Press Freedom in Your State

Who We Are

The Student Press Law Center thrives 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

Mary Beth Tinker to high school journalists: It’s your job to speak up on behalf of others

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mary Beth Tinker, First Amendment advocate and former plaintiff in a landmark Supreme Court case that still affects students’ speech rights 50 years later, told her story to hundreds of high school journalism students visiting the nation’s capital on Nov. 22 — encouraging them to be caring, and use their free speech… Continue reading Mary Beth Tinker to high school journalists: It’s your job to speak up on behalf of others

Campus police officer in Ohio fired after trashing student newspapers

OHIO — A campus police officer has been fired after being caught on tape trashing issues of The Chimes student newspaper at Capital University, a private university just outside of Columbus. Surveillance footage showed Capital Public Safety Officer Ryan George removing a stack of the Oct. 24 issue of the Chimes from a newsstand outside… Continue reading Campus police officer in Ohio fired after trashing student newspapers

When schools misused privacy laws, these student journalists fought back

FERPA is a hassle. Schools constantly misuse it. Student journalists are consistently frustrated by it. So we spoke to four current and former student journalists about how they fought their school on FERPA misuse, and how you can too. Transcript: Joe Severino: When student journalists want to dig deeper into what’s happening behind the scenes… Continue reading When schools misused privacy laws, these student journalists fought back