Journalism Students and Censorship
Is it constitutional for schools to censor newspapers? Yes. Is it fair? Well that is a question that has proved to be quite controversial, especially among students. It goes without saying that students, in contrast with administrations, have quite a different view when it comes to censorship. High school students continue to find that their First Amendment rights are invisible to school administrators, despite years of struggle against censorship. While most administrations choose to see censorship as a way to conserve a distinguished learning environment, most students see censorship as an act of injustice against their first amendment rights. Here are a few interviews I collected from journalism students regarding their thoughts on the issue of censorship, and whether they find it to be a pedagogical concern. (These interviews do not have to do with the censorship of teenage pregnancy, but rather with other controversial topics, click here to access the interviews dealing with teenage pregnancy censorship).
Last year, I wrote an article about censorship in schools for my own school newspaper after witnessing countless great ideas shot down because they were considered to be "too controversial." Ironically, after being told that if I made the requested changes it would be printed, the newspaper adviser censored my article about censorship. When I asked why it was not in the issue, I was told that the subject material did not concern, nor was appropriate for the student body. Outraged, I printed out my own copies and distributed the article myself. The U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights has existed for 220 years. The Bill of Rights grants American citizens the most basic of all civil rights and liberties: freedom of religion, freedom of the press and several others. But most importantly, the Bill of Rights grants the freedom of speech and expression, a right that should not be taken for granted. These rights are guaranteed to all American citizens, but in the last 50 years, certain restrictions have been placed on them. School environments have been restraining students through acts of censorship that infringe on students' rights to free speech and expression. It is becoming more and more difficult to wear a shirt or write an article without being punished for it. These acts of censoring minors should no longer be accepted as correct; rather, they should be viewed as undemocratic and unnecessary. (Carrie Courogen)
“We are the students that know what is happening, what is going on at Fondy (high school), and we heard this (rape jokes) was one of the issues,” Schneider said. “If we know it and the staff knows it, why aren’t we saying it? We are the voice. If they censor it, we don’t have a voice.” (Rachel Schneider in response to Fond Du Lac High School censorship controversy)
"I was angry, I worked so hard on that, and she said it was ‘inappropriate. I think they just don’t want any negative feedback. What’s the point of having our own paper if we can’t express ourselves? It’s our newspaper. The story was about something everybody knows is going on.” (Sposato in response to Pemberton censorship controversy)
Last year, I wrote an article about censorship in schools for my own school newspaper after witnessing countless great ideas shot down because they were considered to be "too controversial." Ironically, after being told that if I made the requested changes it would be printed, the newspaper adviser censored my article about censorship. When I asked why it was not in the issue, I was told that the subject material did not concern, nor was appropriate for the student body. Outraged, I printed out my own copies and distributed the article myself. The U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights has existed for 220 years. The Bill of Rights grants American citizens the most basic of all civil rights and liberties: freedom of religion, freedom of the press and several others. But most importantly, the Bill of Rights grants the freedom of speech and expression, a right that should not be taken for granted. These rights are guaranteed to all American citizens, but in the last 50 years, certain restrictions have been placed on them. School environments have been restraining students through acts of censorship that infringe on students' rights to free speech and expression. It is becoming more and more difficult to wear a shirt or write an article without being punished for it. These acts of censoring minors should no longer be accepted as correct; rather, they should be viewed as undemocratic and unnecessary. (Carrie Courogen)
“We are the students that know what is happening, what is going on at Fondy (high school), and we heard this (rape jokes) was one of the issues,” Schneider said. “If we know it and the staff knows it, why aren’t we saying it? We are the voice. If they censor it, we don’t have a voice.” (Rachel Schneider in response to Fond Du Lac High School censorship controversy)
"I was angry, I worked so hard on that, and she said it was ‘inappropriate. I think they just don’t want any negative feedback. What’s the point of having our own paper if we can’t express ourselves? It’s our newspaper. The story was about something everybody knows is going on.” (Sposato in response to Pemberton censorship controversy)