Power to the People: Student coverage of protests (Constitution Day 2025)
Overview and Rationale The 2024-2025 school year was filled with people taking advantage of their First Amendment right to assemble, and this new year is sure to be no different. This lesson plan encourages students to consider the First Amendment’s connection to the theme of “Power to the People.” It also encourages them to read…
Read MoreShoring up the basics: Short videos for Constitution Day 2025
Tripp Robbins, MJE, created this series of bite-sized videos as an introduction to topics in student media law and ethics for the Scholastic Press Rights Committee. They can be used as part of a curriculum or just on a need-to-know basis. They’re concise and dense, so you may want to pause them to digest some…
Read MorePower to the People: Do they use that power wisely? (Constitution Day 2025)
Constitution Day 2025: Power to the People Class research activity: Do they use that power wisely? The Constitution, signed in 1787, begins with a short preamble, spelling out its intent. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,…
Read MoreFive activities your students can do to promote Constitution Day 2025
Last year, I moved to a new school and eventually restarted its Quill & Scroll chapter. Since then, I have been brainstorming potential chapter activities. Celebrating Scholastic Journalism Week is a no-brainer – so why not also observe Constitution Day? Here are five activities your chapter – or your student media programs or even journalism…
Read MoreWhich States May Pass New Voices in 2025
Pennsylvania is making significant strides in its pursuit of New Voices legislation. It joins five other states with active bills in their state legislatures. As states gear up for their legislative sessions, a handful of New Voices teams have introduced (or reintroduced) bills to protect student journalists’ free speech rights. Eighteen states have passed New…
Read MoreNavigating legal challenges: Essential advice for student journalists covering immigration
Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel from the Student Press Law Center, talks with Diana Day from the Scholastic Press Rights Committee about what young journalists need to know about their legal rights and responsibilities when covering immigration topics. Scholastic journalists across the country are grappling with a number of ethical and logistical challenges when reporting…
Read MoreAmerica is…
“The one thing that I think is vital — our most important obligation,” Mark Goodman, former Executive Director of the Student Press Law Center and of the Center of Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University, said. “We HAVE to teach students that censorship is wrong, morally, educationally, journalistically, even when it cannot be avoided or…
Read MoreWhat is the purpose of your student publication?
Developing student-led mission statements and a culture covering stories that matter can serve both school and local communities. Many years ago, I was confronted by an angry parent after a long production meeting. She felt her daughter, an editor, spent too much time working on the paper. “This isn’t the New York Times!” she reminded…
Read MoreVideo series gives crash course in press rights issues
If you’re looking for a quick refresher on press rights issues, a potential class bellringer or something to spark discussions in class, check out this video series created by SPRC member Tripp Robbins. The series, which Robbins created for his MJE project, delves into issues from FERPA to hate speech to covering protests. Robbins worked…
Read MoreNew frontiers: Voting as speech
Overview In this lesson, students will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, voting rights and the First Amendment. By analyzing how AI can influence the democratic process, including voter suppression, gerrymandering and misinformation, students will also consider voting as a form of protected speech under the First Amendment. They will discuss whether restrictions on voting…
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