First Amendment – Page 5

The fight for First Amendment rights has escalated

Needless to say, a staple in any beginning journalism course is (or should be) understanding the First Amendment. Many educators go to great lengths, and rightfully so, to make sure their students know the five freedoms guaranteed (religion, speech, press, assembly, petition). The 45 words are engrained in our, and hopefully our student’s, heads from…

B.L. v. Mahanoy: A New Case in Scholastic Journalism Law

WATCH ORAL ARGUMENTS OF THIS CASE ON C-SPAN APRIL 28, 2021. In what may be the most pivotal case regarding student free expression in more than a decade, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided in B.L. v. Mahanoy Area School District that administrators may not regulate off-campus speech by students if it does not cause disruption of…

After 234 years, Hamilton’s words remain spot on

When Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers in 1787, odds are more than pretty good that scholastic journalism wasn’t on their minds. Safe bet. In one of the 51 essays he wrote, Hamilton noted that “…A government continually at a distance and out of sight can hardly be expected to…

Student Press Freedom Day: This year’s theme is Journalism Against the Odds

Student Press Freedom Day is February 26. This year’s theme is Journalism Against the Odds – how fitting for the bulk of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. Last March who could have predicted the unfolding of a global pandemic closing high schools and colleges, cutting students off from campuses and classrooms, classmates and school…

New Voices Laws may bring new challenges

As the pandemic lingers and school districts ping-pong back and forth between at-home learning, in-school learning and hybrid learning, one thing hasn’t changed. Laws governing student expression. Fourteen states already have laws that protect the First Amendment rights of student journalists and, reports the Student Press Law Center, laws have been introduced or reintroduced in…

January 6: Reporting on mobs, coup, insurrection, protest, riot, patriots

While JEA condemns attack on the Capitol Jan. 6, it also urged journalism teachers and advisers to continue facilitating fact-based journalism, especially of locally-related issues. To help students and advisers with that coverage, The SPRC highlights information and ideas that can assist in exploring current events or national issues. JEA commended journalism educators, president Sarah…

Questioning Authority: Covering Jan 6th

Journalists must no longer share just the what. We must provide the WHY It’s not just what we tell people. It’s more than ever the WHYords are powerful. And teachable moments are a gift. No one knows that better than journalism teachers. So, when crowds descended on the Capitol Wednesday (note the words I…

When Tragedies Happen, Teachers Are On: The Day After January 6th

The evening of Jan. 6, I spent time thinking about how to work with my journalism students the next day. There were so many different plans that I explored, and this is what I ended up with. I started with a letter that I read to them, which I will excerpt here. My default is…

Need assistance with censorship issues? Press the Panic Button

JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Commission (SPRC) established a first line of confidential intervention for those who feel they face censorship or just want legal or ethical advice about journalism decisions. The Panic Button. The Panic Button is an online reporting tool where advisers, students, administrators or community members can confidentially share their journalism situations or questions.…

Voting and Media Coverage: the meaning of being a citizen in a troubled era

Election Day this year is of monumental importance whether it might be a person’s twentieth time to vote or another’s first. Given the pandemic that allows medical and health issues to impact political, social and economic phases of society, Nov. 3, 2020 will be a harbinger of things to come. As journalists, we have a…