Should Schools Be Allowed to Censor Student Newspapers?

If you teach students censorship in school it stands to reason that they will grow up to practice censorship as adults. Although censorship is often used as a tool to hide corruption, it is itself a form of serious corruption. To tell others what they may or may not write, read, or view is to practice in a kind of Orwellian mind control. In every book that is removed from a library or classroom, every article that is excised, every statue that is dragged down by a mob, and every mural covered up or painted over you see the end of American democracy.

Reading these stories about schools censoring student newspapers honestly made me really frustrated as a sophomore in high school. Some of these conversations, like the National School Walkout and the article focusing on teenage relationships, are significant to our daily lives. Taking away important discussions like these between students is like taking away the entire significance of a school newspaper in the first place. Obviously, some things do need to be censored and aren’t appropriate to talk about in school, but school newspapers are an outlet for students and a chance to voice their opinions on their interests. It’s a community for us students, not just another source of media that is hidden by our teachers and our administrators. Just because we are younger doesn’t necessarily mean that our opinions that differ from adults are immature or lacking experience. Just like adults, we take what we see around us and form an opinion based on it. To be honest, I don’t even know if my school has a newspaper but if there was one, I would definitely be interested in it. I love to voice my opinions, but also hear other people's. A newspaper can help a student catch up on what’s happening at school or even just random comments and topics that may be interesting to read. I hope that if I do create a newspaper at my high school or partake in one, I can make it a community where other classmates feel comfortable enough to share their opinions as well.

Although there are certain things that should not be printed, schools should not have to censor student newspapers. Our opinions are important too. Schools have their own communities within themselves and hearing what people actually have to say is good because it makes others aware of different points of view. It always seems that people think our generation is too lazy to speak out. When people do voice their opinion's adults call what we say immature because our opinions don't align with theirs. I could see the purpose of taking something down because it’s offensive but people have to remember there is a difference between offensive and controversial.

My school doesn't have a newspaper, at least I don't think it does... but I personally do think that schools should be allowed to censor school newspapers. In civics we learned about he case of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier in which student thought they should be able to talk about numerous issues in the school newspaper, claiming that is was their first amendment right. And while they do have freedom of speech, I think that there are some issues that are not appropriate to discuss in school. This case was won by the principle, which is why schools can now censor student newspapers. In my opinion, students should have rights, but stuff like politics, divorce, and teen pregnancy should not be something publish in a school newspaper, and therefore these newspapers should be censored by schools.

Nope Newspaper has to be objective when informing information. But if school gets in to censor information, there lies their subjectivity. And it also diminishes student's autonomy, i think.

The school I go to is a catholic school, where our newspapers have to meet our school values. Since our school regulates the writing submitted by students, it is very limiting to what a student can write about and what they cannot. In reading this article i see how it can affect the writer, along with how it could also affect some readers too. I understand how writing about certain things can empower someone especially women, but there is also many people who may find that certain topic triggering to them. Some may argue that if it's triggering to someone then they should just skip that article, but from personal experience its much easier said than done. I personally think that students should have the right to freely write what they please, but with a slight guideline. By guideline, I do not mean there should be rules in what you can and can't write about, what so ever. If the writer could put something like *triggering* or *explicit context*, this way the reader is warned about what they are about to read. Furthermore it still gives students the ability to express their writing freely.

The school I got does not have a student newspaper from what i have seen. I know they make announcements on a loud speaker. I know they have a bulletin online on the website for the school.

the school that i go to doesnt have a school newspaper. if we did have one i woud imagine that the school would censor it. Because no one would read it so they will take it out. Our school is very small so no one would care about it.

The school I go to doesn’t have a school newspaper, or at least not one that I’ve heard of. If we did, however, I would imagine that the school would censor it. In fact, I think that they should. To be clear, I wouldn’t want complete censorship of the newspaper, and I wouldn’t want the school to take the control entirely out of the students’ hands. There is some sensitive subject matter that needs to be talked about, and sometimes students are the only ones willing to break that ice.

I think that students should be able to investigate and write articles that share their opinions and ideas on any topic, as long as they do it in a way that does not harm the people around them. I feel like articles that endanger the safety, the comfort or the lives of students by bringing light into a potentially dangerous situation is not ok. I think that students should however be aloud to contribute their opinions on ideas that might be controversial.

I feel that this question is too broad to have a definitive opinion because it depends on what the newsletter is about. Pinpoint a topic that might be too inappropriate to be put out in the school newsletter, then the school has the right to step in and clear things up. Generally speaking and also my opinion, the school doesn’t have the right to censor the newspaper, if anyone has a problem, cite the 1st amendment. I say that they shouldn’t be able to censor it, but I am also saying that there needs to be limitations. A student can’t go on a rant that is inappropriate or vulgar, at this time the school could jump in and remove this piece. If a student has something to say about the school and does it in a civil way, then the school can’t do anything about it. The way I see it is that the students are best qualified to point out the problems with the school, or at least the mature students. A student spends 180 days and over 1,000 hours in a school each year, if they notice or suspect anything wrong that might be obstructing their learning, they have the right to address it. The school paper is the perfect way to do that. If read by multiple students, the news or issue could spread fast, raising attention to the problem, maybe forcing the school to do something about it.

I don't think censorship should exist anywhere in schools because even as students we have a right to free speech. There isn't a school newspaper at my school that I know of, but I do know that the purpose of a student newspaper is for students to voice their opinions about their schools and general issues going on in the teen world. If a school literally allows you to have a student newspaper, then they shouldn't be censoring it. I don't agree with the 1988 Supreme Court ruling, I don't think schools should be allowed to censor student newspapers. Even if the topic is sensitive, students still need to be able to express their opinions. If the article put the school itself at risk for liability, that would be the only time I'd think censorship would be acceptable. But things like teen sexuality and other potentially sensitive subjects shouldn't be censored if the school isn't being put at risk.

The argument about if schools should be able to censor school newspapers is a sensitive thing, mainly due to the fact that as soon as you step onto school campus you give up some of your rights. Technically the administration has the right to censor the newspapers in anyway they feel is justified. Of all of the articles that were censored or removed I feel that the one about the 5 students who shared their sexual encounters anonymously should not have been censored in the way that it was. Again I don't know if there's anyway for the rules about administration controlling censorship in school newspapers considering the fact that the schools are public entities run by the countries and states. The whole purpose of real journalism is to research and create discussions about things that aren't normally discussed so light can be show on them. As for school newspapers discussing these topics I personally don't see a problem with students writing about whatever they feel strongly about. The thing is though the administration is going to censor and remove anything that makes the school look bad. If students want to publish something about a problem in their school they should create a news outlet separate from the school newspaper. I do feel that the idea behind a student run newspaper where students can share/report on issues they feel strongly about is a very good outlet but it becomes very hard to do so when you are restrained by the same people you may be trying to report on.

Schools should allow to censor student newspaper due to equitable, open and critical education that which 21st century promotes for the education. when student publish their own ideas on the newspaper and magazines they are sharing the ideas and opinions they have on the latest trend they are talking and discussing, it is their own perspectives that they own to share, in addition, if they are interested in something that has not yet been investigated before, they will perhaps conduct an investigation to work out the result that they are satisfying, this also helps student because they are doing research to work out something on their own. When I was in my middle school, my school prohibits students to advertise anything that is basically again sting or not benefit to school. Furthermore, sharing some censor topic can help the school to improve, because they need ideas from student to discuss with them and correct them. Take an example of a school in Salt Lake City, students published an article in order to investigate mysterious unemployment of a teacher in their school, afterwards, President Obama closed up a series of the website of their school. This makes people wonder why and caused a lot of puzzled. Sometimes school didn't allow censor topics are because of the reputation, they think they don't need to expose these topics to a student but they are wrong. Schools should open to censor student newspaper!

It is well within the right of schools to censor the students newspaper. However, I believe that there is a point where censorship is too strict in the school system. The case of the 18 year old making their own porn is not an example of this. The school paper for better or worse reflects upon the school. If the parents saw an article like that in the paper the outrage would be audible. I do believe that students should be able to talk about more mature topics, but sex which a majority of high school students can not legally participate in . Should be approached in another way. People could argue that students participating in what many consider "unsavory" employment could encourage radical behavior.

I have always known a school newspaper to be used as a safe place to discuss opinions, latest news, and just about anything the writer wanted. Right? Wrong, according to many high schools throughout the country. I believe a student writer should have complete and total control over their newspaper submissions. The student was granted access to write and should be allowed to talk about any subject they want. Otherwise, why have a student newspaper at all? What is the point if faculty members are going to change your writing, making it not yours anymore? It all comes down to rights; who is legally correct. According to the Hazelwood Sch. Dist. v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988) case, clause C states that "educators do not offend the First Amendment by exercising editorial control over the style and content of student speech in school-sponsored expressive activities, so long as their actions are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns." But who is a faculty member to decided if a student's writing is biased or prejudice, vulgar, profane, or unsuitable for its readers? Why do they get to decide if an article is "appropriate" or not? This Student Opinion article frequently references newspaper stories about real topics everyday high schoolers deal with. Pregnancy, homosexuality, and sexuality are topics that should not be ignored because the law gives faculty the permission to ignore it. Let the writer write.

I believe every administration should be able to censor for obscenities but if they're taking down issues like the Relationships and Sex series/articles, or the opinion piece stating dates for the protest, moment of silence, etc. in remembrance of the Parkland shooting, is too much. I think school newspapers should be where students should be able to practice their journalism and express their own opinions and that cannot happen if their articles are being taken down. I could understand why a school wouldn't want students talking about a pregnancy scare or "sexual encounters" and while I agree that doesn't belong in a school paper, they should have at least kept the articles like "Long-Term", "Waiting Until Marriage", and "Bisexual" because those could really help someone in the same situation as the people sharing their stories (If someone was in an abusive relationship, was being peer-pressured into sex, and if someone was struggling with their own sexual identity). In the second article (Hard News, Angry Administration...), I completely agree with Mr. Hiestand. While talking about the barred publication of the opinion piece Neha Madhira wrote, he says, "We live in a democracy where the First Amendment isn't instinctive," “It’s learned and nurtured, and we certainly are not providing a whole lot of opportunity for students to learn the First Amendment in a firsthand kind of way.” We aren't at all given the permission to write what we want and it shows in this article.

Censorship is a very bad thing. Free speech is our constitutional right, but if you really think about it, does that apply to our schools as well. Schools are a place that we go to learn, not a public dis track. If the school newspaper deems that a comment is inappropriate, or demeans the likes of the school or a group of people will be offended by an article, they should have the ability to shut it down. I mean if you were the principal would you publish an article about how you are the worst. Schools politically censoring is a completely different story. I go to a pretty diverse school, but there are a lot of schools with a 90% Preservative or Republican population. It would be easy for one of those schools to deny an article from being published if it argues for the minority side because they wouldn't have to deal with students and their parents bombarding them with "How could you let something like this be published!" But, if the comment gives an argument that is not offensive and provides hard evidence, I think the school should be obligated to let that article be published.

Every school have different rules, we as a student should respect them and express our self in good way because if we is studying is for obtain good knowledge and have good education. Therefore if schools allow us write student newspapers, we should write article about something interesting that can be of the education or write about the problem that is happening in the school. A student can communicate in different ways, but if the student communicates or writes in an article inadequately word, the article should be censored because school should not allow that kind of opinion.

school newspapers should be censored or not should be based on the content of the newspaper Every person has the right to freedom and it's supposed to be revised and have responsible students, the newspaper is used to inform , in the school the newspaper school is really good

Being a journalist requires responsibility because the person must be aware that everything they publish will have a negative or good impact on our society. At this point, there are laws that protect freedom of expression and the main reason is because society needs to know the realities that surround us to make changes. I think schools should not be allowed to censor student newspapers because it is their voice and perhaps the only way to get to know and solve the different problems faced by many students in the school that mostly nobody solves because we do not know about their existence. In other hand, school should control of the student to ensure that they do not will used the newspaper in an irresponsible way.

774/5000 The school newspaper also serves to make a new activity known to students. Many of them may be interested in developing journalism, writing, design and layout, and research. Do not forget that we will also have the main function of a newspaper, which is to keep people in the community around the institution informed about the activities, events, and news that happen and are relevant. In conclusion having a school newspaper can bring many benefits for the development of the students, but as long as it is supervised by the director or teacher of the institution, so that everything that can be Good at the time does not become a life disaster for the rest.

In the article “Should Schools Be Allowed to Censor Student Newspapers?” in my opinion the introduction of the newspaper in the school is not only a pedagogical tool but also an important means of connecting the child with the world around him. With its greater or lesser burden of manipulation and alienation the social media supply the living and current reality but also to form a critical conscience in order to face the distortions of the reality the media offer, to know the own servitude of the environment and their own conditioning, most of them structural rather than political.

Obviously, we all have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. When your writing is published through a school, there's a limit on what you can say, because anything the paper posts is assumed to be endorsed by the administration. I run the Instagram of a school club where we discuss social and political issues, and I've always known what to stay away from without being told (or censored) Sure, a part of me is angered by the censoring of these articles. The anonymous relationship stories, like "Bisexual" and "Pregnancy Scare" seemed like they could provide teens with a nuanced worldview and important life lessons. The students that criticized their school administration's treatment of the National School Walkout could have been revealing an important injustice. News articles are meant to spread information and challenge our societal norms. These pieces should be published- and the certainly can be. The students could easily make their own independent news blog or website. Schools have to be restrictive. If papers were completely uncensored, they could be used to spread hateful ideas or encourage harmful behavior.

The line between slander and doing their job as a journalist seems like a very fine line at these schools who have their own papers. I can’t say it is shocking but in the instances given here I feel like administration is cracking down a little too hard. I would agree in that taking something down like the mention of porn would be a good measure to ensure the topics are appropriate but soon it talks about the coverage of a history teacher. Here is the fine line, admins need to make sure that the paper doesn’t keep making people lose their jobs but I feel like the writer's job is to uncover these things. This history teacher that had been written about was said to have sent inappropriate text messages to a minor. The writer is doing their job to publish this in my opinion and it isn’t anything that you wouldn’t see from a professional source. Another professional publisher had picked up on this story and wound up publishing the article himself. Schools should be conservative about their censorship because there isn’t a point in a paper without news, or anything that hasn’t been said already, because it takes out the quality.

In the article "Should Schools Be Allowed to Censor Student Newspapers?" I think that schools should verify in detail the information that students put in the school newspaper before publishing it. It would be much better for the school and those responsible for the newspaper, doing it in this way would avoid many problems.

Giving students complete freedom in choosing to write about sensitive or obscene topics is the solely school's decision. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier rightfully gave school systems the power to protect their reputation if they choose. The censorship of school newspapers prevents student journalists from publishing articles that can tarnish the school's name. Students have every right to write their own paper, but associating sensitive content with their school should require permission from multiple staff members. Publishing articles that are viewed as provocative can create conflict between student journalists and readers, which isn't something that should take place in the school's educational environment. In the case of the The Herriman Telegraph, the school was right to take down the article about a possible reason behind a teacher's dismissal. Spahr kept the provider of the information anonymous, which raises questions about the source's reliability. School newspapers should be informative and professional, not used for gossip and rumors. If the school views a proposed article as inappropriate, they have the right to restrict publication. But if the school chooses to encourage students to write about controversial topics, that's an acceptable decision as well.

Schools should be allowed to censor student newspapers. Every individual has the right to freedom of speech, but it should be monitored to where it’s appropriate for school. While some teens are mature, some are not, and if the newspaper is not approved by authorities, then there could not only be inappropriate topics, but it could also be a place for bullying. Newspapers should state interesting news currently going on in the world and school/student news. School newspapers should be treated like other articles students read in class without obscenity or pornography. I think Catilin Frank shouldn’t have put the article in the school newspaper for other students and teachers to read. I think like making the paper is an honor, and other students should be able to look up and inspire to be like people in the newspaper since they are usually put in there for either an exceptional performance in the classroom, at their sport, or just for being a good person. Genres like pornography are prohibited in education, so students would gain nothing from seeing inappropriate articles like this; it would only be a distraction. It causes an uproar from the student body and teachers. I do think current events such as school shootings should be in the school newspaper, so students are aware of the detrimental effects physically and mentally of students involved.

I think that a common theme the past few years has been teenagers wanting to have to the power that adults have. They want to be able to vote, make decisions, and other things of this nature. I think that they fail to realize that their authority figures were their age at one point in time. They have had the same thoughts and experiences that the teens nowadays have had. It honestly really irritates me when kids criticize authority figures for disagreeing with them. It makes me think that their parents have not taught them to be respectful to people that are older than them. It makes me fear for the future of the youth of the world.

As a general rule, I am against most forms of censorship. Even the more offensive and provocative ideas of the world should be expressed, even if they do cause discomfort or offense. That's what the very first amendment to the Constitution insures, after all. Freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. Above all else in the Bill of Rights: Expression. So, no, schools should not be allowed to censor student newspapers. Removing a subject from your weekly paper doesn't make the issue go away. But now, you've forced your students to talk about it elsewhere. Online, or in class, or with friends where they might not be as accepted for expressing their thoughts. If you try to dam a river, it'll try to flow elsewhere. That isn't to say that school's should leave everything up to the students. Some articles may be vulgar, or written to shock or anger readers rather than inform or convince them. So, some school input is a great addition, combing over the finer details and making sure the articles seem professional. But NEVER deny a subject completely from being written. It will only cause more trouble, even if you think it might protect the school's image. And in my opinion, a school that allows their students to discuss controversial subjects freely has already earned my respect.

I think that these investigative reports about school teachers or articles about students opening up about their experiences in high school should be uncensored because it doesn’t matter if it is “inconsistent with the shared values of civilized social order,” when the students are allowed to find a place where they maybe can truly open up about their life or tell stories about the deeper reasoning behind why a teacher stopped showing up to classes. I don’t think the school should be allowed to just pull the plug on the website just because it holds sensitive information or stories that they don’t think is civil enough for a school website.

In my opinion school newspapers should be strictly for the students. But they should still be monitored by the school. Students should have a place to express their feelings about things happening in the school, just like in the real world. But the newspaper still is apart of the school and should be monitored. One way that could potentially do this is having both student editors and teacher editors. The topics discussed in the school newspapers should be broad topics that do not cause tensions between the school. Overall the newspaper is used to inform, not to argue. I think a student ran newspaper is a great idea for a school, but just like anything else in school, students should only have so much rope, before something is said that could potentially hurt the school or someone in the school.

Whether or not school newspapers should be censored or not should be based on the content of the newspaper. Generally, I oppose censorship because all ideas should be able to be heard. On the other hand, teenagers can be vulgar and sometimes cannot be trusted to do the right thing. With the right, responsible students, a school newspaper is a great idea that gives students an opportunity to voice their opinions, objections, and stories. Put in the hands of the wrong, irresponsible students, the newspaper will undoubtedly turn into stories that aren't the best that they could be, from content to format. I understand that some laws that aren't practiced in the "real world" are practiced in schools, such as censorship. I don't think that it is fair to censor students unless the article puts the school or students in danger. Students deserve to voice their opinions on topics such as teen pregnancy, abstinence, teenage sexuality, or even something as simple as the cancellation of Movie Day. If a city or the country were to censor an article that they didn't like, the nation would be in uproar, demanding the enforcement of the First Amendment. It's imperative to have a place where students can express ourselves, where we can address real current issues that affect our lives. When that place that we have is stained by the totalitarian mark of administration, schools become obsolete as a tool to promote free thinking and learning.

Sometimes schools need to censor their newspapers. In the predicament about Bear Creek High School I feel like that was a prime example to censor a student newspaper. You have students writing about another being involved in pornography, not only is that informal but it also hurts the student that the article was talking about. School newspapers aren't perfect and sometimes they need some censoring. Last I heard, news was a place to bring up issues about your area or the planet, not a place to express yourself.

Schools, and Administrators should not be allowed to censor student work. Censoring a newspaper is a restriction of our first amendment right of freedom of speech, and freedom to the press. Censoring articles is often used to assert power over people. When you take away something that someone did because you don't like it, that shows you have more power than them. If there is controversy in a school about one of the administrators, they could censor that to make themselves look better. This should most definitely not be allowed. Censoring press is something that communist and socialist dictators have done to make themselves look better and to suppress the common person. By censoring it, it shows that opinions don't matter in the eye of the school if they don't align with the beliefs of whoever looks over it.

The school I go to doesn’t have a school newspaper, or at least not one that I’ve heard of. If we did, however, I would imagine that the school would censor it. In fact, I think that they should. To be clear, I wouldn’t want complete censorship of the newspaper, and I wouldn’t want the school to take the control entirely out of the students’ hands. There is some sensitive subject matter that needs to be talked about, and sometimes students are the only ones willing to break that ice. That being said, I do think that there are some topics that, regardless of your personal views on the matter, are considered uncivil in nature. There is a necessity to remove such content from the newspaper, as it could easily become a large problem for the school itself. Material that is seen as obscene or graphic in nature is often not suitable for professional newspapers, let alone student-run school newspapers. I believe that graphic or obscene content is unnecessary and sometimes harmful to a learning environment, and this is one of the few instances that I believe some censorship is necessary.

School newspapers are papers that should be censored by the authority figures of that school. I believe we should all have the right to free speech, but a newspaper that is given to all students should be examined to make sure it is clear of obscenity. I believe Catilin Fink was wrong in contributing to an article about pornography in the school paper, as this genre of writing should not be present in the schoolplace. As a student, I know it would rattle my high school if an article about another student’s private life appeared in the newspaper, and it would distract us from the reason we attend school: receiving an education. I believe schools have the right to censorship, as we have seen in the 1988 Hazelwood Sch. Dist. v. Kuhlmeier decision. There are some topics that should be off-limit in a school newspaper, obscenity and pornography being two of these. There are places for these subjects outside of school, such as blogs and other papers, but students should stay clear of sensitive topics while writing in their school.

It's difficult for me to decide what my opinion on the censorship of school newspapers is because, as a general rule, I'm very against censorship, but, as a teenager, I have very little trust for other teenagers. In the wrong hands, uncensored school newspapers could be a force of chaos. There are some kids that, when given free reigns to a newspaper that most kids at their school would read, would not handle it in a mature way. I can imagine the insensitive articles written, the poor writing, the subtly infused bullying, etc. The newspaper is a reflection of the school and its student body, so it's important to make sure it's a good representation. I don't think that the sensitive topics are the issue, though. It's all about how its handled. Although there are many teenagers that could probably not be trusted with the school newspaper, there are just as many that have a valid voice and opinions that deserve a platform to discuss them, and I don't think that school faculty should get in the way of that. Although I mentioned the immaturity of some teenagers, most of us are ready to deal with sensitive topics like teenage sexuality of school shootings, and censoring a school newspaper isn't going to just make us forget about that. Adults tend to expect us to function as adults but still treat us like children. We can talk about heavy topics, and we should! Teenagers offer a very valuable perspective on some topics that adults just don't.