Press Rights
JEA stands firmly behind student journalists’ press freedom. Where journalism students delve into the impact of such events as the invasion of the Capitol Jan. 6 and issues stemming from it, they create community engagement and understanding of journalistic responsibility, roles and values. Where the same students make final decisions of content without prior review and restraint, democracy’s ideals flourish and expand. We denounce all efforts to stifle student journalists, and we stand in solidarity with advisers who support them.
Constitution Day is Sept. 17
2025 Theme: Power to the People
The Scholastic Press Rights Committee has put together a set of activities and materials around the 2025 theme "Power to the People" for teachers to use in their classrooms this Constitution Day, Sept. 17. They range from full lesson plans to quick activities and ways to promote Constitution Day in your school community.
Press Rights Quick Links
Prior Review | Law-Ethics Manual | Key Cases | What Are Ethics | Tools of Truth
Ancillary: Role playing
Role Playing Background: Students will engage in a roleplaying scenario based a fictional set of circumstances. Federal courts have not cited Morse in any student media cases yet, so the circumstances of this case are intended to provide a plausible example. Instructions (read aloud or provide to students): Students will play one of the following…
Ancillary: Morse persuasive letter
Morse Persuasive Letter Through discussion with the students, determine the best recipient for a letter about the Morse decision—should it be administrators/school board? Judges? Someone else? Consider your publication’s needs as you make this decision. If the publication is or has already experienced legal issues with administrators, perhaps they should be the recipient of the…
Ancillary: Anticipation guide
Morse v. Frederick Anticipation Guide Directions: Answer each question with a number, 1-5. 1 means you strongly disagree, 5 means you strongly agree, and 3 is neutral. Students like me deserve the same free speech rights as normal citizens. Just because I have the right to say or do something doesn’t always mean I should….
Recognizing student media as public forums
The SPRC and the Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University are recreating an interactive map to showcase schools where student press freedom and editorial independence are protected. We want your school on our map! Public forums can exist by policy, practice or both.To be eligible, complete the form by downloading the rewritable PDF, saving it with your school’s name and…
Need help with a censorship issue? You found it.
If you are a JEA member or students of a JEA member who need assistance concerning censorship issues, use the panic button below to generate an online form to explain your situation. This will go to a Scholastic Press Rights Committee member who will assist you quickly and notify others in your state so they can offer assistance. This outreach capability is a direct result of JEA’s Adviser Assistance Program and is designed to combat censorship issues advisers and students might face.