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Join us for Student Press Freedom Day 2025

Join us for Student Press Freedom Day on Feb. 27, 2025.

On Feb. 27, the eighth annual Student Press Freedom Day will gather student journalists and their supporters across the United States to spend the day raising awareness about their challenges, celebrating their contributions to their schools and communities and taking actions to protect and restore their First Amendment freedoms.

Arrested reporter wonโ€™t face university discipline, Stanford tells SPLC, FAC

Stanford University
Stanford University (.hd. Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

More than seven months after student journalist Dilan Gohill was arrested while covering a campus protest, Stanford University President Jonathan Levin confirmed to the Student Press Law Center and the First Amendment Coalition on Monday that Gohill will not face campus disciplinary action.ย  Levin, however, declined to rescind the universityโ€™s previous endorsement of criminal prosecution of Gohill in response to SPLC and FACโ€™s calls for him to do so.

SPLC, FAC urge Stanford to call for DA to decline charges against student journalist

white logo saying SPLC and Student Press Law Center on a bright blue background

The Student Press Law Center and the First Amendment Coalition today wrote to Stanford University President Jonathan D. Levin to request he take specific steps to address the universityโ€™s mishandling of the June 5 arrest of a student journalist covering a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus.ย 

Arrested Stanford reporter still in limbo six months later

white logo saying SPLC and Student Press Law Center on a bright blue background

In the Columbia Journalism Review, Stanford Daily reporter Dilan Gohill spoke publicly for the first time about his arrest in June while covering an occupation of the Stanford presidentโ€™s office. The prosecutor still hasnโ€™t officially pursued or declined the felony charges against Gohill, and Stanford disciplinary proceedings are also pending.

Guest Post: Donโ€™t be afraid: Standing up for student press freedom is worth it

New Voices logo

Ben Shapiro is a first-year at Northwestern University. In high school, he served as the editor-in-chief of The Spoke, Conestoga High Schoolโ€™s student newspaper, and worked closely with the Student Press Law Center throughout his tenure. Shapiro is active with Pennsylvaniaโ€™s New Voices movement. While interning at SPLC this summer, he reflected on the censorship he faced as a student journalist and why it was worth fighting.

Arrested Dartmouth students win 2024 Courage Award for championing press freedom

Alesandra Gonzales and Charlotte Hampton of Dartmouth College
Alesandra Gonzales and Charlotte Hampton of Dartmouth College

The Student Press Law Center is proud to honor Alesandra Gonzales and Charlotte Hampton of Dartmouth College with the 2024 Reveille Seven Courage in Student Journalism Award.ย Also recognized as finalists for the award are Salomรฉ Cloteaux at Indiana University and Hannah Epstein at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges.

Mountain View students win 2024 Courage Award for defending, educating on press freedom

Mountain View High School students hold up newspaper
Photo by Cate Graney/Verde Magazine

SPLC is proud to honor four Mountain View High School students with the 2024 Courage in Student Journalism Award for persevering against administrative censorship and retaliation to investigate sexual harassment at their school. The students used the experience to educate others about student press freedom, and two sued their district to vindicate their rights.