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
The Ides of March
by Ellen Austin What is it about March? Even Shakespeare noticed it, putting the soothsayer’s warning out to Caesar about the time span that begins this week. So the bad news from the early Ides of March rolls in … I read with great surprise and shock this weekend the news that a well-known and professionally recognized…
Fitting the puzzle pieces together
This week’s blogpost is a puzzle of sorts. What do the following have in common? • 8 ways a landmark Supreme Court ruling has changed student journalism? • Scholastic journalism: Skills for the 21st Century (and two related pieces in the magazine) • Brennan students petition to reinstate lesbian couple’s yearbook photo They should remind us…
Ethics by any other name: Why process is more important than verbiage
By Megan Fromm This weekend, I had the pleasure of joining some of the greatest thinkers and doers in scholastic journalism at Kent State University to revise and update Quill & Scroll’s Principal’s Guide to Scholastic Journalism. For two intense days, we sat roundtable and edited—line by line, word by word— the entire publication. During…
Showcasing journalism’s energies..standing out in a crowd
An amazing number of advisers and students celebrated their creativity and willingness to engage in the viral potential of the Harlem Shake and Gangnam Style crazes recently. True student work should be celebrated and encouraged. But wouldn’t it be nice – and appropriate – if journalism programs, no matter their platforms, would jumpstart journalistic excellence…
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.