Nearly a decade of advocacy finally paid off this year for Minnesota’s New Voices supporters, but they say there is still more work to do for student press freedom in the state.
The Student Press Law Center, the nation’s leading advocate for student press freedom, hailed the adoption of new protections for Minnesota student journalists. Gov. Tim Walz signed SF 3567 into law on Friday, officially making Minnesota the 18th state to adopt what are known nationally as “New Voices” protections.
The final version of Minnesota’s education policy omnibus bill, SF 3567, passed the House and Senate this week after a conference committee reconciled differences between earlier versions passed by each chamber.
A bill partially inspired by the New Voices movement to protect the rights of student journalists has passed both the Minnesota Senate and House, and it now heads to a conference committee to work out differences between the two versions unrelated to student media.
On March 13, student journalists and other supporters of student press freedom testified in the Minnesota Legislature in support of HR 4083 and SF 3998, companion bills that would protect press freedom in the state's school-sponsored media.