A Student Press Law Center analysis this fall found that many school districts in Iowa and West Virginia fail to fully comply with state laws protecting student journalists’ rights, leaving them vulnerable to censorship despite legal safeguards.
Mike Hiestand, the Student Press Law Center's senior legal counsel, said the suspensions appear to be unlawful viewpoint discrimination. He made the following statement:
Two New Jersey high school students share how they convinced their school district to pass a new student publications policy that protects student journalists and their advisers.
The Student Press Law Center and the National Scholastic Press Association are proud to honor the staff of Theogony at Alexandria City High School with the 2025 Courage in Student Journalism Award for their determined pursuit of student press freedom when school district staff sought to instill prior review and cement their principal as editor.
The Student Press Law Center and the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project are proud to honor Illinois high school journalist Isabelle Leofanti with the 2025 Student Freedom of Information Award.
SPLC closed out a year of celebrating its half-century legacy with a celebration on Oct. 29. Decorated journalists — students and career professionals alike — highlighted the need and urgency for SPLC’s work in supporting student journalists nationwide.
The Student Press Law Center and the Associated Collegiate Press are proud to honor University of Texas-Dallas student journalists Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez and Maria Shaikh, along with the staff of The Retrograde, with the 2025 Reveille Seven Courage in Student Journalism Award.
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.
The Student Press Law Center and the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project are proud to honor Michigan State University student journalists Alex Walters, Theo Scheer and Owen McCarthy with the 2025 Student Freedom of Information Award. Four other reporting teams were recognized as finalists.
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.
