Must reads for after Scholastic Journalism Week
As Scholastic Journalism Week ends, we don’t want to lose sight of issues students and advisers continue to face. Some are as old as Hazelwood; some much newer and raise additional concerns.
• Active voice: SPLC project strives to empower women in student media
SPLC Executive Director Frank LoMonte told attendees at the organization’s 40th anniversary that “the non-profit organization has noticed a trend: girls most often stand up and report on serious issues within their schools and communities. They’re also the first to be shut down.” Hence, a new SPLC project, Active Voices.
http://www.splc.org/article/2015/02/women-run-the-show-at-student-media-outlets-nationwide
• High school students, teachers confront student media censorship
Another in a series of surveys of scholastic student journalists and their advisers at national scholastic journalism conventions shows –again – that censorship is a fact of life in many schools. Of 6,406 students and teacher who attended the NSPA/JEA Washington, D.C. convention in the fall, 52 percent of student respondents said someone other than student editors had the final authority to determine content of the student media.
http://www.splc.org/article/2015/02/high-school-students-teachers-confront-student-media-censorship
Other censorship studies include:
• New research shows administrators know more about the First Amendment but don’t fully grasp it
http://jeasprc.org/new-research-shows-administrators-know-more-about-the-first-amendment-but-dont-fully-grasp-it/
•High school students, teachers ex;eeriness student media censorship
http://jeasprc.org/high-school-students-teachers-experience-student-media-censorship/
• One man crusades for students’ social media rights nationwide
Attorney Bradley Shear discusses how his work could help make Maryland the 13th state with a law protecting the social media privacy rights of students in colleges and high schools. SPLC podcast.
http://www.splc.org/multimedia/789
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Students support peers across the country in censorship case
Part four of a series – Making a Difference
In celebration of the anniversary of the February 25, 1969, United States Supreme Court Tinker vs. Des Moines, the JEA SPRC Making a Difference project salutes the The Foothill Dragon Press at Foothill Technology High School in Ventura (Calif.) for their support of fellow student journalists across country at the Playwickian, at Neshaminy High School (Pa.).
When student journalists at The Foothill Dragon Press learned that their peers were being censored, they posted this editorial on their website, entitled When one student is threatened, we are all threatened.
Their adviser, Melissa Wantz wrote “When the Neshaminy School Board in Langhorne, Pa., decided to rewrite district policy to prevent student editors at Neshaminy High School from prohibiting the word “Redskin” — a term the newspaper voted to ban from its pages — my students decided to use their editorial power to denounce the school board and to support the Playwickian newspaper staff. The day after the editorial was published online at www.foothilldragonpress.org, it was quoted or linked on social media, email and in an article published by the Student Press Law Center.
After researching and writing this editorial over a weekend, The Foothill Dragon Press journalists suddenly understood what it might feel like to lose their freedom and how they have to be prepared to fight for the First Amendment. The staff of the Playwickian expressed gratitude for The Foothill Dragon Press support by using their free speech rights to publicly comment beneath the online editorial.”
In September, the Playwickian staff had funds removed from their publishing account and one of their editors, Gillian McGoldrick, was suspended from her editorial position for a month. The adviser, Tara Huber was also suspended for three days without pay, because she did not censor her students for their practice of banning the term “Redskin” in their newspaper.
Once again the Foothills Dragon staff rose to the challenge and started an independent, national fundraiser to help pay for the publishing funds removed and the three days of pay the teacher lost as a result of the administrative discipline. That fundraiser surpassed the $2,400 in two days and reached a total of $6,810 to support their peers.
Like Mary Beth Tinker and John Tinker, these student journalists in Ventura, Calif., have made a national difference along with their peers in Langhorne, Pa. via scholastic journalism.
Read MoreHonor – and elevate – all programs
during Scholastic Journalism Week
by John Bowen
With Scholastic Journalism Week starting Feb. 22, it would serve us well to note SPLC executive Frank LoMonte’s words in this week’s Education Week.
LoMonte covers a number of points he suggests disrespect and trivialize high school journalism: mistreating female scholastic journalists, establishing the lowest, barely legal level of freedom for scholastic media and undermining the news-literacy obligation of a high school education.
As we rightfully celebrate our strengths in scholastic journalism next week, we should also heed LoMonte’s points so we help others reach the levels of scholastic journalism programs we honor.
Check out a story here about such a situation where the principal is quoted as saying, “The school paper here at school is mine to control.”
Examine LoMonte’s thoughts, compare with the comments of the principal, and commit ourselves to elevate all journalism programs as they strive to reach the uncensored educational quality of the ones we honor most.
Read MorePicture Freedom scholarship available
Students 13 and older can win a $1,ooo scholarship by sharing photos and artwork that illustrate freedom of expression in competition announced Feb. 3 by 1 for All and its partners. 
Obtain information about the contest here.
Click here to download the official rules. A guest column by Ken Paulson, president of the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center, and the contest’s media ads are available for publishing in print and online.
Picture Freedom is supported by the American Society of News Editors, the Journalism Education Association, the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies at Middle Tennessee State University, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center, and hundreds of teachers and journalists.
Contestant entries must be submitted via a public posting to the social networking sites Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or between the hours of 12:00:00 AM EST on Feb. 22, 2015 and 11:59:59 PM PST on Feb. 28, 2015.
The entry must contain the hashtag #PictureFreedom (not case sensitive) and must be accessible to the general public (remove all privacy settings relating to this post or tweet).
Our best dream: start from the beginning
An article in the Washington Times titled “Liberals’ worst nightmare: South Carolina schools move toward pro-gun curriculum,” caught our attention tonight.
SC Rep. Alan Clemmons’ proposal would allow, according to the Washington Times, “reasonable pro-gun expression by students.” The proposal would require instruction on the right to bare arms for at least three consecutive weeks in the school year.
We applaud a legislator farsighted enough to want students to be aware of the Constitution and to apply its tenets.
We just think he started the process one too late.
He should start with the First Amendment not the Second.
We can see the model now:
• From his proposal: essay contests and Second Amendment Day allowing “reasonable” Second Amendment expression in school without fear of punishment, The Washington Times reported.
• Our addition: essay contests and a First Amendment Day allowing “reasonable” free expression emphasizing student freedom of expression in and out of school for each school year.
• From his proposal: According to the Washington Times, Clemmons said, “I believe that all students in American should be taught civics and the importance of our constitutional freedoms.”
• Our addition: What he said. But start with the First.
The freedom to speak:
the John Wall Voices Act
by Faith Harron, sophomore
Century High School
Century Star newsmagazine
The Constitution of the United States guarantees all are created free and equal and endowed with the same rights.
When it comes to journalism, though, many high school and college students are not equal to their adult counterparts.
Some a few in North Dakota are trying to change that. With the backing of representatives Jessica Haak and Corey Mock, a bill was written by college students at the University of Jamestown and introduced it in the House this month.
The current bill, the John Wall New Voices Act, is something different. It would grant student journalists in high school (like me) as well as college limited First Amendment rights to publish school newspapers.
“The John Wall New Voices Act is a wonderful tool to ensure student journalists are provided the same freedoms that professional journalists are awarded thanks to our First Amendment,” said Corey Mock, assistant minority leader in the North Dakota House of Representatives. “Since I had been working on the bill with Rep. Haak since April of 2013, sponsoring the bill was the easiest decision I have made all session long.”
Censorship is akin to blunting a pen, or even writing in invisible ink. What purpose does the story serve if it never sees the light of day? This is sometimes the case when prior review is allowed.
This allows the censorship of “questionable content.”
But who is the judge of “questionable content?” Is it the authorities in the school? The journalism advisers? The students, who have been taught to judge between right and wrong?
Jeremy Murphy was a West Fargo teacher who was fired because there “was a difference in philosophy when it came to student journalism and how students decided content for the publications,” he said.
He was later rehired by the school district and continues to teach journalism with no prior review, and adds “there is probably a fear factor when it comes to a bill on student expression…some people might think it allows students free reign on what they can do.”
However, there are guidelines written into the bill for appropriate student speech. But there are other concerns about the bill.
[pullquote]Censorship and the chilling effect are hard to prove. We can show how…widespread this issue is nationally, and we hope that our legislators will know that we North Dakotans are not immune. – Steven Listopad, University of Jamestown[/pullquote]
“[A] threat to a bill like this is the ‘ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ principle,” said Steven Listopad, the teacher who helped his Jamestown students draft the bill. “Censorship and the chilling effect are hard to prove. We can show how…widespread this issue is nationally, and we hope that our legislators will know that we North Dakotans are not immune. We North Dakotans, just like any other human being, will choose more control over less in any given situation even though when it comes to your right to speak less control is exactly what we need.”
What started as a class project in COMM 412: Civics and Citizen Journalism at the University of Jamestown has become a bill…and possibly a law.
“The John Wall New Voices Act will be heard by the House Education committee this month and hopefully given a ‘do pass’ recommendation before it comes to a final vote on the House floor,” Mock said.
I’m just one high school journalist, and I can’t say I speak for all undergraduate nonfiction writers out there. But I would never consider writing something libelous or obscene. Knowing my peers, I don’t believe they would, either.
It’s a bill. It won’t solve the world’s hunger problems, and it won’t make everyone equal. It probably doesn’t matter to everyone in the world.
But it matters to me, and my peers, and maybe it can help someone share their story. At the very least, it’s a start.
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