Journalists struggle with one of the most powerful, least transparent groups on campus: student government

The media’s role of covering government -- from exposing scandal to highlighting when they get it right -- is so well-accepted, the media is often called “the fourth estate.” However, lack of clear legal guidance can hinder that same check at the college and high school levels. While student governments have been found to fall under open-records laws in some states, many of these bodies evade mandatory scrutiny, despite having some of the same decision-making, money-moving powers as their adult-world counterparts.