Challenging censorship: Student journalists fight back

We speak with Hillary Davis, who runs the New Voices program at the Student Press Law Center, and Sara Fajardo, who experienced censorship firsthand at her high school. School administrators frequently prevent students from publishing articles or posts that might make parents nervous or “damage the school’s reputation.“ New Voices laws, which students shepherd through state legislatures, aim to guarantee freedom for student journalists.

Overview

00:00-00:46 Intros

00:46-02:36 Student Press Law Center

02:36-05:08 Sara’s experience of censorship

05:08-06:10 Self-censorship

06:10-10:03 Pressures on students and advisors

10:03-10:39 Yearbooks

10:39-15:01 Constitutional rights of student journalists

15:01-17:03 New Voices laws

17:03-18:45 Hew SPLC and New Voices Student Leaders work to pass laws

18:45-20:35 Support for and opposition to New Voices laws

20:35-23:51 Divisive content laws and student press freedom

23:51-25:42 How students and advisors find out about New Voices laws

25:42-26:42 New Voices and red states/blue states

26:42-28:33 Resources

28:33-30:34 New Voices laws and types of schools: public, private, colleges

30:34- Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode.

References

Student Press Freedom website

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear