For both the student and professional media, user comments on Web sites are the basis of a growing number of lawsuits. Editors are attempting to grapple with how they should respond —?ethically and legally —?to controversial comments left on their sites by anonymous posters.
Tag: Fall 2009
Profiles cause crackdown
The reach of school officials has extended beyond the schoolhouse gate to the World Wide Web, where pictures on Facebook, a posting on MySpace or a comment on a personal blog can now mean punishments for students.
Police vs. press
Search warrants, arrests, pepper spray — most student journalists manage to avoid extreme situations involving law enforcement while doing their jobs. However, two college photojournalists recently found themselves in situations that highlighted tensions between the press and the police
Understanding cybershield law
Student journalists and school administrators should be aware of the protection Section 230 may offer — as well as its limits — when they venture into cyberspace.
Top programs not immune to prior review
Henry Rome and Seth Zweifler have, between them, picked up just about every honor that a high school journalist can compete for.
Community college papers face tough odds to keep programs
Because of their unique circumstances, community college student journalists are often forced to tackle many issues differently than students at traditional four-year institutions ' from battling with overbearing administration to keeping their papers alive altogether.