The launch of SPLC’s Active Voice Fellowship was informed by research emerging from the University of Kansas. Genelle Belmas and Piotr Bobkowski surveyed 461 high school journalists and found that both direct censorship by administrators and self-censorship were endemic among student journalists.
The shock came with the disparity between genders – 41% of girls reported having been told not to cover a given topic compared to 28% of boys. Additionally, 53% of girls said they refrained from writing a story in anticipation of pushback, compared to 27% of boys.
Now, the pair have a new research article published in the journal Girlhood Studies, “Mixed Media Messages: Girls’ Voices and Civic Engagement in Student Journalism.” This month, SPLC Executive Director Frank LoMonte has Genelle Belmas on the podcast to dig into the findings of their survey – and the consequences for young women, media, and democratic society.