The Student Press Law Center’s trainings and legal resources equip student journalists to navigate the law, report with confidence and stand up for press freedom.
Delivered at conferences and online, as well as directly in classrooms and newsrooms, our training sessions reached 5,779 across 30 states in the 2024-2025 academic year.
Our legal experts and advocates offer practical, accessible guidance on everything from copyright and censorship to public records and protest coverage. As the landscape evolves, SPLC does too, developing new trainings and updating guides on issues like artificial intelligence and source confidentiality.
In every session, and with every leave-behind resource, students gain the tools they need to understand their First Amendment and newsgathering rights — and spark action for press freedom across the country.
Kate Plows, adviser at Strath Haven High School in Pennsylvania, called her students’ annual training with an SPLC attorney “absolutely vital to lay the groundwork on what students need to know about student press law.”
“I often tell students that no matter how courageous and conscientious we are, there are still questions facing this field that require more expertise than any student journalist or journalism adviser has in their toolkit. That’s where SPLC’s legal training and support comes in. You help us to identify the questions we need to ask so that we can be brave and responsible in challenging times.”
Solomon Mellott was a senior at Summerville High School in South Carolina this spring when an SPLC training inspired him to take a stand by speaking to his local school board.
He said the training opened his eyes to what he and his peers could do to advocate for their rights.
“After discovering the lack of any [student media] policy, I jumped on the chance to protect not just my publication, but the many that are budding throughout our district,” he said. “I and two other students took [SPLC staff attorney Jonathan Gaston Falk’s] advice and lecture to heart, and … attended our district board meeting, where I gave a speech requesting a new Student Media Policy.”
You can request a Student Press Law Center expert to speak with your classroom or newsroom here.
About the Student Press Law Center: The Student Press Law Center is the nation’s only legal organization devoted exclusively to defending and advancing the free press rights of student journalists. Since 1974, we have helped students and their educators navigate the law, strengthen their reporting and stand up for press freedom. Our legal support, education and advocacy empower student journalists to report freely and courageously. Learn more at splc.org.