This post originally appeared on OTYCD in June 2018.
Support the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), which fights for the First Amendment rights of journalists in high school and college.
Good journalists don’t come from nowhere. They have to learn their craft, and many start with their high school or college papers.
Unfortunately, these young journalists face barriers that adult journalists face far less often–outright censorship from school staff, pressure to change stories, retaliatory budget cuts, and the like.
The SPLC is the only nonprofit that defends the free press rights of journalists in high school and college. It fields more than 2,000 inquiries on its legal advice hotline every year. It also advocates for open campus government, defends online speech, and encourages civic participation. It provides its legal services to students for free.
With the uptick in student walkouts and protests, which began rising after the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement, the intensity surrounding the plight of the Dreamers, and demands for common-sense gun laws after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, student journalists will be under more pressure and more in need of help.
The actions of the Trump administration has shown why good journalism is vital to a healthy democracy. We need to support tomorrow’s journalists as well as today’s.
See the SPLC webpage:
See its ‘Covering Walk-outs and Protests’ page:
http://www.splc.org/page/covering-walkouts-and-protests
Request legal help from the SPLC:
http://www.splc.org/page/legalrequest
Become an attorney volunteer for the SPLC:
http://www.splc.org/page/volunteer
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