The Runner at CSUB, The Daily Bruin at UCLA or The State Press at Arizona State University. It’s safe to say that journalism has become an incredibly integrated program at many schools – yet despite that, student journalists are mistreated and are often only seen as students, not journalists.
The First Amendment of the Constitution is where the rights of the press are defined. The government is prohibited from placing any restrictions on or preventing the publication of any news, unless it relates to national security. The “press” includes all traditional journalists, content creators or any form of social media. It’s safe to say that student journalists are a part of the press, yet school boards often serve as their own government.
Though this isn’t anything crazy in and of itself.
In 1988 a Supreme Court case, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier ruled that school officials were allowed to censor student speech in school-sponsored publications IF they had a legitimate reason to do so. Yet there have been many instances of schools finding a reason to censor any newspaper, even going as far as to temporarily expel students.
To counteract this, New Voices laws are state-level legislative measures that are currently implemented in 18 different states, California being one of them. Despite this, not all schools comply, leaving student journalists vulnerable to censorship.
Due to this, organizations have been formed to protect the rights of student journalists, one of those being the Student Press Law Center who established Student Press Freedom Day. This year, Student Press Freedom Day will be honored on Feb. 26.
This is a day to recognize the students who are part of the press, who make sure you aren’t oppressed. The students who ensure your voice is heard and rise to action to bring awareness.
