Answers to our most frequently asked legal questions about yearbooks.
Tag: tip-sheet
A dozen tips to avoid being burned by a hot story
As more student media move from being merely a showcasefor football players and prom queens to being serious news organizations,not afraid to address controversial or sensitive subjects, theyface many of the hazards that have long confronted their commercialcounterparts: threats of libel lawsuits, invasion of privacy claims,charges of bias, etc.
An SPLC Tip Sheet: 5 Takeaways for Student Journalists from Rolling Stone's Libel Settlement
The now-resolved Rolling Stone libel case provides a roadmap of avoidable hazards that future journalists can observe when covering sensitive campus stories.
Copyright-safe materials available for re-publication in student media
Links to sites that offer downloadable images and music licensed for reuse
Fighting censorship after Hazelwood
For those student publications that are affected by the HazelwoodSchool District v. Kuhlmeier decision, First Amendment protectionshave been significantly reduced.
The SPLC First Amendment rights diagram
Download a diagram determining students' First Amendment rights by state.
DIY: 10-step guide to auditing your school’s compliance with the Clery Act
How well does your school comply with the Clery Act? We've assembled this guide to help you find out. In it are instructions, sample records requests and a checklist of basic requirements your school should be meeting.
Responding to school seizures and searches of cellphones
While a school has leeway to decide how and when cellphones may be used, the Fourth Amendment restricts the ability of any government agency to seize a person’s property or search the contents of that property, including a phone. Learn what the law does — and doesn't — protect.
Invasion of privacy law, in brief
A brief guide to the four separate types of privacy invasion.
Guide to avoiding trouble when publishing off campus
Creating an off-campus publication? A guide to avoiding trouble with your school.