Student journalists have always done incredible work keeping their schools and communities informed, but the connection and clarity they provide have never been more important than in the past year. In 2020, students conducted an essential service by disseminating public health information related to COVID, informing first time voters of crucial election information, exposing racial discrimination in their communities and fighting for transparency from public officials — all while coping with the sudden shift to remote learning and the personal toll of isolation, risk of exposure to COVID, outpouring of racism and more.
The theme for Student Press Freedom Day 2021 is Journalism Against the Odds in acknowledgment of the phenomenal news coverage student journalists produced despite being faced with these incredible challenges.
Student journalism keeps us connected and informed. It is a public good that we must protect. As 17 year-old Lily Wobbe told Teen Vogue, “There’s no reason we should be censored and prevented from covering things like gun control or racism or climate change, because these things impact our lives just as much as they impact adults’ lives.”
Join the movement to protect student journalism!
Take Action for Student Press Freedom
Student Journalism: Understanding the Challenges
21 Excellent Stories of Student Journalism Against the Odds
New White Paper on Censorship of Student Journalism in 2020:
Use #StudentPressFreedom
“@UHClearLake is a learning institution, after all, and we are all student journalists and editors. As such, we are not ashamed or afraid to admit when we make mistakes and to issue corrections.” Read more: https://www.uhclthesignal.com/wordpress/2021/02/24/commentary-the-importance-of-understanding-and-respecting-press-freedom-at-learning-institutions/
#StudentPressFreedom #PriorReview
After the President of Haskell Indian Nations University issued a directive to a student journalist forbidding routine newsgathering, FIRE came to the student’s defense.
Now Haskell will have to answer in court. #StudentPressFreedom
https://www.thefire.org/lawsuit-student-reporter-sues-university-president-for-forbidding-journalism/
Want legal and reporting tips, censorship stories and the latest news about #studentpressfreedom? Subscribe to SPLC's weekly newsletter: https://bit.ly/307TGMw
When you protect #StudentPressFreedom, you keep communities informed and ensure students can cover issues that directly affect them: stories like these 21 about COVID, gun violence, racial injustice, sexual misconduct allegations and more. https://bit.ly/3k5lF8D
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