Incoming junior Olivia O’Neal was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for best in-depth reporting at schools with 10,000 or fewer students for her powerful story on Afghan evacuees living in Indiana. The Student Press Law Center was proud to arrange free, pre-publication legal vetting for the piece.
This month, student journalists sat down with the Student Press Law Center to discuss how they’re helping cover the millions of documents released in connection to several Epstein investigations, and how to defend accurate reporting when powerful people push back.
Amid escalating student press censorship, funding cuts and other challenges, participants in the 2026 State of Student Press Freedom webinar made it clear that students aren’t cowering under these growing threats. Instead, they are actively fighting them.
A California Superior Court judge last week ordered San Francisco Unified Schools to restore Eric Gustafson to his role as Lowell High School journalism adviser. A few days after the verdict, the Student Press Law Center caught up with Gustafson to chat about the ruling.
This rare and extreme step serves as yet another reminder that student journalists should familiarize themselves with digital security best practices, as well as the laws concerning the protection of confidential sources and materials.
For this profile, former SPLC intern Julia Gentin spoke with the former editor-in-chief of the Wooster High School Blade in honor of the publication’s 2004 Courage in Student Journalism Award.
For this first-person profile, former SPLC intern Julia Gentin spoke with members of The Homestead Epitaph in honor of their 1988 Scholastic Press Freedom Award.
We catch up with Abbey Crain, a former reporter at the University of Alabama’s The Crimson White who won the 2013 College Press Freedom Award.
Emily Wilkins is a senior at Hunter College High School in New York where she serves as editor for her school newspaper, What’s What. She shares her experiences at the 2025 Institute and what comes next in her advocacy work.
Ava Kate White is a senior at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas where she serves as the print editor for her school’s publication, The Tiger Newsmagazine. She shares her experiences at the 2025 Institute and what comes next in her advocacy work.
