‘Not backing down’: Student Press Freedom Day 2025

Join us for Student Press Freedom Day on Feb. 27, 2025.
SPLC News

Last updated March 10, 2025

A sense of urgency and conviction underscored Student Press Freedom Day this year.

Organized by the Student Press Law Center with our 35 partners, Student Press Freedom Day is an annual opportunity each February to raise awareness about the challenges student journalists face and to advocate for student press freedom rights across the country.

Throughout the country, hundreds of high school and college students used the chance to talk with their peers about why press freedom is vital, highlighting rising threats at a time when student journalists are doing important reporting. We reviewed more than a hundred pieces of content that students created surrounding the Day (many are linked below), and here are three main takeaways:

1. Student journalists are at the forefront of reporting essential stories on campus and beyond. Many used the day to highlight just how important they (and their independence) are to their audiences, their communities and to democracy.

2. They say, now more than ever, their journalism is at risk. (And yes, they know it’s a cliche — but as Piper Davidson at the University of Washington wrote, they mean it.) From what we saw, many are worried about funding cuts that could devastate their ability to cover the news. They fear attacks on press freedom in D.C. could trickle down. They see other student journalists censored and arrested, and they know Hazelwood means they could be unfairly silenced.

3. But despite it all: “We are not backing down.” That’s from The Rider News, but many others shared a similar message:

  • “This year, I hope we can all take the opportunity to look to our future not in fear, but with the conviction to fight.” (The Suffolk Journal)
  • “We saw firsthand during the Collegian newsstand situation how much people care and rally around student journalists. … The best thing we can do as journalists is continue to be advocates for our work as well as other outlets’ work.” (Penn State Daily Collegian)
  • “Being a journalist means being brave, putting yourself out there and exposing the truth, come what may.” (Rocky Mountain Collegian)

On Student Press Freedom Day, they rededicated themselves to their mission, set up a table on campus to engage and educate their peers, shared their censorship stories, explained what student press freedom means to them, celebrated with food, hosted speakers and ;events, and advocated for their rights.

We hope you will join us today and every day in celebrating the contributions of student journalists and taking action to restore and protect their First Amendment freedoms. As Cardinal Nation at Mentor (Ohio) High School said, the Day is one step toward reaching “a world without censorship or restriction on student publications, [but] the discussion should not cease the next day. On any given day, promote the fight for student expressive freedoms.”

Whether it’s sharing why student journalism is important to you with your friends and neighbors, educating yourself on the current challenges in the student media landscape or writing to a government official about the need to protect these rights, there are ways everyone can join this movement.

Below, we collect some of the highlights from the past month.

From SPLC and our partners

  • In a piece published today at Poynter, SPLC Assistant Director Josh Moore and journalism educator Jan Ewell list “Seven things to know about the student press.” Share it with journalists, administrators and anyone else who might find it useful!
  • The Teen Fact-Checking Network published a great video explaining why student press freedom is important.
  • The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker highlights the press freedom violations they’ve found for student journalists. It’s a powerful reminder that student journalists are journalists.
  • SPLC has a short video about exactly that — underscoring that student journalism is journalism. 
  • PEN America launched a new blog series about student voices by asking Pratika Katiyar, former SPLC student board member, what was on her “student journalism wish list” this year.
  • PBS News Student Reporting Labs wrote about the rights and challenges of student journalists.
  • The Columbia Scholastic Press Association pays homage to student journalists and SPLC’s 50th Anniversary.
  • The Journalism Education Association announced the winners of its 2025 First Amendment Press Freedom Award, which recognizes private and public high schools that actively support, teach and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers.
  • The UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement spoke with four UC college editors about the value of free expression and how they protect their student press freedom on their campuses.
  • SPLC hosted a series of events leading up to the Day, so check out these recordings to learn more about the law, how to write op-eds for press freedom, the latest on college press freedom, and how to fight the threats of AI.
  • At one of those events, Cathy Kuhlmeier — the lead plaintiff in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier — announced her new partnership with SPLC that allows teachers to book her to speak virtually with their students.
  • We also created a toolkit to help students invite elected officials, school board members or administrators into their newsrooms, in hopes of educating them about student media.

Photo 1: The Daily Toreador editor-in-chief Marianna Souriall prepares to pass out shirts to Texas Tech students who correctly answer First Amendment trivia questions. Photo by Jadon Chesnutt. Photo 2: State College Area High School students, after learning about their rights, write postcards to state legislators in support of Pennsylvania’s New Voices bill. Photo by Saige Adair. Photo 3: Members of The All State staff at Austin Peay State University talk to students, staff and faculty about the freedoms of speech and press at a Student Press Freedom Day table. Photo by Michael Dann.

High school students’ editorials, op-eds, coverage, etc.

College students’ editorials, op-eds, coverage, etc.

Other highlights

Explore these 50 ways you can make a difference for student press freedom, with ideas for anyone no matter how you’re connected to student journalists.

Student Press Freedom Day 2025 is coordinated by the Student Press Law Center and sponsored by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, Davis Wright Tremaine, Journalism Education Association of Northern California, Poynter Institute, SNO Sites, University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism and University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

The Student Press Law Center (splc.org) is a nonpartisan nonprofit that promotes, supports and defends the free press rights of student journalists and their advisers. SPLC provides information, training and legal assistance at no charge to high school and college student journalists and the educators who work with them.