Three supporters of student press freedom testified April 29 in the Pennsylvania House Education Committee in favor of HB 1309, the first such hearing for the New Voices bill.
“Journalism is the bedrock of democracy, and student journalism is where it all begins,” said Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of The Spoke at Conestoga High School.
Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt, Pennsylvania state director for the Journalism Education Association, and Aaron Fitzpatrick, president of the Pennsylvania School Press Association, also testified in favor of the bill. The Student Press Law Center submitted written testimony.
No one testified in opposition, though some legislators expressed concern with the bill and others said they wanted to hear from school administrators before weighing the “delicate balance” between students’ speech rights and administrators’ ability to set educational standards.
HB 1309, known as the Pennsylvania Student Journalism Protection Act, would protect public and private school student journalists from censorship based on subjective or ambiguous reasoning. Rather, it enables them to report the truth without fear of censorship and protects student media advisers from retaliation.
SPLC’s written testimony, below, argues the bill finds the proper balance in maintaining editorial freedom while allowing the state’s schools to maintain a successful learning environment. Thus far, 17 states have similar legislation, often referred to as New Voices laws.