Student journalists and other supporters of student press freedom will testify today at a public hearing of the Nebraska legislature’s Judiciary Committee in support of LB 1071, a bill that would ensure student press freedom.
Among the students testifying will be Omaha Central High School seniors Jane McGill and Charlie Yale, staff writer and co-editor-in-chief of The Register student newspaper. McGill was a participant in the Student Press Law Center’s 2023 New Voices Student Leaders Institute, and Yale has been advocating for the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education to support the legislation.
The Student Press Law Center also submitted written testimony in support of the bill, which would ensure that Nebraska’s public high school and college student journalists are no longer censored for subjective or ambiguous reasons. Instead, it enables them to report the truth without fear of censorship, protects student media advisers from retaliation and allows Nebraska’s schools to maintain a successful learning environment.
The testimony is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. CT and can be streamed here. Below is SPLC’s written testimony provided to the Judiciary Committee.