Censorship Essay, Research Paper

Students may be allowed to dig up as much information as they?d like for an article, but that doesn?t mean that it will be allowed to print it. Schools all over the world are cutting out articles, words, names and just not allowing the paper to be circulated around the school, for the reason that they are scared. Schools believe that by allowing students complete freedom of press, will result in a lawsuit. In Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier the principal was unhappy with two articles written. One of the two articles was on teen pregnancy. Principal Reynolds felt that it made the topic of pregnancy to sound too positive. He gave the students an ultimatum either they were to cut the pages with the offending stories or to have no newspaper at all. Students brought the school to court, claiming a denial of their civil liberties (1st amendment rights). The principal claimed that there was enough time to rewrite the offending articles, so they were given an ultimatum. The school board won the 1st time in a federal district court, but the students appealed the ruling and won to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Since the Hazelwood ruling that allowed the school to censor the newspaper, four other states have passed similar laws. Laws about allowing students to publish material that is not libelous, an invasion of privacy, or likely to cause a serious disruption of school activity. Although, Dade county, Florida was one of the first school districts in the country to guarantee students writing for a school publication the right to print without prior review from administration and censorship. The Florida school district puts the responsibility on the students and their advisors. Students are left to decide what they feel should or shouldn?t be published. California has adopted its own law stating that students have the right to determine the content of a school-sponsored publication. Students became aware of this law after their principal ordered to have the soon to be published article on AIDS cut from the paper. He became aware of this idea after hearing the Hazelwood decision on the radio. Between 100 and 200 school boards have laws to give students rights in journalism. Dade country gave the student’s freedom by presenting guidelines to the school board and then to the U.S. Supreme Court, which gave students their rights back.

Students should be given the responsibility to decide on what should and should not be published. To use their own judgement and given the same rights as adults in the same field. This will teach teenagers maturity on how words can effect a person?s life and to use their common sense.