After unanimously passing the Illinois House, a student-press-rights bill ran into skeptical questioning during a testy Senate committee hearing and may be amended to satisfy critics.
Senate committee tentatively okays New Voices press freedom act
Author: Frank LoMonte
Under cloud of suspicion, Wyoming college proposes eliminating journalism program
The board of Northwest College will be asked Monday to ratify President Stefani Hicswa's proposal to eliminate journalism courses. The college has been twice accused of retaliating against faculty advisers -over unflattering news coverage.
Maryland New Voices press freedom bill signed into law
MARYLAND — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed into law Tuesday a bill designed to protect the free-speech rights of high school and college journalists. The new law, which goes into effect on October 1, will grant high school and college student journalists the ability to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media,… Continue reading Maryland New Voices press freedom bill signed into law
Illinois House unanimously sends New Voices press freedom bill on to Senate
ILLINOIS — House lawmakers unanimously passed New Voices legislation Tuesday that would bolster free speech rights for high school journalists and prevent administrative censorship in the Prairie State. House Bill 5902, introduced by Democratic Rep. Will Guzzardi earlier this year, would protect high school journalists’ right to free speech and of the press in school-sponsored media,… Continue reading Illinois House unanimously sends New Voices press freedom bill on to Senate
Scalia leaves complex legacy of First Amendment rulings — and a consequential empty chair
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died this weekend, leaving a complicated legacy on his rulings regarding students' First Amendment rights.
Public records deflate myths about "profitable" college athletics
Contrary to the image of college sports as a moneymaker, most athletic programs (even championship-caliber powerhouses) rely on student fees and grants from their parent institutions to make ends meet. Recent investigations by The Washington Post and The Chronicle of Higher Education have captured the enormity of the growing financial burden that athletics imposes on debt-strapped students.
Get it off your chest? Not anymore. LGBT rights can be debated on T-shirts in schools.
Students' First Amendment right to wear T-shirts with social or political statements is a fiercely disputed issue that regularly ends up in court. A new ruling from Tennessee adds to the consensus that speech on a T-shirt cannot be banned as "disruptive" just because it addresses an issue of social controversy such as LGBT rights.
Appeals court won't apply Hazelwood to teacher trainee's case, instead creates new "professional standards" exception
A federal appeals court sided with the University of Hawaii's dismissal of a student who made unprofessional comments that the university believed rendered him unfit to enter the teaching profession. The ruling appears to lower the bar for the protection of students' speech when enrolled in a pre-professional program, enabling colleges to remove those students even without showing that their speech was unlawful or disruptive.
New federal rule would protect college journalists from IRB demands to review their "research"
Federal rules require "research" involving "human subjects" to be approved by colleges' Institutional Review Boards. Overzealous colleges occasionally have insisted that student journalists submit their surveys or questionnaires for institutional pre-approval, violating basic principles of press freedom. The SPLC is urging the federal government to adopt a proposal categorically removing journalism from the purview of IRBs.
Open-government advocates urge Montana court to release athlete disciplinary appeal records to author Krakauer
The best-selling author of Missoula is seeking access to files indicating why the state overturned a campus disciplinary board's findings in a high-profile sexual assault case involving a University of Montana athlete. But the state argues that granting Jon Krakauer's request will put the state in violation of federal privacy laws and place $263 million in federal funding at risk.