Admissions staffers weren’t happy with the front page story run by the University of Massachusetts-Boston’s student newspaper, the Mass Media, during a welcome day earlier this month. The newspaper had reported about a hazmat scare in the dorms that led to a resident being taken to the hospital on a stretcher. Admissions staff, concerned about… Continue reading Admissions staff conceal copies of student newspapers after front page story about hazmat incident
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For second time this session, Arkansas puts more student media protections into law
UPDATE: Protections for Arkansas student journalists were again expanded this year after amendments to the 1995 Student Publications Act were signed by the governor. HB1432, now Act 912, was signed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson during the week of April 8 and makes several incremental changes to the decades-old law. The law now covers all school-sponsored… Continue reading For second time this session, Arkansas puts more student media protections into law
Ask SPLC: How can a public Community College paper stand up to censorship?
Q: I’m the editor of my public community college newspaper. We are called a club or organization, not a free press. We have been censored by being told what topics we can write about. Our adviser frequently kills stories because he says the quality is poor, even though I and my section editors have cleared it… Continue reading Ask SPLC: How can a public Community College paper stand up to censorship?
In the midst of a student body presidential campaign, police are investigating trashed student newspapers
COLORADO — About 1,000 copies of the Rocky Mountain Collegian went missing April 9, and fingers are being pointed at a team running for student leadership who were the subject of a critical article published the day before the thefts. The Collegian ran a story in its Monday edition that examined campaign spending discrepancies by… Continue reading In the midst of a student body presidential campaign, police are investigating trashed student newspapers
Act 912 Amending the Arkansas Student Publications Act (2019)
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed HB1432 (now Act 912) into law in April 2019. The law now covers all school-sponsored student “media” as opposed to all “publications.” The law will now apply more widely to non-traditional students. Read the amendment
Ask SPLC: What can private school students do when they’re censored?
Q: Do private school students have any recourse when their free speech rights are stripped? A: Options for fighting private school censorship can vary significantly from school to school. As you are probably already aware, you don't have First Amendment protection from censorship in private schools, so you have to look elsewhere. Reminder: The First Amendment only protects… Continue reading Ask SPLC: What can private school students do when they’re censored?
Maryland newspaper theft law
Theft of free-distribution newspapers by those who object to the newspaper's content is a frequent problem for the college student media. Although the SPLC believes that newspaper thieves can be prosecuted in most jurisdictions under existing theft laws, in 1994 Maryland became the first state to pass a law explicitly criminalizing the taking of free newspapers.
U. Arizona student media facing uncertainty after being told to vacate offices
ARIZONA — Student media are looking for a new home at the University of Arizona, Tucson. In late 2018, university officials told student media leaders through their adviser they would likely not need to move as the school looks to find space for a new international student center. They reversed course at the beginning of… Continue reading U. Arizona student media facing uncertainty after being told to vacate offices
‘Go take pictures of birds’: Firefighter tells student reporters to beat it, refuses to give identification
CALIFORNIA — A Los Angeles county firefighter threatened student reporters with arrest and repeatedly rebuffed them while they were trying to gather information on emergency crews on campus, according to the journalists. Emergency crews, including police and an ambulance, appeared to be responding to a medical incident at the college’s student health center. A man… Continue reading ‘Go take pictures of birds’: Firefighter tells student reporters to beat it, refuses to give identification
Ask SPLC: Can we use screenshots from a public Instagram account?
Q: We compiled a collage of screenshots from student’s instagram photos. The accounts are public. Is it legal for us to publish that collage? A: Assuming the photos are individually recognizable — that is, the subjects can be seen, for example, and you’ve used enough of the original photo that people would recognize it as the individual work… Continue reading Ask SPLC: Can we use screenshots from a public Instagram account?