Student journalists and other supporters of student press freedom testified at Wisconsin’s Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities public hearing in support of AB 551 on Oct. 26.
Simon Mehring, a participant in the Student Press Law Center’s 2023 New Voices Student Leaders Institute, has been advocating for the bill for over a year. This month, Republican lawmakers Sen. Rachel Cabral-Gueara, Rep. Tom Michaliski, and Rep. Dave Murphy, introduced the bill for consideration.
The bill is based on the Student Press Law Center’s model bill and ensures students in sixth grade through college are no longer censored for subjective or ambiguous reasons, enables student journalists to tell the truth without fear of censorship, protects adviers and allows Wisconsin’s schools to maintain a successful learning environment.
Below is SPLC’s written testimony provided to the Assembly Committee in support of the bill.