2008 Woodie Awards
Pending administrative approval
Danny Reyes
Issue date: 4/27/06 Section: Opinion
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Change is inevitable. It is all around us, some good, some bad, some we can control, and some we cannot. So what do we do when we're presented with a bad situation we think we can't control? We take control by forcing the opposition to see a different point of view. Imagine living in a place where you have to think about what you are going to say, before you say it, because saying the wrong thing could lead to your persecution.
It started in 1988, with the landmark Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlhmeier case. The dilemma? The East Hazelwood High School principal opposed articles in the newspaper the "Spectrum" about teen pregnancy and divorce. The solution? The principal removed the two articles, thus censoring the newspaper, violating a crucial First Amendment right, "freedom of the press".
In January 1988, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case stating:
'School officials have the authority to censor most avenues of school-sponsored student expression when they can show that their censorship is "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."' When the censorship has "no valid education purpose," it will still be prohibited. This ruling had major impact on high school newspapers nationwide, because they were now subject to prior review, by the principal or some other administrative figure.
Now, nearly twenty years later, the academic media world is in-line for another restriction. This time the restriction could affect college newspapers nationwide.
It started in 2000; the dilemma? Governors State University (Illinois) had printed stories and editorials deemed critical of school administration. The solution? GSU Dean, Patricia Carter, halted printing of the university's newspaper, the "Innovator".
To those of you not associated with the media world, this may not seem like that big of a deal to you; let me put it into different terms.
Members of a college athletic team are arrested for robbery. Too bad you'll never know about it. Why? Because law would require the "Silhouette" to have every story pre-approved before publication. Obviously, a coach and school officials would not be impressed with this type of news being made public, as it would tarnish the reputation of the school and the program.
It started in 1988, with the landmark Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlhmeier case. The dilemma? The East Hazelwood High School principal opposed articles in the newspaper the "Spectrum" about teen pregnancy and divorce. The solution? The principal removed the two articles, thus censoring the newspaper, violating a crucial First Amendment right, "freedom of the press".
In January 1988, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case stating:
'School officials have the authority to censor most avenues of school-sponsored student expression when they can show that their censorship is "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."' When the censorship has "no valid education purpose," it will still be prohibited. This ruling had major impact on high school newspapers nationwide, because they were now subject to prior review, by the principal or some other administrative figure.
Now, nearly twenty years later, the academic media world is in-line for another restriction. This time the restriction could affect college newspapers nationwide.
It started in 2000; the dilemma? Governors State University (Illinois) had printed stories and editorials deemed critical of school administration. The solution? GSU Dean, Patricia Carter, halted printing of the university's newspaper, the "Innovator".
To those of you not associated with the media world, this may not seem like that big of a deal to you; let me put it into different terms.
Members of a college athletic team are arrested for robbery. Too bad you'll never know about it. Why? Because law would require the "Silhouette" to have every story pre-approved before publication. Obviously, a coach and school officials would not be impressed with this type of news being made public, as it would tarnish the reputation of the school and the program.
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