On February 27th, the United States will celebrates Student Press Freedom Day, raising awareness for the challenges facing student journalism and celebrating the accomplishments of student media. Hosted by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), the day looks to advocate for student journalist rights under the Constitution and pursue an end to unruly censorship of student media. Working together with student papers across the nation, the SPLC will continue its mission to support student publications. By offering a platform for student journalists to advocate for their rights and protect their publications, the SPLC directly contributes to a more promising future for student journalism.
February 27th, just three days after the anniversary ruling of the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines in 1969, which marked a major step forward for student expression, celebrates journalistic rights for students. One main avenue for supporting student journalism is learning about students’ rights to publish media. Under the First Amendment of the Constitution and through Supreme Court cases such as Tinker, students are protected to express themselves as long as they do not significantly interfere with educative processes. Understanding these protections remains just one route to supporting student journalism. In addition, spreading the word on student expressive freedom and advocating against overstepping in legislative policy remain other viable routes for support.
Cardinal Nation is a part of the work to support student journalism and its publications. Being a fully student-written online newspaper, Cardinal Nation writes about sports, news, holidays, stories, and everything in between. In addition, Cardinal Nation advocates for student press freedoms, covering topics that range from transparency in administrative review to delays in the publication process. Many members of Cardinal Nation have opened dialogue with various levels of administration, including Board of Education members, the superintendent, and MHS’s principal to facilitate greater dialogue surrounding these perennial challenges to student press. However, despite these efforts, challenges remain and threaten the steady stream of articles published on Cardinal Nation. Though in a better position than many student newspapers around the country, Cardinal Nation still experiences its fair share of delay and limits to publication. While administrative involvement is legal under the Supreme Court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, Cardinal Nation believes these issues should still be addressed to find better ways to move forward.
Cardinal Nation cannot be successful standing for student press freedoms alone, nor can the SPLC. On February 27th, the nation celebrates its current state in the fight for freedom of expression among student publishers, but the effort is far from over. Publications around the nation, just like Cardinal Nation, need the support of all people. The SPLC’s goals of “[Telling] your community’s truth” by “[Promoting] accountability and transparency” among administrative officials and through government policy are persistent.
To protect the democratic ideals of the nation and to fight censorship, the support of all people is necessary, not just on a national level, but in our Mentor community as well. Student press freedoms are not a benefit exclusive to student journalists, either, as the protection of student journalism and storytelling through school newspapers is a powerful tool for community conversation. By supporting student press freedoms, you not only benefit student writers but also improve the conversation their pieces create among the Mentor community. This topic can be hard to discuss, as many feel uncomfortable standing up and voicing their support for something that may seem unreachable, but together, the force for positive change cannot be stopped.
Though February 27th, Student Press Freedom Day, marks a step forward for working to reach a world without censorship or restriction on student publications, the discussion should not cease the next day. On any given day, promote the fight for student expressive freedoms. Post on social media, discuss the topic with your peers, send a letter to a school or government official, take the time to read a Cardinal Nation publication, and most importantly, keep the issue At the Forefront of your mind.
Cardinal Nation hopes to hear from you at any time. Reach out to any of your student writers who provide you with essential coverage of school issues, send a message to any of MHS Cardinal Nation’s social media pages across Instagram (@cardinaln8ion), or send an email to [email protected] to have your opinion heard among those that are affected most. You can also reach out to the Student Press Law Center to get involved using the links in this publication. Dearly, we hope to have your support as the effort continues to support students not only in your community but across the nation.
The mission is bigger than you think. Get involved.
