College radio stations, home to aspiring broadcast journalists and deejays, have reached an existential crisis — whether or not terrestrial radio, or analog, benefits their organizations any longer.
An eye-popping July 2014 report from the Pew Research Journalism Project, “America’s Shifting Statehouse Press,” documents the near-extinction of the statehouse press corps across America: Since 2003 – and state governments were under-covered even then – the number of full-time reporters working in state Capitols is down 35 percent.
As the SPLC celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, Executive Director Frank LoMonte said there are too many goals he needs to reach before he can even consider stopping. He said he wants to focus on larger policy issues which would allow student journalists across the country to do their jobs with fewer barriers.
On October 16, 2014, supporters of a free and courageous student press from around the country will gather at the National Press Club to mark the SPLC’s 40 years of service to our shared priorities.
Prompted by the legalization of recreational marijuana use in two states, students are more interested than ever in writing about the subject. Many, though, still encounter hurdles when reporting on the drug.
When policies ask school board members to refer all questions to a sole member, it can make it difficult to find out information about the decisions the board is making, reporters say.
After administrators put student productions of “Rent,” “Sweeney Todd” on the chopping block due to sensitive subjects, students and dramatists push back, defending the importance of theater.
Student and professional journalists alike report increasing difficulty when it comes to accessing sources. In response, college newspaper editors say they now teach their staff to have the ‘confidence’ to push back.
Even simple records requests are held up by delays and high costs, say journalists at Florida Atlantic University. The problems have been worsening over the past few years, in particular for one student.
Every year, colleges and universities report to the federal government how many students are referred for discipline for violating alcohol, drug and weapon violations. These statistics are often overshadowed by statistics that detail violent crimes, but as a Student Press Law Center review shows, disciplinary data can be a useful source for student reporters.