Emma Alves is a junior at John Burroughs High School in California. She shares her experiences at the 2026 Institute and what comes next for her advocacy.
Reflections from New Voices student leaders: Emma Alves
Author: Student Press Law Center
Reflections from New Voices student leaders: Sriram Chiripurapu
Sriram Chiripurapu is a junior at Rock Ridge High School in Virginia where he serves as the Features Editor of The Blaze for the 2026-2027 school year. He shares his experience at the 2026 Institute and what comes next for his advocacy.
Reflections from New Voices student leaders: Bowen Darling
Bowen Darling is a junior at Little Rock Central High School, where she is the social media editor on The Tiger newsmagazine staff. She shares her experiences at the 2026 Institute and what comes next in her advocacy work.
Reflections from New Voices student leaders: Mira Thakkar
Mira Thakkar is a senior at Lambert High School in Georgia, where she serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Lambert Post for the 2026-2027 school year. She shares her experiences at the 2026 Institute and what comes next in her advocacy work.
Coalition: College press freedom at stake in Alabama case
A Student Press Law Center-led coalition today warned the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that student press freedom is at stake in its review of the University of Alabama’s decision to close two student magazines.
Melewsky to join Student Press Law Center as legal director
The Student Press Law Center is proud to announce that longtime media lawyer Melissa Bevan Melewsky will join the organization on Sept. 28 as its first legal director.
SPLC, FIRE renew demand for SIUE officials to end mandatory monitoring of student press interviews
"We are disappointed you have failed to address our concerns and have not even attempted to work productively with us to improve the atmosphere for the student press at SIUE," a joint letter said.
SPLC, FIRE call on SIUE to end ‘media-minder’ practice
"SIUE must end this practice if it is to live up to its stated commitment to student press freedom and its constitutional obligations as a public institution," a joint letter said.
Student Press Law Center creates internship endowment honoring former board chair Rosalind Stark
A gift from Stark's son will ensure that SPLC can consistently offer the kind of hands-on, paid opportunities that have long introduced emerging journalists and advocates to the front lines of student press freedom work.
Longtime journalist John Haskins joins SPLC board
Haskins spent more than three decades at The New York Times, where he served in multiple senior editor roles, including as managing editor of The New York Times Magazine. For three years, he directed the Times' Student Journalism Institute, a recruitment and training program for diverse young journalists that placed graduates at the Times and other major newsrooms.