Some thoughts on the First Amendment

I ran across a couple of stories on the First Amendment today that I thought might be of interest to you that I'm passing along.

First comes this story from the Chicago Tribune, exploring the possibility that censorship is on the rise in the wake of the firing of a respected adviser in Naperville, Ill. Quoted in the story are former SPLC director Mark Goodman and current SPLC director Frank LoMonte.

"Experts are adamant that losses like (adviser Linda Kane's) reverberate and are much more foreboding. The disagreement that led to Kane's dismissal stemmed from some controversial articles on drug use among students, and experts say her firing is part of a growing trend toward censorship in high schools, a trend that erodes citizenship, even chips away at democracy in important — if almost imperceptible — ways."

That last statement rings especially true for those of who believe student journalism is at the cornerstone of teaching democracy to future citizens — both those who work on publications and those who read them — and is supported by this recent article from the First Amendment Center.

"After 12 years of censorship and regimentation, many high school students will graduate this spring with little or no idea about what it means to be a free, active and engaged citizen in a democracy.

"When they march across the stage to get their diploma, let’s hope someone slips them a copy of the First Amendment — with instructions on how to use it.

"Far too many public school officials are afraid of freedom and avoid anything that looks like democracy. Under the heading of “safety and discipline,” administrators censor student religious and political speech, shut down student newspapers and limit student government to discussions about decorations at the prom.

"Fortunately, a growing number of brave students defy the odds and take seriously what they hear about free speech in civics class."

It reiterates a lot of points many of us have made many times over the years, but it never gets old — especially since this particular piece also ran in the Spokesman-Review. (It's the top link on the Google search — that's the only way to get to an S-R article without a subscription.)

If you're hungry for more information on the Naperville issue, I suggest starting here, then going here and here.

Tri-City Herald picks up on NAA study

We've already talked here about the Newspaper Association of America study that suggests journalism kids do better academically than non-journalism students. The statistics are nice, but wouldn't it be really cool to put an article from an actual journalist who had determined the statistics to be valid in the hands of skeptical parents or administrators?

Now you can.

Ken Robertson at the Tri-City Herald wrote a nice editorial touting the NAA findings and encouraging parents to put their kids in journalism programs if they really want their students to succeed. Feel free to use it liberally for promotion of your program. I know I will.

Washington Post commentary takes Hazelwood to task

Given the spirit of the season with Senate Bill 6449, I thought I'd pass along this great piece that ran in the Washington Post a week ago. If only everyone in the professional media felt this way.

Writes Richard Just, deputy editor of the New Republic:

My own experiences have convinced me that today, the vast majority of students are unable to practice true journalism at their high school papers. For the past six summers, I have directed a program for about 20 high school journalists at Princeton University. All the students are talented writers and thoughtful intellectuals. Yet, by and large, they work for newspapers that are either explicitly censored or restrained by the looming threat of official disapproval -- newspapers that read more like school-sponsored news releases than true journalism. Many have been taught to write fluffy profiles of teachers and to celebrate the achievements of their sports teams; fewer have been encouraged to challenge, to criticize or to investigate. Perhaps the most important part of our program's curriculum is to help students unlearn the instincts they have acquired at their high school newspapers.

And then, the kicker -- an argument many of us have been making for years.

No high school principal would dream of telling the basketball team that it could run drills but not play games, or permit the drama club to rehearse but never to stage shows. Yet, thanks in part to Hazelwood, many high schools train their students in journalism without allowing them to truly practice it.

News Tribune seeking blog contributors

The News Tribune, of Tacoma, is seeking high school students to contribute to a blog about high school life. If this is something you'd be interested in doing, please E-mail me at andersml@baker.puyallup.k12.wa.us with your name, E-mail address and school you attend.

Seattle Times gives half-hearted rebuke of court's 'Bong Hits' decision

Apparently, The Seattle Times can't really decide how it feels about student free expression.

On the heels of the Times' sorry editorial endorsing opposition to House Bill 1307, the publication has now half-heartedly come out against the Supreme Court's decision to rule against Joseph Frederick in the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case.

The U.S. Supreme Court needlessly chipped away at First Amendment free-speech guarantees with a ruling elevating a high-school prank to a dangerous promotion of drug use. ... Frederick's sign was ambiguous. Was the 18-year-old supporting drugs or Christianity? The ambiguity matters because it places Frederick's sign within the confines of protected speech.

You can read the entire editorial here, but that's really about as scathing as it gets.

The funny thing is, check out this excerpt from the Times from Jan. 14, 1988 -- the day after the court issued its landmark Hazelwood ruling.

From a practical standpoint, school authorities need to control actions that infringe the rights of others or disrupt class activities. Nothing of that sort is in the record of the Hazelwood case. The principal clearly violated the First Amendment's anti-censorship provisions and a high-court majority has let him get away with it.

E-mail me and I'll get you a full copy of the text of that Hazelwood editorial. As Brain Schraum put it when he passed it along to me, what a difference 20 years makes.

Students of Free Stehekin speak out

As teachers, we often do a lot of work on behalf of students to defend their right to free speech in our schools.

Sometimes, though, the best thing we can do is let the students speak for themselves.

This excerpt is from a letter the staff of the Free Stehekin at Cascade High School wrote to the Everett Herald:

It is imperative that all students stand up for their rights to free speech. Not only is that right the first to be defined under the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution, but the Washington state Constitution also asserts, "Every person may freely speak, write and publish on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right." Even those of us under 18 are entitled to freedom of speech.

Despite recent setbacks that have been extremely well covered by The Herald, we of the Free Stehekin are determined to continue our student forum and our battle for rights. A final edition for this year is planned for Friday, although we are certainly rushed getting it done!

Way to go, Free Stehekin.

Consider all potential sources when covering a story

Where do you get your news?

In the case of the Virginia Tech killings earlier this week, many traditional media outlets began turning to some nontraditional sources.

As most of America sat glued to their televisions for the latest information on the shootings, some of the best reporting was being done on the Internet -- and not in sanctioned media. Many students started posting information to blogs and on social networking sites such as myspace and Facebook, using it as a way to communicate with each other and the outside world.

Savvy journalists used that as a way to gather information in this time of crisis.

Granted, this event is an extreme case, but how often do you look to those kinds of resources as potential sources for story ideas or for information on a given story? I can think of at least two instances where my staff has used myspace to get substantial leads and information. While obviously not always the most reliable source, this kind of unfiltered "journalism" can provide you with help when more traditional methods have failed.

Still fighting misconceptions of HB 1307

Kudos to WJEA member Fern Valentine for this letter to the editor of The (Tacoma) News Tribune, which was designed to combat the assertion that administrative control of student publications was akin to administrators setting appropriate standards for a school dance.

The News Tribune previously wrote an editorial supporting House Bill 1307, then wrote an editorial supporting an administrator who condemned "dirty dancing" at his school. A reader found this disingenuous:

What you did have right was your statement in the editorial, “It is the nature of adolescents to push the limits and it’s the job of responsible adults to enforce them.” I would add that adolescents have the same tendency to push their limits in their school newspaper as on the school dance floor.

Valentine took exception, submitting this response, which was published today:

Obviously, the writer hasn’t read House Bill 1307. School editors are not unsupervised. Their advisers and their principals have the right to enforce the limits set by the bill. The bill would give the students the right to report responsibly on topics of their choice without fear of censorship because the principal is uncomfortable with the topic.

This process of responsible reporting teaches critical thinking and research skills in a setting where students work together, using technology, to meet deadlines, work within budgets and produce media their audience wants. Finding ways for students to learn these important skills is the job of the schools and the bill promotes that type of learning and deserves support for that reason.

Dirty dancing is a whole different matter.

Way to go Fern!