Constitution Day 2022
JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee hopes to help you and your students celebrate their free speech rights this year. Constitution Day, observed Sept. 17 each year in commemoration of the signing of the United States Constitution, is an excellent time to do it. We have a quick court cases-review crossword to help you and your…
Read MoreWhat’s old is still new: Hamilton Federalist essay No. 84
Hawaii is the sixteenth state to pass New Voices protection recently. The task to protect all student news media is not new and is unfinished. The signing in Hawaii is a huge success, but there is still a long way to go. Today’s students represent a new generation, but their voices aren’t new – they’re…
Read MorePassion project brings forum policy, student decision making through process, trust
What a private school adviser called a “passion project” for journalism students and herself during the pandemic became a model for other schools, public and private, to work to limit the damage censorship brings to education. What they successfully developed is an example of a process designed so a school has a method to avoid…
Read MoreAdministrators suggest advisers pull edit as disruptive, negative and not what school wants
Author says censored editorial presents a factual, legal case against policy changes Administrators say the editorial is disruptive, negative toward school administrators and not conducive to the school’s view of what a student-led newspaper should accomplish Press lawyer says editorial is not disruptive to school environment Administrators at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas, this…
Read MoreWhy student journalists – now more than ever – need First Amendment freedoms and protections
May 1—Law Day: We watch in horror as the last flickers of a free press in Russia are snuffed out and journalists are detained and threatened, including 14 who were arrested for covering anti-war protests. Four Russian student journalists were sentenced April 12 to two years of correctional labor for questioning whether it was right for teachers to discourage students from…
Read MoreSupporting advisers, celebrating successes on Student Press Freedom Day
Today is Student Press Freedom Day, a national day of action when student journalists in the United States raise awareness of the challenges they face, celebrate their contributions to their schools and communities, and take actions to protect and restore their First Amendment freedoms. As JEA’s scholastic press rights director, I speak with many people…
Read MoreExpand coverage of issues while celebrating Student Press Freedom Day, SJW this week
Hopefully, scholastic journalism will be a week of celebration of student achievements and planned educational activities for those in various local communities. If you haven’t already engaged your communities about how national issues affect local stories, this week would be a good time to create more awareness of important local issues, some of which might…
Read MoreCharles E. Smith Jewish Day School Policy Statement of Policy on Student Media
The Lion’s Tale – Press Rights Protocol I. Introduction/Statement of Policy Freedom of expression and press freedom are fundamental values in a democratic society. As an educational institution committed to preparing engaged and responsible citizens, the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School believes in teaching students these values, both by lesson and by example. CESJDS…
Read MoreChanges to traditional news access create potential barriers at all levels of reporting
A move by the leadership in the Iowa state senate to prohibit journalists from working on the floor has implications far beyond the Des Moines statehouse. Student journalists, whether at the collegiate or scholastic level, need to keep an eye open for similar moves. According to a report in the Cedar Rapids Gazette: “…Republican leaders in…
Read MoreCreating inquiring minds or censoring them? Book banning, racism and gender politics
A divided nation faces book and curriculum censorship, plus moves to prohibit discussion of anti-racist ideas in schools Can you teach controversial books in your class? I always warn my students how dangerous question leads are and how a wrong answer can scare a reader away. But the question you just read is now my…
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