Press Freedom in Your State

Who We Are

The Student Press Law Center works at the intersection of law, journalism and education to promote, support and defend the rights of student journalists and their advisers at the high school and college levels.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan SPLC provides information, training and legal assistance at no charge to student journalists and the educators who work with them. Founded in 1974, the SPLC is a small and scrappy outfit based in Washington, D.C. with an outsized impact across the country.

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FOI Lawsuit Template

If a government agency denies your request for records, use our templates to file a complaint in court and learn about legal options in your state.

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Recent News

Ask SPLC: Does including “in my opinion” protect me from a libel or defamation suit?

Q: Does including “in my opinion” protect me from a libel or defamation suit? A: Including the phrase “in my opinion” — for example, “In my opinion, the coach is a cheater” — does not create an automatic shield to libel. Neither does simply reprinting what someone else has said by saying something like, “‘The coach is a… Continue reading Ask SPLC: Does including “in my opinion” protect me from a libel or defamation suit?

Campus police records should be open for public inspection, open-government coalition tells state Supreme Court

Editor’s Note: The Student Press Law Center signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief from the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida. This story was originally published by the Brechner Center. Police who exercise arrest powers at private universities should abide by the same transparency standards as all other law-enforcement agencies, a… Continue reading Campus police records should be open for public inspection, open-government coalition tells state Supreme Court

Georgia State University pulls student-produced magazine from freshman orientation

GEORGIA — Georgia State University in Atlanta has pulled a student-run magazine from bags handed out to incoming freshmen at orientation. The reason for the last minute change depends on whom you ask. Administrators said printing the 52-page magazine used too much paper. Editors say a story about students with alternative jobs, including a stripper,… Continue reading Georgia State University pulls student-produced magazine from freshman orientation