By Docker Haub
Student Reporter
In a time of social media and technology, our younger generations are continuously losing the ability to communicate with their peers and talk about issues in their community.
In order for our communities to continue to grow and overcome problems, there has to be people willing to express their opinions and openly talk about how they feel. Student journalists are these people.
The role that student journalists play on their campuses and in their communities has never been more important. Student journalists are the students on the frontlines. Without student journalists, many students on campus would never know about some of the things that happen behind the scenes and what keeps the campus running.
With Student Press Freedom Day coming up on January 30, people need to recognize the importance of giving these students the freedom to allow their voices to be heard.
Unfortunately, there are many states that put restrictions on student journalists and try to censor their work.
States such as Oklahoma and Texas lack student press laws that protect student journalists. According to the SPLC (Student Press Law Center) website, state and federal courts have decided over 60 cases in the last four decades directly involving censorship of the public college and university student press.
The decisions have been unanimous in their agreement that the First Amendment forbids almost all censorship of student-edited publications by school administrators.
Why does it matter that student journalists are free from censorship?
When student journalists write about a sensitive subject, rather it be about something that is happening on campus or in the community around campus, there might be certain people that don’t want the story run because it could be harmful for their reputation.
It is a student journalists job to bring the truth to the forefront no matter how sensitive the subject might be and it is their right to inform their peers of the events that could have a potential effect on their day-to-day lives.
“In a time of economic problems and social issues, student journalists are filling in the gap,” said Diana Mitsu Klos, Director of Engagement for SPLC.
“They bring a sense of community and awareness to their campuses and unfortunately, there are too many incidents where students are being intimidated by the lack of press freedom laws. No one should be punished for simply producing good journalism.”
It isn’t fair for these student journalists to be mistreated for their work.
With journalism becoming less popular as time goes on and social media advancing, these young journalists are the last of a dying breed.
Instead of discouraging these young adults, they need to be receiving positivity and encouragement. Just like in our government, there has to be some kind of checks and balances system on college campuses.
There has to be someone who asks the questions everyone else is afraid to ask in order to keep the highest ranking members of the school board in check. If no one does this, then the opinion of the majority would never be heard.
Student journalists understand that every student on campus matters. They know that everybody has a voice and their own opinion, and student journalists must be free to let these voices be heard.