Studies show press freedom under fire in schools

Award will recognize those high schools supporting democratic principles of free press in America
For the seventh consecutive year, the Journalism Education Association, the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll combine in a national program to identify First Amendment High Schools throughout the United States. The award changes slightly this year, from Let Freedom Ring: America's First Amendment High Schools, as the groups build on their strengths to recognize schools actively supporting scholastic press freedom.

Our awards program, “First Amendment Press Freedom Award,” recognizes these public high schools that Get It, by understanding and teaching the First Amendment and demonstrating it as the backbone of our democracy now in their student-run publications.They show support for the future of democracy in the United States by actively supporting and protecting all aspects of First Amendment rights and responsibilities of their students and teachers.

High school administrators face challenges almost beyond measure today in preparing students for their future careers, personal endeavors and relationships, and their actions as citizens in our democracy. As with grammar and composition, as with mathematics, as with sports, practice in democratic rights and responsibilities makes perfect.

Past studies and reports show issues and problems school leaders, both student and faculty, face in preparing citizens to practice their democratic heritage.

• "Captive Voices," published in 1974, spawned several scholastic journalism projects of note: the Student Press Law Center and Youth Communication. Published by the Commission of Inquiry Into High School Journalism and funded by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, "Captive Voices" examined censorship issues, minority participation and journalism education and commercial media's involvement with scholastic journalism. It also presented an action plan and an initial set of legal guidelines for the scholastic media. Its notable First Amendment recommendations included:

--Full discussion of the First Amendment law be made a part of school curriculum. Students should know the full extend of their rights as well as any limitations.

--First Amendment rights of high school journalists be fully observed. Only material that is legally obscene or libelous or likely to cause immediate and substantial disruption of the school process should be probihited in school media

--Out-of-school media produced by students must be accorded the same First Amendment protections

--The established media keep special vigilance to protect First Amendment rights of youth journalists

--There be widespread distribution and discussion of guidelines to protect free expression of student journalists

--Local, state and national scholastic awards programs be revised to include consideration of content as a mjaor criterion in judging youth media

--Journalism education be broadened in concept beyond traditional publications programs to the central curriculum so all students will have the opportunity to elect courses that deal with the significance of media in contemporary society and that offer opportunities for free expression.

"Captive Voices," prepared by journalist Jack Nelson, is now out of print, but occasional copies can still be found.

--Every high school should have a newspaper that publishes at least once a month

--Principals, administrators, school boards and parents must recognize the value of student expression for an effective education. High schools need policy guidelines or state laws that allow student journalists to exercise First Amendment press rights responsibly

--Students deserve clear teaching regarding the role of free expression within a democratic society and the responsibility of those who have access to the means of expression.

"Death by Cheeseburger" is now out of print, but copies can be found through some scholastic press associations.

• In the Future of the First Amendment, national results of a survey of more than 100,000 high school students, 8,000 teachers and more than 500 administrators and principals at 544 high schools, painted another bleak picture of student knowledge of the First Amendment. "It appears," as stated the in the executive summary of the report, " that our nation's high schools are failing their students when it comes to instilling in them appreciation for the First Amendment."

Some of the notable findings include:

--High school students tend to express little appreciation of the First Amendment

--Students are less likely than adults to think that people should be allowed to express unpopular olinions or newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories

--Seventy five percent of teen respondents think flag burning is illegal; nearly half erroneously belive the government can restrict indecent material on the Internet

--Students participating in student-run newspapers are more likely to believe that students should be allowed to report controversial issues without approval of school authorities than students who do not participate in student newspapers.

You can find out more about this report by going to the Knight Report.

Our associations join to appeal to student and adult leaders in your school to not only apply for this award, but ultimately qualify for it. None of our organizations limits this qualification to freedom of the press, but for this year, this is where we start. The First Amendment, in all its 45 words of wisdom, is the backbone of our free society. Freedom of speech, religion, assembly and petition join freedom of the press as essential to fair and effective government under the U. S. Constitution. If anything, the Knight study clearly demonstrates the need for the nation's schools need to do a better job of teaching as well as practicing the beliefs of the First Amendment. And, perhaps more importantly, to indicate to the voting public, they care about what makes democracy in this country different from, and a model for, every other nation in the world.

Our four groups clearly see the need to recognize more schools, their administrators, school boards, faculty and students who do, indeed, Get It.

Perhaps mirroring the Knight Foundtion study, only three public schools were awarded last year, a drop from the original nine schools in the award's first year. We need to see that number to increase in 2005.

Please read the introduction to the downloadable questionnaire to determine whether your school will qualify for the “First Amendment Press Freedom Award. ” Details on application deadlines, and when and where the winners will be announced are provided with the questionnaire.

For additional information about this award, contact JEA Scholastic Press Rights chairman John Bowen by e-mail or at 330.672.2572. Information is available at the JEA Press Rights Web site, <jeapressrights.org>.