In the landmark Supreme Court case Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier in 1988, the court handed down a decision that gave power to high school administration to censor school sponsored publications. The case involved the high school newspaper at Hazelwood East High School, which had written stories about teen pregnancy and about divorce. Continue reading Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier
Category Archives: Law & Ethics
Tinker v. Des Moines – Protecting Student Free Speech Rights
The landmark case Tinker v. Des Moines is a case that concerns the free speech rights of students. In 1969, students decided to protest the fighting in Vietnam by wearing armbands. They were warned not to wear the armbands and were told that they would be suspended if they chose to disobey this order.
The students wore the armbands anyway and were suspended. The parents decided to sue the school system and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Read and hear more about this case at the following link:
http://www.uscourts.gov/multimedia/podcasts/Landmarks/tinkervdesmoines.aspx
Censorship of Broadcast Media in Maryland
In 1996, Montgomery Blair High School’s broadcast media staff faced censorship from its administration as a result of a live broadcast that they aired on same-sex marriages. The superintendent, Paul L. Vance put in place restrictions on the broadcast and print media as a result.
Who should make the final decision on content?
The question with regards to who should make the final decisions on whether or not a story should be covered is one with which many new advisers struggle. The adviser often feels that if he/she makes the decision on whether a story can be produced or not, then the end result will probably be better for the staff.
This is definitely not the case. Advisers should realize that editorial decision-making is best executed by the student journalist. In the long run the student will be better served in many ways. In addition, the adviser’s role is not one to do the journalistic work, but rather to guide the staff.
Follow this link to the JEA SPRC’s post on other reasons for letting students make the content decisions.
Broadcast Staff Manual For The Scholastic Press 