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
Takedown requests
Ethical guidelines Journalists may be asked to remove online content for any number of reasons. Just because content is unpopular or controversial does not mean a media staff should comply with such requests. When journalists meet their goal of producing consistent, responsible journalism, they likely will choose to leave the content in question online…
Correcting errors
Ethical guidelines Mistakes happen. What matters is how student journalists handle such situations. Student editors should correct errors as quickly and visibly as possible. Sometimes this means correcting a print error on a website and then following up in the next issue. Staff manual process When a reader or viewer has identified an error,…
Two important articles worth discussion, inclusion in j classes
Two articles published April 5 could add lively discussion in journalism classes as well as reinforce time-tested procedures of information checking. One is a Columbia Journalism Review report on the Rolling Stone article on an alleged rape last July on the University of Virginia campus that Rolling Stone later retracted. The report has multiple segments with numerous links…
Transparency needs to be crystal clear
– at all levels
by Stan Zoller In an effort to enhance transparency and public access to some records, legislators in two states are sending a message to some schools – show us your privates. Sort of. Bills are pending in the Texas and Illinois state houses would require police departments or campus safety departments at private colleges 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.