High schoolers and New Voices activists flooded the New York statehouse to gain support for New Voices legislation
   Student press freedom advocates descended on the New York statehouse in Albany on April 30 to raise the profile on a New Voices bill (A.3079 / S.2297) that would protect the First Amendment rights of public high school journalists. 
   More than 80 students plus a large group of advocates, media advisers and professors spent the day meeting with lawmakers on the House and Senate education committees to garner more support for the bill. They also held a well-attended press conference to highlight the need for student press freedom protections.
More on New Voices
   The bill has bipartisan support in both houses of the state legislature (including more than 30 co-sponsors), and has been endorsed by organizations representing newspaper editors and publishers in New York state.
   With only six more weeks in its legislative session, students and New Voices supporters are making a full court press. New York New Voices Advocacy Day drew significant attention to the need for New Voices protections in New York, garnered media attention through editorials and coverage, and mobilized both students and lawmakers alike.  
More on New York
“One of the students said there was a lead problem at their school, but the newspaper wasn’t allowed to report on it. But that’s a really important story.” 
   – Zoe Taylor,
The Curtis Log
Curtis High School
 

 

 






“This virtually unchecked censorship has taken away countless opportunities from student journalists who practice good, truthful and impactful journalism.”

   – Lauren Thomas,
yearbook staff at
Corning-Painted Post High School

Featured Year of the Student Journalist post:


Student journalists waste no time! This group spoke to a lawmaker about why he should support a New Voices bill during an elevator ride:
Whether it's a coordinated campaign or a single tweet, we want to hear from you! Make sure to tag @splc on Twitter or @studentpresslawcenter on Instagram and use #StudentPressFreedom. Download the logo to use on your masthead, opinion page, social media, etc. 

Q: Can we use unpublished photos on our news site or in our yearbook or reprint photos that were taken by a student who has since graduated?

A: Unless there was a specific agreement between the former staff members and the publication stating otherwise, the former students retain the copyright to any work they created while staff members and have only granted the publication a one-time permission to print their work. It’s unlikely that former staffers would object to the use of their work, but you really should seek their permission before publishing their work.

What should next week's Ask SPLC be?
Submit a question

SPLC's high school and college press freedom awards 

The submission deadline for both awards (covering stories published during the 2018-19 academic year) is June 14, 2019.
Apply now.

Support the SPLC

Your support helps us to defend the rights of student journalists and their advisers across the country.  
Donate now.
SPLC IN THE NEWS — UPDATED WEEKLY
Copyright ©2018, All rights reserved. Student Press Law Center.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list