Law and Ethics
Protecting Student Journalist Rights
My junior year was full of fighting for my rights as a student journalist. With the censorship at my school, I fought my local school district, but I didn’t expect for an opportunity to arise for me to fight for student journalists across the state of Arkansas. I joined a nine-week program called LEMKE at the University of Arkansas, where journalism students from Northwest Arkansas meet with professors to improve their writing and produce one newspaper. Here, I was introduced to Arkansas Representative Julie Mayberry and her battle to pass two laws that would ultimately improve student journalism in the state of Arkansas. One of her bills would strengthen the wording of the Student Publications Act of 1995, offering districts and advisors protection from students exercising their First Amendment rights. The other bill proposed that journalism be reinstated as a course that schools must offer in order to be accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education.
My adviser drove three newspaper kids and I to speak during the General Assembly at the Arkansas State Capitol in front of legislators who serve on the Education Committee. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. The mere size of the building alone intimidated me, then we entered the room and it was packed to the brim with men in sharp business suits and the most professional looking women I have ever seen. I instantly felt like I didn’t belong. It was as though us students were the elephant in the room, but no one was willing to address it.
As the first student to speak, I knew I would be the one to set the tone for the students after me. If I did poorly, the legislators would most likely confirm their prejudice against us and assume we were just high school kids who didn’t know anything. I was there to show my support for the bill that would protect both the school district and advisor from what student journalists publish. I praised my adviser and her support for me and detailed all the skills she helped me develop. I also described how as a student journalist, we decide what we want to cover and are never forced by our advisor to cover a certain topic. It took all my strength to speak with a powerful voice and not display signs of my nerves. Once I was done, I returned to my seat and listened as the next bill was proposed.
It was as the next bill was proposed that I finally understood the legislators were not listening to us one bit. The Little Rock Nine yearbook was brought to the podium and one adviser discussed how it serves as a history book along with all other student produced yearbooks across the state. Just being in the presence of the book gave me and the other students goosebumps. We were then informed by one of the legislators that yearbooks are just “books with cute pictures.” It took everything in me to stay silent and not cause an uproar. She seemed to have failed to capture the importance of the history surrounding the Little Rock Nine yearbook. I realized that many of them probably believed the same thing: that what we do as student journalists was not real journalism.
While only one of the two House Bills was enacted into law, I was grateful that I had the opportunity to speak out about this cause. It is a moment I will never forget in my life. Even though it felt like I wasn’t taken seriously, I have grown from that experience. After the legislator’s comment, I have become even more passionate about my own work. It has also fueled my fire to continue fighting for the rights of student journalists. After this event, I had truly found my voice and confidence for standing up for what is just. I am proud and willing to use my newly found voice in helping others prevail.
My adviser drove three newspaper kids and I to speak during the General Assembly at the Arkansas State Capitol in front of legislators who serve on the Education Committee. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. The mere size of the building alone intimidated me, then we entered the room and it was packed to the brim with men in sharp business suits and the most professional looking women I have ever seen. I instantly felt like I didn’t belong. It was as though us students were the elephant in the room, but no one was willing to address it.
As the first student to speak, I knew I would be the one to set the tone for the students after me. If I did poorly, the legislators would most likely confirm their prejudice against us and assume we were just high school kids who didn’t know anything. I was there to show my support for the bill that would protect both the school district and advisor from what student journalists publish. I praised my adviser and her support for me and detailed all the skills she helped me develop. I also described how as a student journalist, we decide what we want to cover and are never forced by our advisor to cover a certain topic. It took all my strength to speak with a powerful voice and not display signs of my nerves. Once I was done, I returned to my seat and listened as the next bill was proposed.
It was as the next bill was proposed that I finally understood the legislators were not listening to us one bit. The Little Rock Nine yearbook was brought to the podium and one adviser discussed how it serves as a history book along with all other student produced yearbooks across the state. Just being in the presence of the book gave me and the other students goosebumps. We were then informed by one of the legislators that yearbooks are just “books with cute pictures.” It took everything in me to stay silent and not cause an uproar. She seemed to have failed to capture the importance of the history surrounding the Little Rock Nine yearbook. I realized that many of them probably believed the same thing: that what we do as student journalists was not real journalism.
While only one of the two House Bills was enacted into law, I was grateful that I had the opportunity to speak out about this cause. It is a moment I will never forget in my life. Even though it felt like I wasn’t taken seriously, I have grown from that experience. After the legislator’s comment, I have become even more passionate about my own work. It has also fueled my fire to continue fighting for the rights of student journalists. After this event, I had truly found my voice and confidence for standing up for what is just. I am proud and willing to use my newly found voice in helping others prevail.