Does prior review have educational value?

Or, what students learn when they submit to prior review? From SPRC Vault 2 | Prior Review The last From the SPRC Vault focused on April Fools and other knowingly false and potentially dangerous publishing. It is potentially dangerous because it could lead to legal, ethical and negative situations that bring prior review, fear of negative public…

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Charles 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…

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Turn that mic back on! Student Journalists and Self-censorship

Having a principal censor a student media article is bad, but there’s something worse. It may start with an administrator’s polite suggestions to reporters not to “make the school look bad.” It may involve only slightly veiled threats about not being about to write an editor’s college recommendation letters. Or it may just be the…

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The threat of self-censorship: Often intangible, but still important to address

As scholastic journalism advisers, prevention of overt censorship from school administration is at the forefront of our fight for scholastic press rights  – and should be.  But in a scholastic setting, self-censorship is also a problem, arguably even more common than direct censorship. Whether caused by the chilling effects of previous censorship, by the pressure of prior review…

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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…

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Questioning Authority

Fallout from the 2020 election expands into a second impeachment trial. Mobs attack the Capital raising charges of unAmerican activity and sedition. Questions of whether not wearing masks and large groups partying extend our national pain of a nearly year-old pandemic. It is certain scholastic media will address plenty of issues. Just recently Facebook and…

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Who owns student content? Publication and copyrights

Students were back wherever their classes meet after the first of January when questions began on JEA’s listserv about who owned publication content, specifically images, in student media. Responses came, saying the school did; the publication did and student journalists did. Reasons and answers varied widely. JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee several years ago, as…

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