On Jan. 14, 2025, Texas will hold its regular legislative session, occurring once every other year. New Voices, a student-run platform advocating for student press rights at the state level, is attempting to receive a hearing at the session to restore rights revoked by the 1988 Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court Decision.
New Voices proposes the Student Press Freedom Restoration Act. The act limits the censorship of student press only if it is slanderous, consists of an unwarranted invasion of privacy, violates the law or engages students to violate the law or orderly school operations. So far, the movement has reached 18 states with New Voices bills, not including Texas.
The 1988 Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court Decision expanded the censorship of student press, allowing administrators to censor school-sponsored media when “reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.” This vague standard allows schools to take part in erratic and subjective censorship without having an articulate “pedagogical concern,” according to the Student Press Law Center.
Oftentimes, schools promote censorship when adults believe the press presents the school in a negative light, discusses contradictory issues or exposes scandal. However, the internet and other readily available sources have brought the same opportunities to present information to the entire student body. The student press actually helps the school’s case by presenting facts in a balanced manner that considers the school’s perspective and the facts.
Student journalists must be subject to the same degree of censorship by the school as citizens are by the United States government. The First Amendment right promises journalists freedom of speech to bring awareness to critical issues. Schools provide student journalists an opportunity to learn the professional standard of journalism.
The rights between students and professionals do not necessarily have to agree, due to different levels of expertise and policies of school safety. However, student journalists must be considered real journalists, and they must still have a safe place to conduct their work and grow as writers. The Supreme Court’s decision, censoring student journalists more than any other group, highly infringes on this goal.
Additionally, the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier decision specifically targets student journalists by censoring them to a higher degree simply because they are journalists. The “Tinker standard” applies to student speech and ensures all other students the same rights that New Voices’ Student Press Freedom Restoration Act is attempting to restore into the hands of journalists.
The core of journalism addresses the importance of speaking the truth and informing the audience of critical issues. As numbers in the journalism industry are decreasing, it is imperative that student journalists are trained and have the opportunity to experience writing such stories. Being able to cover community, national and global issues helps to teach young journalists how to cover ethically and be informed on social and political topics. Additionally, it allows the school’s students and staff to stay informed in a balanced, accountable manner.
