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The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard
September 23-30, 2006, marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week, when readers, educators, and librarians across the nation come forth in defense of intellectual freedom.
This ritual championing of the First Amendment -- along with the bill passed in California last month that forbids public university officials from censoring student journalists -- raises particular concerns about schoolwide censorship. Some believe student-run publications, such as newspapers, yearbooks, and literary magazines, should be subject to reasonable restrictions by the school they represent. Others, however, argue that student publications should be given the same freedoms afforded to all publications. We're interested in your opinion.
i agree that students should
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 17, 2008 - 10:10.
i agree that students should be able to write what they want(withen reason) i am a student in eighth grade, and we are only allowed to write about good things in our school. i cant understand why we arent allowed to express our believes. the 1st ammendment says we are allowed the freedom of press and speech.
This is wrong
Submitted by Sam (not verified) on December 5, 2007 - 20:38.
School administrators should not be allowed to censor publications by students. Does the 1st ammendment not mean anything to you people? Why can we not excpress ourselves in a manner that can only be dangerous if some not case comes across it and thinks it is wrong? He can simply make his own comment in the paper saying why he thinks it should be censored or not. If this were to happen then the schools would not censor that paper would they? It's like the whole system is trying to make us brain washed who have to follow guidelines that do not allow us to speak our mind.
lata,
Sam (aka only 14)
Should schools be allowed to censor student publications?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 9, 2008 - 09:19.
that is true we have the right to spaek our mind but they wont let us
Censoring student publications
Submitted by Kelsea (not verified) on April 14, 2008 - 05:38.
I agree in someways, but in someways i dissagree. I agree because, we should have a freedom of speech, but i disagree because if we get in some trouble, we have to pay the price, and with a censor, possibly, they could warn us before the paper is published. It could save one´s family thousands, or millions.
Although school newspapers
Submitted by Lacey (not verified) on October 23, 2006 - 22:54.
Although school newspapers can contain some harmful information, they can also be used to encourage and uplift students and teach journalism and publishing skills. I am 13 years old and am doing a research project on this and I believe that all students should have the oppurtunity to express themselves while uplifting their fellow students at the same time.
I strongly support the idea
Submitted by Edward A.K. Tetteh (not verified) on September 28, 2006 - 08:29.
I strongly support the idea that students publications should be censored. As students, they are growing to be adults and just as they were nurtured from childhood by their parents, school authorities should also nurture them to grow into responsible adults. Allowing students to just publish whatever materials they write may cause a mayherm which might not be very good for society in general. Also, the school has its reputation to protect and in that sense school authorities must make sure students publications do not mar whatever respect the school has gained over the years.
First of all, student
Submitted by Betsy Ahlersmeyer (not verified) on September 28, 2006 - 13:26.
First of all, student publications need to be advised by a highly qualified journalism teacher, preferably one that majored in journalism not English or soome other discipline. If the teacher is highly qualified then questionable material is discussed as a part of the course and as it arises during the publication process. In this way, student's First Amendment rights are protected and prior review and censorship does not have to be imposed by administrators.
Student publications in
Submitted by Ronn Lyford (not verified) on September 28, 2006 - 13:07.
Student publications in schools are a form of teaching and learning. It is the responsibility of the school to teach students what is acceptable and what is not. I am not calling for censorship but for guidance. Guide students and show them how something that should not be published can be re-written to make it publishable. Help the students to know that there are certain boundaries that responsible writers do not cross. Student publications can be a great teaching tool when used correctly.
The purpose of a school is
Submitted by Ed Sundt (not verified) on September 28, 2006 - 14:38.
The purpose of a school is to educate, and this goes beyond the information and skills of the classroom. If a student publication is subject to review and censorship, there probably is little educating going on. If, however, students are made aware of the larger audience that will see the publication --- from young children to concerned parents to old alumni --- taught what is appropriate, helped to see what is foolish, made to understand what is offensive and why, then they may be on the way to being wiser people able to publish something that engages and enlightens the readers.
I wonder if we are all
Submitted by Steve Wagenseller (not verified) on September 28, 2006 - 00:58.
I wonder if we are all thinking alike in terms of censorship?
When we are talking about things profane and offensive, that is certainly a quality issue and should be dealt with in the journal's mission statement or in some code of ethics subscribed to by the student journalists. A good editor will recognize this and take action, and a competent faculty advisor will know how to make the issue clear to the writer.
But what about killing a story in a newspaper because the information is -- from an administrative perspective -- deemed bad for the school's image?
Isn't this the kind of censorship that we worry about, especially when the reporter has done her job and the facts check out?
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